Roots & Shoots Roots & Shoots

April 2009 April 2009

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EDITOR: Vineetha Kartha ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Carlene Warner

COPY EDITORS: Meg Paterson, Karen Sankman CALENDAR: Karen Sankman WEBSITE QUESTIONS: Kristen Wagner 602/827-8200 x311 USPS MAIL QUESTIONS: Debbie Mauldin 602/827-8200 x308

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 maricopamastergardeners.org

STAFF: Monica Pastor, County Extension Director Kristen Wagner, Program Coordinator, Sr.

602-827-8200 x311 / krwagner@cals.arizona.edu Debbie Mauldin, Admin. Ass’t

602/827-8200 x308 / dmauldin@cals.arizona.edu Hours: M-W 8am-5pm

Roots & Shoots In this edition: Garden Spotlight Spring Hike Travelling Gardener Invasive Earthworms Bug of the month A Tiki Story - and more!

Maricopa County Master Gardeners MG CONTACT LIST: For a complete listing, see the organizational chart under MG Business on the MG Central website East Valley Satellite: Wayne Hall -----------------------480-507-5422 Director at Large: Vacant Carl Rutherford ----------------- 480-325-1469 Educational Materials: Vacant NE Valley Satellite: Debbie Lyding ------------------- 602-789-7377 Demonstration Garden: Pam Perry 602-279-6250 Linda Belous ---------------------480-991-4306 MG Support: Cheri Czaplicki 623-975-5397 Linda Thiedke ------------------- 480-614-0150 Public Events: Vacant NW Valley Satellite: Mary Ann Garewal ------------- 623-388-4900 Public Training: Jim Oravetz 623-584-6068 Pat Greer ------------------------- 623-915-3337 Helen Zinn ------------------------623-271-7518 SATELLITE OFFICES: EAST VALLEY: 480-985-0338 NORTHEAST VALLEY: 480-312-5810 NORTHWEST VALLEY: 623-546-1672 Red Mtn. Multi-Generational Center Via Linda Senior Center PORA Office 7550 E. Adobe 10440 E Via Linda 13815 Camino del Sol Blvd Mesa, AZ 85207 Scottsdale, AZ 85258-6099 Sun City West, AZ 85375 Mon. & Thurs. 9:00a.m.-Noon 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 reason-able accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting Kristen Wagner, Program Coordinator, at krwagner@cals.arizona.edu 602-470-8086x311. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Ex-tension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, James A. Christenson, Director, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.

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Antje Schneider, fondly known as the “bug lady“, owns a colorful and fragrant garden –a treat for your senses. A colorful bougainvillea, fragrant rosemary, several shady trees, and a vari-ety of cactus and succulents to add texture, the garden is in perfect balance .

R&S: Tell us a little about yourself and your garden. AS: I grew up in Germany. My father introduced me to gardening. He was an organic gardener and contrib-uted to one of the many community gardens in Germany. I have gardened all my life. I like to call my gar-den a “collection of specimens.” I have very few doubles of anything. I started with the desert willow. After noticing the microclimate, I began planning cacti and succulents. Detecting a lack of color, I planted the “Angelita Daisy.” Little by little the garden filled up and now there is no more space. Although not native, we enjoy the grapefruits and oranges from our garden. The “Sonoran Emerald” tree is 5 years old, the Ironwood is 7 years old. The trees provide wonderful shade in the garden. R&S: Tell us a little about your garden responsibilities and daily routine. AS: My regular responsibility is to walk around the garden and see what is blooming. It is a fairly low mainte-nance garden. I water according to the season. I believe in the motto, “You don't work in your garden, you play.” R&S: What is your favorite and least favorite part in the garden? AS: My favorite part of the garden changes seasonally. I also love serving lunch in the patio by the garden. The herb garden is my least favorite part, only because the creeper has taken over a large part of the garden and I am afraid I may not be able to plant anything more. R&S: What advice would you give to gardeners who want to create a harmonious garden? AS: Use native and desert adapted plants. They are easy, low maintenance and extremely beautiful. I am averse to sterile gardens. Leave your garden alone and let nature do its part. R&S: What action can gardeners take today, to make a difference in the society? AS: Growing your own vegetables is economical and environmentally friendly. Gardeners must make sure they use water wisely. Make your own compost and don’t use pesticides. If you leave your garden alone there will be a balance in the garden. In those terms, a lazy gardener is a good gardener.

GARDEN SPOTLIGHT Antje Schneider’s “Garden in Harmony”

“Salute to Spring”

Big Thanks to Carl Rutherford, Charles Stephens, Christine Nunez and Chris Schnier for the incredible images

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The Peralta Trail is located in the Superstition Wilderness, east of Apache Junction. The trail has an elevation gain of 1,360 ft and a total hiking length of just over 4.5 miles. You can get to this trail from the US-60. Exit US-60 onto Peralta Road which takes you by a housing development and school. Past the school, Peralta Road is a primitive dirt road. Stands of saguaro, creosote, brittle bush, ocotillo, mesquite trees, palo verde trees, and hedgehog cactus greets you on the roadside. At the end of that road is the Peralta trail parking area. Sign the guest book at the trailhead and follow the trail to the left. The trail climbs gradually through a riparian area, crisscrossing the generally dry Peralta creek. Vegetation along this part of the hike includes hopbush, jojoba, brittlebush, triangle-leaf bursage, sugar sumac, palo verde, and mesquite trees. After the first quarter mile, the trail starts to climb gradually out of the lush vegetation. The flora in this part includes fairy duster, hedgehog cactus, prickly pear cactus, desert penstemon, and century plant. The highlight of the trail for those who can make it past the steep switchbacks prior to the 2 mile mark, is a view of Weaver's Needle from the highest point on the trail at Fremont Saddle. Weaver's Needle is the rem-nant of a very resistant layer of fused volcanic ash (tuff) which has been eroding for millions of years. It is also the most well known feature in the Superstition Wilderness. Take a break, enjoy the breathtaking view, eat a snack, and return via the same route. It is advisable to carry plenty of water and to not hike alone on this trail. It took me 2.5 hours to hike to Fre-mont Saddle and back and I am an avid hiker. If you do not hike often, plan on a longer hike and carry more water. I don’t recommend hiking this trail in the summer unless you are an experienced hiker. Below is a partial list of the vegetation I encountered during this hike :

