SFA Gardens to host Wild About Woodies event in July

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the annual Wild About Woodies event at 9 a.m. July 1 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

The event is to acquaint nursery professionals, landscapers and enthusiastic gardeners with an in-depth look at the woody ornamental collections at SFA Gardens, particularly new woody ornamentals for Texas and Louisiana. The garden is home to a vast collection of conifers, oaks, pines, taxodium, lagerstroemia, azaleas, camellias and much more.

“For horticulture professionals, this event is a rare opportunity to make side-by-side comparisons with the range of plant materials that can be found at SFA Gardens,” said Dr. David Creech, gardens director.

In addition to Creech, guest speakers during the Wild about Woodies event include Matt Welch, a horticulturalist for Madrone Landscaping, and Dr. Andrew King, owner of King’s Nursery in Tenaha and an SFA horticulture alumnus.

Event sign-in will take place from 8:30 to 9 a.m. with coffee and snacks provided. Lectures will follow, shadowed by a minibus tour of the gardens with opportunities to view fruit research plots, crape myrtle collections and taxodium on Lanana Creek. A plant giveaway will conclude the event.

Parking is available at the PNPC and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

The event is $30 and open to all ages. For more information, call (936) 468-4129 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.