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September 27, 2006
2006 Flagstaff Xeriscape Contest Winners
Special thanks go to the City of Flagstaff, Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed and Warner’s Nursery for supplying plaques and prizes for the Flagstaff Xeriscape Contest. For more information about the Flagstaff Xeriscape Council, contact Hattie Braun hbraun@ag.arizona.edu
John Stinson - first place winner - residential self installation
This home features the best use of native grasses the judges have yet to see in Flagstaff. Grassy areas filled with Arizona fescue, blue grama grass and spike muhly give the yard the look and feel of a lush mountain meadow. Boulder nestled in the grass provide a natural look while granite pathways lined with rocks separate various planting beds to give the yard cohesion. Rocky Mt. maple and aspen add height and structure to the garden.
More pictures from John Stinson's garden
Skye Sieber – honorable mention - residential self installation
Skye created an inviting garden using a wonderful collection of low-water perennials. This garden also has many interesting ground covers growing between flagstone.a
An array of native and non-native plants such as purple coneflower and hummingbird mint makes the front entrance interesting and colorful.
Anne Vonesh – honorable mention - residential self installation
This property features a blue grama grass lawn that looks as good if not better than a traditional Kentucky blue grass lawn. Beyond the grama lawn lies a very low water use zone where native grasses mingle with wildflowers eventually seamlessly merging with the undisturbed forest behind the home. This yard also features excellent stone walls, paths and planters all done by the homeowners.
Stephanie Galloway – honorable mention - residential self installation
Stephanie created a wonderful hedge of native shrubs and other low water plants to screen her home from the street.
Plantings areas in the back are a great example of a non-lawn with high interest and a place for children.
Melanie and Dave Lembke - first place winner - residential professional installation
Pieter Schaafsma – landscape design and installation
Once a water thirsty Kentucky blue grass lawn, the front of this property has been transformed into a low-water landscape through excellent stone work and the creation of a large area full of native grass and perennials. French drains move roof water to trees and shrubs that require extra water. A separate stone planter is filled with flowers to add bright color to the property.
Jan and Tom Moffit – honorable mention - residential professional installation
Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed – installation
Though a work still in progress, this adobe-style home features an inviting front garden planted with many native plants that are brightened with colored tiles and hardscape. This is a property that the judges would love to visit again next year.
Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed – first place winner - commercial property
Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed – landscape design and installation
As may be expected, the recently redone entrance to this business features many wonderful native plants grouped to mimic local plant habitats. The alpine corner has snowberry, native Virginia creeper, and common juniper while the ponderosa section features skunkbush, current and oak. The pinyon-juniper corner contains mountain mahogany, Hooker evening primrose and penstemon. Creative boulder work ties everything together while adding interest and helping to retain moisture.
Nordstrom Properties, Shephard Westnitzer – honorable mention - commercial installation
Joan Abbott and Foxglove Gardening – landscape design and installation
These rock garden walls on Dale St. are filled with many low- to moderate-water perennials that provide cheerful color for much of the season. These gardens are expertly maintained so that the plantings always look their best.
Other excellent Xeric gardens
Ray Jordan - residential self installation
Native clematis adorns the stonework in front of Ray Jordan’s home. Potentilla, hardy yucca, junipers and showy goldeneye add color and texture and a solution to this difficult to landscape hillside.
Joan Abbott/Foxglove Gardening - commercial installation along Milton
This small perennial bed highlights the entrance to a gas station along Milton. A collection of long-blooming flowers including daisy, gaillardia, potentilla, scabiosa, snow-in-summer and hollyhock brightens what may otherwise by a bare patch of ground. Xeriscaping is beautiful!
Posted by hbraun at 12:18 PM
September 26, 2006
Arboretum at Flagstaff Fall 2006 Classes: Native Harvest
The Arboretum's fall series of classes for adults will focus on ethnobotany. Local experts Phyllis Hogan, Jonah Hill, Theodora Homewytewa, and Maybelle Little will share information about collecting and using native plants for medicine, food, artwork, crafts, and ceremonial purposes. Each two-hour program is limited to twelve participants to encourage a discussion rather than a lecture format. Instructors will have collected examples of materials in advance for each program and will share with class members techniques for collecting and preparing plants.