Shrubs Hopbush: Dodonaea viscosa Creosote: Larrea tridentata (road only) Jojoba: Simmondsia chinensis) Desert Globe Mallow: Sphaeralcea ambigua Fairy Duster: Calliandra eriophylla Brittlebush: Encelia farinosa Triangle-leaf Bur-sage: Ambrosia deltoidea Ocotillo: Fouquieria splendens (road only) Sugar Sumac: Rhus ovata Trees Ironwood: Olneya tesota Palo Verde Mesquite Cactus Pink-flowered hedgehog: Echinocereus fasciculatus Engelmann Prickly Pear: Opuntia engelmannii Saguaro: Carnegiea gigantea Teddy Bear Cholla: Opuntia bigelovii

Perennial Desert Penstemon: Penstemon pseudospectabilis Desert Indian Paintbrush: Castilleja angustifolia Giant Bur-sage (Canyon Ragweed): Ambrosia ambro-

sioides Wild Hyacinth: Dichelostemma capitatum New Mexico Thistle: Cirsium neomexicanum Annuals Desert Chicory: Rafinesquia neomexicana California Poppy: Eschscholzia californica Desert Marigold: Baileya multiradiata (road only) Agave Century Plant: Agave americana Biennial Spreading Fleabane: Erigeron divergens

Spring Hike on the Peralta Trail by Lisa Dubas

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South of France, South of Florence

A few years ago I spent a month in the South of France in a small town called Beaulieu-Se-Mur, located between Monte Carlo and Nice, France. This location is a gardener’s dream as one fabulous public garden after another surrounds the area. The Princess Grace Rose Garden in Monte Carlo, Jardin du Val Rameh in Menton, and the Villa Ephrussi-de-Rothschild estate and gardens in St-Jean-Cap-Ferat. The Villa Ephrussi-de-Rothschild estate is under the ownership of Baroness Rothschild, the granddaughter of the founder of the Rothschild empire. The 17 acres of her gardens include a Florentine garden, a Temple of Love copied from Versailles, a Spanish garden, a Stone garden, and a Japanese garden. The surprise to me was the familiarity of the plant palette to our own Southwest. The French Riviera has mild winters, low rainfall, a month of so of strong winds and high temperatures. I found blazing bougainvillea, jasmine, agaves, olive trees, citrus, and varieties of ice plants, hibis-cus, and roses filling this beautiful space. I expected sunflowers and lavender in France but had to seek out those views in the countryside. Exploring the neighborhoods in the small coastal towns I found gardens re-markably like our gardens here. Pots of geraniums were all around. I was especially fascinated with a red geranium in a small terra cotta pot. The geranium rose 8’ high and was tied to the drain pipe for support. Blooms covered this single stem. I have not had that performance with any of my geraniums! Walking is a part of the lifestyle of France and simply strolling the neighborhood streets I found brick designs in colors and patterns, which made the most of every small courtyard. Patterns formed after cathedrals, Romanesque arches, and mosaics were everywhere. The cultural pace of life in the south of France encouraged me to sit in a small bistro, sip my coffee and enjoy the view right in front of me. If you can go, do! However, during these times of economic uncertainty, travel plans may have to be different than one might have hoped for a few months ago. A gardener dreaming of travel to European gardens may have to forgo old world architecture, lush gardens and the cultural surprises such a trip offers. A gardener however, can be depended on for their creativity. Plan for a drive to the South of Florence, Arizona! Just 8 miles south of Flor-ence, off highway 87 is the St Anthony’s Greek Monastery. Everything described above (except the French bistro) is available here! Florence, AZ, so often known for the State Prison, surely in time will become known for this incredible place. In 1995, 6 Greek Orthodox Monks traveled to AZ to establish this monastic community for men. On a 300 acre section of land there are now 8 chapels, 50 acres of thriving gardens, olive & citrus groves, and vegeta-ble beds. In just 13 years a meditative oasis has risen from bare desert. The lush gardens are mixed among the footpaths of intricate brick and flagstone work. The 3 artesian wells on the property provide water for the plants and fountains. The 8 chapels honoring Saints of the faith are filled with masterful paintings of reli-gious icons, glittering candelabra imported from Greece, and ornate wood carvings imported from Europe. Romanesque arches, stained glass windows and elaborate stone work are all around the site. In the summer of 2008 a new chapel on a hill east of the monastery was completed and dedicated. This white chapel with pillars and curves topped with a bold blue roof is reminiscent of a Greek villa.

Traveling Gardener, wandering, wondering, noticing...

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Below are four photos, view of France and view of the Monastery, can you determine if it is France or Flor-ence? All the photos on the left are from France and on the right are from the south of Florence. In preparing to visit the monastery I stood in my closet trying to get ready for a visit to another culture. Women visitors must follow a specific dress code; head covering, long sleeves, long skirt and no bare legs. The conforming clothing reminded me every step of the way how unique a space this was. Here too, I wanted to slow down and sit quietly by a fountain enjoying the rustling palm fronds and comfort of the shade enjoying the view in any direction. While one feels a certain excitement in planning a trip to “the south of France” you truly can have a European experience of old world architecture, lush gardens and cultural surprise just “south of Florence” here in Ari-zona. And it won’t take you long to get there! Text by Linda Larson Photos by Rich Larson

The March 2009 issue of the Scientific American maga-zine featured an ecology article entitled, “Crawling to Oblivion - invasive earthworms denude Great Lakes for-ests” by Michael Tennesen. According to the article, there are 5,000 species of earthworms globally; however only 16 of the European and Asian varieties do the real damage.

One of the harmful varieties is a popular fish bait, the night crawler (Lumbricus terrestris), that can measure up to 8 inches long. Within five years, these worms have eaten the leaf litter in the northern NY hardwood forests which acted as the thick organic rooting medium; conse-quently there are practically no tree seedlings reseeding the forests.

Invasive Earthworms by Linda C Grass

"earthworm." Online Photograph. Britannica Student Encyclopædia. 28 Mar. 2009

The Alabama jumper, known as the snake or crazy worm, (Amynthas agrestis) is a highly aggressive Asian worm living at high densities which, according to folk lore can literally jump off the ground or out of a bait can. According to John Maerz, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Georgia, the presence of earthworms affect other animals too. Adult salamanders eat the earthworm to increase their reproduction cycles; however the earthworms are too large for the younger salamanders to eat so they do not live. Consequently the feed-ers of the salamanders which are snakes, small mammals, turkeys and many forest animals are loosing an important part of their diets. Earthworms are practically impossible to remove once established in the envi-ronment. The worms spread 5 to 10 meters a year on their own.

