Nancy Wilson was named 2022 Speaker of the Year by the Dallas County Master Gardeners Association (DCMGA) at their annual awards ceremony this past February. Not one to enjoy the spotlight, Nancy credits much of her gardening success to her parents who created a personal bed in the back yard where she could plant her very own flowers as a small child. Her love of vegetable gardening was inspired by her grandparents, ranchers who relied on their own gardens for food because grocery stores were remote.

With a love of camping and hiking inspired by family excursions as a youth, Nancy and her husband Steve enjoy spending time in a rustic Colorado cabin. That innate love of nature and an early acquaintance with Janet D. Smith, an acclaimed Master Gardener who has mentored many in the DCMGA and its Speakers Bureau, led to Nancy getting deeply involved with birds, bees, pollinators, and native plants.

Nancy first began working with native plants in 1998 when she attended a presentation by Bonnie Allen Reese, a local landscape designer and author of Common Sense Landscaping, at a Dallas Water-Wise Landscape program. In 2010, Nancy and Steve’s yard was part of the City of Dallas Water-Wise Tour which recognizes beautiful and inspiring water-saving landscapes. Their yard continued to be featured on tours until 2018, a year of torrential rain. Steve had hauled 5 tons of rock that year, creating pathways and a dry stream bed to complement the flagstone walkways in their back yard. Then they watched from the kitchen windows, along with a group of Master Gardeners waiting to show off their yard, as the deluge literally put a damper on that year’s DCMGA Garden Tour. Understandably, Steve swore NEVER again, and Nancy agreed.

Once Nancy retired, she delved into getting certified as a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist, and continued her interest in growing plants and identifying insects. Nancy has been a Certified Dallas County Master Gardener since 2016. She added certification as a North Texas Master Naturalist in 2018.

As a popular speaker, Nancy loves to talk about creating a natural habitat in your garden. She entrances audiences by filling her presentations with both awesome research and wonderful photographs taken by Steve, who shares her love of nature. Nancy recently returned from a trip to Mexico where she observed and photographed Monarch butterflies overwintering there. Her enthusiasm for birds, pollinators, and native plants is shared with audiences as well as her fellow Master Gardeners.

In addition to her involvement with the DCMGA Speakers Bureau, Nancy is a member of the Native Plant Society. Since she loves research and constantly seeks to expand her knowledge, Nancy has completed Advanced Entomology Training as well as Advanced Vegetable Training. She has also completed five Native Landscape Certification Program (NLCP) levels and now organizes NLCP plant samples and plant walks.

Remarkably, in her spare time, Nancy and her neighborhood garden club created a Monarch Waystation in the park across the street from her home. That was even before then Mayor Mike Rawlins signed the Monarch Pledge in 2016.

Nancy offers the following presentations through the DCMGA Speakers Bureau:

• Feather Your Nest. Nancy shows how to create an environment with plants, water features, and other things that draw birds to your yard; and shares the joys of watching birds as they go about their daily lives.
• Garden for the Love of Birds, Bees, and Butterflies. If you need insights into the small things you can do to create the type of native landscape/habitat that draws birds, bees, and butterflies to your area, Nancy can provide that help. She also tells you how to supply the water and plant culture that provides safety for these wonderful creatures.
• How Flies Make Chocolate: A Tale of Four Pollinators Did you know that even flies pollinate our plants? You can learn about the special relationship that exists between certain types of plants and the various pollinators that rely on them.
• How to Create a Butterfly Garden. Learn how you can support the National Wildlife Federation Mayor’s Monarch Pledge. The number of Monarchs is declining, and you can help reverse that decline.