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Heat Loving Perennials

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On this week’s Good to Grow, hosts Denise, Jan, and John will talk about heat-loving perennials to keep our gardens colorful during the summer. If you would like to volunteer at the Ascarate Garden, the master gardeners are out there on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays mornings from 8:00AM to 10:00AM. Lantanas don’t require much maintenance, and they thrive by being exposed to the sun and not as much in the shade.

Ready to make your garden pop this summer?

Join the Texas Master Gardeners for a morning full of inspiration at the Ascarate Teaching & Demonstration Garden! Tour the gardens this Saturday, June 6th, from 9:00AM to 12:00PM at 301 Many Martinez Senior Drive, across the parking lot. Explore summer crops, perennials, and learn about amending your garden beds. Come get your hands dirty and find some "Summer Superstar" inspiration!

The El Paso County Master Gardeners started in 1981 and has been growing with many volunteers and Master Gardeners ever since. The love of gardening and search for knowledge are primary reasons people join the program to become trained and certified Master Gardeners. Texas Master Gardeners are united in name, but the program’s strength lies in its ability to meet the diverse needs of the communities it serves.

Additonal Information/Links :

This program originally aired on June 6, 2026.

Denise S. Rodriguez, County Administrator and Horticulture Extension Agent, is an El Paso native who earned her BS and MS in Horticulture at New Mexico State University. Denise previously worked at the AgriLife Research Center at El Paso where she was part of a research team focusing on determining the drought and salt tolerance of low water use plants in urban horticulture. She has tailored her home gardens to be kid friendly in hopes of inspiring her own children to engage in gardening.
Jan Petrzelka is a voluntter host on Good To grow on Saturdays at 11:15 AM. She is a Master Gardner with the Texas A&M Extension service and conducts workshops on gardening.
John White is a co-host of Good To Grow on KTEP and a curator of the Chihuahua Desert Garden at the University of Texas at El Paso. John is a professional Horticulturist and earned his Masters of Science in Horticulture from New Mexico State University.
Arely Avitia manages website content, graphic design and is part of the student outreach team. She works with audio producers to update production archives and news content, as well as maintain reporting for music licensing.
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