Visit and Events

SFA Gardens will host the annual Wild About Woody Ornamentals event at 9 a.m. Dec. 6 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches.

The event is to acquaint nursery professionals, landscapers and enthusiastic gardeners with an in-depth look at the woody ornamental collections at SFA Gardens, particularly new woody ornamentals for Texas and Louisiana. The garden is home to a vast collection of conifers, oaks, pines, taxodium, lagerstroemia, azaleas, camellias and much more.

“The last three years of crazy climatic events has seen record hard freezes, the third worst summer heat and drought ever and a flood of epic proportions,” said Dr. David Creech, director of SFA Gardens. “This is the perfect time to see what died, what survived and what thrived.”

Speakers will include Dr. Andrew King, a fourth-generation owner of the oldest nursery in Texas, Dr. Tim Hartman, Texas Agrilife Extension specialist who will discuss fruit varieties, and Creech, who has been sorting through plant materials for most of his career.

Event sign-in will take place from 8:30 to 9 a.m., lectures to follow. A minibus will carry participants to tour the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, the fruit research plots, crape myrtle collection, the Lanana Creek Taxodium collection, the Mast Arboretum, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and the Gayla Mize Garden.  

Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center and at the Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center on Raguet Street.

The event is $30 and open to all ages. Registration is required.  

For more information, call 936.468.4404 or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

SFA Gardens will host a fruit research field day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 27 featuring kiwifruit, muscadine grapes, blueberries, figs, feijoas and other fruits.

Speakers will include Dr. David Creech, director of SFA Gardens, and Drs. Tim Hartmann and Justin Scheiner, both faculty members in Texas A&M University’s department of horticultural sciences.

“While East Texas has suffered through several climate challenges in the last few years, the region has many comparative advantages for the fruit grower,” Creech said. “Low-cost land, easy access to high-quality water sources, big nearby population centers, and more folks interested in growing their own fruit all point to promise in the years ahead.”

The day will start at 9 a.m. with presentations at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building in the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. There will be a break for attendees to leave for lunch. After the break, participants will then go to the fruit research plots at SFA Gardens around 1 p.m.

The cost of the field day is $15 per person. Register on-site the day of the event or in advance online at Fruit Research Field Day. 

For more information, email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.  

Hard-to-find, Texas-tough plants grown by staff and volunteers. Proceeds from plant sales support SFA Gardens staffing and operations. Both sales run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches. Parking will be available at SFA’s Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center. 

2024
Fall

• Fabulous Fall Sale 
  October 12, 2024
  9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  Fabulous Fall Sale Plant List 

2025
Spring

• Garden Gala Day
  April 5, 2025
  9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Our Ruby Mize Azalea Garden tour season is mid-March through mid-April (timing of blooms, weather conditions and tour availability permitting). Guided tours are available to groups of ten or more and must be reserved with a one-week advance notice. Tours are $5 per person.

To check availability: Email sfagardens@sfasu.edu with the date, the number of people in the group and if you would like a morning or afternoon tour.

Monthly social for garden-minded individuals where a variety of themed topics are presented. Bring your own lunch. Each event is noon to 1 p.m. at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building, located at 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches.

• January 17, 2024 - Tree Planting - Dr. David Creech, SFA Gardens
• February 21, 2024 - The Science of Soil Samples  - Wayne Weatherford, SFA Soil, Plant and Water Laboratory
• March 20, 2024 - Spring Plant Sale Preview and a Trip to the Greenhouse - Jordan Cunningham, SFA Gardens
• April 17, 2024 - Gardening for Pollinators
• May 15, 2024 - Landscape Tour - location TBD
• June - Summer Break
• July - Summer Break
• August 21, 2024 - Introductions and Welcome Back
• September 18, 2024 - Fall Plant Sale Preview
• October 16, 2024 - Saving for Spring with Cuttings
• November 20, 2024 - Leaves for the Garden
• December 18, 2024 - Winter Collaborations

The SFA Gardens Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. The presentation will begin at 7 p.m. and is followed by a plant raffle.

• Jan. 11, 2024 - “It’s a Brand-new Day at SFA Gardens: What’s New and What’s Not”
  Dr. Andrew King, SFA Gardens assistant director 
   
• Feb. 8, 2024 -  “Muscadine Madness is Making Mayhem in the Piney Woods”
  Dr. Justin Scheiner, Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service viticulturist
   
• March 14, 2024 -  “Plant Sale Preview: Plants You Shouldn’t Live Without” 
  Jordan Cunningham, SFA Gardens greenhouse/nursery technician
   
• April 11, 2024 -  “Everything you Wanted to Know about Crape Myrtle Bark Scale but Were Afraid to Ask”
  Dr. Yan Chen, LSU research scientist
   
• May 9, 2024 - “Pines, Pawpaws and Pocket Prairies”
  Greg Grant, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist for Smith County
   
• June 13, 2024 - “Unleashing the Flower Fairy: The Evolution of the Southern Garden Girl”
  Dawn Stover, longtime former SFA Gardens research associate
   
• July 11, 2024 - “Plants and People: Gardens Making a Difference”
  Dr. Tina Marie (Waliczek) Cade, Texas State University professor of horticulture
   
• Aug. 8, 2024 -  "Am I Tired or Just Retired? Gardening as a Lifestyle and Not a Hobby"
  Steve Chamblee, retired Director of Horticulture, Longview Arboretum and Nature Center
   
• Sept. 12, 2024 - “The Art of Growing Plants Where Plants Don’t Want to Grow”
  Whitney Griffin, Aspire senior product owner
   
• Oct. 10, 2024 -  “Pretty Plants and Then Some: A Peek into the Diverse World of Horticulture’s Supporting Industries.” Cade Boyd, production manager at AgriNomix Automation Solutions and Lauren Kilpatrick, technical lead at Syngenta Flowers.
   
• Nov. 14, 2024 - “Eleven Gardens in Ten Days-an England Adventure.” Dr. Jim Robbins, retired University of Arkansas Extension Specialist.
   
• Dec. 12, 2024 - “Plants, Plans and People:  Why SFA Gardens Is Destined to Flourish, But Only If the World Doesn’t End.” Dr. David Creech, director, SFA Gardens