Everything Nac

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Linda Lehmusvirta, longtime producer of the “Central Texas Gardener” PBS show in Austin, will present “Bulbs for Psycho Lighting Gardeners” at the upcoming Theresa and Les Reeves Garden Lecture hosted by the SFA Gardens.

The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in Room 110 of the Agriculture Building located on Wilson Drive on the SFA campus.

Lehmusvirta is producer, writer and editor of KLRU-TV’s “Central Texas Gardener.” The weekly show’s goal is to spare new gardeners mistakes and help them achieve beautiful, water-wise, organic and wildlife-friendly gardens. “Central Texas Gardener” is broadcast throughout the country and watched online by viewers around the world.

Lehmusvirta has earned two writing awards from the Garden Writers of America, and the show has received several Lone Star Emmy awards. Her garden articles have been published in Garden Design, Organic Gardening, Neil Sperry’s Gardens, Austin Home & Living, Texas Home & Living, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s magazine Wildflower, and the Austin American-Statesman.

“Central Texas Gardener” can be viewed online at klru.org/ctg, and gardeners can follow her blog about her east Austin garden and preview each week’s program at klru.org/ctg/blog. The show also is on Facebook at facebook.com/CentralTexasGardener.

According to Lehmusvirta, “Psycho lighting can literally scare a plant to death. And what gardener doesn’t face this frightening situation? It’s the ultimate garden conundrum: shade that gets a searing blast of late afternoon sun or a sunny spot that too quickly fades into ‘blue light.’ Sun lovers grieve and stretch for their beloved. Shade huggers panic and start writing their wills.

“Another challenge for gardeners is unifying a bed that gets sun and shade at different times of the day. How can one create a cohesive look that keeps everybody happy? This talk explores some of the plants that handle lighting challenges and respond with astounding drama!”

The Theresa and Les Reeves Garden Lecture Series is normally held the third Thursday of each month at the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture’s SFA Mast Arboretum. A rare plant raffle will be held after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series endowed fund always are appreciated. For more information, call (936) 468-1832 or e-mail grantdamon@sfasu.edu.