Category: Education and Outreach

Education and Outreach to Community

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City of Georgetown Water Conservation Expo, 10:00am-2:00pm, Saturday Feb 25Test, replicate from WP All Export

News from the City of Georgetown Water Conservation Team:

The City of Georgetown Water Conservation Team is hosting their first ever Water Conservation Expo, a come and go event to learn more about water conservation, native landscaping, and how to maximize your green space without sacrificing beauty.  Guest speakers and a variety of information booths set up featuring groups and organizations include:

      • Texas Water Development Board
      • Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
      • Brazos River Authority
      • Native Plant Society
      • Sun City Water Matters
      • and more!

    Read all the details about this city event and secure your free tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/water-conservation-expo-tickets-500104625397.

    (NPSOT-Williamson County Chapter is one of the participating organizations at this city event.)

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    Xeriscaping with Texas Native Plants

    — by Randy Pensabene

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    Xeriscaping with Texas Native Plants
    by Randy K. Pensabene, NPSOT-Williamson County

    “Xeriscaping” (pronounced zer-i-skaping, not “zero-skaping”) is a term coined in the 1980s. A fundamental principle of Xeriscaping, is that people living in dry climates should landscape using “appropriate plant selection,” meaning they should use plants suited to dry, arid landscapes rather than plants that need lots of water to survive.

    Watering of today’s landscapes and lawns accounts for approximately 50-75% of residential water use. Instead of the typical water-guzzling landscape, you can elect to have a beautiful and functional low-water, drought-resistant landscape with native plants.

    The native plants that evolved in this area survive and thrive in our soil, heat, droughts, flooding rains, and freezes. They also provide year-round nectar, seeds, fruit, nuts, and habitat necessary for our native wildlife to survive. Texas native plants provide the host plants our butterflies depend on and the food required to sustain our native bird populations and fuel our migrating birds.

    Click on this link to learn more about the benefits of landscaping with native Texas plants and a list of low-water, drought-resistant landscape plants recommended for Williamson County and surrounding areas.

    photo of non native lawn and plants
    Typical Landscaping using high-water non-native lawn and plants
    photo of drought tolerant TX native plants
    Xeriscape using low-water, drought-tolerant native Texas plants
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    For NPSOT members, Nov 17, preview “Native Plant Society of Texas Native Plant Database”

    ** ARCHIVED POST – LINKS AND IMAGES MAY NOT WORK**

    From Meg Inglis, NPSOT Executive Director:

    When: Thursday, November 17, 2022, 12 – 1 pm, via Zoom
    What: NPSOT Native Plant Database demo

    Claire Sorenson, Jon Lienhard and Stephanie Long saw a need and then took the initiative to create a Native Plant Society of Texas Native Plant Database. Their prototype uses Austin-area native plant information. Please join our demonstration of the database and give feedback. The session is free and open to all Society members!

    Register at this link

    You must log in to your Native Plant Society account to successfully register for the meeting. When you “Click to register online”, a “Log In” screen pops up. If you do not already have a login for the Native Plant Society – or if you have forgotten your login – fill in your email address and click “Recover Account.”

    Immediately after registration watch for a registration confirmation email with Zoom meeting and Dropbox folder links. If you do not see the email, please check your junk mail.

    ** ARCHIVED POST – LINKS AND IMAGES MAY NOT WORK**