Concerned about the earthworm’s impact, the US Department of Agriculture has awarded Cindy Hale, an Uni-versity of Minnesota ecologist, and a group of biologists $397,500.00 grant to study earthworm effects on hardwood forests. Thank goodness we live in the desert!!

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DESIGN CHARRETTE SATURDAY-April 18th

9:00 A.M—NOON

Welcome to the April Design Charrette. We're off to Scottsdale to help Ingrid Trott come up with a plan for her garden. We have to block the view of the street in the front and deal with "shade alley" in the back. Think Mediterranean and low maintenance. Imagine succulents, vines, dramatic sweeps of seasonal color and texture using existing mounds and beds. How's that for a challenge! Remember, everyone is welcome, brand new and seasoned Master Gardeners alike. You do not have to be a professional designer to participate as each and every one of us has at least one idea that can help Ingrid come up with a plan for her garden. The only requirement is to bring your imagination and a dish to share. Come enjoy the morning with fellow Master Gardeners and earn your hours. To reserve your spot email Designcharrette@hotmail.com or call Carol Parrott at 602-438-4003.

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The project is committed to supplying free seeds and they are working with Renee Shepherd of Renee’s Gar-den seeds this year for use of the annual Lemon Queen sunflowers. They are wonderful and germinate read-ily. The project leaders will also happily accept monetary donations to help support the mailing of seeds, maintaining the website and analyzing the data.

What is the Buzz All About in the Garden? By Christine O’Hara

The buzz in the garden is hopefully coming from the sound of many contented bees. Bees are very busy in-deed, pollinating many of the fruits, vegetables and nuts we eat. Over the last two years the bee population worldwide is reported to have fallen, causing considerable concern to scientists and farmers. The reason for this decrease has not been identified. In order to help identify the cause and understand the challenges faced by the bees, “the Great Sunflower Project” was founded by conservation biologist Gretchen LeBuhn. The pro-ject was launched as a citizen science project to help understand what is happening to our bee pollinators. Beginning in the spring of 2008, 40,000 people from every state in United States and all provinces in Canada planted sunflowers. The participants came from all walks of life, had all kinds of yards and gardens. Free seeds were sent to each participant for uniform bee counting. The participants were sent emails notifying them of a sampling weekend. For about 30 minutes on the selected day, gardeners were asked to note time the amount of time it takes for the first five bees to arrive at the sunflower. A wonderful web site had been set up so that each participant was able to register their garden and give information of their area. After the count the information was entered under the gardens specific site. This experiment will be conducted again this year, and it is estimated that there will be sunflowers from the Arctic Circle to the tip of Florida and from Hawaii to Puerto Rico.

Have you got the buzz?

Be a part of this great citizen science project at

www.greatsunflower.org Simply sign up your garden online, get your seeds, plant, grow, and count. Perhaps our citizen group will help discover the cause of bee die off and help save garden pollination for the future.

Data from 2008 of just under 1,200 different gardens has been tabu-lated. About 20% of the participants did not see any bees on their sunflowers within the 30 minute limit. Based on this fact 1 in 5 gar-dens appear to have low pollinator service. Slightly fewer than 50% saw 5 bees. Know that one visit by a honey bee creates 3 sun flower seeds per visit. Native bee visits result in anything from 1 to 19 seeds per visit. (Go Natives!) What this means is that if you have 5 bee visits per hour from 9-5 (bees tend to work banker’s hours), your sunflower plant will produce 120 to 600 seeds. That sounds good until you realize that there might be 10 flowers. The flowers would have to last for almost two weeks each to be completely polli-nated. Participants sent in flower heads at the end of the project and many were un-pollinated. Last year the Great Sunflower Project partnered with the American Museum of Natural History, New York City Parks, and San Francisco Public Urban Gardens. This year the project will also work with the National Phrenology Network, tracking how sunflowers and bees are responding to climate change. A partnership with Discover Life is also expected to allow for the creation of an online collection of digi-tal photographs of the insects on the sunflowers. The most exciting partnership is the one with Cornell called “the Birds and Bees Chal-lenge”. The goal of this project is to help young people between the ages of 7 and 17 rediscover nature in their own neighborhoods.

Image courtesy www.greatsunflower.org

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March brought aphids and lady bugs and even baby mantises to the vegetable garden. We spotted a hooded oriole one afternoon! Hot days in January, February and March put an end to sugar snap and Cascadia peas, the last of the broccoli was harvested and the rest of the plant, along with broccoli raap and Hon tsai tai was dispatched to the compost pile. The artichoke got thinned to help control aphids, and sev-eral late plantings of brassicas refused to participate no matter what AZ1005 suggested! Beets, carrots, lettuces came well; there are berries on ‘Berries Ga-lore’, the strawberries I am trying!

Diggings in the Garden by Pam Perry

In anticipation of spring squash and beans were seeded, and are slowly germinating. New sunflowers are up, cucumbers and melons are popping up! I could not remember when I planted the soy beans last year, and now it occurs to me it was shortly after the San Francisco Garden show where I had seen seedlings in packs and thought they were just too cute not to grow! We got them in a little early this year, and will have to try again. The red torpedo onion turns out to be a bunching onion and one has become several, now divided and planted out. Larkspur, poppies, penstemons, and Verbena bonariensis decorate the gardens along with calendula and sweet peas! Interns, associates, and gardeners descended upon the Desert Trail weeding, and under the direction of Ar-borist Claude Cluff, trimming. All regular seasonal fare, but done with renewed vigor as part of the prepara-tion for our participation in the Real Gardens for Real People tour. The Lupine were truly spectacular, re-maining almost respectable for the RGRP tour, I was worried we might have to take the brush-hog to them before the tour. Mallow billows along the trail in a variety of shades and colors, the true harbingers of spring for that garden. Apples and peaches bloomed but missed a frost; we should seem small fruits soon. Hard as it is, they will be thinned to encourage a nice size for the remaining fruit! The newly planted ‘Rayborn’ apple was pruned to allow it to develop a scaffold at picking level. I want to thank all gardeners who have toiled in sun, wind, and rain with me for the past 6 or so years! Ef-forts of many over these past years have definitely impacted our gardens! The garden clubs that maintain gardens never let up and their gardens to showed wonderfully as many people strolled the grounds experi-encing the diversity of what gardening can mean in the low desert March 21st. This is not a commercial land-scape but a garden, conceived by gardeners and needing the gardening skills of many, consistently as any garden does to maintain vigor. All the many gardeners who have contributed over the years have reason to feel successful as we participated in the RGRP tour this year. Thank you one and all! No trail days are scheduled in April and Pam will be in the veggies April 7, her dedicated helpers will carry on through April while Pam is on vacation! Carol Smythe, Emily Bartle and Patricia Gaines will welcome newbie’s who want to come Tuesday afternoons about 3 pm and work until dusk.