Classes will meet in the living room of the Walter Reichardt House from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, with a short break. The fee is $15 for Arboretum members and $20 for non-members. For more information or to enroll, call Rachel at (928) 774-1442, ext. 110, or e-mail Rachel.Edelstein@nau.edu.
"Medicinal Uses of Native Plants", with Phyllis Hogan
Saturday, October 7, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Join Phyllis Hogan, proprietor of Winter Sun Trading Company, for a presentation and demonstration covering a wide variety of local plants that have been used by many cultures for their curative purposes. Class members will have the opportunity to sample a variety of herbal preparations.
"The Cottonwood Tree: Traditional Hopi Uses", with Jonah Hill
Sunday, October 8, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Hopi Katsina doll carver Jonah Hill will share his knowledge of the significance of the Cottonwood tree in his cultural heritage. He will explain a wide variety of uses of tree parts and demonstrate his technique for Katsina doll carving. Learn about traditional materials such as feathers and nature pigments used to decorate dolls. Find out how materials are collected and prepared.
"The art that I practice teaches the youth about who they are as Hopi. Each and every Katsina doll that is carved represents a part of the world and everything in it....I also create utilitarian art such as digging and planting sticks."
"Hopi Medicinal Plants", with Theodora Homewytewa
Saturday, October 14, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Theodora Homewytewa will share a wealth of knowledge about the native plants used in the Hopi culture for curative purposes. She will discuss her gathering practices, proper preparation methods, diagnosis and treatment of ailments, and application of healing herbs.
"Navajo Medicinal Plants", with Maybelle Little
Sunday, October 15, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Navajo elder and educator Maybelle Little has gathered a great deal of cultural knowledge about the traditional uses of plants for medicianl purposes. Learn which plants treat stings, head colds, rashes, etc. She will not only share practical applications for native plants, but she will also cover cultural beliefs associated with a wide variety of plants found on the Colorado Plateau.
Posted by maxmaddy at 2:07 PM
Olivia White Hospice Home Workday 10/5
Last week we had some of our regular crew (David Hockman, Leslie Pennick, Marcia Lamkin and Elsie Ellis), a couple members of the Coconino College Honor Society (Marjorie Worley and Huong Nguyen) and Amanda Welles. David planted another shrub (Wood's Rose) and made some repairs on the brick path to the Rose Garden. Marcia planted some donated plants from the Arboretum, and helped me get the standing raised bed up on bricks for water protection. Marjorie and Huong did some needed weeding. Elsie watered and cleaned and refilled birdbaths/feeders. Amanda continued to cut herbs for drying.
CCC/NAU Construction Management came out this week and moved the greenhouse into place.
The Hospice garden lost a dear friend last week - Andrea Josephs - but her flowers continue to add color to our fall gardens..
Still blooming:
The Rose Garden continues to look beautiful and many aster provide fall color in the garden.
Thank You:
CCC/NAU Construction Management
Our regular workcrew
Coconino Community College Honor Society
Amanda Welles
Plans for 10/5/06:
Replant the Gamble Oaks moved to put in a greenhouse
Level and fill the sitting raised bed and plant a few bulbs
Work on the Faerie Garden hardscape
Reorganize the shed
Weeding and watering
Upcoming:
Make a Difference Day - Saturday, October 28, 8am-12pm
Plans include planting fall bulbs, weeding and general cleaning
"A garden is never so good as it will be next year."
Thomas Cooper Horticultural Magazine ((January 1993)
Please come join us in the garden on Thurday 10/5 from 8am-12pm. We will be in the garden weekly from now until the end of October, weather permitting. Bring a hat, sunscreen and any tool you like to use. Park on Turquoise just past Switzer Canyon Dr. or in the lot at the First Congregational Church. Water and snacks are provided.
Thanks,
Loni Shapiro
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:41 AM
September 25, 2006
Introduction to Horticultural Therapy
The Horticultural Therapy Institute from Denver, Co., will be presenting a 4-day course in Prescott, Arizona from October 12-15, 2006. The title is the Introduction to Horticultural Therapy
Course description:
This course introduces the profession and practice of horticultural therapy, and will give you an overview of the field of horticultural therapy. Learn about the rehabilative practice that uses the cultilvation of plants and plant-related programs to improve human well-being. The course describes the types of programs utilizing horticultural therapy as well as the cognitive, social, emotional and physical goals for the varied people served. It also exposes students to resources for further exploration and to professionals in the field.
