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Fredericksburg Chapter

in The Garden of your Dreams with Paula Stone – April 25 chapter meeting

Paula Stone will share her insights April 25 on how to increase your gardening enjoyment by making it easier and more successful. Attendees will learn what is needed to make the garden of your dreams and how to enjoy the process. The program will include a discussion of planning, tools, clothing, weeds, garden prep, planting, plants, and maintenance. This overview will help you learn what to do and how to do it, and that will increase your confidence and enjoyment of your land.

Through the last 14 years, Paula has tried various plants and various gardening techniques to deal with the caliche soil, lack of rainfall, excessive heat, and occasional ice storm that are common to Gillespie County. Her presentation will summarize what she has learned. Stone hopes that people new to gardening in the hill country will benefit from the many tips she will be sharing. The goal of her talk is “to help new gardeners make a plan that will increase their confidence and enjoyment of gardening here.”

Stone is a three-term past president of the NPSOT Fredericksburg Chapter, and has been gardening in Fredericksburg since purchasing her property in 2009. She purchased and restored a historic stone home on the edge of Fredericksburg. She took the property from being so derelict that the realtor wouldn’t go inside to being on the 2012 Historic Home Tour. The 10 acres surrounding the house were in equally horrific condition, having been an exotic game farm/puppy mill that had “every conceivable weed that will grow in the hill country” says Stone.

She also credits her knowledge and enjoyment of gardening with the many educational opportunities available and friends she has made thru NPSOT. Her home, Gilbriar, has been the site of many chapter plant sales, meetings, and several public garden tours.
“The smartest thing I did for my garden was to join NPSOT and make friends with the people who know things! I am grateful for their guidance, encouragement and all the free plant cuttings and seeds that they have given me over the years.” Stone said.

by Holly Simonette

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About the Region

New Braunfels, the location of our Fall 2024 Symposium, straddles both the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion and the Blackland Prairie ecoregion. Interstate 35 divides the city of New Braunfels; its path through the city closely parallels the boundary of these two ecoregions, with the Edwards Plateau on the west side and the Blackland Prairies region to the east. The Edwards Plateau area is also called the Hill Country; however, this general term covers a much larger area extending farther north. Spring-fed creeks are found throughout the region; deep limestone canyons, rivers, and lakes (reservoirs) are common. Ashe juniper is perhaps the most common woody species found throughout the region. Additional woody species include various species of oak, with live oak (Quercus fusiformis) being the most common. Sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) and bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) border waterways. This area is well known for its spring wildflower displays, though they may be viewed in spring, late summer, and fall, as well. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, average annual rainfall in the Edwards Plateau ranges from 15 to 34 inches.

The Blackland Prairie extends from the Red River south to San Antonio, bordered on the west by the Edwards Plateau and the Cross Timbers, and on the east by the Post Oak Savannah. Annual rainfall averages 30 to 40 inches, with higher averages to the east. This region is dominated by prairie species. The most common grass species include little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) in the uplands and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) in the riparian areas and drainages. Common herbaceous flowering plants include salvias, penstemons, and silphiums. This area has suffered greatly from overgrazing and agricultural use. Few intact areas remain, though many of the plants can be found along county roadsides throughout the region.

Our four host chapters (New Braunfels, Lindheimer, Guadalupe, and the Hill Country chapters) are located in one or both of the ecoregions above. However, the eastern portion of Guadalupe County also falls within the Post Oak Savanna ecoregion. Annual rainfall averages 35 to 45 inches, with higher averages to the east. A wide variety of hardwood trees are found, including several species of oaks, elms, and in the Bastrop area, loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). Grasses and forbs dominate in the open savannas, with most common grass being little bluestem. Ranching, agriculture, and fire suppression have allowed woody species to encroach on the once-open savannas.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason