South Texas Botanical Gardens Big Bloom Mega Plant Sale

We want to let everyone know that the South Texas Botanical Gardens will host their

Big Bloom Mega Plant Sale

 

with a day full of eco-activities for the whole familly on Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 9 to 5. 

BIG BLOOM ! Plant Sale

Gardens & Nature Center turns into one BIG BLOOM!
 

Mega Plant Sale, with day full of eco-activities, is April 13 . . . DOLLAR DAY at the Gardens!

CORPUS CHRISTI--The BIG BLOOM!, South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center’s mega Plant Sale and garden festival, will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, April 13, on Gardens & Nature Center grounds, 8545 S. Staples St. It’s also DOLLAR DAY—visitors may both shop and tour the Botanical Gardens for $1 per person—a great opportunity for truly affordable family fun. Parking is free; and entrance to the BIG BLOOM is through the Rose Garden Pavilion. Members, who may begin shopping at 8 a.m., are admitted free and can enjoy their 10 percent discount on both Botanical Gardens plants and Nature’s Boutique gift shop merchandise. BIG BLOOM activities and Dollar Day are made possible by corporate sponsors Cheniere Energy, CITGO, FLINT HILLS Resources, H-E-B, NuStar Energy, Port Corpus Christi, Jason’s Deli and City of Corpus Christi Solid Waste Services.

An Eye on Water Conservation

Traditional BIG BLOOM activities include the orchid sale, plumeria, lots of bougainvillea and hibiscus, tropicals, perennials and specialty vendors selling lawn, patio, garden décor and nature-related products. But this year, plant shoppers will appreciate seeing a variety of landscape possibilities, with emphasis on Xeriscape and native plants due to our drought-induced water conservation requirements. Nueces Master Gardeners, who help with BIG BLOOM staging, will be on site to answer shoppers’ horticulture questions.  And to give first-time orchid buyers a ‘comfort level,’ Orchid Curator Sam Jones holds ongoing Orchidology classes, at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month, as well as the Keeping your Orchid Alive seminar, from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 20—just a week after BIG BLOOM.

Flora, Fauna, Eco-Fun!

The popular and educational interactive Butterfly Release is scheduled for noon in the Butterfly House! Beneficial ladybug releases happen in three different gardens. Resident Reptiles shows will be at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.in the Eco-Fun Tent. The Companion Bird Club & Rescue Mission’s personally-owned, trained, talkative parrots take over the Bromeliad Conservatory from 1 to 3 p.m. Spark in the Dark plays classic rock, reggae, folk and blues from noon to 3 p.m., also in the Eco-Fun Tent. 

 

New In the children’s play area is the delightful Tree House which opened in January. The storybook-themed playhouse sits atop an eight-foot-in diameter 400-year-old oak tree trunk, shipped here from San Luis Obispo, California. The Tree House includes a stairway to a high railed deck and tubular slide. At ground-level, kids actually can walk through the trunk, play on a creatively-built set of monkey bars, or try their luck on a ground-level balance beam. Inflatables also will be on site for kids.

 

For their convenience, shoppers should bring their own plant wagons. Memberships, which include reciprocal privileges at more than 200 other botanical gardens, may be purchased at the event. For vendor, membership, volunteer or other information, call 361-852-2100. 

 

South Botanical Gardens & Nature Center BIG BLOOM

BIG BLOOM SCHEDULE:

8 Membership Table Opens

8-9 Members-Only Shopping

9-5 Big Bloom, Orchid Sale, Vendors, Nature’s Boutique, Tree House, Bounce House, Nueces Master Gardeners for Plant Questions

10:30 Lady Bug Release—Sensory Garden

11 Reptile Show—Eco-Fun Tent

12 Butterfly Release—Butterfly House

12-3 Music by Spark in the Dark—Eco-Fun Tent

1-3 Parrots Galor / Companion Bird Club—Bromeliad House

1:30 Lady Bug Release—Hummingbird Garden

3 Reptile Show—Eco-Fun Tent

3:45 Lady Bug Release, Rose Garden

5 BIG BLOOM Closes—go home & plant!

They are located at:

8545 South Staples
Corpus Christi TX. 78413
(361)852-2100
http://www.stxbot.org/

For more information about the Big Bloom Mega Plant Sale, check out the following website for more details. 


http://www.stxbot.org/BIG_BLOOM,_month-out_News_Release_1.pdf

March 2013 Newletter

Hello Herbies!

I know everyone has been busy, but you did miss a really great program about Mandrake. http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-13-2013-program.html  Cindy did a great job, and it was enjoyed by all that were there. Cindy has ordered Mandrake seeds, so maybe we can try growing some soon. It is a very pretty plant, . . .just don't uproot it or else! 

Photo from Wikipedia.

Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandragora, particularly the species Mandragora officinarum, belonging to the nightshades family (Solanaceae).

Also, I had a list of recipes for dog biscuits that some of you asked for, so if you want the recipes, let me know and I'll forward them to you!

Hope to see everyone for our April 10, 2013 program which will be presented by me on Piperaceae (pepper family). There are a whole lot more than just black pepper Piper nigrum!  

After some discussion, we took a vote and decided that since so many of us travel in the summer and have family and guests visiting, that we are not going to have programs in June or July! 