For more information:
On the web at www.htinstitute.org
Or contact Christine Kramer at 303-388-0500, ckramer@htinstitute.org
Posted by maxmaddy at 3:40 PM
Arizona Highlands Garden Conference 2006
If you haven't attended a Highland Garden Conference as yet, now is the time to start planning for this years conference in Navajo County. The dates are Friday and Saturday, October 13th and 14th at the Hon-Dah Resort in Pinetop, AZ.
It will be the 7th Annual Conference and is the first to happen in Navajo County. The theme for the conferece is "Out on a Limb: Gardening Challenges in the High Desert and Forest." The keynote address will be presented by Michael Melendrez, who is the owner and well known speaker from Soil Secrets, Trees That Please, Arboretum Tome in New Mexico. The Keynote will be - Planting trees and Shrubs Suitable to the Climate and Soils you Have. David Salman the president of Santa Fe Greenhouses will also speak on High Country Xeriscape Gardening. In addition, there will be many other experts from a variety of disciplines that will provide you with many ideas on how to successfully garden in the high desert and forest.
The best part of the conference is that costs are minimal, because it is sponsored by Arizona Highlands Master Gardeners from Navajo, Coconino, Gila and Yavapai Counties. Advanced registration (by Sept. 13) is $40 for one day $80 for 2 days. After Sept. 13 the cost is $45 for one day and $90 for 2 days. For detailed information on the conference and lodging please check out the conference brochure at: cals.arizona.edu/navajo/2006_highlands_conference.pdf or call 928-532-6139 in Navajo County.
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:14 AM
September 23, 2006
Species Tulip
Master Gardener Column 9/23/06
Every couple of years, I’ll come across a new group of plants that gets me excited about gardening all over again. Several years ago that group was the species tulips. Species tulips are hardy, drought and cold tolerant, easy to naturalize, and feature showy and unusual flowers. Native to mountainous regions of Central Asia and requiring a cold winter season to grow successfully, species tulips are the perfect addition to our collection of adapted plants for the high country.
Species tulips are by no means new to gardeners; they have been grown for over 400 years. Often overlooked because of their modern hybrid offspring, species tulips are reliable perennials, coming back year after year, and they spread by seed or by underground stolons. Most are smaller than hybridized tulips, have two-toned flowers, come in a wide variety of colors, and can have multiple blooms. The following are great choices for Northern Arizona.
Tulipa tarda from central Asia is one of my favorites because of its star-shaped white-tipped yellow flowers that bloom for almost a month. Like most species tulips, it is small, usually no more than 5 inches high. This plant is easy to grow and will spread by stolons.
First introduced into cultivation in 1884 from Central Asia, T. linifolia or narrow-leaf tulip has brilliant red blooms with jet-black centers. Narrow blue-green leaves have crinkly edges. This species is a good choice for rock gardens.
T. batalinii from Asia Minor is one of the best dwarf tulip species. It bears fragrant cup-shaped flowers in various colors on 4-to 6 inch stems in early spring. This is a great species to plant in rock gardens. There are many named varieties including 'Apricot Jewel' (apricot-orange with a golden interior), 'Red Gem' (vermillion red), and ‘Bright Gem’ (orange-yellow).
T. humilis is a tiny plant growing less than 4 inches tall. It is best known for the variety ‘Persian Pearl’ that bears showy magenta flowers. Native to Asia Minor, it is sometimes called the crocus tulip due to its small stature, pointed flower petals, and early bloom time, just like a crocus. It's another good variety for rock gardens.
A common wildflower of Crete, Tulipa bakeri has yellow and mauve blooms. The popular ‘Lilac Wonder’ is showier than the wild form and bears open rose-lilac petals with a contrasting yellow center and anthers. This tulip has 6-8 inch stems and slender blue-green leaves.
Tulipa kaufmanniana is a great choice for many Flagstaff gardeners as its ground-hugging nature and sturdy foliage gives it much needed wind resistance. Many catalogs describe this tulip as “waterlily-like” due to its relaxed petals. It comes in a multitude of striking colors and will dependably re-appear year after year. You can find the variety ‘Heart’s Delight’ locally.
