Nacogdoches: Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. Dr., Nacogdoches. David Creech, director of SFA Gardens, will present “The Year in Review: Surviving a Career in Academia with No Permanent Injuries.” Creech’s year-end lecture will lead the audience through the highlights of the past year – plants, people and plans – and will aim to educate, entertain and enlighten. He has been at SFA since 1978 and is director and founder of the SFA Mast Arboretum, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden. He also directs the Pineywoods Native Plant Center. Creech received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in horticulture from Texas A&M University and his master’s degree from Colorado State University. His research efforts have focused on blueberry and kiwi germplasm and production studies, alternative crops and technology, crop nutrition and evaluation of new plant materials for the South. He and his wife, Janet, are both active gardeners and love to travel. The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare-plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated. Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center and next door at Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St. For more information, call 936-468-4129 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Hempstead: The Waller County Master Gardeners is currently accepting applications for its 2018 Master Gardener Training Program. Registration closes December 15. Classes are scheduled for most Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from January 6 through early April. Registration is $160 per person and covers training materials, a mandatory background check and speaker fees. For more information visit txmg.org/wallermg or call the Waller County Extension office at 979-826-7651.

Athens: Jeanne Brown presents “Sowing Your Seeds for Spring Starts: Eggplant, Peppers and Tomatoes” at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 19, at the Clint W. Murchison Memorial Library, 121 S Prairieville, Athens. For further information please call 903-675-6130, check out our website at www.henderson-co-tx-gm.org, or email hendersonCMGA@gmail.com. This is part of the Library Series sponsored by the Henderson County Master Gardeners Association (HCMGA) held the third Tuesday of each month.

Hempstead: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of Waller County offers the 6th annual Master Gardener Class training. Most training will be held at the Extension Office, 846 6th St., Hempstead, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays starting January 6. Field trips are also scheduled to local horticulture venues. Speakers will be TAMU Extension Specialists as well as local Master Gardeners and horticulture business owners. The training covers topics such as Soils, Botany, Vegetables, Shrubs, Trees, Native Plants, Pathology (Diseases), Entomology (insects), Propagation, Turf Grass, and Landscape Design. In return for this training, participants are required to contribute at least 50 hours of volunteer service in Waller County during their training year for certification and graduation. More details can be found in the application packet. For those who enjoy gardening and horticulture, this program is a fun and educational way to broaden their knowledge base and meet others with similar interests. The cost of the program is $160 and includes a Master Gardener handbook, mandatory background check (volunteer screening) and class handouts. If two family members share a Master Gardener handbook, registration fee for both is $260 total, a $60 savings! Registration closes early December. For more information, call the Waller County Extension office at 979-826-7651 M-F, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or email the Waller County Master Gardeners at wallermgardener2013@gmail.com. The application packet is also available at http://txmg.org/wallermg/classes.

La Marque: “Growing Avocado & Papaya”: with Jerry Hurlbert, Moderator and Coordinator of Texas Rare Fruit Growers Assoc, presenting, 9-11 a.m., January 6, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com ; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “Growing Peaches in Galveston County”: with Galveston County Master Gardener Specialist Herman Auer presenting, 1-3:30 p.m., January 6, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

Brenham: The Bluebonnet Master Gardeners will host an open house for prospective 2018 interns. Information about the 2018 BMGA Training Course will be provided January 9, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the Washington County sales Facility, 1305 E. Blue Bell Road, Brenham. For more information, call 979-865-2072.

Bellville: The Bluebonnet Master Gardeners will host an open house for prospective 2018 interns. Information about the BMGA Training Course will be provided January 11, from 10:00 a.m. until noon at the Austin County Extension Office, 20 South Holland, Bellville. The 2018 BMGA Training Course begins January 17 at the Austin County Extension Office in Bellville.

