April 2012 - College of Agriculture and Life Sciences · An "espalier," (pronounced "es-PAL-yer") is any plant trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall, fence, or trellis. The

April 2012

Images courtesy Chris Schnier

EDITOR: Vineetha Kartha

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Meg Paterson

COPY EDITORS: Adriane Grimaldi, Karen Sankman

CALENDAR: Karen Sankman

WEBSITE QUESTIONS: Kristen Wagner 602/827-8200 x311

Deadline is the 18th of the month prior.

Roots & Shoots, published monthly by & for

Maricopa Co. Master Gardeners, is printed under the direction of:

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

MARICOPA COUNTY OFFICE

4341 E. BROADWAY RD. / PHOENIX, AZ 85040-8807

PHONE 602.827.8200 FAX 602.827.8292

HOURS: 8:00AM-5:00PM WEEKDAYS

http://extension.arizona.edu/maricopamg

STAFF:

Kelly Young, Assistant Agent, ANR/Urban Horticulture 602-827-8200 x319, [email protected]

Kristen Wagner, Program Coordinator, Sr.

602-827-8200 x311 / [email protected] Jesse Davenport, Admin. Ass’t

602/827-8200 x308 / [email protected]

Roots & Shoots In this edition: Garden Techniques MG Update Landscape Lighting Euphorbia Latex Dangers And many more!! Cover by Kirsten Carter

Maricopa County Master Gardeners MG CONTACT LIST: For a complete listing, see the organizational chart under MG Business on the MG Central website

MAIN OFFICE: Kristen Wagner 602-827-8200 x 311 Demonstration Garden: Pam Perry 602-279-6250

MG Support: Cherie Czaplicki 623-975-5397 Public Training: Jim Oravetz 623-584-6068

NW Valley Satellite: Marianna Hancin ----------623-566-1737 NE Valley Satellite: Debbie Lyding ------------------- 602-789-7377 Kris Coates ---------------—623-915-3337 Debra Martinez SATELLITE OFFICES: NORTHEAST VALLEY: 480-312-5810 NORTHWEST VALLEY: 623-546-1672 Via Linda Senior Center PORA Office 10440 E Via Linda 3815 Camino del Sol Blvd Scottsdale, AZ 85258-6099 Sun City West, AZ 85375 Mon. 9 -12:30 p.m.; Thurs. 9 -4 p.m. Weekdays 9:00a.m.-Noon The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting Kristen Wagner, Pro-gram Coordinator, at [email protected] 602-470-8086x311. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jeffrey C. Silvertooth, Associate Dean & Director, Economic Development & Extension, Col-lege of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.

mailto:[email protected]

1

Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

An "espalier," (pronounced "es-PAL-yer") is any plant trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall, fence, or trellis. The practice originally was used in the old world to conserve space. Mostly used for decorative accents in the landscape, espaliers can be especially effective against a blank wall to relieve the monotony. An espal-ier is also a good choice for small yards where spreading shrubs or trees cannot be easily maintained. With landscape spaces becoming smaller , an espaliered plant may have considerable appeal.

Diane Knight has used the espalier technique to her advantage in her suburban garden, featured in the 2011 RGRP tour. An avid rose gardener for 15-20 years, she recently completed the Master Gardener Course. She believes she was genetically disposed to garden, “My grandmother was an avid gardener who grew all sorts of things– fruit trees, flowers, herbs and did all her work herself.” Her passion for movement is evident in her garden, her espaliers are freeform and everything in her garden flows beautifully.

R&S: Your interest in espalier is evident. Hoping that others might venture into trying this tech-

nique, please share with us why espalier is fun?

Espalier is incredibly relaxing for me. It is also a great way to hide unsightly block walls especially in my case where there are several HOA limitations. For smaller yards, espaliered plants serve multiple purposes—ability to grow trees and shrubs that might otherwise be difficult, and as decorative accents. In essence not only does it serve aesthetic purposes, it also provides very inexpensive psychotherapy.

R&S: Are there any fail-safe plants that you could recommend to beginners? Any plant with a woody stalk can be espaliered. I have tried the Pyracantha plant with great success. Almost any fruit tree can be espaliered as long as they are small in size when you begin. Vines and shrubs with too many branches may not be the best choice.

R&S: Are espaliered plants high maintenance? Not really. There are times when I nip the plants twice a week and there are times when the plants go for months without any maintenance.

R&S: What should gardeners consider when they are planning to try espalier? The structure of the plants, the type of plant and the direction of the wall should all be considered. The sup-port used for the plants is also important. I really like the “Tumax” plant anchor hooks. The most number of questions I received during the tour was on these hooks and espalier. You can get these hooks at www.tumaxgardenproducts.com. The most important thing is to have fun with your espalier. Play with a vari-ety of plants and see what works best.

Garden Techniques - MG Diane Knight on Espalier

Roots & Shoots

2

MG Update Agaves for Arizona Gardens By Deb Sparrow

WHO: Kent Newland Botanist, horticulturalist and educator, Kent Newland retired after 24 years as Senior Water Resource Special-ist and Botanist for the city of Phoenix. Prior to that Kent was a horticulturalist at the Boyce Thompson Arbo-retum. He has served on numerous desert advisory panels and taught some Master Gardener classes. As botanist for the city of Phoenix, Kent taught residents the value of low water use plants for urban land-scapes. Kent grew up in New Mexico and has botanized widely in the Southwest and in parts of Mexico. He studied botany at New Mexico State University. Kent is an experienced teacher and has given numerous workshops and presentations on cacti and succulents, southwestern botany and xeriscape. He has been in-volved with cactus conservation issues and is past President of both the Phoenix Chapter of the Arizona Na-tive Plant Society and the Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society.

WHAT: Agaves for Arizona Gardens This update is a really an Agave show and tell. Or as Kent Newland puts it, he will discuss the botany and horticulture of agaves. We'll learn how to grow them and how to identify some of the common agave species. Kent's talk will be accompanied by many photos. He also hopes to be able to bring in a nice bunch of agaves to flesh this out, as well. Kent will show us which varieties of cacti & succulents do well in containers and how to care for them. He’ll fill us in on some cacti that aren’t suitable for containers as well. Master Gardeners are invited to bring in some agave pups and smaller potted agaves to learn how to identify them. Don't miss this one for practical advice on agaves and a chance to identify them. This update will be fine preparation for anyone planning to go to the Central Arizona Cactus an Succulent Society's show and sale at the botanical garden on April 20-22. WHEN: April 12, Thursday morning, 9:00 AM WHERE: at the extension office, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix

Summer Greens Project By Kelly Young

The summer greens trial is starting up again for 2012. As you know, most of the greens common to our di-

ets, such as lettuce, spinach, kale and arugula are grown in cool weather. These greens tend to bolt or be-

come too bitter to eat as day length increases and temperatures rise. When the weather is hot and we really

crave a cool salad, there is nothing to pick from our gardens or buy at the farmers market.The goal of this

citizen scienceproject is to test a number of greens that are commonly consumed in Asia and Africa but are

not well known in the U.S. Eventually, we will develop recommendations on varieties, planting dates and

cultural requirements for low desert vegetable growers so that we can enjoy year-round harvest of salad and

stir-fry greens. This season, we will have approximately 10 different varieties of leafy greens to cultivate dur-

ing the heat of summer, including malabar spinach, amaranth, jute leaves, purslane and New Zealand spin-

ach. The MG program will provide the seeds and we ask that you, the citizen scientist, keep detailed plant-

ing, cultivation, harvest and palatability records for each variety. If you have space in your garden to grow all

10 varieties, will be around for the summer to make observation, keep records of performance and are will-

ing to share the harvest and participate in a tasting, please contact Kelly Young as soon as possible.

