Field Trip to Hillsborough County Extension

 On April 28th, 2025, Temple Terrace Garden Club members had a fantastic tour of the Hillsborough County Extension Service in Seffner Florida.

Twenty two members toured the facilities with Lynn Barber, Florida Friendly Yard expert. Lynn was a fantastic speaker sharing her knowledge of the Bette S. Walker Discovery Garden, showcasing 8 unique themed gardens. Each garden demonstrates how to create a sustainably beautiful Florida-Friendly landscape.   For instance, the Pond is one of the favorite areas in the garden. Another beautiful area is the Sensory Raised Beds. Touch, taste and smell are the focus that contain a broad assortment of herbs, flowers and fruits.

The extension office also has classes on micro irrigation, composting and rain barrels. Several club members signed up to take classes. Other club members brought in soil from their yards to have tested. Classes and testing have a very minimal fee.

After our tour, most attendees went to lunch at Martha's Family Restaurant just down the street from the extension office. The food was delicious and the company was great. We had a fantastic time.

I encourage everyone to visit the extension office. We are incredibly lucky to have such a fantastic facility in our area.

Sue H.
April, 2025