The regular March meeting of the San Saba Garden Club was held at the clubhouse on Tuesday the 6th. After the usual club preliminaries, President Ann McElroy introduced Carolyn McDowell, who is an Honorary San Saba Garden Club member as well as one of the San Saba County Extension Agents. She is involved with the ongoing Master Gardener class and invited two of the current students - Travis Gage and Lewvon Hicks, both of the Bend community - to join her in presenting a program on “Getting the Garden Ready for Spring.” Lewvon brought some grasses that grow well in our area. She talked about some that she had planted with high hopes, that died after the first year because they were annuals in our zone, not perennials as touted on the label. Carolyn pointed out that we need to read the labels of plants we buy and research their needs. They also stressed that native plants are the most suitable, since they know our usual drought conditions, etc. Travis showed slides of his garden site. He has built raised beds for his vegetable garden and installed an efficient drip system. It was an interesting and informative program, underscoring the fact that you can never learn too much when it comes to gardening. There’s always a ‘better mousetrap’ out there: new methods, ideas, varieties. And, yes, even the most seasoned gardener occasionally falls prey to a beautiful new exotic plant or to yellow zucchini seed!The door prize, a collection of herb plants, was won by guest Leanne Pollock of Lometa. She is also a member of the Master Gardener class that is currently meeting every Monday at the civic center. The Master Gardener program is sponsored by Texas A&M. Becoming a Master Gardener is a challenging endeavor but once earned, it is a prestigious title. Leanne also chose to become a member of our clubAfter the program, hostesses Patricia Warren, Marilyn Miller, and Sandy Kuykendall served a variety of delicious soups with cornbread, and a dessert table of different kinds of cakes - yum!After lunch, President Ann McElroy held a business meeting. Several ongoing club projects were discussed. Jimma Byrd presented a proposed plan drawn by Landscape Architect Buddy Bishop. Jimma will work up a list of native plants and the butterflies that use each plant as their primary food source. Becky Moore suggested adding small concrete benches to the proposed Butterfly Garden in the Nature Park. She is researching where to get them. There’s a lot of exciting things happening at the Garden Club - if you’re not there, you’re missing out. We have room for a few more garden-ers...good or in training or retired! Those attending on March 6, 2012, were: guests Travis Gage, Lewvon Hicks, Shirley Dickison, Dianna Furlan of Lometa, and Karen Johnson. Members present were: Judy Brister, Gail Bruner, Sherie Clarkson, Marcie Cooper, Imogene Hawkins, Carol Littlefield, Ann McElroy, Lynn McHenry, Marilyn Miller, Sandra Parks, Jane Randolph, Aileen Roberts, Andrea Robinson, Clione Rochat, Jeanne Sauer, Debbie Shahan, Patricia Warren, Anna Wilson, Sandy Kuykendall, Bonnie Harkey, Leanne Pollock and Carolyn McDowell.