3


Diggings in the Garden by Pam Perry

About half an inch of rain in the gardens marked the official beginning of spring. Plants for the butterfly/monarch way station certification are settling in. The two perennial, yellow Mexican sunflowers are bloom-ing! They are successful in the Tucson area, and survival of this plant will be interesting to track in our Phoe-nix garden! Thank you, volunteers for coming on Saturdays to help with this project and tackling the an-cient, overgrown, and very prickly Mermaid rose we removed from the trellis in the heritage rose garden. Piles and piles of debris have been escorted to the dumpster! Steve Young, curator for the rose garden had a much less aggressive, fragrant red variety all picked out to replace the Mermaid! Two overgrown leucophylums have been cut to the ground and are sprouting new green shoots. It’s a fine example of restorative pruning. Expiring agave plants are finding their way to the debris pile as well.. An oak tree graces the spot where Kelly did her test plots last year for pre-emergents. Turf is greening up after our mild winter, fruit trees are leafing out, and every week registers changes in the vegetable garden! The rare fruit growers hosted a successful plant sale. Spring finds us optimistic! Despite our diligence with the weed-ing I found a couple of the dreaded star thistles. This plant may have come in on the wind or in some wild-flower mix. It is a very troublesome weed in the low desert and persistence will be an effective tool to re-move it from the property. Ron Brennan, with help from Nate and Haley Paul is focusing on keeping the old irrigation system watering according to our recommended guidelines. Valves are repaired, plugs and drips replaced, again, and again. New line is being added to the rose garden, and soon new drips as well. Pretty things have bloomed in the bulb garden. The down side of weeding and allowing these plants the ade-quate light that is needed to photosynthesize, grow, and bloom, is that they get noticed for their beauty, and somehow find their way into gardens off the property. Seed for summer planted veggies has been cleaned and packaged, including some we collected from the summer greens project begun last summer. Look for some at the April update. Volunteer opportunities continue through spring; the vegetable crew meets Tuesdays at 3 p.m. and works to dusk, accomplishing a week’s worth of work in a few hours. The volunteers in the Heritage Rose garden have a published schedule, as does the Herb Association. Haley Paul announces projects through the list serve in conjunction with the water stewardship program and the work on the water harvesting grant. Addi-tional opportunities are announced through the list serve. If you are not getting notices through the MG list serves contact Kristen and let her know, or check with your internet provider to allow them to be transmitted to your inbox!

New Roses The new roses are in. For more detail, the following website is where I ordered the new roses from: https://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/ Another neat website for buying roses: http://www.vintagegardens.com/ Schedule We are not scheduled to work again until April 7th , and I thought that was a little too long to risk their health. We’ll revert back to our regular schedule after this weekend - April 7, April 21, May 12, June 2, June 16, June 30

Steve Young Alfred Colomb

https://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/

http://www.vintagegardens.com/

Roots & Shoots

4

Design Charrette Our April Design Charrette will be at the home of Judy Reid on Saturday, April 21st in the Scottsdale area. We meet from 9 AM until noon which includes a potluck lunch. All you need to bring are your ideas, paper and pencil and a dish to pass. Judy states,

“We would like help with our front yard and entryway. It is a xeriscape design which badly needs updating. We’d like to add more color and pop to the entryway. The backyard was up-dated several years ago with stone and stucco. It would be nice to have some plant sugges-tions to add color and softness. We’d also welcome suggestions to enhance our secret gar-den which is located on the west side of our yard.”

Both experienced Master Gardeners and those who have never attended a Charrette, including Interns are welcome. We work in teams so this is a great opportunity to learn from each other. Come out and enjoy a lovely sunny morning with fellow Master Gardeners and help Judy with her garden design. Please reserve your spot by e-mailing us at [email protected] or by calling Beth Kirkpatrick at

480-275-4833.

What is a Design Charrette...And How Can I Participate?

A Design Charrette is a forum hosted by a Master Gardener to develop design ideas for a chosen land-scape. As a Master Gardener, you can host a Charrette for your own property or any other. This is a 3-hour event that includes a tour of the grounds, potluck and design discussion. The number of attendees is usu-ally limited to 12. HOSTS: Receive the benefit of free design ideas. As the host, you will provide a tour of your property which includes plant identification and information, researched or experimental. The host provides a letter of intent for the property that prioritizes goals, needs and problems to be solved. A simple drawing of the property must also be provided to the group to use in their landscape design. Lastly, the host provides cups, plates, utensils, napkins and water. Guests will bring the food. GUESTS: No formal landscape design education is required. But we do require that you bring your imagina-tion! Come; enjoy the garden tour, plant identification and the opportunity to learn from fellow Master Gar-deners as we share our design ideas. Each guest will need to bring a potluck dish. Design Charrettes are held on Saturday mornings and the date is determined by the host and Design Charrette team. If you are interested in hosting a Design Charrette or have any questions, please contact us at: [email protected]

Your Design Charrette Team

Beth Kirkpatrick, Sue Lanker, and Matt Murman




5


“Whom do I speak to about getting on the list?” I could barely get the words out of my mouth fast enough. On March 15th the Master Gardener interns went on a field trip to visit the Scottsdale Community Garden plots at Scottsdale Commu-nity College. There are 176 plots on 6 acres and they have over 100 primary gardeners. There is a waiting list for these heavenly little parcels, whose contracts are renewed in May and June. Before I had my car parked, I knew I was going to need one. The visit was organized by Carol Stuttard, the current elected president of the Garden Club and a long time Maricopa County Master Gardener. People taking part in the tour were invited to sample the impressive vegetables from Carol's own garden. She teaches vegetable gardening through the City of Scotts-dale and it is obvious by the look of these beautiful crops, that she really knows her stuff. However, Carol is such a lovely person with a refreshing British accent, people probably would stand around and listen to her speak even if she didn’t. After a brief overview of the garden operation and some Q and A, we were divided into groups and invited to look around at the individual plots. Each one is slightly different, reflecting the personality and style of the gardener(s) tending to it. Many of the plots are completely enclosed to keep out un-wanted wildlife. This is particularly appealing to me, because I would have to go all Sheriff Joe in my own back yard to eradicate the trespassing critter population. Anyone wishing to find out more about this program can go to the website http://www.sccgardenclub.com/index.html. Last year the fee was $100 per year with a one time $65 equip-ment fee. I am told the yearly fee may go up slightly this next year due to increased water cost. If you would like to put your name on the list for one of these coveted little spots you can send an email to [email protected] - just as long as you understand, I am already on the list, and my name is ahead of yours. Images by Carol Stuttard

