Sat., March 10 – 10 a.m. Herb Gardening:

Judy Barrett from Lady Bug products will discuss cultivating and cooking with fresh herbs. Judy has written several books on growing herbs in Texas.

Admission to all Smith’s seminars is two non-perishable food items for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank.

Please RSVP Below so that we have a seat for everyone.

Choosing the right trees and shrubs and how to plant them.

Admission to all Smith’s seminars is two non-perishable food items for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank.

Please RSVP below so that we have seats for everyone.

Expect the best, plant for the worst – making your landscape more drought tolerant.

Admission to all Smith’s seminars is two non-perishable food items for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank.

Please RSVP here so that we have seats for everyone.

Choosing the right trees and shrubs and how to plant them.

Admission to all Smith’s seminars is two non-perishable food items for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank.

Please RSVP here so that we have seats for everyone.

Learn about soil preparation, when and what to plant, fertilizers and pest control.

Admission to all Smith’s seminars is two non-perishable food items for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank.

Please RSVP Below so that we have a seat for everyone.

Our lawns suffered in last year’s drought. What to do, when to do it and rethinking some grass choices. And it’s time to prune roses. Quick lesson on cutting back your roses.

Admission to all Smith’s seminars is two non-perishable food items for the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank.

Please RSVP Below so that we have a seat for everyone.

That’s what we’ve heard from many people in the past fewweeks.  You know why — no rain last summer allowed lawn grasses to become thin. Some rain this fall and winter allowed weeds to pop up in the thin grass.  That’s why we are recommending you start applying pre-emergent weed preventers now, instead of waiting till February. Use either Ferti-lome All Seasons (contains fertilizer) or Hi-Yield Weed and Grass Preventer with Dimension (no fertilizer). Either of these will stop the next generation of weeds from sprouting.

If you also want to spray to kill weeds that are already growing, here’s the procedure:

1. Mow the lawn
2. Apply pre-emergence and water it in
3. Wait a couple of days
4. Spray with Hi-Yield KillzAll (in Bermuda lawns) or Ferti-lome Weed Free Zone (in St. Augustine lawns).

Be sure to spray on a day that is warm with no wind and no chance for rain.

If you want to tackle them now, you first need to know what type of turf grass is in your lawn and do the right thing for that type of grass.

In Bermudagrass lawns, you can spray a glyphosate (RoundUp) product on a warm, sunny day. These products will not hurt Bermudagrass while it is dormant. But they won’t work on cold, cloudy, rainy days. And if you wait till the Bermuda starts to turn green, you’ll kill your grass, too. Check with us for the gener4ic Hi-Yield products that have the same chemical as RoundUp, but cost less.

St. Augustine lawns don’t go completely dormant, so you can’t safely use glyphosate on these lawns. Most other weed killers don’t work unless the weather is hot. BUT we do have a Ferti-Lome product that will kill broadleaf weeds at temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees F. This product won’t kill any wild grasses, but will help with dandelions and other non-grassy weeds.

If you’re not sure what you have, bring us samples and we’ll be happy to help.

We were discussing the unfilled angels on the Child Advocates Christmas tree, and how some of these neglected and abused children won’t get much for Christmas. Somehow, the community always comes through with something for these youngsters.

But if you really want to help this holiday season, if you want to give something that will truly make a difference, check into being a volunteer for Child Advocates of Archer, Clay, Montague and Wichita Counties.

CASA volunteers are more than mentor or buddies for children in foster care. They are investigators, counselors, advocates for the child in court, and yes, buddies and mentors. It’s not easy. It requires hours of training and a commitment to spend several hours per month looking after the best interest of children who may not have anyone else in their corner. And it can break your heart.

It can also be the most worthwhile thing you will ever do, for a child and for your community.

This Christmas season, contact CASA at 940-766-0552, and ask about becoming a volunteer. It may just be the best present you’ll ever give.