The Parker County Master Gardener Association is located at the office of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service on 604 North Main Street in Weatherford, Texas. As part of our mission of Education Outreach, the Master Gardeners design and maintain the landscaping at the site. We invite the citizens of Parker County, and anyone who may be interested, to visit the Demonstration Gardens at the Extension Office.

The site was developed in 2000 and the landscaping began soon after the building was completed. Originally, there were seven beds designed and planted by the PCMGA. Since that time, five additional beds have been added. All the beds are now complete with plant labeling, which help individuals identify the plants they like and want to incorporate into their landscapes. Since the primary role of the PCMGA is education, these gardens help demonstrate proper plant selection which will create a garden that is successful in Parker County.

The four gardens at the northwest side of the building were developed the summer of 2005. We encourage all to come and walk the Kitchen Garden, Seasons Garden, Wildscape Habitat and Water Wise Garden. We are proud of our endeavors and hope that you will come and learn what grows best (and what does NOT grow best) in our area. Remember, these are Demonstration Gardens and you will want to check on them often to see the changes and gain great ideas for you own home landscape!

Our next project was a Rainwater Harvesting tank that is used to capture the rainwater from the building using the gutter system. The county approved our plan and we proceeded with the project. Three Parker County Master Gardeners completed the Rainwater Harvesting Specialist Training Class and this helped determine what was necessary to implement this project. This project will serve as a major source of water to irrigate our demonstration gardens, using a drip irrigation system.

The Parker County Master Gardeners have horticultural information to share with everyone. We strongly encourage each of you to call our office and ask questions or whenever you need advice. This is what we are trained to do and welcome your calls and visits to our gardens. The Master Gardener office is open Monday and Thursday of each week. The phone number is 817.598.6168.