Visit to the Scottsdale Community Garden Club by Dana Kirk

Roots & Shoots

6

Traveling Gardener, wandering, wondering, noticing…

April Whimsy by Linda Larson

The sweetness of April arrives bringing spring’s green leaves, sprouts, blooms, and wildlife babies. The potential for delight could hardly be greater in any other month of the year. Garden visitors wander in with their expectations high. New gardeners, flush with knowledge, walk wide-eyed now identifying annuals, edibles and perennials. The serious horticulturalist seeks out specimens and hybrids, checking to see how last year’s new varieties survived the winter. Landscape designers explore the style and flow of the garden. Plant fans hurry in to see the collection of their favorites, be they bamboos, orchids, agaves or roses. There are so many opportunities to enjoy and explore a garden. Yet whatever category you find yourself, if you are visiting a garden in April, you want to be open to whimsy. Gardeners create gardens, trying to impose order on na-ture. We move and improve the soil, arrange plants and borders just so; seeds are sown and told to grow. In the interim, one must wait for the creation to develop. Our pa-tience is tested. We want the results now! Annual bedding plants and transplanted shrubs give the illusion of the gar-den we hope to have. While time is required and optimism is essential,we can immediately enjoy the unexpected de-light of planting a bit of whimsy. In Cultivating Delight, Diane Ackerman begins, “I plan my garden as I wish I could plan my life, with islands of sur-prise, color, and scent.” Islands of surprise may be na-tures’ creation or creations of a spirited soul adding a whimsical element to a garden. Whimsy sneaks into even the most formal and well-funded gardens. In just the right spot a bit of fun and delight complements the landscape. What other purpose could there be for a bronze beauty by Columbian Artist Fernando Botero, in the gardens of Monaco, but for a laugh and a smile? Famous gardens known for great advances in horticulture and design, such as the Montreal Botanic Garden, situate bits of whimsy to charm all who wander by. Like an April Fool’s prank, visitors do a double take as they come upon a big bird. In any language, this blackbird adorned with a cir-cle of flowers beak and behind provides a spark of amuse-ment.

7


Traveling Gardener Continued...

One feels truly fooled at a garden hose patterned as snake-skin. I’m not sure this bit of whimsy would ever lose its shock value! These fanciful garden surprises provide an element of whimsy that can be overlooked by visitors hurrying along hoping to “get through” the garden and onto the next thing. While human creations add to nature’s beauty, na-ture may be playful as well. If we look closely, we may see the momentary art of nature’s whimsy in a fading poppy bloom transformed into a dancer with a beautiful gown. A spotted frog amidst the moss creates a sense of wonder as to how two things could so magically echo each other in color and shape. “I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would al-ways greet it in a garden.” (Ruth Stout) April is an excep-tional month to visit a garden. New signs of life cheer the soul. Whatever our dreams, whatever our troubles, when we find whimsy in a garden we laugh, smile and carry that lightness of heart out into the world. Images by Rich Larson

SHADE Conference The Arizona Nursery Association has generously offered Arizona Master Gar-deners space at the SHADE (Southwest Horticulture Annual Day of Educa-tion) event to host our own Master Gardener conference on Friday, August 10 at the Renaissance Hotel in Glendale and will be an all-day event. Regis-tration for the conference will be $99 (the same price industry professionals pay for the conference) and will include lunch. We would like to know if you would be willing to attend such a conference, what topics you would like to hear about and what speakers you would like to invite. Please take a mo-ment to visit the survey and answer a few questions. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q6SS67C

Kelly Murray Young Assistant Agent, Horticulture,

University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Maricopa County 4341 E. Broadway Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85040 Office : 602-827-8200 x 319 Cell/Text: 602-390-0651

[email protected]

http://www.surveymonkey.com/MySurvey_EditPage.aspx?sm=LVPK503b6r%2bDtkoR8i%2fQJxQCQNCIgtlIVVQXddWRSFSzgJTYggIiKJKL2TAjERRo&TB_iframe=true&height=450&width=650








http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Q6SS67C


Roots & Shoots

8

If you are frustrated with your landscape lighting, you are not alone. Have you always wanted lighting, but just haven’t been ready to tackle it? LED lighting has simpli-fied landscape lighting. The benefits of LED landscape lighting:

Decreased maintenance—LED bulbs last 50,000

hours!

Less wiring—LED lights require less voltage, so more

lights can be on a single run. In terms of wattage load, you can typically run 4 LEDs for every 1 incandescent/halogen light.

Less use of electricity—LEDs are 85% more efficient

than incandescent..

Less voltage drop along the line.

Lights do not get hot.

There are lots of things to consider as you develop or modify your lighting plan. Here are a few basic starting considerations:

Why are you illuminating? Safety/Security? Inviting Entries? Visual interest?

What are you illuminating? Points of interest? Walkways/Stairways? BBQ area?

How will you light it? While “uplighting” is a common technique for specimen lighting, for example, you may want to spice it up by using a silhouette or shadow effect. Perhaps you want to “down-light” an area creating a “moonlight” effect. Note the moon lit tree branches on the sidewalk in the photo above. Some great resources for ideas are landscape lighting manufacturer websites. Here are a few:

Fx Luminaire: http://www.fxl.com/

Focus Lighting: http://www.prolighting.com/

Nightscaping: http://www.nightscaping.com/

Unique Lighting: http://www.uniquelighting.com/

Vista Lighting: http://www.vistapro.com/

Before you finalize your plan, use a 12 volt battery to confirm your ideas. Attach a low voltage light fix-ture to a battery and walk around your yard to make sure you get the effect you want. Note the differ-ences in the 3 photos of the same specimen plant:

the location in the day, the location with the light facing the wall, creating a silhouette and the location with 2 lights- one facing the plant, creating a dramatic shadow and one shin-

ing up on the tree.

Landscape Lighting by Marge Christianson

http://www.fxl.com/

http://www.prolighting.com/

http://www.nightscaping.com/

http://www.uniquelighting.com/

http://www.vistapro.com/

9


Landscape Lighting continued...

Ready for installation?

Shop lighting manufacturers. If you don’t want maintenance, it may be worth spending a little more.

Fx Luminair, for example, has a ten year warranty on their units—including the bulb! To simplify future changes or maintenance, run your lines along paths, driveways, etc. for easy lo cating. Similarly, put connections right at the light location.

Leave slack in the line for future changes, such as plants growing or new plants.

To avoid shorts or connections rotting out, use quality connectors. Make sure they are waterproof,

have good metal to metal contact and are permanent. King One-Step pins are good (but be sure not to strip the wire too far), Pentite connectors are better. To decrease voltage drop, determine the locations of your lights, and run the main line from the trans-former to the center of your light distribution. Then run 2 lines from there to the rest of the lights (“T” method). Good luck & Enjoy!