Originally from the ‘stans, that is Turkestan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, T. greigii is one of the largest-flowering tulips and comes in pink, yellow, orange, red, buff, cream, and apricot. ‘Red Riding Hood’ (crimson red with striped foliage), ‘Chopin’ (lemon-yellow with tints of crimson), and ‘Pinocchio’ (red and white stripes) are a few of the varieties that are readily available in local nurseries. Greig tulips are hardy, easy to naturalize, drought tolerant, and great for rock gardens and the front of the border.
Now is the time to buy and plant species tulips. Species tulips require full sun and well-drained soil. As many species tulips originated in areas with wet winters and dry summers climates they do best where they receive infrequent summer water. All the species tulips listed above are hardy to at least USDA hardiness zone 5.
Local nurseries carry several species tulips but the greatest selection is through mail-order bulb specialists. Some of my favorite companies are: McClure & Zimmerman -phone: (414) 326-4220 or website: www.mzbulb.com/; Van Engelen - (860) 567-8734 or www.vanengelen.com/; and Brent and Becky’s Bulbs - (877) 661-2852 or www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/.
By Hattie Braun
The author is the Master Gardener Program Coordinator for Coconino Cooperative Extension. If you have a gardening question, call the Master Gardener hotline at (928)774-1868 ext. 19. To learn about local gardening events, visit the Master Gardener blog at highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 3:49 AM
September 20, 2006
Dying Forests, Living Fires: Four Writers on the West's Changing Forests
7PM, Monday, October 2, 2006
Cline Library Auditorium
Fire, drought, bark beetles, human population growth, a global economy¾western forests are changing, and so are the people who live in and near them. On Monday, October 2, Northern Arizona University and the Orion Society will host four prominent writers who will read recent work focused on western forests.
"Dying Forests, Living Fires” features:
William deBuys, professor of documentary studies at the College of Santa Fe. deBuys has worked actively in land management in New Mexico and has authored several books, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist River of Traps (University of New Mexico Press, 1990).
Alison Deming, professor of creative writing at the University of Arizona and the author of a number of books of poetry and prose, including Genius Loci (Penguin, 2005).
Peter Friederici, assistant professor of journalism at NAU, editor of KNAU's Earth Notes program, and author of numerous articles and books, including Nature's Restoration: People and Places on the Front Lines of Conservation (Island Press, 2006).
Gary Paul Nabhan, director of NAU's Center for Sustainable Environments and author of numerous books, including most recently Why Some Like It Hot: Food, Genes, and Cultural Diversity (Island Press, 2004).
The authors will be introduced by H. Emerson Blake, executive director of the Orion Society, which publishes the popular journal Orion and engages in other publishing efforts aimed at exploring connections between people and nature.
“For 25 years, Orion magazine has given voice to writers exploring connections between people and nature,” said Gary Paul Nabhan, a member of the Orion Society’s advisory board. “In Flagstaff, it seems appropriate to have the Orion Society host a reading focusing on the forest issues that are of such great interest here.”
The reading, free and open to the public, will be held beginning at 7 PM in NAU’s Cline Library Auditorium. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the reading.
The reading will be preceded by a panel discussion examining connections between writing and science. “Writing Science in a Skeptical Age” will be moderated by H. Emerson Blake and will feature Alison Deming, Peter Friederici, and Gary Nabhan. The panelists will discuss the responsibility of writers in bringing science to the public.
“These days science is more a part of our lives than ever,” said Peter Friederici, Southwest correspondent for Orion. “Yet it is also under fire. Whether the topic is climate change, stem cell research, or evolution, scientific research and results are increasingly subjected to political and social pressure. Clearly, journalists and other writers have a vital responsibility in ensuring that members of the public have the information they need as they make decisions about how science is used in the public sphere.”
This panel discussion will take place from 3 to 4:30 PM in room 119 at the School of Communication on NAU’s north campus.
Sponsored by: The Orion Society, NAU’s Center for Sustainable Environments, the Grand Canyon Association, the NAU School of Communications, NAU’s Program in Community, Culture, & Environment, the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council, NAU’s Ecological Restoration Institute, NAU’s Master of Liberal Studies Program, the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition, and the Grand Canyon Trust.
