Designed to let the sunshine in and keep the inclement weather out, the greenhouse will allow for comfortable, year-round gardening. And best of all, with all of the maintenance handled by Highland Springs personnel, it’s like gardening with your own personal cleanup crew. No more worrying about upkeep or equipment.

The greenhouse will be conveniently located across the courtyard from the Aquatics Center, so after the gardening is done, lounging poolside, taking a quick dip in the pool or enjoying a soothing soak in the hot tub, are all just steps away.

As plans for Highland Springs began to evolve, Erickson started building relationships with its North Dallas neighbors. Those efforts quickly blossomed into a growing partnership with TAMU-Dallas and are spreading to include the University of Texas at Dallas and other area institutions.

“At a recent dinner to welcome Elsa Murano, the new vice chancellor and dean of agriculture at Texas A&M, we met executives from several area organizations that were interested in partnering with Highland Springs,” says Tricia Mackin, marketing director for the community. “Everyone was so enthusias tic and so interested in working with us on so many fronts.”

TAMU-Dallas has committed to provide technical and horticultural expertise to help Highland Springs gardeners deal with the many issues affecting the establishment and maintenance of a healthy greenhouse environment.

In return for that assistance, Highland Springs will provide construction and development expertise to help TAMU get its new community garden project up and running.

“All signs point to the fact that this new community garden is going to become a showcase urban experiment for Texas,” says Mackin. “There will be many opportunities for Highland Springs’ residents to become involved in this project as it comes to fruition.”

Located just south of Highland Springs, the land and facility for the communitygarden will be provided by TAMU-Dallas, and it will be run and maintained by volunteers, including a number of Highland Springs’ first residents.

Master gardener Michele Shook, the marketing coordinator for the university, says that ground has already been broken for the 180-by-100-foot garden, and that the project is well into the design phase. More news will be available soon, so watch upcoming issues of the Tribune for details.

In the meantime, send Michele your questions via e-mail at m-shook@tamu.edu.

As well as digging in to the greenhouse and joining in the Community Garden, 62-plusers at Highland Springs have opportunities to join in other gardening activities sponsored by TAMU-Dallas, including the Master Gardener program sponsored by the Texas Cooperative Extension (TCE).

Classes for the 12-week Master Gardener program, held once each year, offer training and information on a variety of horticultural topics. After completion of this training, participants are asked to volunteer at least 50 hours of time to the County Extension program to fulfill requirements for certification as Master Gardener.

Seating is limited, and because most spots are reserved by early summer, sign up by May or June is advised. A fee is charged to attend the program. For more information, call 972-548-4233.

The opportunity to enjoy maintenance-free living doesn’t just apply to gardening enthusiasts. The greenhouse is just one of a variety of amenities planned for Highland Springs.

And if you can’t find enough to keep you busy inside the gates of Highland Springs, there will even be a transportation service for fun excursions to museums, theaters, and other places of interest, as well as quick trips to the mall or grocery store.

If your interest in the many advantages of living at Highland Springs is growing, come and learn more. Call 972-231-9933 or 1-800-833-7610 for a free Information Kit. Then schedule a visit to check out the neighborhood and take a virtual tour of Highland Springs.

Do it today. The sooner you plant the seeds, the faster your appreciation of this exciting new maintenancefree lifestyle will blossom.