Images courtesy Marge Christianson

Roots & Shoots

10

Euphorbia Latex Dangers by Sue Hakala

Euphorbias and other plants exude milky “latex” when cut. The plant uses this as a deterrent to herbivores. It’s not something you EVER want to get in your eyes, mouth or a cut. I know this. I’ve taught others this. I’ve repeated it so often to my husband Terry that he says he can hear it in his sleep. There I was doing a bit of garden clean-up and decided to just cut those two straggling ends of the Pen-dalanthus macrocarpus (lady slipper) hanging over the sidewalk. I was not wearing gloves or long sleeves when the rusty serrated saw-like tool I was using just seemed to jump off the cut plant stem and make a ¼” cut on the first knuckle of my thumb. I froze, dropped everything and ran for the house. I washed the small cut that had just two drops of blood for a full minute under running water with soap. It stopped bleeding. I sprayed it with alcohol, let it dry and covered it with a Band-Aid. Then I yelled and swore at myself for being so foolish. By bedtime, I thought everything was fine and that I had escaped any serious consequences. At about 2 a.m., I awakened with a throbbing in my hand like a kettledrum resonating in my body with every heartbeat. My thumb, index finger, hand and four inches of my arm below my wrist were swollen to over twice their size and the areas were warm to the touch . I didn’t go back to sleep. The next morning my hus-band took one look at me and said, “You’re going to urgent care now.” The doctor didn’t know anything about “milky sap plant reactions.” I told him what I knew asking him to just numb it if he could. He couldn’t. My tetanus shot—good for ten years—was due this year so I got that done too. I went home and elevated my arm and iced the affected areas. I wanted to scream from the pain. It is not an exaggeration to say that it felt like every cell in the affected hand had a razor blade on the end of it and was cutting me constantly under my skin (this lasted about a month). It was so excruciating that I couldn’t even let water run on it for 2 days. I often think of a pain scale as 1 to 10. This was a 50. The pain continued at this level for 5 days. Slowly, over the next 4 weeks, the pain decreased and the swelling started to go down. I really couldn’t use my hand during this time. Four months later the ¼” cut was still very red, swollen and inflamed. I could not imagine what would have happened if I had gotten this in my eye. You can read about what has happened to other people who have gotten the latex in their eye on the web at the Amateur’sDigest.com and other sites. Many have gone blind. Others have died from not washing hands thoroughly enough and then handling food. Greenhouse workers have had eye and throat irritation just from the vapors of the cut plants. There are about 2,000 species of Euphorbia. Some that many have in the land-scape and collections include: E. antisyphilitica (candelilla), E. maculata, E. obesa, E. pulcherrima (poinsettia), E. rigida (gopher plant), and E. horrida, E. suzannae, E. virosa, Pendalanthus macrocarpus, to name only a few. I don’t grow many Euphorbias as they have always scared me. Others to be wary of: Crassula, Tylecodon, Cotyledon, Adromischus, Kalanchoe, and Adenium obesa. I’ll bet there are more. Know what you are handling. You will not know how you will react to the irritants in these plant tissues until it is too late. ALWAYS wear eye protection and gloves, and wear long sleeves when handling Euphorbias or any-thing with a milky sap.

11


Why I Keep a Garden Journal– and Why You should too by Sheryl Stradling

I've always enjoyed the “doing” of gardening. I love digging in the dirt, planting, and cultivating. I enjoy watching seedlings sprout and grow. I take pride in planning my planting areas and revising them as the gar-den matures. I love writing, too. But I have to confess, keeping a garden journal is not one of my favorite things to do. Oh, I jot things down, all right. On scratchpads, usually. Then they get stashed on my desk among the bills, lists, seed catalogs and notes. Actually, I've started more than one garden journal. I've even done a blog. A great idea, but I couldn't keep up. They say consistency is the rule. I did better on garden journaling when I had country property and lived there for years. There was a consistency with the change of seasons and planting. Notes taken and referred to in later years were helpful. But I have improved – I now have a real journal. Doing it electronically would be great, but I like to have something I can leave on the porch and carry around or just have handy. A binder works well because the pages are big enough for sketches, odd notes, or glued-in empty seed pack-ets. Pages can be easily copied and replaced if I get them too dirty or damp. (If you like, you can get jour-nals with waterproof pages.) I've added as many of those old notes and blog posts as I could gather. It's ac-tually starting to make some sense. I'm seeing why I should have been doing this all along – and you will too. Ten reasons for keeping a garden journal:

It provides a basis for next year's soil renewal process. You'll know what you added and what you need.

A written record of seasonal weather provides factual information that you won't likely remember a

couple of years from now, but may need.

Do you run out of stakes or just get tired of making labels? It helps to write down the location where you tucked in that last planting.

Keeping a record of which varieties you experiment with helps increase the likelihood of success –

and enjoyment!

It helps to prevent disease. You'll know where you planted tomatoes for three consecutive years and remember to find a new area.

If you are modifying the landscape, a sketch of the plans, hardscape features, water locations, sun

and shade patterns and unique areas is invaluable.

A layout of the sprinkler system helps avoid piping repairs when digging.

For succession planting, a journal is a great reference for dates, places and seasons.

Weed science – weeds have their seasons and cycles over the years – keeping track of what hap-pens in your garden will help keep them under control.

Anything unusual that occurs each season could be just the bit of information needed next year, so

it's a good idea to take note of it. If you're not convinced yet, what was that shrub you planted on the southeast side by the walkway that bloomed from May to July but died in the frost of 2010?

Roots & Shoots

12

MG Update MG Field Trip By Deb Sparrow Tempe Transit Center’s Green Roof & Landscaping

WHO: Bonnie Richardson Bonnie Richardson will be our guide. She had a big hand in this project. Bonnie is a LEED Accredited Profes-sional and Project Manager for the Tempe Transportation Center. She is the principal planner at city of Tempe and is active in the U.S. Green Building Council. Bonnie is involved in the Sustainable Site Program, and the development of a new set of criteria developed by ALA and US Green Building. She is involved with other municipal projects, too. She studied architecture at ASU.

WHAT: Tempe Transit Center’s Green Roof & Landscaping We are visiting Tempe's LEED Transportation Center to see its green roof, thoughtful landscaping and the green walls of the bus shelters. Arizona's low desert is even tougher for plants on a roof than it is for plants on the ground so the plants and soil medium were carefully chosen and tested to see if they could handle our temperature range and growing conditions. The landscaping and structure are designed for energy efficiency, to harvest rainwater and recycle grey water and to mitigate the heat island effect. A lot of attention has been paid to providing much needed shade for the public. Recycled materials have been used in the hardscape. There is even a cooling tower that utilizes grey water, to help cool the building. The Tempe Transit Center has won numerous awards. It has space for offices, retail and community meet-ings, as well as transit related business and security. The Bike Cellar has lockers where people may store their bicycles and showers, too. What a great way to make bicycling to work practical for more people. The building was designed to use about 1/2 the energy of a comparable building. Landscaping is an important part of how this works. A reduced amount of potable water is used to the recycling of water via the grey wa-ter system. This building was designed for use by a community, real people. You can see that in the flow of the paths and the courtyard. Green roofs have many benefits.They can reduce storm water runoff from roofs, reduce heat gain from the roof and even create wildlife habitat, especially if native plants are used. We are very lucky to have this opportunity to get to the top of the Tempe Transportation center and learn about the green roof there. IMPORTANT: RSVP REQUIRED. Please rsvp to Jesse Davenport at 602-827-8200X308 or by email at [email protected] WHEN: April 18, Wednesday morning, 9:30 AM WHERE: The Tempe Transportation Center, 200 East 5th Street, Tempe, Arizona. This is be-tween Forest and College Avenues on the north side of the street. BRING: Comfortable walking shoes, there will be stairs. There is shade but hats and water are also a good idea to bring. Please keep in mind that this is not a roof with public access. We have an elevator to the third floor, but you can only get to the roof via stairs. Our entire site and building is accessible, except for the roof. PARKING: There is plenty of parking in downtown Tempe if you know where to look for it. Parking Map Here: http://www.millavenue.com/transportation (There is public parking on the street and in nearby structures.) This is the transit center so it's right on the light rail and bus routes, etc. You can leave the car at a Park and Ride parking lot: http://www.valleymetro.org/park_and_rides/bus/ CARPOOL SUGGESTIONS: (This is an opportunity to meet others to share rides with, not an organized carpool.) Meet between 8:30 am and 8:50 am at the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension office, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix.