Posted by maxmaddy at 4:25 PM
September 16, 2006
Out on a Limb: Gardening Challenges in the High Desert and Forest
Master Gardener Column 9/16/06
For the past seven falls, gardeners in the high country have looked forward to not only glowing autumn colors but also the annual Arizona Highlands Garden Conference. The conference is the result of the collaborative efforts of Master Gardener volunteers from Navajo, Coconino, Gila, and Yavapai counties and the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
This year’s Arizona Highlands Garden Conference will be held October 13 and 14 at the Hon-Dah Resort and Conference Center in Pinetop. The conference theme is “Out on a Limb: Gardening Challenges in the High Desert and Forest”.
A conference tradition is to feature several regional experts and this year’s conference does just that. The 2006 conference will highlight Michael Melendrez, owner of Soils Secrets, Trees That Please, and Arboretum Tome. Melendrez will be giving two presentations: Planting Trees and Shrubs Suitable to the Climate and Soils You Have and Successful Tree Planting
Techniques. Hailing from New Mexico, he is well-known for growing native trees in his nurseries and improving difficult soils using organic/microbial materials.
Another notable speaker and favorite of last year’s conference is Bill McDorman, president of Seeds Trust, Inc. Bill recently relocated to Cornville, Arizona where he operates High Altitude Gardens, a seed company that focuses on finding, testing, and producing seed for high elevations as well preserving the genetic diversity of crop plants, native grasses and wildflower seeds. He is the author of Basic Seed Saving and his talk will be on Seed Saving Techniques.
New to the conference this year is David Salman, Chief Horticulturist for Santa Fe Greenhouses and owner of High Country Gardens. High Country Gardens sells an excellent collection of native and adapted perennial plants suitable to high elevation gardening and is well-known for their website www.highcountrygardens.com, one of the most-respected gardening sites on the Internet. An enthusiastic and entertaining speaker, Salman is a national expert on the topic of waterwise gardening. His talk is titled High Country Xeriscape Gardening.
In addition to these well-known speakers, conference goers can choose from over eighteen other seminars that will educate and inspire high country gardeners. Highlights include Steve Yoder, Director of The Arboretum at Flagstaff presenting Do Try This At Home: Lessons Learned from the Arboretum; Carl Olsen (The Bugman) of the University of Arizona speaking on Insects in the Garden; Mary Ellen Biddorf of the White Mountains Audubon Society whose talk is titled Attracting Birds to Your Garden; Terry Mikel of Arizona Cooperative Extension presenting A Journey Through the Life Zones of Arizona and Ginger Somers, co-owner of It’s Magic & In Bloom, covering Basics of Landscape Design. Other topics include firewise plants, preparing perennials for winter, cactus and succulents, vegetable gardening, mulches, and pruning techniques.
Master Gardener Nora Graf and Mary Ann Penning will also give two two-hour hands-on sessions on Creating Gourd Birdhouses. The gourd program requires pre-registration and an additional $15 materials fee.
The two-day registration costs $90 and includes not only an excellent selection of seminars but also lunch and snacks, tote bag loaded with garden gifts, conference notebook, a chance at some tempting door prizes, and an opportunity to meet some of our region’s most experience gardeners. A single day registration is also available.
For a registration form and complete conference information, call the Navajo County Extension Office at 928-532-6139. You can also pick up a conference brochure at the Coconino Extension Office, 2304 N. 3rd Street.
Or visit the Navajo Cooperative Extension web site at cals.arizona.edu/navajo/ and click on the conference icon.
By Hattie Braun
The author is the Master Gardener Program Coordinator for Coconino Cooperative Extension. If you have a gardening question, call the Master Gardener hotline at (928)774-1868 ext. 19. To learn about local gardening events, visit the Master Gardener blog at highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 1:44 PM
September 15, 2006
Flagstaff Community Market
Come visit the Flagstaff Community Market on Sundays from 8am-12pm. The market continues until October 8. All markets are held on West Phoenix Avenue just east of Milton Rd (Rt 66) and just west of of South Beaver Street. and West Phoenix Avenue, in the City-owned lot in back of Home Alternatives.
Have a question? Please get in touch!
