Master Gardener Class to Focus on the Advantages of Native Plants
There’s more than one definition for the term native plant. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that natives live or grow naturally in a particular region “without direct or indirect human intervention.”
There are thousands of plants in Texas that fit that description. So Texas gardeners who want to include natives in their gardens can choose from an incredible variety of plants. And many Erath County residents are choosing to plant natives for several important reasons:
• Natives thrive without a lot of human intervention in the form of water, fertilizer, and chemicals.
• Their deep roots make them excellent for erosion control.
• They provide nectar for butterflies and bees. The resulting pollination benefits both home vegetable gardeners in your neighborhood and commercial agriculture operations in the county.
• They provide food and shelter for local wildlife and native insects, supporting the biological diversity of our community.
On April 11, Gordon Lee of Erath County Master Gardeners (ECMG) will conduct a class for home gardeners who want to learn more about Texas natives. Gordon is a certified master gardener, master naturalist, and Native Plant Society of Texas member. In addition to discussing native plants for the Cross Timbers area, Gordon will provide information on key principles of designing landscapes with native plants. He will also discuss the requirements for creating a Monarch Way Station and identify the process for having one’s property, regardless of size, registered as a Homegrown National Park, following the work and ideas of Doug Tallamy.
The class is part of ECMG’s Adventures in Gardening series of educational programs. Here are the details for this class entitled The Value of Native Plants in the Landscape: When: Sat, April 11, 2026, 1 pm to 3 pm Where: AgriLife Research Center 1229 US HWY 281 N, Stephenville Fee: $10 payable at the door RSVP to Texas AgriLife Extension Service at 254.965.1460 Please join us for this class and learn how to bring Texas natives into your landscape.