Image courtesy Charles Stephens

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Earwigs spend the winter in the adult stage. The female produces an egg mass in late winter in a small cav-ity under a rock or other protected site. She then guards the eggs, and tends the young for several weeks until after they have molted and are ready to leave the nest. They become full-grown in about a month. Sometimes a second egg mass is laid in May-June. Earwigs like wet areas, so it’s best to fix any leaks, and allow areas to dry out between waterings. Collect and destroy them from under moist areas under boards, etc., if they become a nuisance.

Bug of the month — Earwigs by Sue Hakala

African Violets have always been my favorite houseplant and I have had great success with them…until I moved to Arizona. When I left North Carolina, I had my Master Gardener friends over to my house for lunch, and let them take home my houseplants because I thought they might not survive the cross country trip. After I was here a few months, I ordered some African Violets from my favorite source. They arrived, and looked great. After a few months they looked very sad! I thought it might be the lack of humidity, so I put them on trays that hold water with the plants on a grid above the water. They began to look a little better but not as good as I wanted them to look. At about the same time I read an article in the “African Violet” magazine written by a lady whose violets had always grown well but began to look poorly after she moved just one mile away. After consulting with fellow members of her local African Violet club their diagnosis zeroed in on water. The water that she was using had more minerals than the violets required and they recommended Reverse Osmosis (RO) water with the correct amount of the recommended fertilizer. Our house is equipped with RO, so I ordered some fertilizer specifically recommended for African Violets and filled my watering can with RO water. Within two weeks I saw a difference in the appearance of my favorite plants—they looked great. Now my Violets look great and are growing happily.

Houseplant of the month—African Violets by Pauline Marx

Earwigs are about one-inch long, and prefer tight, dark, moist spots to spend the day like under a board or flower pot. They feed on insects and insect eggs, and love aphids. They are also very fond of flower blossoms, corn silks, and tender vegetable seedlings. Despite their appearance, earwigs are essentially harmless to humans. They do not enter ears, contrary to supersti-tion. The pincers protruding off the hind end, are used during mating, defense and prey handling, but have little force and do not cause harm to humans. The males have the more broadly bowed pincers. Earwigs enjoy shelter-ing during the day in tunnels produced by codling moths in fruit or corn borers in vegetables.

“Earwig”, www.ent.iastate.edu/clinic/node/24 , March 29, 2009.

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7th Annual Parade of Ponds

April 25-26, 2009

Tickets can be purchased: By phone at 623-572-5607 Online at www.SchoolyardHabitatFoundation.org, or at the following

locations: Ewing Irrigation, various locations and hours Southwest Gardener, 2809 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix, 602-279-9510. Harper’s Nursery, 1830 E. McKellips Road, Mesa, 480-964-4909 Harper’s Nursery, 2529 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, 480-946-3481

Featuring Spectacular, stunning water gardens in Phoenix

Tour raises funds to build wildlife habitats at K-12 Valley Schools

Welcome to the BULLETIN BOARD — a place to find fun events

Growing Citrus in Your Desert Backyard, an April 2009 MG update by Deb Sparrow

WHO: James Truman is farm manager at the University of Arizona Citrus Agricultural Center in Waddell, Arizona. He is a third generation Arizona native and his family has been farming citrus in central Arizona since the mid 1930’s. James’ early career was in ranch, dairy and farm management in both Hawaii and Ari-zona. He studied Animal Husbandry at California Polytechnic State University.

James has a wealth of practical knowledge and experience in citrus and other aspects of agriculture. With his long family history in Arizona, he knows a lot about the old Arizona and local agricultural history. His in-terest in agriculture extends to an interest in old agricultural equipment and farm buildings. This personal and historic perspective is a rare and precious thing in our state. James’ has a lot of experience in communi-cating his expertise. Some of you already know this from his talks at the Citrus festivals on both sides of town and his presentations for some of the Master Gardener training classes.

We are especially lucky to have this speaker at this time. James breaks away from the difficult job of closing down this research farm to talk to us at the update and share his many years of experience in growing citrus with us. While it’s bad news to loose this research farm, there is good news. Once the research farm is closed down in June, we should see more of James Truman. James now has a desk at the Maricopa County Extension on Broadway Road. He is sharing an office with our County Agent Emeritus, Terry Mikel.

WHAT: James Truman will talk about the pitfalls and gratifications of growing citrus in the desert environ-ment. He will give special attention to our questions and to seasonal care and concerns to prepare us to an-swer the public’s questions on their citrus trees during the coming summer season. Please bring in samples for diagnosis and discussion.

WHEN: April 8, Wednesday morning, 9:00 am

WHERE: at the Extension Office, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix

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Experienced gardeners know that hardscape in the garden is as important to the design as the plantings. From now through May 31, 2009, for a small price, you have the opportunity to see the hardscape in a fa-mous Phoenix garden, the Desert Botanical Garden (DBG), temporarily transformed by the addition of fabu-lous art-glass, 5,380 pieces of glass to be exact. The DBG is always remarkable, but, trust me, you may never view the garden the same way after seeing the current exhibit, Chihuly: The Nature of Glass! Dale Chihuly’s pieces are cleverly placed in locations throughout the garden. For those of you who have been to the DBG many times, resist the urge to run from spot to spot on the map. Take your time (as I was reminded by one of my elders) to enjoy and study the interplay between the locations selected, the glass, the light and the desert plantings. For example, at one location, depending on the breeze, greenish crystal “rocks” bob or drift slightly on the water among cattails and, depending on the light, they look greenish-black or blue-green. Look up and look down. For instance, at another location, the tips of turquoise spikes sparkle among agave, but don’t miss the glass “eggs” on the ground around them. Finally, don’t rely too much on your map; there are views from other paths than the lo-cation marked. In one such case, what seems to be a view of luminescent blue spires in a water and stone-filled trough is also a view of a burnt-orange wall and rusted roof truss from which an orange and blue chandelier is suspended, glowing in the light. More than once I did not see exhibit pieces until I revisited a spot from another direction! During this exhibit, you must make reservations for time slots during the day (8am -noon, noon to 4pm, 4pm to 8pm). I went at 4pm and really enjoyed seeing the pieces as the sun was setting and then again as pieces were individually lit in the darkness. The disadvantage of this time period is that the But-terfly Café Grill and Coffee Cart close at 4pm and the gift shop at 5pm, but there are drink machines around the garden and if there is not a special event, the Ullman Terrace Patio Café is open 8am to 8pm. That said, my bet is that the changing light across any period of the day is fascinating. I recommend you allow yourself at least two hours to fully appreciate the “show”. It’s magical!! Please go to the www.dbg.org website or call 480-481-8188 between 8am - 4pm for information and tickets. Prices are from $5 to 15 depending on your age and membership status; children under 3 are free. I hope you enjoy Chihuly in the DBG as much as I did!

