AHS monthly meetings
free and open to the public are held 10 a.m. - noon the first Tuesday of each month (except August)
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Save the Date for our
Spring Plant Sale Fundraiser
in March 2025 !
The Austin Herb Society is dedicated to educating members and the community about herbs, including propagation, landscaping, history and folklore, plus culinary, medicinal, and decorative uses of herbs.
AHS Monthly Meeting
Confessions of a Seed Geek
Karen Husum Clary, Ph.D., Botanist
Tuesday, Sept. 3
Check-in: 9:30 a.m.
Program: 10 a.m.
Zilker Botanical Garden
Free & open to the public
It could be said that seed saving is the foundation of civilization. Seed saving by ancient cultures led not only to plant domestication but also the development of culture and society all the way up to today. We’ll talk about geeky seed history, cool seed facts, and getting those seeds saved and planted for next year.
About our Speaker:
Botanist Karen Clary, who specializes in plant conservation, education and taxonomy, has worked on plant conservation in Texas for 25 years. Before retiring as Director of the Plant Conservation Program at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 2017, she oversaw the Center’s native plant conservation program aimed at preserving common and rare Texas plant species in the Wildflower Center seed bank for future use, managing aggressive, invasive plants and stewarding rare and endangered Texas plant species.
Karen has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of New Mexico. She also holds a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied speciation patterns, taxonomy and biogeography of yucca plants. While in New Mexico (1978-1988), she co-founded the Castetter Laboratory for Ethnobotanical Studies, a research lab devoted to the study of prehistoric subsistence and the origins of agriculture in the Southwestern United States.
About Austin Herb Society & Zilker Herb Garden
Since 1982, the Austin Herb Society has been educating members and the community about herbs, including propagation, landscaping, history, folklore, and culinary, medicinal, and decorative uses of herbs. While our members are united by an interest in herbs, they are also a diverse group of individuals: from gardeners and herbalists to cooks and business owners.
AHS members design and maintain the Zilker Herb Garden—a dazzling landscape of color and fragrance that has become a centerpiece of Zilker Botanical Garden. Here, visitors can touch, taste and smell their way through nearly 200 varieties of herbs, depending on the season. Bees and butterflies dot the beds of basil, lavender and calendula. There are classic culinary herbs like rosemary, mint and thyme alongside herbs revered for their health attributes, including aloe and echinacea.
MEMBER BENEFITS
In addition to hands-on learning in the Zilker Herb Garden, members enjoy:
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Monthly meetings with expert speakers on diverse topics
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Educational workshops & seminars throughout the year
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Study groups focused on culinary, medicinal and herbal product making
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Field trips to unique gardens and herb-loving businesses
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Delicious herbal refreshments at in-person meetings
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Fellowship with interesting & informed herb lovers
JOIN US
Interested in learning more about the
Austin Herb Society
or becoming a member?