http://www.millavenue.com/transportation

http://www.valleymetro.org/park_and_rides/bus/

For more information visitwww.surpriseaz.gov/begreenbehealthy

or call 623.222.2000.

April 21, 20128:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Surprise Recreation Campus/Surprise Stadium15860 N. Bullard Ave.

Sponsored by:

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service,

and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours. Underlined words are links to websites or e-mail addresses.

April 2012 Events Calendar Submit events to Karen Sankman

Upcoming Events

May 5 Sun Country Iris Sale 9 am-3 pm, Gardener’s World Nursery, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. Sun Country Iris Society

May 10, or 17, or 24

Advanced Smartscape: Irrigation

1-6 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, $85. Info/Register

May 22 and 23

Starting a Farm in Arizona

7 am-5 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, $105 by mail before May 2, $113 online. Info/Register

Jun 21-24, Jun 28-Jul 1

2012 Lavender Festival 9 am-3 pm, Red Rock Farms, Concho, AZ. Info

Jun 23 SRP Shade Tree Workshop

8 am and 10 am, PERA Club, 1 East Continental Dr., Tempe. Register Now for this class as space is limited. Info/Register

July 10-Oct 30

Master Gardener Training Classes

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, $275. Info/Register

Aug 10 Southwest Horticulture Annual Day of Education (SHADE)

All day event at Renaissance Glendale Hotel. $99, includes lunch. Sponsored by the Arizona Nursery Association. More information coming soon.

April 2012

Sun 1 Phoenix Home and Garden Grand Tour of Gardens

10 am- 4 pm, self-guided tour of 6 homes in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley area. Portion of proceeds benefits Desert Botanical Garden. $45. Info/Tickets

Sun 1 Vegetable and Herb Sale

12-3 pm, Southwest Gardener, 2809 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix. Info

Sun 1 Plants of the Bible Guided Tour

1:30 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Learn about botany, history, and scripture on this slow-paced walk. Info

Sun 1 Festival of Roses Garden Tour

2-3 pm, Mesa Community College Rose Garden, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. Free


http://www.suncountryiris.org/

http://extension.arizona.edu/events/advanced-smartscape-irrigation

http://extension.arizona.edu/events/turning-dreams-reality-starting-farm-arizona

http://redrockfarms.com/pages.php?pageid=9

http://www.srpnet.com/energy/powerwise/savewithsrp/shadetreeworkshops.aspx

http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/mgs/mg-broch.htm

http://azna.org/shade/

http://www.phgmag.com/gtg/index.html

http://www.southwestgardener.com/

http://www.southwestgardener.com/event-calendar/

http://ag.arizona.edu/bta/events.html




Mon 2 Desert Pointe Garden Club Meeting

9 am-noon, Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Dr., Phoenix. Judy Tolbert (480) 961-1768, Desert Pointe Garden Club

Mon 2 Ask a Master Gardener

10 am-noon, Sun City Library, Bell Branch, 16828 N. 99th Ave, Sun City. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. Cherie Czaplicki or Antje Schneider

Mon 2 Scottsdale Garden Club Meeting

11:30 am, Cottonwoods Resort, 6160 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale. RSVP for luncheon to Judy at (480) 964-4789. Scottsdale Garden Club

Mon 2 The Future of Food: In the Desert and Beyond

5:30-7 pm, ASU, Wrigley Hall, 800 S. Cady Mall, Tempe, Room 101. Info/RSVP

Mon 2 Valley of the Sun Gardeners Meeting

6:30 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Orvalita Hopkins, Valley of the Sun Gardeners

Mon 2 Orchid Society of AZ Meeting

7-9 pm, Arizona State Veteran Home, 4141 Herrera Way, Phoenix. Julie Rathbun (602) 843-0223. Orchid Society of Arizona

Tue 3 Master Gardener Training Classes

9:30 am-12:30 pm, University of Arizona Eller College of Management, 16425 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale. Topic: Turf management with Sharon Dewey, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension specialist.

Tue 3 NE Valley Satellite Diagnostic Clinic

10 am-noon, Via Linda Senior Center, 10440 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale. Debbie Lyding. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice.

Tue 3 Tuesday in the Garden

3 pm-dusk, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring gloves and tools that you like to help with maintenance in the demo garden. Pam Perry (602) 279-6250

Tue 3 Down to Earth Toastmasters

6-7:15 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Olivette Aviso (480) 235-5989. Down to Earth Toastmasters

Tue 3 The Art of Watering 6:30-8:30 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, $30 mem/$38 non-mem. Info/Register

Tue 3 Plant Care in the Desert

6:30-8:45 pm, Chandler City Hall, 175 S. Arizona Ave., 2nd Floor, Chandler. Free to Chandler utility customers. Info/Register

Tue 3 Sun Country Iris Meeting

7 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Ardi Kary at (480) 949-0253, Sun Country Iris Society

Tue 3 Phoenix Bonsai Society Meeting

7:30 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Elsie Andrade (602) 995-3870. Phoenix Bonsai Society


http://www.desertpointegc.org/



http://gardencentral.org/azgardenclub/scottsdale/

http://sustainability.asu.edu/events/rsvp/nabhan-2012


http://www.phoenixgardeners.org/about_us.htm


http://www.orchidsocietyaz.org/





http://www.dte-tm.com/

http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/the-art-of-watering-4-3-12

http://www.chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=580



http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/



Wed 4 How to Successfully Compost

5-6:30 pm, Surprise Senior Center, 15832 N. Hollyhock St., Surprise. Free. Info

Wed 4 Landscape Watering 101

5:30-7:30 pm, Peoria Development & Community Services Bldg., Point of View Room, 9875 N. 85th Ave., Peoria. Free. Info/Register

Wed 4 Shade Garden Design and Selections

6:30-8:30 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, $30 mem/$38 non-mem. Info/Register

Thu 5 NW Satellite Office Diagnostic Clinic

10 am-noon, 13815 Camino del Sol, Sun City West. Kris Coates (623) 214-2385. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice.

