Waller County Master Gardeners

June 2026 e-Blast

Growing Waller County one garden at a time.

President's Corner
By Mary Ann Drawl

Hello friends,

I hope you are having success in your gardens whether you grow edibles, ornamentals or trees.

The Waller County Master Gardeners have been busy. The Brookwood Plant Trials have begun. We spent a day planting hundreds of ornamentals and shrubs. These plants will be monitored in the coming weeks for how well they do in our area. Keep an eye out for information on the Plant Trials Field Day. You will be able to visit the trial gardens and vote for your favorites.

Our Junior Master Gardener program is rapidly approaching. Held June 8-12 in Pattison, TX. Wildlife in the Garden is the theme this year. If you have a child ages 8-12, consider signing them up. Cost is $25. More info can be found in the flier later in this newsletter.

Please keep an eye out for an upcoming seminar on water bath canning. Dr. Jenna Anding will be coming down from College Station to teach a three-hour class. We are still working on the date but it will most likely be in July.

Enjoy your gardens!

Mary Ann Drawl

Waller County Master Gardener's Officers

Mary Ann Drawl - President

MaryAnn Miron - Vice President

Kathy Nasr - Secretary

Irma Canney - Treasurer

Ag. and Natural Resources Agent

Matthew March

Waller Co. Extension Office

Waller County Master Gardeners

846 6th St

Hempstead, TX 77445-5402 USA

(979) 826-7651

wallermgardener@gmail.com

Editors:

Connie Holub

Ashley Aborisade

Welcome to the Waller County Master Gardeners’ monthly e-Blast keeping you up-to-date with educational programs and events going on during the month plus links to timely AgriLife Horticultural articles. All programs are supported by the Waller County Master Gardener Association through the Waller County AgriLife Extension Service.

June Calendar

WCMG Business Meeting: June 4th, 9:00am, Extension Office,

(Members only).

June Speakers: June 4th, 11:00am, Extension Office.

Amanda Rogers—Ever Changing Studios (local artist)

& Melissa Shewbert (WCMG member) “Make and Take Flower Frogs.” A $5.00 material fee will be charged and registration is required.

Text: Mary Ann Miron @ (979)530-3621 to reserve your seat. (Open to the Public).

Jr. Master Gardener Camp: June 8-12, 8:30 – 12:00.

open to students entering the 3rd thru 6th grade in the fall of 2026, Fee: $25.00, Registration Deadline: June 1st, Place: Christ Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 35912 Royal Road, Pattison, TX, Questions: Ext. Office—979-826-7651 or Cheryl Thomas 936-870-6791. Opened to the first 30 paid students. https://txmg.org/wallermg/master-gardener/jmg2026/

Work Day—Extension Office Gardens: Tuesday, June 16, 9:00am, During the summer months there will be no Saturday workdays scheduled unless special needs arise.

Wed. June 17, 11:00am—12:30pm, “The Well-Gardened Mind”

Speaker: Dr. Sue Stuart-Smith, Free Zoom Webinar.

Registration required: https://bit.ly/CCMGASummerSpeakerSeries

Texas Master Gardener Conference Leadership Workshop: June 22, 12:30-4:30 (See flier below.)

• Texas Master Gardener Conference: June 27, 8:45- 5:00.

“The Restorative Gardener” is a one-day virtual event.

The Restorative Garden centers on renewal—of landscapes, knowledge, and the volunteers who steward them—exploring how to sustain and rejuvenate gardens over time. Participants will leave re-energized and better equipped to support both their communities and the gardens they care for. (See flier below.)

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension provides equal opportunities in its programs and employment to all persons, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The Texas A&M University system, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts Cooperating.

Community Outreach

WCMG Scholarship Winners

Waller County Master Gardeners presented three $2000.00 scholarships this year to three very deserving students. The recipients are Elizabeth Claire Sechelski, a graduate of Bellville High School, who will be attending Blinn College in the fall majoring in Animal Science, Kori Paliwoda, a graduate of Waller High School’s class of 2024, who is attending Texas A&M University majoring in RWFM Wildlife Management, and Javier Gallegos III, a graduate of Corrigan Camden High School, who is attending Prairie View A&M University majoring in Environmental Science and Natural Resources. Congratulations to all the scholarship winners, and we wish them well in their future endeavors.

She Made It!!!

The Waller County Master Gardeners would like to congratulate Johnnie Johnson on her completion of all requirements for Master Gardener Certification. She is the first to finish her 50 educational hours and 50 volunteer hours. Johnnie has received her WCMG name badge and apron and will be certified at the annual WCMG Awards Banquet.

Texas Superstar Plant Trials

The 2026 Texas Superstar Plant trials started May 15, at Brookwood in Brookshire, Texas. Paul Winski at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is conducting the trials with the help of Waller, Fort Bend and Harris County Master Gardeners. This program is administered by Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and horticultural experts from universities and the nursery industry.

The purpose of the plant trials is to test and select plants that will survive in Texas’ diverse and challenging climates while providing edible and ornamental worth. Texas Superstars are a select group of plants known for their superior performance in tough growing conditions: extreme heat, drought, and diverse soil conditions.

The trials contain both raised bed and container planting. Two field days are tentatively scheduled: A commercial field day for June 26 and a ”New Plants for the Home Landscape” for June 27 which will be open to the public.

May Seminar - Pressure Canning and Garden Pests

Saturday, May 2nd, thirty Waller County Master Gardeners, interns and community members came together for three hours to hear Dr. Jenna Anding and Paul Winski of Texas A&M discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of different methods of garden canning and garden pests.

Dr. Anding discussed different types of canning as well as the safety measures that need to be followed to provide a family with safe and nutritious food. Water bathing, pressure canning, steam canning and freezing were the four methods discussed in the hour and a half presentation.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Paul Winski took over the second half of the program discussing the different types of garden pests and what you can do to protect your garden produce.

Both presentations were very informative and everyone walked away with good information on how to safely can the produce that they worked hard to protect from garden pests.

Future Canning Class in the Works

A hands-on canning workshop is in the future for the Waller County Community.

Dr. Anding has offered to come back and instruct a 3–4 hours hands-on canning class that would allow participants to go through a canning process.

As of now, the date, place and time have not been determined. Registration will be required and the number of attendees will be limited. There will also be a supply fee.

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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension is an equal opportunity employer and program provider. The Texas A&M University system, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts Cooperating.

846 6^th Street

Hempstead, TX 77445-5402