Designs with Glass Text and Images by Meg Paterson

Photo: Terry Rishel Dale Chihuly, Scorpion Tails and Bamboo, 2008 Desert Botanical Garden, Arizona

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There is pigeon poop on my car, messing up the windshield and eating away the paint; spent palm seed fronds strewn across the yard, blown by monsoon winds; mandatory trimming every six months at $125 a shot. This is what I had been dealing with since I moved in about eight years prior. “Well, that’s enough!” I thought. “They’ve gotta go!” Don’t get me wrong. I love trees—just not these ones.

How fortuitous that my brother was due to make his annual trek to sunny Arizona from the rainy woods of upstate New York. Now, there’s a man who knows his chain saws. While Jim kept the saw oiled and the chain tightened, I unleashed the tikis hidden within their woody encasements. Ahh! What a thing of beauty those grotesque faces were to me as the sweat rolled off my brow and sawdust covered me from head to toe. When completed, the first two were positioned as sentinels holding up the roof of my tiki hut. Others were nestled in my landscape among the golden lantanas and blue Texas sage. One had the honor of sup-porting the bright yellow, orange and green hammock, a souvenir brought back from a trip to Jamaica. Today, in the front yard is a neat little mound covered in a blanket of cheery African daisies, keeping a secret -- the remnants of what used to be an ongoing aggravation. What has grown out of that irritation is a back yard where water slides gently over smooth rocks, goldfish hide in the shade of lily pads, hummingbirds flit busily around the cape honeysuckle, and I lie contentedly in my hammock with my toes pointing to the guy who never lets me down—my tiki.

A Tiki Story by Nancy Huemoeller

Standing in the driveway, looking up at those three towering fan palms reaching for the sun, the decision was made. And just down the street I could see a troupe of landscape workers wrap-ping up another job. Down the street I went and in less time than it takes to tell, they were poised with ropes and chain saws ready to do the deed. Lickety-split one went up the trunk, cinched the ropes around the top, and then scampered back to the ground. With two men on the ends of the ropes like cow-boys trying to restrain a bronco, another took a mighty slice at the base. WHAM! In a cloud of dust the first tree lay sprawled across the street and my heart lunged into my throat. I didn’t know a tree could make that much noise. Trees number two and three came down with the same gusto. All that was left to do was to dispose of the arboreal carcasses…or was it? As the heaps of leaves disappeared into the trailer it occurred to me that those trunks could have a new life—as tikis. Right! I could do that! I have a little artistic talent, a lot of de-termination and a CHAIN SAW. Woo hoo! “So boys, cut those trunks into 8 foot sections and stack ’em in the back yard.” Easy for me to say, but it took 5 men to lug each one and construct the giant sized woodpile. Big Brother Jim. (He’s the one on the left.)

April 2009 Events Calendar Submit events to Karen Sankman

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service, and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours.

Wed 1 Wildflower Walk

Noon, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Winter rains may result in a banner year for viewing and photograph-ing wildflowers. Learn to identify wildflowers on a guided walk with staff or volunteers.

Wed 1 Composting in the Desert 6-7:30 pm, Downtown Phoenix Public Market Meeting Rm - 721 N Central Ave , $40 donation. Info/Register or Jennifer

Wed 1 Rainwater Harvesting-How Do I Get Started?

6-9 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, Mem $25/non $32. Instructor: Paul Holdeman, certified desert landscaper, Master Gardener, aquascape con-tractor and owner of the Pond Gnome. Info/Register or (480) 481-8146

Thu 2 NW Satellite Office Di-agnostic Clinic

10 am-noon, 13815 Camino del Sol, Sun City West (623) 546-1672, MaryAnn Garewal. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.

Thu 2 Arizona Herb Association General Meeting

7 pm, Maricopa County Co. Ex, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Carolyn Hills, AZ Herb Assoc.

Thu 2 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. Neva Coester or (480) 832-2613

Thu 2 Rose Society of Glendale 7 pm, Glendale Adult Center, Rm. 104, 5970 W Brown St., Glendale Rose Society of Glendale, Gerry Mahoney or (602) 616-3137

Fri 3 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broad-way, Phoenix. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.

Fri 3

Desert Designers Monthly Meeting

10 am-noon, Pyle Adult Center, 655 E. Southern, Tempe. Marylou Coffman, Desert Designers

Sat 4 Rose Society of Glendale Rose Show

6-10 am entries accepted, 10 am-12:30 pm judging, 1-4 pm open to the public, Sahuaro Ranch Park, 9802 N. 59th Ave, Glendale. Judy Hudgeons or Bill Sheperd

Sat 4 Arizona Herb Associa-tion Weed and Feed

8:30 am, Maricopa County Co. Ex, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoe-nix. Everyone is welcome! Fun, hands-on experience. Carolyn Hills, AZ Herb Assoc

Sat 4 Landscape Design and Installation

9 am-1 pm, South Tempe Police Substation, 8201 S. Hardy Drive, Tempe. Instructor: Ron Dinchak. Info, Register at Richard Bond or (480) 350-2627

Sat 4 Master Gardener Q&A Session

10 am-2 pm, Northwest Regional Library located in the Surprise Recreation Complex, 16089 N. Bullard Ave, Surprise, AZ. An-neThomson. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.

Sat 4 Composting 101 10:30 am, Southwest Gardener, 2809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. $20, Info Instructor: Master Gardener Pam Perry, Register at (602)279-9510

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service, and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours.

Sat 4 Wildflower Walk

Noon, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Winter rains may result in a banner year for viewing and photograph-ing wildflowers. Learn to identify wildflowers on a guided walk with staff or volunteers.

