Native tree seminar to be hosted by SFA Gardens

Chris Dempsey, senior garden technician for Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens, will host a public seminar aimed at teaching participants how to select, plant and prune native trees from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 28, at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - East Texas is blessed with an abundance of beautiful trees that thrive in southern landscapes. Chris Dempsey, senior garden technician for Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens, will host a public seminar aimed at teaching participants about native trees from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 28, at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Dempsey will help participants choose the ideal tree for their landscapes, make the best selections at the nursery and then demonstrate the appropriate method for planting. He also will discuss reasons for proper pruning, show pruning tools, and demonstrate the specifics of pruning and training shade, ornamental and fruit trees.

"Trees are the largest plants in your landscape and many can provide shade for your house for decades," Dempsey said. "They must be properly established and maintained to ensure their longevity and beauty and to reduce the risk of disease and damage."

Dempsey is a Nacogdoches native and an urban forestry graduate of the SFA Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. He has worked as a tree climber for Bartlett Tree Services in San Marcos.

To register for the seminar, contact SFA Gardens' education office at (936) 468-1832 or sfagardens@sfasu.edu. Cost is $15 for SFA Garden members and $20 for non-members.