Houston: “Modern Roses for a Troubled Earth” is the topic of the Houston Rose Society meeting, January 11, 7:00 p.m. at the Cherie Flores Garden Pavillon, 1500 Hermann Drive, Houston. The parking lot is Lot C located at Hermann Drive and Crawford Street. The program will be presented by Lothar Behnke. Behnke has been an active member of the garden industry for more than 30y years. Currently he represents Weeks Roses, Simple Pleasures and Iseli Nursery under the ownership of Gardens Alive. He will speak on new Weeks rose introductions for 2018, focusing on Top Gun, a red rose claimed to have superior beauty and disease resistance. Free admission. For additional information, visit www.houstonrose.org.

La Marque: “Collection & Storage of Bud Wood for Grafting”: with Galveston County Master Gardener Sue Jeffco presenting, 9-10 a.m., January 11, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. The presentation and demonstration will take place in the Galveston County Master Gardeners’ Discovery Garden in Carbide Park. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email  galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

Tyler: Master Gardeners at the Library, January 12, 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. “Make No Mistake, What Not to Do!” with Master Gardener Dee Bishop. Tyler Public Library, 201 S. College, Tyler. Free and open to the public. For additional information visit www.txmg.org/smith or call 903-590-2980.

La Marque: “Growing Great Tomatoes”: with Galveston County Master Gardener Ira Gervais presenting 9-11 a.m., January 13, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “Kitchen Gardening”: with Galveston County Master Gardener Mary Demeny presenting 1-3 p.m., January 13, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “Square-foot Gardening”: with Galveston County Master Gardener John Jons presenting, 6:30-8:30 p.m., January 16, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “Wedge Grafting”: with Galveston County Master Gardener Sue Jeffco presenting, 9-10 a.m., January 18, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. The presentation and workshop will take place in the Galveston County Master Gardeners’ Discovery Garden in Carbide Park. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

Hempstead: The Waller County Master Gardeners started accepting pre-orders on November 1 for their 2018 Fruit Tree (and more) Sale scheduled for Saturday, January 20. Three informational seminars about the varieties being offered are scheduled as follows: Nov. 2 from 10 a.m.-noon at the Waller County Extension Office, 846 6th St., Hempstead; Nov. 4 from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. at the Waller County Community Center, 21274 FM1098 Loop, Prairie View; Nov. 9 from 10 a.m.-noon at the Pattison Area Volunteer Fire Department Bldg., 2950 FM359, Pattison. For more information about the sale and these seminars, visit txmg.org/wallermg or call the Waller County Extension office at 979-826-7651.

La Marque: “Successful Spring Vegetables”: with Galveston County Master Gardener Specialist Herman Auer presenting, 9-11:30 a.m., January 20, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com ; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “Small Trees, Small Yards”: with Galveston County Master Gardener Sandra Duvall presenting, 1-3:30 p.m., January 20, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “Garden Tool Talk”: with Galveston County Master Gardeners Henry Harrison, III, and Tim Jahnke presenting, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., January 23, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “Growing & Using Herbs”: with Fort Bend County Master Gardener and Coastal Prairie Texas Master Naturalist Tricia Bradbury presenting, 9-11:30 a.m., January 27, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email  galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “‘Texas Tuff’ Plants”: with Galveston County Master Gardener Sandra Devall presenting, 1-3 p.m., January 27, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

La Marque: “How to Grow Roses Successfully”: with American Rose Society Master Rosarian and Galveston County Master Gardener John Jons presenting, 6:30-8:30 p.m., January 30, at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main Street (Hwy 519), La Marque. Pre-registration required: Ph 281-534-3413, email galvcountymgs@gmail.com; for additional details visit  www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.html. Free.

Hitchcock: “Galveston County Master Gardeners 2018 Spring Plant Sale,” February 17, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., pre-sale seminar 8-8:50 a.m., Jack Brooks Park Rodeo Arena, 10 Jack Brooks Rd and Hwy 6, Hitchcock (Galveston County Fairgrounds).