SFA Gardens to Host Plant Propagation Workshop
Nacogdoches, TX--SFA Gardens will host a plant propagation workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on May 3 in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet Street.

Dr. Andrew King, Texas A&M Agrilife research ornamental specialist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Science, will share propagation tips and tricks and invite participants to try their hand at plant propagation. King will teach various propagation techniques, including cuttings and sowing seeds. Class members will participate in hands-on activities and get to take home some of their propagated plants. "This workshop will be a great opportunity for gardeners to learn the basics of propagation," King said.

King’s research interests include ornamental plant improvement, ornamental plant trialing, medicinal plants and nursery/greenhouse production systems. He is a 4th generation horticulturist whose family has been in the nursery industry for 110 years. King has served on faculty in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences in College Station and as the assistant director of SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin State University. King received his bachelor’s degree in agriculture at Stephen F. Austin University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Texas A&M University.

Reservations can be made online at https://sfasu.edu/gardens/store. Cost is $25 for SFA Gardens members and $35 for non-members.

For further information, contact SFA Gardens at sfagardens@sfasu.edu or 936-468-1832.

The LSMSA Chorale & Mixed Ensemble Showcase will be presented at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 4 in the CPT Recital Hall at Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches. The public is invited to enjoy this year-end showcase of student talent under the direction of Mr. Gregory Wascoe, Instructor of Voice and Chorale. The CPT Recital Hall is located at the southwest corner of the High School Building at 715 University Parkway. There is no cost to attend and advance tickets are not required. For driving directions or more information, visit www.LSMSA.edu.

LSMSA Dance Ensemble’s Spring Concert will be held, Apr. 30-May 2, at 7 p.m. in David C. Treen Auditorium at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. Treen Auditorium is located on the first floor of the High School Building at 715 University Parkway in Natchitoches. Guests are encouraged to enter through the front entrance of the building, which faces University Parkway. Admission is free.

For the first time, the concert will be divided into two halves. The first half will feature choreography by Crystal Lewis, Associate Lecturer and Director of Dance. The second half will spotlight original student choreography from dance students enrolled in LSMSA’s “Artist-in-Training” program, or “AiT.” AiT students who will present original choreography are Emily Ayton (’25), of Destrehan, Rylie Renee Eirls (’25), of Pineville, and Tori Bourque (’25), of Gonzalez.

SFA Gardens Lecture to Feature Snake Woman’s Garden

Nacogdoches, TX-- SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7:00 pm on May 8th in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet Street, Nacogdoches. Kimberly Benton, Texas A & M Agrilife Extension Agent, will share her insights about Snake Woman’s Garden located at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site near Alto, Texas.
Benton earned her Master of Science degree in Agriculture at Stephen F Austin State University under Dr. David Creech in 2006 and has served as Texas A & M AgriLife Extension Agent for Horticulture in Cherokee County since 2010.
She enjoys a focus on connecting with the environment and nurturing the relationship between people and nature through classes and projects like Snake Woman’s Garden as well as school gardens within the county and many public education opportunities. She has been blessed to share her knowledge in locations as far reaching as Romania and has had national rose trials in Maine and at the Smithsonian gardens.
The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a plant raffle after the program. Attendance is free and open to the public, and donations to the lecture series fund are always appreciated. Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center or next door at Raguet Elementary School, 2708 Raguet St.
For more information, call (936) 468-4129 or email sfagarden@sfasu.edu.