Thu 5 Herban Wildlife Gardening

6-8:30 pm, Mojave Conference Room, 11465 W. Civic Center Dr., Avondale. Free. Info/Register

Thu 5 Arizona Herb Association Meeting

7-9 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Carolyn Hills, AZ Herb Assoc.

Thu 5 East Valley Garden Club Meeting

7-9 pm, Mesa Community College at 1833 W. Southern, Kiva Room in the basement of the Clock Tower Building. Judy Smith (480) 539-0381, East Valley Garden Club.

Thu 5 Rose Society of Glendale Meeting

7 pm, Glendale Women’s Club, 7032 N. 56th Ave., Glendale. Rose Society of Glendale, Gerry Mahoney (602) 616-3137

Thu 5 Water Saving Technologies

7-8:30 pm, Scottsdale Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Rd., Scottsdale. Free and open to the public, no RSVP required. Info

Fri 6 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice.

Fri 6

Desert Designers Meeting

10 am-noon, Pyle Adult Center, 655 E. Southern, Tempe. Wanda Collins or (480) 882-2569.

Sat 7 Rose Show 6-10 am entries accepted, open to public 1-4 pm, awards at 3 pm, Sahuaro Ranch Park, 9802 N. 59th Ave., Glendale. Info, Rose Society of Glendale

Sat 7

Arizona Herb Association Weed and Feed

7:30 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Everyone is welcome! Fun, hands-on experience. Carolyn Hills, AZ Herb Assoc

Sat 7 San Tan Garden Club 8-9 am, Queen Creek home. Call Sandy at (480) 987-9821 for address and information.

http://www.surpriseaz.gov/CurrentEvents.aspx?EID=3952

http://www.peoriaaz.gov/newsecondary.aspx?id=27364

http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/shade-garden-design-and-selections-4-4-12



http://www.ci.avondale.az.us/index.aspx?NID=1326


http://www.azherb.org/index.php


http://gardnersofeastvalley.org/gardnersofeastvalley.org/east_valley_garden_club.html

http://www.roseglenaz.com/

http://www.roseglenaz.com/


http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/greenbuilding/lectures



http://www.roseglenaz.com/rsg_show.htm

http://www.roseglenaz.com/index.htm

http://www.roseglenaz.com/index.htm


http://www.azherb.org/index.php



Sat 7 Heritage Rose Garden Volunteer Day

8-10 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Steve Young (602) 237-9043.

Sat 7 Homeowner’s Tree Care Workshop

8 am-noon, Peoria Development & Community Services Bldg., Point of View Room, 9875 N. 85th Ave., Peoria. Free. Info/Register

Sat 7 Cholla Buds: Treasure of the Desert

8:30-11 am, Desert Botanical Garden, $55 mem/$68 non-mem. Info/Register

Sat 7 Arizona Collage Gardening

9 am, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. Register or (602) 437-0700.

Sat 7 Irrigation System Maintenance

9 am-noon, Desert Botanical Garden, $35 mem/$44 non-mem. Info/Register

Sat 7 Landscape Design and Installation

9 am-1 pm, Tempe South Police Substation Auditorium, 8201 S. Hardy Drive, Tempe. Free. Info/Register

Sat 7 Roses and Fruit Trees for the Desert

10 am, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. Register or (602) 437-0700.

Sat 7 Arboretum History Walk

10-11:30 am, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Info

Sat 7 Master Gardener Q&A Session

10 am-2 pm, Northwest Regional Library located in the Surprise Recreation Complex, 16089 N. Bullard Ave, Surprise, AZ. Lynn Rivers (623) 412-1882. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice.

Sat 7 Hardscapes and Lighting

11:30 am, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. Register or (602) 437-0700.

Sat 7 Vegetables 1:30 pm, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. Register or (602) 437-0700.

Sat 7 Scottsdale Bonsai Society Meeting

1:30-3 pm, Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Rd., Scottsdale. Pat Mitchell (480) 575-5649. Scottsdale Bonsai, Info

Sun 8 Wildflower Guided Walk

11 am, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Info





http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/cholla-buds-treasure-of-the-desert-4-7-12

http://www.gardenpro.net/?page=home%20


http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/irrigation-system-maintenance-4-7-12

http://www.tempe.gov/conservation/workshop.htm











http://scottsdalebonsai.weebly.com/

http://scottsdalebonsai.weebly.com/uploads/4/1/3/1/4131106/scottsdalebonsaicalendar_of_events_2011.pdf






9:30 am-12:30 pm, University of Arizona Eller College of Management, 16425 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale. Topic: Entomology 101 with Stacey Bealmer, UA Urban Horticulture Extension Agent.

Tue 10 Desert Sun African Violet Society Meeting

10 am, for location contact: Ann Stoetzer (623) 872-9020.

Tue 10

Tuesday in the Garden


Tue 10 Arizona Native Plant Society Meeting

7-9 pm, Webster Auditorium at Desert Botanical Garden. Arizona Native Plant Society, Mike Plagens (602) 459-5224.

Tue 10 West Valley Rose Society Meeting

7 pm, Landscape Mart, 8028 W. Thunderbird Rd, Peoria, AZ Heidi Leavitt (602) 971-0179, West Valley Rose Society

Tue 10 Phoenix Bonsai Society Meeting


Wed 11 New River Gourd Patch Meeting

8:30 am-1 pm, Pioneer RV Park, 36408 N. Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix. Karen Friend

Wed 11 Saguaro Garden Club Meeting

9:30 am, Pyle Adult Center, 655 E. Southern, Tempe. Mary Trick at (480) 829-7972.

Wed 11 and 18

Home Landscape Design II


Wed 11 Scottsdale Rose Society Meeting

7:30 pm, Eldorado Community Center, 2311 N. Miller Road, Scottsdale. Michael Levitt (480) 206-3806, Scottsdale Rose Society

Thu 12 Master Gardener Update

9 am-noon, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Topic: Agaves with Kent Newland. Deb Sparrow .

Thu 12 Weeders Garden Club 9:30 am-noon, Cottonwood Community Center, 25630 Brentwood Dr., Sun Lakes, AZ. Weeders Club, Pat Bunkley (480) 883-1556.

Thu 12 Tolleson Gourd Patch Meeting

2:00-4:30 pm, Tolleson Senior Center, 9555 W. Van Buren, Tolleson, AZ. Lana Hinde (602) 843-9015

Thu 12 Spirit of the Desert Gourd Patch Meeting

4:30-6:30 pm, Sewing Room at the Sun Lakes Oakwood Arts & Crafts Center, 24201 S. Oakwood Blvd, Sun Lakes, AZ. Sally Kiste (480) 895-7638, Spirit of the Desert




http://www.dbg.org/

http://aznps.com/chapters/phoenix.html

http://aznps.com/chapters/phoenix.html



http://www.westvalleyrose.org/



http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/home-landscape-design-ii-core-4-11-12


http://scottsdalerose.org/



http://weedersgc.org/home


mailto:%[email protected]


http://www.orgsites.com/az/spiritofthedesertgourds/



Thu 12 Landscaping for Small Spaces

5:30-7:30 pm, Peoria Development & Community Services Bldg., Point of View Room, 9875 N. 85th Ave., Peoria. Free. Info/Register

Thu 12 Maximize Your Irrigation

6-8:45 pm, Chandler City Hall, 175 S. Arizona Ave., 2nd Floor, Chandler. Free to Chandler utility customers. Info/Register

Thu 12 Mesa East Valley Rose Society Meeting

7-10 pm, Mesa Community College Library, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. (480) 807-3475. Mesa East Valley Rose Society

Thu 12

AZ Rare Fruit Growers Meeting

7:30 pm, Palo Verde Room at Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. AZ Rare Fruit, Monte Palmer (480) 688-2087



Fri 13 Glendale Xeriscape Garden Volunteer Day

8-11 am, Glendale Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, 5959 W. Brown. St., Glendale. Tools and refreshments provided. RSVP to Joanne Toms (623) 930-3535.

