Wells Branch Garden Guild First Quarter Meetings

Submitted by George Holcombe

Gardening in the Drought – Setting up and using Drip Irrigation

Jan. 27, 2012, 11:00 AM at the Rec. Center on Shoreline – Joe Posern, Travis County Master Gardener, will be on hand with a slide show to teach us how to set up drip irrigation for your garden.  WB gardeners who use drip irrigation will also be there to share their experience.  We’ll be covering everything from planning, where to buy, maintain and get the most out of your drip irrigation.  With drought conditions projected to continue, drip irrigation is the way to go.  Save money and grow better plants.

Growing Trees in Wells Branch

Feb. 18, 2012, 11:00 AM at the Community Center on Klattenhoff – The Trees for Trails Focus Group of Wells Branch will catch us up on the tree project in the park; what and where new trees are being planted, getting rid of invasive plants and how you can help.  If you’re planning to plant trees in your yard you’ll want this information.  You’ll also want to know about invasive plants and trees (we have a bunch), how to spot them and get rid of them.  Invasives rob native plants of water and nutrients and replicate – ruining gardens and landscapes.  You’ll also learn about native trees and plants, where to get them and how to maintain them.  We’ll also discuss the Community Gardens.  This will be a key meeting for Park lovers.

The Birds and the Bees and Butterflies too!

Mar. 17, 2012, 11:00 AM at the Community Center on Klattenhoff – Yvette Shelton has arranged for Lynn Hill, an expert in plants that attract and help Birds, Bees and Butterflies, to teach us about the right plants to use in our landscapes.  To have sustainable yards and gardens we need birds and bees and butterflies.  This will be a great opportunity to get good info and your questions answered just in time for the Spring plantings.

Past Meetings

Topic:  Gardening in Drought Conditions

Daphne Richards from the Travis County Extension Service will be on hand to answer all our questions on growing yards and gardens in the drought.  Daphne is the horticulture agent for Travis County. She  worked for several years in El Paso before coming to Austin, which gives her practical experience with drought conditions. Daphne has appeared on Tom Spencer’s Central Texas Gardner and comes highly recommended.

As we face a lack of rain and water restrictions, she comes at a good time for our preparations for Fall and Winter gardens and our planning for yards and gardens for next year.

For more information on Daphne try go to this URL:
http://www.klru.org/ctg/gardener/name/Daphne_Richards/

If you have questions for Ms. Richards and you won’t be able to attend, send them to George Holcombe (geowanda1@me.com) and he’ll try and get some answers and email you back.

Garden Guild members will be bringing vegetables from our gardens to the WB Thanksgiving Dinner.

Garden Guild to Plan Fall Gardens at July Meeting

By George Holcombe

The Wells Branch Garden Guild, after a very successful Garden Tour in June, will hold its July Meeting on Saturday, July 9, at 11:00 AM at the Wells Branch Community Center.  We’ll be working on the things we need to do to prepare for our Fall Gardens.  A Master Gardner from the Travis County Master Gardeners will be on hand to guide us through the process and answer our questions.  Tell your friends and neighbors and lets get ready for beautiful gardens this fall in Wells Branch.

We’ve been very fortunate to have good presenters this year.  Among them were John Dromgoole, Tom Spencer and Richard Fadal.  All

leading experts in their fields.  This knowledge and the enthusiasm of the gardeners is producing some beautiful landscapes and gardens throughout the neighborhood.  Keep up the good work.

See photos from the tour to the right and visit the WBNA facebook page for more pictures of local gardens.

Don’t forget to visit our hotdog/sausage wrap booth at FourthFest and help support Trees for Trails!

Learn how to preserve your harvest at August Meeting

By Dianne Koehler 

Join the Wells Branch Garden Guild on August 6^th when we travel to Gourmet Texas Pasta to have Chef Roy Marshall demonstrate

preserving the produce we grow using pressure and water bath canning methods. He’ll talk with us about choosing the right preserving method and doing it safely. Space constraints will limit this meeting to 30 participants. We’ll post this as an event on Facebook and on the Wells Branch listserve in late July to sign up.

Classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute, Chef Roy readily shares his knowledge and love of cooking with everyone.  Having devoted his life to healthy cooking and learning about nutrition, he willingly imparts his extensive knowledge of nutrition, herbal health, and poisons in our food supply while cooking up pastas and sauces in his storefront. His resume includes being an award winning salsa developer and long-time food entrepreneur.