The Barton Hills Garden Club invites neighbors to its September program, “Design for Drought Resilience,” featuring Austin landscape designer and garden educator Leah Churner.
The program will be held Tuesday, September 22, from 9:15–11:00 a.m. in the auditorium at Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX 78746. The program is free with admission to the garden.
Designing a Garden for Austin’s Changing Climate
As our climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, each year seems to bring new gardening challenges. Churner will share practical tips and strategies for making Austin gardens more resilient to drought and extreme temperatures.
Rather than simply choosing plants labeled “drought tolerant” or “low water,” the program will explore how thoughtful planning, plant arrangement and garden maintenance can improve a landscape’s ability to withstand difficult conditions.
Topics will include ways to use shade as a resource, conserve water, time outdoor gardening tasks more effectively and avoid becoming discouraged by the Texas heat. Attendees will leave with new ideas for sustaining a garden and helping it thrive—even during the furnace of a late Texas summer.
About Leah Churner
Austin-based landscape designer and garden educator Leah Churner of Delta Dawn Gardens specializes in native plants and ecological design.
A recent Barton Hills project she designed, “Pollinators’ Paradise,” was featured in the 2025 Garden Conservancy Open Days Tour of Travis County.
Churner has taught classes in landscape design at the Wildflower Center, UT Austin, Austin Community College and the Native Plant Society of Texas. She has also made several appearances on Austin PBS’s Central Texas Gardener.
Program Details
- What: Design for Drought Resilience
- Presenter: Leah Churner
- When: Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 9:15–11:00 a.m.
- Where: Zilker Botanical Garden Auditorium, 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX 78746
- Cost: Free with garden admission
- Presented by: Barton Hills Garden Club
- Questions: Debby McCray Shaw at austinbizw@yahoo.com