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East Texas Spring Landscape and Gardening Conference set Feb. 14Texas Tips for homeowners to improve their home landscapes will be the mainstay of the East Texas Spring Landscape and Gardening Conference set Feb. 14 at the Tyler Rose Garden Center, located at 420 Rose Park Dr., Tyler. The conference will feature talks on landscape design, rainfall harvesting, recommended plants for East Texas, and caring for trees, said Keith Hansen, Texas AgriLife Extension Service horticultural agent in Smith County. Dr. Neil Odenwald, co-author of Plants For American Landscapes and Plants for the South: A Guide for Landscape Design, will give talks on the general principles of landscape design in one presentation. In another, he will talk about "small-space landscaping." "Small-space landscaping will focus on developing the space around your home into a functional and attractive area through the art of landscaping," Hansen said. Dr. Dotty Woodson, Texas AgriLife Extension Water Resources specialist, Dallas, will give practical guidelines on setting up rainfall-harvesting systems. "This water-conserving technique is a hot topic due to increasing demands on existing water sources and as recurring droughts affects our water supplies," Hansen said. Hansen will discuss the recommended plant list for Northeast Texas. The list, which is regularly updated, serves as an area guide to select plants that are well-adapted to the region's climate and soils. Daniel Duncum, Texas Forest Service district forester, will present "How Not to Bury Your Tree." "Many mistakes are made at tree planting time, and knowing the right way to establish trees will greatly reduce premature tree mortality," Hansen said. Another talk on tree care will be given by Tyson Woods, the senior arborist of Moore Tree Care, Dallas, who will demonstrate how to use compressed air tools to loosen compacted soils without damaging roots. "Woods has been very active in promoting organic techniques," Hansen said. The conference is sponsored and developed by AgriLife Extension, the City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department, and the Smith County Environmental Horticulture Committee. Registration will be $15 at the door and will include lunch. The conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. For more information, contact Hansen at the AgriLife Extension office in Smith County at 903-590-2980 or k-hansen2@tamu.edu.
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