Also for those Herbies that just love herbs, The 18th Annual Herbal Forum Festival Hill, Round Top, Texas will be held Friday and Saturday March 22 and 23, 2013.

For more information check out website: http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com/2013/03/from-website-httpfestivalhill.html or website: http://festivalhill.org/events/herbal-forum/  
 

They have workshops scheduled for Friday and a wonderful array of presenters scheduled for Saturday and a Plant Sale and other shopping choices, i.e. Shopping Galore!
Plant Sale sponsored by The Herb Society of America -Pioneer Unit
“Thyme Well Spent” Gift Shop Herbal Forum Book Store
“Thyme Well Spent” in the Garden
 

And if you haven't been to Festival Hill, you really need to go. It is a wonderful experience and the gardens are out of this world!  Check out website: http://festivalhill.org/campus-facilities/gardens/.

L'Ella is a member of the Aransas Pass Woman's Club and announced that they are having their 9th Annual Style Show & Luncheon next month. Here is the information and website: http://thewomansclubofaransaspass.org/index.html.   Sounds like a fun event.

9th Annual Style Show & luncheon

Basic Information:

Your tax deductible* donations go toward local graduate senior scholarships and local charities. Last year we were able to give several additional scholarships based on the generosity of our sponsors. Our silent drawing items and theme baskets vary and grow each year as we try to find something to interest everyone. Our ladies put a lot of effort into this event and it gets better each year. We hope that you will join us and have a great time!

Friends Working Together...To Build A Brighter Future

The Woman's Club of Aransas Pass

Tickets purchased online can be picked up at Will Call table on day of event.

Date: April 13, 2013

Time: 11:00 am (Doors will open at 10:30)

Theme: Hawaii

We are starting to get our Annual Style Show planned out. Tickets are available online and soon we will have more information and flyers available. We would like to thank everyone for their continued support of our event.
 

*See your tax professional for more information.

Purchase tickets or sponsor our style show below. A convenience fee has been added to the online prices. Thank you for your support!

If you are around, don't forget the Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale March 23, 2013 from 9 to 1 at website: http://aspmastergardeners.org/.

Saturday, March 23, SPRING PLANT SALE, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., Coastal Oaks Garden at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension-Aransas County, 892 Airport Road, Rockport. Click Plant Sale List Spring 2013 for the list of plants for sale. Click Plant Sale Pictures Spring 2013 for pictures and additional information.

Don't forget to read our Rockport Herbies Blog http://rockportherbies.blogspot.com/  with lots of good information about herbs, gardening and cooking!

Hope to see everyone next month!

 

Linda a/k/a Herbie

Male Gulf Frittilary on Blue Passion Flower Vine, photo by Linda T. Collins

 

SEVENTH ROCKPORT HERB FESTIVAL

Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Paws & Taws Fulton Convention Center, 402 N. Fulton Beach Road, Rockport-Fulton, TX

Presented by the Rockport Herb & Rose Study Group

SPEAKERS

On-going Anita Reeves, A-ReMark-able Experience, Distillation Demonstration

9:00 a.m. Judy Barrett, author of What Can I Do With My Herbs? and What Makes Heirloom Plants So Great? and publisher of Homegrown.

10:30 a.m. Susan Wittig Albert, author of China Bayles series and Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series

Noon Chef Kevin Argetsinger, graduate of Del Mar Culinary Art School, presenting a cooking demonstration.

1:30 p.m. Jeff Transeau, Charta Olives, Growing Olives in Texas.

VENDORS

A-ReMark-able Experience
Annette’s Plumerias
Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners
Charta Olives
Earthworks Nursery
Garden Charms
Judy Barrett’s Books
Lilling Taylor Herbal Products
Lucia’s Garden
Mary Ware Glassware
Murder by the Book
Nile Valley Herbs
Susan Layman’s Herb Boxes
The Herb Cottage
Todd’s Home Grown Veggies

Our Thanks to: Holiday Inn Express

MASTER GARDERNER FALL PLANT SALE

This post is to let everyone know that the Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardener Fall Plant Sale will be held on Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Green Acres. The address is:

Green Acres, 611 East Mimosa Street at Pearl Street, Rockport, Texas, 361-790-0103

I made an order for herbs with Perennial Favorites, and they delivered some really nice herbs last Thursday which will be for sale on Saturday!

There will be an assortment of basils, oreganos, thymes, mints, parsleys and fennels to name just a few herbs for sale. And we have a limited amount of vetiver grass which is a wonderful ornamental grass.

Be sure to check out this website entitled Vetiver Grass: The Sweet Smell of Erosion Control.


My vetiver grass growing in my yard.

See you all next Saturday!

Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners News Column Archives

While doing some research today, I came across the following website with lots of great gardening articles written by the Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardeners. Be sure to check out News Column Archives.

http://www.aspmastergardeners.org/

Plant Sale

The Aransas/San Patricio Master Gardener Spring Plant Sale will be Saturday, March 27, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. It will be in the back of Green Acres, which is at the corner of Pearl Street and Mimosa Street here in Rockport.

I had herbs delivered on Wednesday from Don Cox with Perennial Favorites in Brownsville. They are beautiful 4" herbs that smell heavenly! There are not only herbs, but tons of other plants!

Come on down tomorrow if you are around. For information call: 361-790-0103