VICTORIA
GARDEN TOUR
Hear educational speakers, see variety of plants,
trees this weekend


October 15, 2010

by Sara Meyer, Victoria County Master Gardener VGT Co-Chair

edited by Charla Borchers Leon,
Victoria County Master Gardener
Gardeners' Dirt

VICTORIA COUNTY
MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION
PHOTO COURTESY OF HENRY HARTMAN/CREATIVE IMAGES
Bright tropical blooms and foliage are abundantly on display on this Rangoon creeper with blooms from white to pink to red at the Bridges garden. John Fossati, of Four Seasons Garden Center, will talk about this and other tropicals on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY HENRY HARTMAN/CREATIVE IMAGES
Numerous palm trees resembling a Caribbean setting are on tour at the Zeplin-Ramos garden and will have special lighting effects on the night tour. John Ramos will also speak on palms at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The renowned Victoria Garden Tour is Saturday and Sunday. Presented by KAVU NewsCenter 25 and co-sponsored by the Victoria Advocate, the tour includes five unique gardens, a night tour at the Zeplin-Ramos garden, which requires a separate $5 admission ticket, and a highlighted plant sale at the Anderson garden on Saturday. On the evening tour, night lighting in the tall palms and various trees, as well as fountains and walkways, offer a different ambiance. Enjoy not only the gardens, but also refreshments while meandering through the several gardens Saturday evening.

Coordinated by Victoria County Master Gardener Association and Texas AgriLife Extension Service-Victoria County, the garden tour will also provide educational speakers on garden topics at each home.

SPEAKERS, GARDEN NEWS

Tropicals and Palms


This year's gardens feature tropical plants and palm trees good for the Coastal Bend. Nothing says tropical as palm trees do with their gentle sway in the breeze or the rustling sound of their broad fan leaves or fronds. John Ramos will discuss palm trees for this area Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Zeplin-Ramos Garden.

John Fossati, owner of Four Seasons Garden Center, will share with gardeners the many tropical plants and vines which flourish in our area. Tropical plants, with their bold, unique foliage and showy flowers, can add great interest to the garden either in ground or in containers. Fossati speaks Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Bridges garden.

Colorful Plants, Trees

Master Gardener Nancy Kramer will share how to use colorful plants in the garden Saturday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Tucker Garden. Gardening for many years, Nancy enjoys using plants with interesting, bright flowers and leaf textures to draw one into the garden. In her own experience, Nancy uses many plants, which are designated as Superstars and will share information about these plants at the "Garden News."

The VGT highlights several trees which do well in the Coastal Bend region and Victoria County Extension Agent Joe Janak will share the latest research about trees for our area with minimal pests. Discussing several understory trees, such as the Texas mountain laurel, the Texas or Mexican olive tree, and the vitex or chaste tree, he will speak Saturday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Anderson Garden. This presentation provides CEU credit.

'Landscape Tricks,' Pesticide Safety

The educational presentations will continue Sunday at 11 a.m. with Lon Smith, Devereux Manager, sharing some of his "Landscape Tricks," which he's garnered during his 25-year career in landscaping. This "Garden News" takes place at the Janssen Garden. Working with a blank palette of a new home or re-working a tired garden, he will share many ideas that work, as well as some that don't.

Charlie Grymes, Ph. D., will give advice when using pesticides in the landscape and the garden in his presentation, 'Pesticide Safety.' Dr. Grymes will speak Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Janssen Garden. CEU credit is available for those needing it.

GARDENING BOOKS AVAILABLE AT PLANT SALE

Three superb gardening books will be available for purchase in limited supply Saturday at the highlighted plant sale located at the Anderson Garden, 210 Bramble Bush. Texas Garden Almanac by Doug Welsh provides the gardener with a monthly gardening calendar with practical information for shrubs, flowers, trees, and landscape design strategies and much more.

David H. Kattes, author of "Insects of Texas," provides a practical, non-technical introduction to insect classification.

Interested in attracting wildlife to your garden or landscape, but don't know how? "Texas Wildscapes - Gardening for Wildlife," by Kelly Conrad Bender, will answer any question you may have. To see a wildscape within the city of Victoria, be sure to tour the Anderson Garden on VGT, which has just received this designation.

TOUR GARDENS SATURDAY, SUNDAY

Plan to go on the tour this weekend and see the examples of premier landscapes you can do at your own home. Shop the highlighted plant sale Friday at the Anderson Garden, and pick up a few gardening tips at any of the "Garden News" presentations either day. And don't forget for just an additional $5 per person, try the Night Tour at the Zeplin-Ramos garden on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. See you this weekend.
PHOTO BY HENRY HARTMAN/CREATIVE IMAGES
Victoria County Extension Agent Joe Janak will provide information on trees in the area with a focus on varieties like the vitex. This presentation will be 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Anderson garden and will provide CEU credit.
PHOTO BY SARA MEYER/VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER
Bright and unusual blooms can be found in the Tucker garden where there are numerous tropicals and succulents, like this blooming star cactus. Master Gardener Nancy Kramer will share her knowledge in this garden on Saturday at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY HENRY HARTMAN/CREATIVE IMAGES
Intentionally planting a dwarf grass between stepping stones and other landscape tricks will be shared by Devereux Gardens' Lon Smith in the Janssen garden on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Click for printable pdf of information
(credit to Robert Zavala ~ Victoria Advocate)

VICTORIA GARDEN TOUR TOPICS
Anderson Garden ~ 210 Bramble Bush Lane
Bridges Garden ~ 115 Bloomingdale Circle
Janssen Garden ~ 401 Woodlands Lane
Zeplin-Ramos Garden ~ 1207 Salem Road
Tucker Garden ~ 204 Cimarron

Saturday Topics
Color in the Garden ~ Tucker Garden ~ 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Trees in the Garden ~ Anderson Garden ~ 9 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Palm Trees ~ Zeplin-Ramos Garden ~ 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.
Tropicals in the Garden ~ Bridges Garden ~ 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Sunday Topics
Landscape Tricks ~ Janssen Garden ~ 11 a.m.
Pesticide Safety* ~ Janssen Garden ~ 3 p.m.

*Denotes 1/2 hour TDA pesticide credit

HIGHLIGHTED PLANT SALE
WHEN ~ Saturday, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.  WHERE ~ Anderson Garden
The Gardeners' Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas AgriLife Extension - Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.