Sat 4 Bonsai of Scottsdale 1:30 pm, Granite Reef Senior Center, Rm 7, 1700 N. Granite Reef Rd, Scottsdale. Pat Mitchell or (480) 575-5649

Sun 5 Vermicomposting 9-10:30 am, Dolce Verde Homestead, 2017 N. Laurel Ave, Phoenix. $10 donation. Learn about composting with worms. Info, RSVP to Jennifer

Sun 5 Basics of Preserving Food 10:30 am-noon, Dolce Verde Homestead, 2017 N. Laurel Ave, Phoenix. $10 donation. Learn about composting with worms. Info, RSVP to Jenni-fer

Sun 5 Phoenix Home and Gar-den Tour

10 am- 4pm, Self-guided tour of Valley private gardens, $35/person with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Desert Botanical Garden. Reserve by phone: (480) 664-3960, ext 132, Info

Sun 5 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 led by AZ State Park volunteer, David Oberpriller. Info

Sun 5, 19, and 26 Native Plants

1-4 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, Mem $75/non $95. Learn to use native plants in your landscaping. Three part series. Instructor: Kirti Mathura. Info/Register or (480) 481-8146

Mon 6 Desert Pointe Garden Club Meeting

9-11:30, Pecos Community Center, 17010 So. 48th St. Ahwatukee. Topic: Dr. Leo Martin will give a presentation on how to enhance your yard and garden with cacti and succulents. Faye Strong (602) 790-5203

Mon 6 Ask a Master Gardener 10 am-noon, Sun City Library, Bell Branch, 16828 N. 99th Ave, Sun City. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice. Cherie Czaplicki or Antje Schneider

Mon 6 Scottsdale Garden Club Monthly Meeting

11:30 am, McCormick Ranch Golf Club, 7500 E. McCormick Pkwy, Scotts-dale. RSVP for luncheon to Karen Kelley or (602) 942-4848, Scottsdale Garden Club

Mon 6 Valley of the Sun Garden-ers Meeting

6:30 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Orvalita Hop-kins

Mon 6 Orchid Society of AZ Monthly Meeting

6:45-8:45 pm, Encanto Park Club House, 2605 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Julie Rathbun or (602) 843-0223. Orchid Society of Arizona

Tue 7 Tuesday in the Garden 3 pm-dusk, Maricopa County Coop Ex, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoe-nix. Bring gloves and tools that you like to help with mainte-nance in the vegetable garden. Pam Perry or (602) 279-6250

Tue 7 Down to Earth Toast-masters

6-7:15 pm, Maricopa County Coop Ex, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoe-nix. Contact: Olivette Aviso, or (480) 235-5989. Down to Earth Toastmasters

Tue 7 Drip Irrigation System Installation

6:00-8:45 pm, Chandler Senior Center, 202 E. Boston St., Chandler. In-structor: Jeff Lee. Free for Chandler utility customers. Register at (480) 782-3580, Info. Three MG volunteers needed. Contact Cathy Ry-mer or (480) 782-3589 if you can volunteer.

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service, and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours.

Tue 7 Desert Vegetable Garden-ing for Beginners

6-9 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, Mem $32/non $40. Instructor: Mary Irish, Info/Register or (480) 481-8146.

Tue 7 Master Gardener Training Class

6:30-9:30 pm, Canyon Ridge Elementary School, 17359 W. Sur-prise Farms Loop North in Surprise, AZ. Topic: Water Quality with Summer Waters/U of A agent-Water Resources/Maricopa County

Tue 7 Rainwater Harvesting

7-8:30 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix, $15 cash/check at the door, but reserve at: RSVP. Partial pro-ceeds benefit Master Gardener Program and Phoenix Permaculture Guild. Speaker: Brad Lancaster, Harvesting Rainwater

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

Tue 7 Phoenix Bonsai Society Meeting

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

Wed 8 Master Gardener Up-date

9 am-noon, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Topic: Citrus with James Truman. Bring samples for diagnosis of citrus problems. Deb Sparrow

Wed 8 Wildflower Walk

Noon, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Winter rains may result in a banner year for viewing and photograph-ing wildflowers. Learn to identify wildflowers on a guided walk with staff or volunteers.

Wed 8, 15, 22, and 29

Designing a Vegetable Garden

6-7:30 pm, Downtown Phoenix Public Market Meeting Rm - 721 N Central Ave , $40 donation. Four part series. Info/Register or Jennifer

Wed 8 Introduction to Compost-ing

6-8:30 pm, Sonoran Room, Avondale City Hall Bldg, 11465 W. Civic Cen-ter Drive, Avondale. Free, Register: Esmie Avila or (623) 333-4422

Wed 8 Scottsdale Rose Society Monthly Meeting

7:30 pm, Eldorado Community Center, 2311 N. Miller Road, Scottsdale (480) 926-3064

Thu 9 NE Valley Satellite Di-agnostic Clinic

10 am-noon, Via Linda Senior Center, 10440 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale (480) 312-5810, Linda Thiedke. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.

Thu 9 Landscaping in the Ari-zona Desert

11:30-12:30 pm, Peoria Development/Community Services Bldg, Point of View Room, 9875 N. 85th Ave, Peoria, AZ. Instructor: Leeann Spahos, Free, Online Registration or (623) 773-7286, Info

Thu 9 Tolleson Gourd Patch Monthly Meeting

2:00-4:30 pm, Tolleson Senior Center, 9555 W. VanBuren, Tolleson, AZ. Contact Lana Hinde or (602) 843-9015 , Tolleson Gourd Patch

Thu 9 Spirit of the Desert Gourd Patch Meeting

4:30-6:30 pm, Sewing Room at the Sun Lakes Oakwood Arts & Crafts Center at the intersection of Riggs Rd and EJ Robson Blvd, Sun Lakes. Sally Kiste (480) 895-7638 or Barbara Crossland (480) 802-6891, Spirit of the Desert

Thu 9 Mesa East Valley Rose Society Monthly Meeting

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

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service, and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours.

Thu 9

AZ Rare Fruit Growers Monthly Meeting

7:30 pm, Palo Verde Room at Maricopa County Co. Ex, 4341 E. Broad-way, Phoenix. Topic: Bud and cleft grafting, air layering, scion exchange. AZ Rare Fruit, Patrick Hallman (602) 348-5576

Fri 10 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broad-way, Phoenix. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.