Ann Altland - Manager
ann@flagstaffmarket.com
Art and Heather Babbott
heather@flagstaffmarket.com
art@flagstaffmarket.com
928 774-7781
1414 N Rim Dr
Flagstaff AZ 86001
www.flagstaffmarket.com
Posted by maxmaddy at 12:14 PM
The Arboretum at Flagstaff
Wildflower Walks
Join botanist Jan Busco for a two-hour tour through woodlands, meadows, and cultivated gardens to learn about a large variety of wildflowers as they are in bloom over the course of the summer. All wildflower walks will take place on The Arboretum's 200 acres during the 2006 season.
Tours will meet at 9:00 a.m. in the courtyard and will conclude at 11:00. The program is free with the regular price of admission ($5 for adults, $2 youth aged 6-17, children under 6 are free).
Dates are:
June 24, July 29, August 26, September 30
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:10 AM
September 9, 2006
A Garden Salad Garden
Master Gardener Column 9/9/06
As the delights of summer gradually wind down and the baleful beauty of autumn looms, the promises of a distant spring tantalize the High Country gardener, especially a garden salad garden of greens freshly picked moments before they are washed, tossed, and eaten. In short, it is never too early to plan and anticipate, the seed catalogue being the gardener’s harbinger of hope. While Eugene O’Neill was right about The Iceman Cometh, eventually The Iceman leaveth.
Lettuce, the basic ingredient of a garden salad, is easy to grow and can be seeded well before the widely predicted last frost in June. Surprisingly, while lettuce looks delicate, as with many delicate appearing beauties, it is hardy. As a cool weather vegetable it is a fit for Flagstaff. A great favorite is the loose-leaf Black Seeded Simpson (Lactuca sativa), a beautiful lime-green, loose-leaf, sweet-tasting lettuce with broad, crumpled, frilly leaves. First developed by a Mr. A. Simpson in New York in 1864, it is an all-American heirloom lettuce. In salads, as in all food, appearance makes for good taste, and Black Seeded Simpson visually invites the palate with flavorful promises.
Coupled with the succulent beauty of Black Seeded Simpson is the exotic elegance of Lollo Rossa, an Italian heirloom. A magenta-hued Mediterranean beauty, mild and sweet with a green interior edged in red, it beguiles the eye with savory anticipations. Another good red leaf for a salad is the young leaves of the English heirloom beet, the Bull’s Blood (Beta vulgaris). Its leaves, as with its fruit, are deep maroon, sweet and dusky. The leaves can also be used in bouquets as a delightful backdrop to light-colored flowers. The fruit gives a salad a hauntingly deep, rich color and taste.
Completing the lettuce roster is the Forellenschluss or the speckled trout lettuce. An Austrian heirloom, its broad, smooth chartreuse leaves are splashed with dusty red specks. Crisp and sweet, it is a delight to the eye as well as the tongue.
No delicious garden salad would be complete without cherry tomatoes, both red and yellow. The Siberian heirloom Galina (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is yellow with a sweet, complex favor. Bill McDorman of Seeds Trust writing in Mother Earth News claims it is “arguably our most flavorful tomato.” Complementing the Galina is the Hybrid Sweet Baby Girl which has been touted as the “world’s best tasting red cherry tomato.”
For carnivores a few thin strips of julienne delicatessen ham and Swiss cheese might garnish the salad. Croutons made of ciabatta bread add a nice chewy crunch to the salad. Lightly toss with a dressing of olive oil, a pinch of sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Two good dressings (Gretchen Anne’s and Hazel Marguerite’s) can be found at oldfartskitchen.blogspot.com.
A salad such as this would fetch $25 to $30 at fancy eateries in Sedona, Scottsdale, and West Los Angeles. However, in Flagstaff with some well-composted soil and a little elbow grease it would cost about $15 in seeds, not for just one salad, but for a whole summer of such salads. Bonne jardinage. Bon appetit.
By Dana Prom Smith
The author is a Master Gardener volunteer for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. Do you have a gardening question? Call the Master Gardener hotline at 774-1868 ext. 19. For more information on gardening classes and events, visit the Master Gardener web blog at highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 1:39 PM
September 1, 2006
Olivia White Hospice Home Workday 9/28/06
We had a cold morning for work this week with some frost damage in the garden, but with a large crew much was accomplished. We had our regular crew (Karen Kent, Nancy Palmer, Marcia Lamkin, Elsie Ellis and Leslie Pennick) in addition to Amanda Welles and Elliott Jarman, another Coconino Community College Honor Society Member.
