DALLAS, TX, May 1, 2024 — The Dallas County Master Gardener Association 2024 Garden Tour will be held on Saturday, May 18th from 10 am to 5 pm. in the White Rock Lake area of East Dallas. The Tour includes five private home gardens in a variety of sizes and styles, a public demonstration pollinator garden, as well as a new concept to the tour this year - two bonus “pass-by” gardens that are just too packed full of botanical wonders to leave out! Visitors are encouraged to take pictures at all of the gardens, and specific plant lists will be available for each location.

All eight gardens on the Tour are owned or managed by Master Gardeners who will be on hand to answer questions and provide insight as to how their garden came to be. Master Gardener docents will be stationed in the gardens to provide additional information and to point out garden highlights. Educational Programs will be conducted in all featured gardens, including:

• propagation by seeds and cuttings

• bees and other “winged things”

• shade gardening

• vegetable gardening

• native plants for birds and how to incorporate them in your garden

• container gardening

  The main focus of this year's Tour is on pollinator gardens, emphasizing the use of native and adapted plants and Earth-Kind® practices. Tour Chairman Elaine Webster says, “Guests can expect to see a variety of functional designs, including terraced backyards, water features, innovative use of alley space, and alluring havens for birds and other pollinators. It’s a great opportunity to incorporate ideas from the experts into your own yard!“

  Tickets, $18 prior to 6 pm May 17th and $22 thereafter, can be purchased online at https:// dallascountymastergardeners.org/garden-tour/. Tickets can also be purchased during the tour at any of the featured gardens.

  The Garden Tour is the major source of fundraising for the Dallas County Master Gardener Association (DCMGA), a non-profit organization dedicated to horticultural education and volunteer service throughout the county. The funds raised from the Garden Tour will be used for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Dallas County Master Gardener programs to provide learning opportunities to county residents, including community service projects, school gardens, research education and demonstration gardens.

  The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Dallas County Master Gardener program is one of the largest in the nation. In 2023, the economic value of the 43,350 volunteer hours provided by Dallas County Master Gardeners translated to $1,378,514 in benefits to the community. Additionally, over three tons of produce were donated to food insecure county residents.

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For more information on this and other events, please visit www.dallascountymastergardeners.org or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ DallasCountyMasterGardeners/