“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.

Master Gardeners are dedicated to sharing the glory of gardening with their communities, and no one fulfills this mission with more passion and commitment than DCMG Maggie Saucedo (2011). Last fall, Maggie spearheaded a collaboration between the Friends of the SoPac Trail and the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department to create a native pollinator garden in the SoPac Trail Respite Area.

Maggie and her neighborhood group, Friends of the SoPac Trail, entered into a Neighborhood Beautification Agreement with the City of Dallas, partnering with them to create a lovely respite area by the trail. The city installed a water fountain and stone bench seating, built a concrete mow strip around the garden, provided sandstone pavers for a garden path, and donated and helped plant six trees. After Roger Sanderson, former horticulturist at Texas Discovery Garden, created the lovely garden design, DCMG Roseann Ferguson (2008) selected the plants, supervised their installation on planting day, and continues to serve as a constant source of advice and information. DCMGs Margaret Marshall (2016), Bertha Mathews (2019), and Mark Jones (2017) were on hand to help with the installation on planting day.

All the plants in the SoPac Trail Garden were purchased from Texas Discovery Garden except for a few donated by neighbors from their gardens.  Maggie secured most of the funding for purchase of the plants by successfully applying for two Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) Bring Back the Monarch grants. The remaining plants were purchased with funds raised by Friends of the SoPac Trail, a group made up of neighbors from Lakewood Trails and adjacent neighborhoods.

As an added bonus, a lovely metal arbor was built and installed by Maggie’s talented husband, Felix. The garden has been registered as a Monarch Waystation and is PlantTAGG-enabled.

In just a few short months, the garden has flourished (see pictures) and is enjoyed by walkers, runners, and cyclists who use the SoPac Trail, as well as anyone else who lives nearby. Kudos to Maggie for leading this team to create a true respite for visitors for years to come!