Fri 10 Washington Garden Club 9:30 am, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Orvalita Hop-kins

Sat 11 and 18

Landscape Design Fea-tures: Two-Part Guided Tour

8-11 am, Desert Botanical Garden, Mem $60/non $75. Apr. 11: Walking tour at the Garden, Apr. 18: Residential and commercial designs around the Valley, transportation provided from the Garden. Info/Register or (480) 481-8146

Sat 11 Volunteer: Tovrea Cas-tle Cactus Garden Tour

8 am-1 pm, Carraro Cactus Garden at Tovrea Castle, 5041 E. Van Buren, Phoenix. If you would like to assist with this Sat. morn-ing public garden tour contact Tammy Parker at (602) 262-5071 or Jason at (602) 568-5562

Sat 11 Pruning Trees and Shrubs 8:30-10 am, Downtown Phoenix Public Market Meeting Rm - 721 N Cen-tral Ave , $10 donation. John Eisenhower teaches the art and science of good pruning. Info/Register or Jennifer

Sat 11 Phoenix Pond Society 9 am, Member home. Contact for address: SusanSithwick (480) 654-2107. Phoenix Pond Society

Sat 11 Wallace Desert Garden Tour

9 am-2:30 pm, Wallace Desert Garden in north Scottsdale, Mem $50 or $70 with Garden transportation, Non-mem $65 or $85 with transporta-tion. A private collection of desert plants from around the world. In-cludes snacks, bottled water, and picnic lunch. Info/Register or (480) 481-8146.

Sat 11 Sprinkler Timer Basics

9-11 am, Surprise Community and Senior Center, 15832 N. Hollyhock St, Surprise. Speaker: London Lacy, Water Conservation Analyst, Master Gardener. Hands-on class will teach you to set your irrigation timer. RSVP London Lacy or (623) 222-7023. Free. Sign up to volunteer at Ambassador, Contact Kristen or (602) 827-8200 x311 if you’ve forgotten the login information.

Sat 11 Plants for our Desert Cli-mate

9 am-1 pm, South Tempe Police Substation, 8201 S. Hardy Drive, Tempe. Instructor: Ron Dinchak. Info, Register at Richard Bond or (480) 350-2627

Sat 11 Raised Beds, Container Gardening, Composting

10-11 am, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix, Reservations at (602) 437-0700, ext. 120 or #2

Sat 11 Tomatoes, Herbs and Companion Plants

11 am-noon, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix, Reserva-tions at (602) 437-0700, ext. 120 or #2

Sat 11 Roses and Blooming Plants Care/Fertilization

12-1 pm, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix, Reservations at (602) 437-0700, ext. 120 or #2

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service, and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours.

Sun 12 Wildflower Walk

Noon, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Winter rains may result in a banner year for viewing and photographing wildflowers. Learn to identify wildflowers on a guided walk with staff or volunteers.

Tue 14 Desert Sun African Violet Society Meeting

10 am, for location contact: Ann Stoetzer or (623) 872-9020. Desert Sun African Violet Society

Tue 14 Yard Watering

6:00-8:45 pm, Chandler Senior Center, 202 E. Boston St., Chandler. In-structor: Jeff Lee. Free for Chandler utility customers. Register at (480) 782-3580, Info. Three MG volunteers needed. Contact Cathy Rymer or (480) 782-3589 if you can volunteer.

Tue 14 Master Gardener Training Class

6:30-9:30 pm, Canyon Ridge Elementary School, 17359 W. Sur-prise Farms Loop North in Surprise, AZ. Topic: Entomology 102 with Carl Olson, U of A Assoc. Curator

Tue 14 Sonoran Desert Iris Soci-ety Monthly Meeting

7 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Contact: Darol Jurn or (623) 932-3412

Tue 14 West Valley Rose Society Meeting

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

Tue 14 Arizona Native Plant Soci-ety Meeting

7-9 pm, Webster Auditorium at Desert Botanical Garden. Arizona Native Plant Society , Doug Green or (480) 998-5638

Wed 15 AZ Gourd Society Monthly Meeting

7-9 pm, Maricopa County Co. Ex, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Contact Cheri Williams or (623) 322-5660, AZ Gourd Society

Wed 15 Phoenix Chrysanthemum Society Monthly Meeting

7:30 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Contact: Wayne Wight or (602) 943-7418

Thu 16 NW Valley Gourd Patch Monthly Meeting

3:30-5:30 pm, Nadaburg School in Wittman, AZ. Contact Judy Moody or (623) 544-6866, NW Valley Gourd Patch

Thu 16 Cholla Flower Bud Har-vest

5:30-8:30 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, Mem $80/non $100. Ethno-botanist Martha Ames Burgess will show you how to harvest cholla buds, remove the spines and cook them. Info/Register or (480) 481-8146

Thu 16 Desert Valley Orchid So-ciety Meeting

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

Thu 16 Valley of the Sun Plumeria Society Meeting

6:30 pm, Check website or contact Michele for home location. Valley of the Sun Plumeria Society, Michele or (480) 544-2388

Thu 16 Right Plant in the Right Place

6:30-8:30 pm, Surprise Community and Senior Center, 15832 N. Hollyhock St, Surprise. Speaker: Jim Oravetz, Garden and Landscape Consultant. Learn the right way to landscape your yard. RSVP London Lacy or (623) 222-7023. Free. Sign up to volunteer at Ambassador, Contact Kris-ten or (602) 827-8200 x311 if you’ve forgotten the login informa-tion.

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service, and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours.

Fri 17 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broad-way, Phoenix. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.

Sat 18 Mesa East Valley Rose Society Pruning -Deadheaders

8 am meeting/ refreshments, pruning from 9-noon, Mesa Com-munity College Rose Garden, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. Bring gloves and pruners/shears. Carol Poe or (480) 895-7793, Mesa East Valley Rose Society

Sat 18 What to do in Your Gar-den in May

8:30-10 am,Downtown Phoenix Public Market Meeting Rm - 721 N Cen-tral Ave , $10 donation. Info/Register or Jennifer

Sat 18 Desert Garden Insti-tute: Container Gar-dening

9 am-noon, Maricopa County Cooperative, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. $25 or $100 for five classes that are offered through-out the year. Instructor: Cherie Czaplicki. Info/Register

Sat 18 Design Charrette 9 am-noon, Charrette at a Scottsdale home. Reserve at Carol Parrott or (602) 438-4003.

