Gardens of Texas: Growing with Resilience – Lecture & Book Signing with Pam Penick

Saturday, February 28, 2026 | 1 – 3 p.m.

With the increasing weather extremes Texas is experiencing — ranging from heat wave to deep freeze and drought to flood — how should gardeners adapt? Drawing from the visionary landscapes in her new book, Gardens of Texas, Pam Penick shows how gardeners and designers across the Lone Star State are embracing change, shifting their plant palette, nurturing wildlife, and finding deeper joy in the process. Discover practical strategies for creating gardens that weather the storms and grow stronger — and how cultivating resilience in your landscape can also cultivate it in yourself. Lecture followed by book signing. Books will be available for purchase.

Fee: Free with admission or Garden membership. Reservations recommended due to limited space.

Pam Penick is a Texas garden writer, speaker, and advocate for climate-resilient design, known for inspiring waterwise, wildlife-friendly landscapes for nearly two decades. She’s the author of Gardens of Texas, Lawn Gone!, and The Water-Saving Garden, and the voice and photographer behind Digging, her influential website about gardening in a hot climate.

Her writing has appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, Fine Gardening, American Gardener, and other national publications. For 10 years—including during a historic drought—she ran a landscape design business helping Texas homeowners replace thirsty lawns with waterwise gardens of native and well-adapted plants.

Pam gardens under live oaks in northwest Austin, where she keeps an eye out for screech owls and foxes—but could do with fewer deer. She’s also the founder of Garden Spark, an Austin-based speaker series on design and ecology, where she brings fresh ideas and bold voices to the local gardening community. For more information, visit Digging at penick.net.