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Good to Grow is Live from the 2026 Spring FloraFest

Martin Leon
/
KTEP

On this week’s Good to Grow, hosts Denise and Jan will host a live show during the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens FloraFest spring plant sale, and they will talk about the latest rainy weather, as well as supplemental irrigation and care for your new native plants from FloraFest. Native plants may struggle in pots. In the first year, they will establish a new root system in your garden, and slowly get used to their new home. Like Jan said, “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.” No one misses FloraFest the same way that you can’t miss this special edition of Good to Grow!

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 April 11, 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.
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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