We picked green tomatoes, potatoes and onions this Thursday. Some of the green tomatoes were fried deliciously in the home by Joanne (Aunt Bea), and devoured by volunteers and residents. The rest of the tomatoes were put in brown bags in the garage to ripen. Amanda worked on potting up some of our herbs to put on the sun porch for the winter as well as cutting some for drying. Nancy worked on the steps for the Faerie Garden with Marcia's help. Leslie and Elsie did some much needed deep watering. Elsie also cleaned the bird baths and dug up potatoes and onions. Karen worked on the rose garden, pruning some dead branches and moving a small rose. A little weeding was done by all, but Elliott cleared a large area. Red, Purple and multicolored Pasque Flowers were planted. The raised beds and sensory pots were moved to improve access for residents and beauty in the garden.
New plants:
Red, purple and multicolored Pasque Flowers (early spring bloom)
New blooms:
I can't believe it but new things are still blooming - some for the 2nd time. We have some great fall color with asters throughout the garden.
Plans for 9/28/06:
Clean the garage garden area and put materials back the shed
Place a new birdhouse trellis between the gazebo and Switzer Canyon Drive
Plant last of fall perennials purchased
Work on the hardscape (stairs) in Faerie Garden
Continue collecting herbs for drying as allowed by weather
Continue watering - weeding as needed
Upcoming:
Make a Difference Day - Saturday, October 21, 8am-12pm
Plans include planting fall bulbs, weeding and general cleaning
Please come join us in the garden on Thurday (9/28) from 8am-12pm. We will be in the garden weekly from now until the end of October, weather permitting. Bring a hat, sunscreen and any tool you like to use. Park on Turquoise just past Switzer Canyon Dr. or in the lot at the First Congregational Church. Water and snacks are provided.
Quote from "Fried Green Tomatoes" 1991, played by Jessica Tandy
Ninny Threadgoode: "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a plate of fried green tomatoes like we used to have at the cafe. Ooh! "
Thanks, Loni
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:45 AM
Olivia White Hospice Garden Workday 9/21/06
The weather was not very cooperative this week but we managed to plant a large spruce tree, transplant a shrub, clean the shed so our greenhouse can be moved, clean and fill all birdbaths and feeders, and weed.
The ground was wet even before the rains and we have many summer and fall blooms throughout the garden. Our 2nd raised bed is finished. We just need to paint it with protection from the rains and winter, and place it in it's permanent bed.
Thank you:
Doug Grant, Leslie Pennick and Laura Davis for planting a large tree.
Barbara Rice for donating a large Colorado Blue Spruce in memory of Doug Skiff
Coconino Community College Honor Society for weeding and helping move material out of the shed.
Elsie Ellis for cleaning bird baths and feeders.
John Gordon from the Coconino County Jail Community Service program for building us a raised bed.
New plants from last week:
Kinnikinnick creeping evergreen ground cover (helps for erosion and feeds the birds).
Still blooming:
Most of the roses, phlox, shasta daisy, purple coneflower, pineapple sage, cleome, sweet pea, balloon flower, bell flower, a variety of asters and many native wildflowers (blue flax, coreopsis, gaillardia, fall aster, primrose). Some perennials are even on their second bloom this year due to all the rain (sneezeweed and centaurea (Persian daisy).
Plans for 9/21/06:
Move the raised beds to their permanent positions
Continue work on Rose and Faerie Gardens
Create plans for lattice screen
Continue transplanting as appropriate
Harvest potatoes and onions
Weeding, watering, and filling bird feeders/baths as needed
Upcoming:
October 21 -"Make a Difference Day" painting/caulking greenhouse, waterproofing benches for winter, planting spring bulbs.
Some join us on our regular Thursday workday 8am-12pm (September 21). Bring a hat, sunscreen, and any special tool you like to use. We provide water and snacks. Park in the Congregational Church lot on Turquoise or on Turquoise just past Switzer Canyon.
Advice From a Tree
"Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deply into the Earth
Reflect the light of your true nature
Think long term
Go out on a limb"
Ilan Shamir
Thanks,
Loni Shapiro
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:11 AM