The Summer 2013 issue of our official newsletter has just been published.
Read articles about the A.E. Leonard Native Plant Garden in South Texas, Anisacanthus, Fragrant Mimosa and much more, including the latest organizational news and outstanding photography.
Download an electronic copy now from the Kindle Store and start reading.
A free paper and ink version will be sent to all members. If you are not already a member join now and get a copy.
Every year the Native Plant Society presents awards in a number of categories to individuals and groups whose achievements advance the mission of the Society.
Recipients of most of the awards are chosen by an Awards Committee appointed by the State Board, based on nominations received from members. Awards are presented during the Fall Symposium held each October. This year the awards will be presented October 19 in Corpus Christi.
Nominations for these awards will be accepted through June 10. You can review the awards and qualifications for them here. If you would like to make a nomination for any of them, send your nomination via email to Cynthia Maguire, the chair of the Awards Committee.
In addition to those awards the Society presents the Fellows Award to members for longtime involvement within the Society at the local or state level. Nominees must have been a member for at least ten years and not have received the award previously. The award will be given to the two candidates with the highest number of nomination votes. You can check a member’s eligibility and cast a ballot here.
One of our Cross Timbers Chapter members has come up with a unique way to raise money for the Native Plant Society scholarship fund.
This quilt was donated back to the Society by the winner and now hangs in the State Office in Fredericksburg.
For several years Tricia Hopkins has been making quilts with a native plant theme and then donating them to the Silent Auction that the Society holds every year during their Annual Meeting. Then two years ago Tricia decided to get more people involved by making the quilt a collaborative effort. Members were invited to make one quilt block and then Tricia put them all together in a quilt that was raffled off. The funds all went into the Kate Hillhouse Scholarship Fund.
This year Tricia is doing it again. If you want to get into the maximum fun send her your quilt block before July 20, when the blocks will be displayed at the quarterly State Board meeting. Members of the board will vote on their favorite and a prize will be awarded to the maker of the block getting the most votes. The finished quilt will be raffled in October at the Annual Meeting in Corpus Christi.
Rules and instructions are here. Quilt blocks should have a native plant theme. Contact Tricia if you have questions.
Native plants offer a smart alternative to traditional landscaping. Once established, native plants require little water, no fertilizer or pesticides, and provide food and shelter for animals, birds, butterflies and bees. Many native plants bloom throughout the summer, offering a variety of colors and textures.
Join us on Thursday, June 13, to learn about landscaping with native plants with Manon Schockey, Instructor and Horticulture Center Manager at Tarleton State University in Stephenville. Ms Shockey teaches Retail Horticulture, Floriculture, Plant Propagation, and Environmental Horticulture. She is also responsible for plant propagation and sales for the Horticulture Center.
The meeting will begin at 6:30 at the new location for our monthly meetings, Cherry Park Community Center in Weatherford. All our meetings are free and open to the public.
National Wildflower Week, May 4 through May 12, celebrates nature’s bounty of wildflowers all across the nation.
You can celebrate National Wildflower Week wherever you are. Find a field or garden and go for a walk. Take a field guide and learn the names of the flowers you see. If you are a photographer or an artist, capture some of the beautiful flowers as images to share.
If you are in Weatherford come out and join us at our monthly meeting Thursday night at 6:30 at Harberger Hill Community Center. Or sign up to take a class to learn about native plants. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has an entire page of ideas for how you and your family can celebrate.
The first National Wildflower Week was launched in 1988 as the primary focus of the American Wildflower Society, which was founded the same year. A few years later the American Wildflower Society became defunct and the week languished in obscurity. The Wildflower Center became the permanent home of NWW in 2003.