April 1: Garden Gala Day Plant Sale and Earth Day Celebration
April 13: Les and Theresa Reeves Lecture Series
See below for more info!
SFA Gardens to host spring plant sale
Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host its annual Garden Gala Day Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St., in historic Nacogdoches.
The sale will feature a variety of hard-to-find, “Texas-tough” plants, including Texas natives, heirlooms, tropicals, perennials, shrubs, trees with an emphasis on pollinator-friendly selections, as well as exclusive SFA introductions. The featured plants are extensively trialed before being offered to the public and are produced by staff members and volunteers of the SFA Gardens.
This popular event benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden, along with educational programs that are hosted monthly at the gardens. Educational programs provided at the SFA Gardens reach more than 15,000 participants annually.
Parking will be available at SFA’s Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center, 2428 Raguet St., and visitors are encouraged to arrive early and bring a wagon for their plants.
For more information and a list of available plants, call (936) 468-4404 or visit sfagardens.sfasu.edu.
SFA to host Earth Day celebration
Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture and SFA Gardens will host an Earth Day celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center located at 2900 Raguet St.
The event, held in conjunction with the SFA Gardens Mast Arboretum spring plant sale, is a family friendly gathering that aims to engage the community in the outdoors and sustainable living.
“There’s no better way to celebrate Earth Day than with your community,” said Jocelyn Moore, assistant environmental education coordinator at SFA Gardens.
The celebration will feature activities and booths related to seed planting, upcycled art, tree identification, music and more. A representative from SFA’s Campus Recreation also will hold a beginner’s yoga course from 11 a.m. to noon.
“The event aims to help us learn ways to respect our Earth as we connect with folks working to make a positive change in Nacogdoches,” Moore said.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic to the Earth Day celebration and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Pineywoods Native Plant Center. Snacks will be available at select booths. To help reduce the event’s environmental footprint, visitors are encouraged to bring reusable water bottles.
For more information, contact Jocelyn Moore at [email protected] or (936) 468-1863.
SFA Gardens’ Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series to feature Chandor Gardens horticulturist.
Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. Steven Chamblee, director of Chandor Gardens in Weatherford, Texas, will present, “Great Garden Ideas.”
Chamblee has been active in horticulture for 40 years. He began developing his green thumb in the 1970s while transplanting trees with his father.
In 1986, Chamblee joined the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as a gardener and later worked as a greenhouse attendant. He enrolled in horticulture programs and earned an Associate of Applied Science at Tarrant County Junior College before completing a Bachelor of Science from Tarleton State University.
Chamblee continued his studies through a fellowship in the prestigious Longwood Graduate Program in Public Horticulture and earned a master’s degree in public horticulture administration from the University of Delaware. After graduate school, he worked as the native plant horticulturist for the Heard Natural Science Museum in McKinney then returned to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, where he later served as education director for four years.
Currently, Chamblee gives presentations across Texas and writes a monthly e-newsletter column entitled “Native Son.” He has authored dozens of magazine articles and the book, “The Story of Chandor Gardens.” He has a forthcoming book tentatively titled, “Mason’s Quest: Atonement for the Maya.”
The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare-plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.
Parking is available at nearby Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St., with continual shuttle service to the Brundrett Conservation Education Building.
For more information, call (936) 468-4129 or email [email protected].
