ECMG EXPO

ECMGA PRESENTS

BY SUSAN KNAPP, ECMGA 2022 PRESIDENT

HOMESTEAD HEROES

The Ellis County Master Gardeners can’t wait to see you at the Waxahachie Civic Center for our 21st annual Lawn and Garden Expo on March 26th, 2022. Our theme is Homesteading Heroes and this year we focus on teaching you how to have a sustainable landscape and home through urban homesteading.

This idea took root when our ECMGA Calendar chairperson, Pam Daniel, brought the idea as a theme for our 2022 calendar in response to the pandemic and supply shortages we have all experienced. So, whether you want to have a large home vegetable garden or simply grow a few tomatoes and peppers, have a more droughttolerant landscape or want to raise chickens or bees, we have something for everyone at this Expo.

The Ellis County Master program is an arm of the Texas land grant university, Texas A&M. We serve the Ellis County AgriLife Extension Service under the direction of Mark Arnold, CEA. Master Gardeners are an army of passionate horticultural volunteers committed to helping you become successful gardeners. Our mission is to provide you with the latest research-based horticultural information. We have three demonstration gardens - Ridgeview Park in Midlothian, the Butterfly Garden and Getzendaner Learning Garden in Waxahachie. Visit these educational gardens to learn more about how and what to grow in your own garden and gain new ideas for your landscape.

Last year, our 2021 ECMGA Calendar won a first-place award at the Texas Master Gardener conference. Pick up a free calendar at one of our events or at our calendar sponsors’ place of business. Tune in to our radio program on KBEC radio 99.1 FM or 1390 AM every Saturday at 8:00 am hosted by Master Gardeners Scotty Rigsby, Pam Daniel or Sheila Cloonen. Find us every Saturday at the Farmer’s Market, May through October, and other places in the community. Check out our website at ECMGA.com and sign up there for our monthly E-Gardening newsletter.

Contact our help desk with your gardening questions via phone, email or through our Facebook page. Email: ellismg@ag.tamu.edu Phone: 972-825-5175

HERE IS WHERE WE ARE IN THE COMMUNITY:

“We will offer you thousands of the best plants in our area at the best prices!”

GARDENING FUN for the

The children’s workshop at the Ellis County Master WHOLE FAMILY!

Gardeners Expo is a popular place for kids and their parents to visit. Both the children and adults enjoy the educational exhibits, the hands-on activities and the fun learning atmosphere provided by the Master Gardener volunteers. This year our theme will be “Heroes of the Garden” and we will help children discover all the creepy, crawly, buzzing creatures that can be our helpful heroes in the garden. From pollinating bees and butterflies to wiggly worms and more, we will explore how all these creatures work together to help us be better gardeners. We will also be exploring ways that we, as young gardeners, can personally be “Heroes of the Garden” by encouraging good gardening practices and wise use of our resources. Be sure to bring your curiosity and questions as we learn together how our gardens can flourish and thrive with proper care.

We appreciate the Indian Trail Master Naturalists and Laura Elkins, author of Miracles in the Garden:

Building a Butterfly Garden and Raising Monarch

Butterflies for working in partnership with us to provide fun learning exhibits throughout the day.

The workshop will be filled with “kid sized” gardening enjoyment with crafts, and take-home surprises to help remember the day. So come join us as we explore how to identify and be “Heroes of the

Garden”.

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MASTER GARDENER?!

The Master Gardener training program involves over 70 hours of classroom education provided by Texas A&M professors and other experts, followed by 75 hours of field training. Many of our Master Gardeners have had advanced training in trees, vegetable gardening, landscaping, plant diseases and pests and many other areas of expertise. This year we have had, by far, the largest Master Gardener intern class in our history. Our classes are held annually, and you can find more information about how to become a Master Gardener on our website. ECMGA.com