Sat 18 Drip Irrigation Design, Install, Maintenance

9 am-1 pm, South Tempe Police Substation, 8201 S. Hardy Drive, Tempe. Richard Bond talks about drip irrigation. Info, Register at Richard Bond or (480) 350-2627

Sat 18 Desert Sun African Violet Society Meeting

10 am, for location contact: Ann Stoetzer or (623) 872-9020. Desert Sun African Violet Society

Sat 18 Ask a Master Gardener 10:30-1:30 pm, Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice. Tish Carpenter

Sat 18 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 led by AZ State Park volunteer, David Oberpriller. Info

Sat 18 Bonsai of Scottsdale 1:30 pm, Granite Reef Senior Center, Rm 7, 1700 N. Granite Reef Rd, Scottsdale. Pat Mitchell or (480) 575-5649

Sun 19 Scottsdale Rose Society Garden Tour

10 am- 3 pm, Scottsdale Public Rose Garden on the grounds of Scottsdale Artists’ School at the southwest corner of Second Street and Marshall Way, Scottsdale. $20/person for a 6 garden tour, includes continental breakfast at first garden, and lunch at the last. Tickets: Jeannine Byrnes (480) 948-6772

Sun 19 Trees of the Arboretum Sunday Walk

1:30-3:30 pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Su-perior, AZ. Learn about the trees at Boyce Thompson.

Mon 20 and 27

Caring for Your Desert Garden

6-9 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, Mem $60/non $75. Learn to select plants and install them, water, fertilize, prune, etc. Two part series. Instructor: Kirti Mathura. Info/Register or (480) 481-8146

Tue 21 West Valley Gourd Patch Monthly Meeting

1:30 pm, Glendale Library at 59th Ave. and Brown. Contact Joanne Griner or (623) 937-3268, West Valley Gourd Patch

Tue 21 Down to Earth Toast-masters

6-7:15 pm, Maricopa County Coop Ex, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoe-nix. Contact: Olivette Aviso, or (480) 235-5989. Down to Earth Toastmasters

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service, and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours.

Tue 21 Irrigation System Mainte-nance

6:00-8:45 pm, Chandler Senior Center, 202 E. Boston St., Chandler. In-structor: Jeff Lee. Free for Chandler utility customers. Register at (480) 782-3580, Info. Three MG volunteers needed. Contact Cathy Ry-mer or (480) 782-3589 if you can volunteer.

Tue 21 Master Gardener Training Class

6:30-9:30 pm, Canyon Ridge Elementary School, 17359 W. Sur-prise Farms Loop North in Surprise, AZ. Topic: Pruning with Steve Preibe, City of Phoenix Horticulturist

Tue 21 Phoenix Rose Society Meeting

7:30 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Phoenix Rose Society, Jeannie Cochell or (602) 493-0238

Tue 21 Phoenix Bonsai Society Meeting

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

Wed 22 Pruning Shrubs 6-9 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, Mem $30/non $38. Instructor: John Eisenhower, certified arborist. Info/Register or (480) 481-8146

Thu 23 New River Gourd Patch Meeting

9-11:30 am, New River Senior Center, 48606 N. 17th Avenue, New River, AZ 85087. Camille Massey or (602) 708-0416

Fri 24 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broad-way, Phoenix. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.

Sat 25 Volunteer: Tovrea Cas-tle Cactus Garden Tour

8 am-1 pm, Carraro Cactus Garden at Tovrea Castle, 5041 E. Van Buren, Phoenix. If you would like to assist with this Sat. morn-ing public garden tour contact Tammy Parker at (602) 262-5071 or Jason at (602) 568-5562

Sat 25 Desert Garden Insti-tute: Bugs

9 am-noon, Maricopa County Cooperative, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. $25 or $100 for five classes that are offered through-out the year. Instructor: Cathy Rymer. Info/Register

Sat 25, Sun 26 Parade of Ponds 9 am- 4 pm, self-guided, weekend-long tour of 40 water gardens in Mari-

copa County. Tickets $15 (free for children 12 and under). Info/Tickets

Sat 25 Raised Beds, Container Gardening, Composting

10-11 am, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix, Reservations at (602) 437-0700, ext. 120 or #2

Sat 25 Vericomposting 10:30 am-noon, Downtown Phoenix Public Market Meeting Rm - 721 N Central Ave , $10 donation. Learn about composting with worms. Info/Register or Jennifer

Sat 25 Tomatoes, Herbs and Companion Plants

11 am-noon, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix, Reserva-tions at (602) 437-0700, ext. 120 or #2

Sat 25 Roses and Blooming Plants Care/Fertilization

12-1 pm, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix, Reservations at (602) 437-0700, ext. 120 or #2

Sat 25 Xeriscape: Desert Fusion Garden Lecture/Walking Tour

11:30 am-1:30 pm, City Hall Pine Room/Desert Fusion Garden, 8401 W. Monroe St., Peoria, AZ. Instructor: Kirti Mathura, Free, Online Regis-tration or (623) 773-7286, Info

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service, and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours.

Sun 26 Mesa East Valley Rose Garden Tour

10 am- 5 pm, Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. Tour 8 gardens, with the first stop at Mesa Comm. College, $10/person. Tickets call: Cheryl (480) 399-8002 or Phyllis (480) 529-8172

Sun 26 Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society Meeting

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

Tue 28 Convert Your Grass to Low Water Use Landscape

6:30-8:45 pm, Chandler Senior Center, 202 E. Boston St., Chandler. Free for Chandler utility customers. Register at (480) 782-3580, Info. Two MG volunteers needed. Contact Cathy Rymer or (480) 782-3589 if you can volunteer.

Tue 28 Master Gardener Training Class

6:30-9:30 pm, Canyon Ridge Elementary School, 17359 W. Sur-prise Farms Loop North in Surprise, AZ. Topic: Plant Propagation with Kelly Young, U of A Specialist-Crops/Maricopa County

Thu 30 Programming Your Irriga-tion Timer

6-8:30 pm, Mojave Room, Avondale City Hall Bldg, 11465 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale. Free, Register: Esmie Avila or (623) 333-4422

Fri 1, Sat 2, Sun 3

Maricopa Home and Gar-den Show

10 am-7 pm on Fri/Sat, 10 am- 5pm on Sun, Arizona State Fair Grounds, Admission $9, Maricopa County Home Show

Fri 1 Contain Your Herbs 6-9 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, Mem $30/non $38. Instructor: Kirti Mathura, Grow herbs in containers. Info/Register or (480) 481-8146.

Sat 2 Volunteer: Tovrea Cas-tle Cactus Garden Tour

8 am-1 pm, Carraro Cactus Garden at Tovrea Castle, 5041 E. Van Buren, Phoenix. If you would like to assist with this Sat. morn-ing public garden tour contact Tammy Parker at (602) 262-5071 or Jason at (602) 568-5562

Fri 15 Desert Horticulture Conference

7 am-3:20 pm, Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave, Tucson. $45 if payment received before May 1/$70 after May 1. Satisfies the continued education credits for the Master Gar-dener program. Info/Register, Kathryn Hahne

May 2009