Fri 13 Washington Garden Club Meeting

9:30 am, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Orvalita Hopkins, Washington Garden Club

Sat 14 Rose Show 7-10 am entries accepted, 1-4 pm open to public, 3:30 pm awards, Scottsdale Galleria Corporate Centre, 4343 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale. Scottsdale Rose Society

Sat 14 APS Shade Tree Workshop

8:30-9:30 am, Communiversity, 15950 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise Civic Center Complex, Surprise. Free. Info/Register. Volunteer

Sat 14 Phoenix Pond Society Meeting

9 am, Member home. Contact for address: Dave Nelson (480) 357-7205. Phoenix Pond Society

Sat 14 Xeriscape: Desert Fusion Garden Lecture and Walking Tour

9-11 am, Peoria Development & Community Services Bldg., Point of View Room, 9875 N. 85th Ave., Peoria. Free. Info/Register

Sat 14 Plant Materials for Our Desert Climate


Sat 14 Sunrise Garden Club Meeting

9:30 am, Member home in Tempe. Contact for address: Julie at (480) 838-2414.

Sat 14 Scottsdale Community Garden Club Meeting

10 am, Scottsdale Community College, 9000 E. Chaparral Rd., Scottsdale, Room 527 in the Fitness and Wellness complex on the NW corner of the campus. Scottsdale Community Garden Club, Carol Stuttard



http://www.roses4az-mevrs.org/

http://www.azrfg.com/





http://www.azwgc.org/home


http://www.aps.com/main/green/choice/choice_129.html

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084FAEAD2BA46-apsshade3


http://www.phoenixponds.com/index.html



http://www.sccgardenclub.com/index.html





10 am-noon, Avondale Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. E-mail or (623) 333-2602


10:30-11:30 am, Communiversity, 15950 N. Civic Center Plaza, Surprise Civic Center Complex, Surprise. Free. Info/Register. Volunteer

Sat 14 Ask a Master Gardener

10:30 am-1:30 pm, White Tank Branch Library, 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Rd, Waddell. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. Angie Tatum (623) 882-7976

Sat 14 Wildflower Guided Walk


Sat 14 Herb Festival 11 am-3 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Info

Sat 14 Sun Country Iris Sale 11 am-4 pm, Christown Spectrum Mall, 1703 Bethany Home Rd., Phoenix. Sun Country Iris Society

Sat 14 Edible/Medicinal Desert Plant Guided Walk

1:30 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Learn about native desert plants have fed, clothed, and healed indigenous peoples for a millennia. Info

Sat 14 Inviting Monarch Butterflies to Your Yard

1:30, Mesa Red Mountain Branch Library, 635 N. Power Rd., Mesa. Free. Info

Sat 14 Trees for Shade and Color

2:15 pm, Mesa Red Mountain Branch Library, 635 N. Power Rd., Mesa. Free. Info


10-11 am, Mesa Community College Rose Garden, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. Free

Sun 15 Tree Tour 1:30 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Info

Sun 15 Phoenix Chrysanthemum Society Meeting

2-4:30 pm, member home. Contact for address: George Chi (480) 248-7685. Phoenix Chrysanthemum


9:30 am-12:30 pm, University of Arizona Eller College of Management, 16425 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale. Topic: Weed Science with Kelly Young, UA Assistant Horticulture Agent.

Tue 17














http://www.mesaaz.gov/sustainability/includes/hot.html

http://www.mesaaz.gov/sustainability/includes/hot.html




http://www.mums.org/chapters/az.htm




Tue 17 Down to Earth Toastmasters

6-7:15 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Olivette Aviso (480) 235-5989, Down to Earth Toastmasters

Tue 17

Phoenix Bonsai Society Meeting


Tue 17 Phoenix Rose Society Meeting

7:30 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Phoenix Rose Society, Jeannie Cochell (602) 363-6444

Wed 18 Landscaping in the Desert

9-10 am, Peoria Development & Community Services Bldg., Point of View Room, 9875 N. 85th Ave., Peoria. Free. Info/Register

Wed 18

Tempe Transit Center’s Green Roof and Landscaping Field Trip

9:30 am, Tempe Transportation Center, 200 E. 5th St., Tempe. Landscaping for Energy Efficiency with Bonnie Richardson. RSVP by April 11 to Jesse Davenport or (602) 827-8200 x308. Deb Sparrow for more information.

Wed 18 Southwest Gourd Society Meeting

7-9 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Lana Hinde (602) 843-9015, SW Gourd

Thu 19 NW Valley Gourd Patch Meeting

3:30-5:30 pm, Nadaburg School, 21419 W. Dove Valley Rd in Wittmann, AZ. Judy Moody (623) 544-6866, NW Valley Gourd Patch

Thu 19 Pruning Basics 6-8:30 pm, Sonoran Conference Room, 11465 W. Civic Center Dr., Avondale. Free. Info/Register

Thu 19 Sprinkler Design and Installation


Thu 19 Desert Valley Orchid Society Meeting

6:30 pm, Scottsdale Senior Center, 10440 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale. Steve Grass (602) 508-1808, Desert Valley Orchid Society



Fri 20 Rose Garden at MCC Tour

9-11 am, Desert Botanical Garden offers a tour of the Maricopa Community College Rose Garden, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa. $30 mem/$38 non-mem. Info/Register

Fri 20, 21, and 22

Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale

9 am-5 pm Fri & Sat, 9 am-4 pm Sun. Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 N. Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix, Dorrance Hall and Boppart Courtyard. Free with paid admission. Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society

Fri 20 Tempe Garden Club Meeting

9:30-11:30 am, Pyle Adult Center, 655 E. Southern Ave, Tempe. Josephine Vincze, Tempe Garden Club


http://www.dte-tm.com/


http://www.phoenixrose.org/






http://swgourdpatch.com/


http://mygourdpatch.com/

http://mygourdpatch.com/




http://www.dvos-az.net/

http://www.dvos-az.net/

http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/the-rose-garden-at-mcc-tour-4-20-12

http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.centralarizonacactus.org/



http://www.tempegardenclub.com/



Sat 21

Mesa East Valley Rose Society Deadheaders

8:30 am meeting, deadhead afterwards. Mesa Community College Rose Garden, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. Bring gloves and pruners/shears. Training provided. Mike Cryer , Deadheaders

Sat 21 Heritage Rose Garden Volunteer Day

8-10 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Steve Young (602) 237-9043.


