Brazoria County Master Gardeners

06/01/2026

🐝 June is here—don’t miss this opportunity!

The Pollinator Academy is a one-day event packed with valuable information, interactive learning, and practical conservation ideas.

📆 June 27 | ⏰ 9 AM–3 PM
💲 $35
➡️ https://square.link/u/BMXotpo6

06/01/2026

Mike’s Random Garden Thoughts

I once cut myself opening a can of Vienna sausages, but I consider that a calculated risk. A certain level of danger is acceptable in order to enjoy the reward of miscellaneous meat products that have been ground up and neatly pressed into squishy cylinders nestled in a layer of congealed fat.
But I have to draw a line somewhere, and that starts with eating a cactus.
They say prickly pear fruit tastes like watermelon, and the pads are also edible, but I don’t have a good relationship with plants that have thorns and spines. They tend to reach out and grab me, leaving behind cuts and scratches. So, I’ll limit the use of my plastic spork to enjoying potted meat products, and I’ll enjoy the prickly pears and their amazing blooms from a safe distance.
Yep, it’s going to be another good day in the garden.

05/29/2026

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to our weekly engagement list! 🎉

Susan Chappell, Kathy Fuqua, Joe Hellsten, Susan Page, Drake Delacruz, Erin Ashley Price, Jana Stutzman

05/29/2026

05/28/2026

From master gardener and master naturalist Kathy Pittman

Several caterpillars in the native garden today!
Species named with the pictures

05/26/2026

Mike’s Random Garden Thoughts

They were there for as long as I can remember—a cluster of artificial red poppies in a small glass vase, sitting on a table in a side room of my great-grandmother’s home. Red poppies were a favorite of hers, but not for ornamental purposes. Instead, they were a perpetual reminder of hopes and dreams that ended too soon.

They were a memorial to her younger brother who, like so many other young men of his generation, went off to serve in World War I and never returned home. As fate would have it, red poppies subsequently sprouted in the freshly dug soil of a number of military cemeteries in Europe, and they became an enduring symbol of the sacrifice made by so many.

So, on this Memorial Day weekend, I’ll spend a few quiet moments in the garden remembering that small vase of artificial poppies and giving thanks for the sacrifices that so many have made to keep our country free.

05/23/2026

🪴 Plants, trees and grasses are included in the Water-Efficient Products Sales Tax Holiday May 23-25. For a full list of eligible items, go here: https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/publications/98-1018.php

05/22/2026