Keith Hansen

February is a busy month not only in the yard and garden with folks getting ready for the new gardening year, but it also is a month with several educational programs sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Of particular interest to home gardeners will be the 15th annual East Texas Spring Landscape and Garden Conference Feb. 16 at the Tyler Rose Garden Center. Previous year’s conferences have had up to 400 attending from the East Texas area, including visitors from Dallas, Houston, Austin, and points in between.

One of the featured speakers for this year’s program is Dr. Jerry Parsons, Extension Horticulturist from San Antonio. Dr. Parsons is well known not only in South Central Texas, but throughout the state and region for both his many plant introductions and “colorful” personality.

He has been instrumental in introducing many new plants to Texas horticulture, including the maroon bluebonnet, some of the most productive vegetable varieties in the state, and many other flowering ornamentals that are now commonly used across Texas.

He created what is now called the Texas Superstars, a program to introduce and market plants quality plants adapted to Texas. That will be the subject of one of Parsons’ presentations during this year’s conference. Later in the program, he will also speak on vegetable gardening, giving tips mixed with humor on growing your own produce. More information on Dr. Parsons can be found on his Web site Plantanswers.tamu.edu.

Aubrey King, a highly respected and knowledgeable third generation East Texas nurseryman and owner of King’s Nursery from Tenaha (near Nacogdoches), will speak on using native plants in the landscape. King has a passion and an eye for good plants for East Texas, and often grows and sells the unusual, and he also enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience regarding good plants for gardeners.

Interspersed between the longer presentations will be two shorter talks on some very practical matters that affect all gardeners, presented by Tim Lanthrum, owner of Cutters Equipment of Tyler. Lanthrum will highlight some of the most common problems that gas-powered engines get and what to do about them.

Later he will show you how to calibrate your garden spreader and sprayer so you know you are putting out the right amount of product.

Joe Novak, Senior Lecturer in the Horticulture Department at Texas A&M University, will speak on “Gardening for Life – the Health Benefits of Gardening.’’

In his presentation, Novak will look at how gardening improves our physical strength and stamina, helps prevent osteoporosis, counters arthritis and other physical ailments.

The conference, jointly sponsored by AgriLife Extension and the city of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department, and developed by the Smith County Environmental Horticulture Committee, will be held at the Tyler Rose Garden Center on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Besides the featured speakers, exhibitors will be showing their products and services throughout the day. All registration is at the door on the day of the conference, starting at 7:45 a.m.

Admission is $15 and includes lunch. The Conference begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes about 3:30 p.m. For information concerning exhibiting, contact Keith Hansen, (903) 590-2980, or Craig Reiland, Rose Garden Supervisor, at (903) 531-1200.

Two other conferences will be held in February. As the name implies, the East Texas Turfgrass Conference focuses on the management of turfgrass, and is of particular interest to those who are involved in the management of commercial, sports and home lawns and turf, including school districts, city parks and recreation departments, lawn and landscape managers, as well as homeowners. The conference is Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Texas AgriLife Research & Extension Center at Overton.

Topics addressed that day will include controlling turfgrass weeds and diseases, controlling moles, winter overseeding lawns with new ryegrass varieties, keys to turf establishment, bermudagrass management, and pesticide laws and regulations. Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) pesticide license holders earn 5 CEU’s for attending the conference.

Cost is $25 per person, and includes lunch. Pre-registration, and the complete program is available online at EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu – look under “Events & News” -> “Programs & News.”

At the same Web site, you will also find the program for the East Texas Fruit & Vegetable Conference, Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the Tyler Rose Garden Center. This all-day program focuses on commercial fruit and vegetable production, and will feature presentations in the general session on feral hog control for fruit and vegetable growers, soil management, labor issues affecting the fruit and vegetable industry, and minimizing pesticide risk.

In the afternoon there will be three concurrent sessions. In the fruit session there will be talks on marketing fruits in East Texas, growing blueberries, and peach pest control. The vegetable session includes the subjects of southern pea production, nematodes and their control, and a “truck farmer growers panel”.

The third session focuses on grapes, and includes growing Vitis vinifera in East Texas, trellis systems for American hybrid grapes, and disease and insect management of grapes in East Texas.

Registration for the Fruit & Vegetable Conference, which begins at 8 a.m., is $20, and includes lunch. TDA pesticide license holders earn three CEU’s by attending the conference.

Keith Hansen is Smith County Horticulturist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. His web site is http://EastTexasGardening.tamu.edu His Blog is http://tceblogs.tamu.edu/mt/etg Texas AgriLife Extension Service educational programs are open to all individuals without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.

Keith Hansen
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