8:30-9:30 am, Silvestre S. Herrera Elementary School, Performing Arts Center, 1350 S. 11th St., Phoenix. Free. Info/Register. Volunteer

Sat 21 Design Charrette 9 am-noon, Charrette at a Scottsdale home. Reserve at Beth or (480) 275-4833.

Sat 21 Drip Irrigation Design, Installation, Maintenance


Sat 21 Bonsai Tree Show 9 am-5 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix. Free. Phoenix Bonsai Society

Sat 21 Ask a Master Gardener

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Sunrise Mountain Library, 21109 N. 98th Ave., Peoria. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. David Haase (623) 889-5585.

Sat 21 Desert Sun African Violet Society Meeting

10 am, Yucca Branch of Phoenix Public Library, 5648 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix. Ann Stoetzer (623) 872-9020.

Sat 21 APS Shade Tree Workshop in Spanish

10:30-11:30 am, Silvestre S. Herrera Elementary School, Performing Arts Center, 1350 S. 11th St., Phoenix. Free. Workshop conducted in Spanish. Info/Register. Volunteer


10:30-1:30 pm, Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. George Salamunec

Sat 21 Plants of the Bible Guided Tour

1:30 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Learn about botany, history, and scripture on this slow-paced walk. Info

Sat 21 Bonsai of Scottsdale Meeting

1:30-3 pm, Granite Reef Senior Center, 1700 N. Granite Reef Rd, Scottsdale. Pat Mitchell (480) 575-5649. Scottsdale Bonsai, Info

Sun 22 Rose Show 6:30-9:45 am entries accepted, 1-4 pm open to public, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix. Phoenix Rose Society

Sun 22 Wildflower Guided Walk




http://www.rosegarden.mesacc.edu/dhrosegardenatmcc/















http://scottsdalebonsai.weebly.com/

http://scottsdalebonsai.weebly.com/uploads/4/1/3/1/4131106/scottsdalebonsaicalendar_of_events_2011.pdf

http://www.phoenixrose.org/index.htm





Sun 22 Edible Landscapes Noon, Southwest Gardener, 2809 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix. $25, Info/Register

Sun 22 Edible/Medicinal Desert Plant Guided Walk

1:30 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Learn about native desert plants have fed, clothed, and healed indigenous peoples for a millennia. Info



Sun 22 and 29

Silver Clay Desert Leaf Jewelry

2-4 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, $100 mem/$125 non-mem. Use real leaves to make silver jewelry. Info/Register


9:30 am-12:30 pm, University of Arizona Eller College of Management, 16425 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale. Topic: Plant Pathology with Kelly Young, UA Assistant Horticulture Agent.

Tue 24



Thu 26 Yard Watering and Timer Instruction




Fri 27 Arbor Day Events Celebrate Arbor Day in Mesa. See Mesa's Arbor Day for events.

Fri 27 Gourd Art Class 10 am-2 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. $30mem/$39 non-mem. Info/Register

Fri 27, 28, and 29

Maricopa County Home and Landscape Show

10 am-7 pm Fri, 10 am-6 pm Sat, 10 am-5 pm Sun, Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix. $5. Info/Discounts

Sat 28 Grand Opening of the Glendale Tree Trail

9-10:30 am, Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, Glendale Main Library, 5959 W. Brown St., Glendale. To receive a free water efficient tree, be one of the first 100 Glendale residents to call (623) 930-3760 and attend two of three tree care demonstrations on planting, pruning, and watering. Info. MG Volunteers needed. Contact Joanne Toms (623) 930-3535

Sat 28 Landscape Maintenance Practices for Homeowners

9 am, Gardener's World owner’s home at 430 S. Honeysuckle Lane, Gilbert. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. Register or (602) 437-0700.





http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/silver-clay-desert-leaf-jewelry-4-22-12



http://www.mesaaz.gov/sustainability/arborday.aspx



http://www.maricopacountyhomeshows.com/attend-the-show/

http://www.glendaleaz.com/green







Sat 28 Iris and Garden Tour 9 am-3 pm, Gardener's World owner’s home at 430 S. Honeysuckle Lane, Gilbert. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. Register or (602) 437-0700.

Sat 28 Managing Mature Landscapes for Monsoon Season

10 am, Gardener's World owner’s home at 430 S. Honeysuckle Lane, Gilbert. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. Register or (602) 437-0700.

Sat 28 Gourd Art Class 10 am-2 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. $30mem/$39 non-mem. Info/Register

Sat 28 Wildflower Guided Walk



10-11 am, Mesa Community College Rose Garden, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. Free

Sun 29 Summer Gardening Noon, Southwest Gardener, 2809 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix. $35, Info/Register

Sun 29 Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society Meeting

2-4 pm, Dorrance Hall at Desert Botanical Garden. Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society . Judy Braun-Brody (480) 481-8129

Sun 29 Pruning Trees and Shrubs

2-4 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, $30 mem/$38 non-mem. Info/Register

Mon 30 and May 7, 14

Stained Glass with Desert Plants

6-9 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, $120 mem/$150 non-mem. Info/Register

May 2012


9:30 am-12:30 pm, University of Arizona Eller College of Management, 16425 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale. Final Exam and Graduation.

Thu 3

Landscape Watering: Water Scheduling and Controller Programming

6-8:30 pm, Sonoran Conference Room, 11465 W. Civic Center Dr., Avondale. Free. Info/Register

Thu 3 “Smart” Irrigation Controllers


Thu 3 Fortify Your Soil With Compost


Sat 5 Maximize Your Irrigation System












http://www.dbg.org/



http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/pruning-trees-and-shrubs-4-29-12

http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/stained-glass-with-desert-plants-4-30-12



http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/fortify-your-soil-with-compost-5-3-12

http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/maximize-your-irrigation-system-5-5-12



Sat 5 Sun Country Iris Sale 9 am-3 pm, Gardener’s World Nursery, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. Sun Country Iris Society

Sat 5 Gardening for Wildlife

10 am, Surprise Public Safety Building Auditorium, 14250 W. Statler Plaza, Surprise. Free for Surprise residents, $5 for non-residents, payable at the door. Register, or E-mail, or (623) 222-6200

Sat 5 Rhubarb Cooking Class 10 am-noon, Desert Botanical Garden, $50 mem/$62 non-mem. Info/Register

Tue 8 DBGenus: Opuntia 6:30-8:30 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, $25 mem/$32 non-mem. Info/Register

Thu 10 Caring for Your Desert Garden

6-8:30 pm, Sonoran Conference Room, 11465 W. Civic Center Dr., Avondale. Free. Info/Register

Sat 12 Making Medicinal Creosote Salves



http://gardening4wildlife.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecal


http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/rhubarb-cooking-class-5-5-12

http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/dbgenus-opuntia-5-8-12


http://www.dbg.org/

http://www.dbg.org/shop/courses/making-medicinal-creosote-salves-5-12-12

Documents

April 2012 - College of Agriculture and Life Sciences · An "espalier," (pronounced "es-PAL-yer") is any plant trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall, fence, or trellis. The