The Travis County Master Gardeners Association, in cooperation with the Travis County Agrilife Extension Service, will present the 2009 Inside Austin Gardens, on Saturday, October 24, from 9 am – 4 pm.

We have a fabulous theme this year - sustainable gardening for urban wildlife. All our gardens are National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitats, which means these gardens have food, water, cover, and places to raise young. These Central Austin gardens all have interesting frontyard gardens that attract hummingbirds and butterflies for the whole neighborhood to see and enjoy.

This year’s tour is focusing on how to design urban garden spaces that attract wildlife, using native plants and sustainable gardening practices. The event includes garden tours and educational seminars at each location, including: “Gardening to Attract Birds;” “Plant Magnets for Butterflies and Hummingbirds;” and “Adapted & Native Plants in Your Landscape.”

Tickets for the 2009 Inside Austin Garden Tour are $10 (or $5 per garden) and can be purchased at any home on the tour. In addition, plants are available for sale on-site.

Please download the colorful brochure for details on each garden, educational demonstrations, map with driving directions, and more.

As Master Gardeners, our mission is to render sound horticultural information to the community through our programs. We charge a nominal fee to help cover our costs, but the real purpose of our tour is to provide you, the home gardener, with practices that can easily be translated to your garden.

To learn more about National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat, go to www.keepaustinwild.com or nwf.org.