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December 30, 2006
Tis the Season of Sharing - gardening tips, advice and more
Master Gardener Column 12/30/06
For the last couple of years, I have asked Master Gardeners to give me their gardening comments, advice, recommendations, stories of success and/or failures and resolutions for the New Year. This is my favorite part of my job -- learning about what gardeners in our community have been up to and getting their tips and plans for the New Year. Here are a few that I received.
Master Gardeners working at Olivia White Hospice Home resolve to finally get the drip system up and running in 2007 so we can spend less time watering, decrease the water bills and save some of that precious water.
-- Loni
We had such a problem with grasshoppers this year that I bought nine tiny guinea fowl chicks. They started out in the garage in boxes but were soon moved to an outside cage. This proved to be too much temptation for the neighborhood cat so we built them a real house with a raised floor, windows vents, roof and more, spending quite a bit on materials. Our guineas spend the day outside but getting them back into their exquisite house at night was a chore. The grasshoppers? They are gone. Maybe the guineas ate them all, maybe not. But now the guineas are eating my iris. The only saving grace is that they are also harvesting the cheat grass that has already sprouted. We're only out about $1200 to date. What a bargain. Know anyone who eats guinea fowl?
-- Bea
Galen and I had a lovely garden this year. I think it had a lot to do with more efficient water use. We used about the same amount, but watered longer and less frequently. Galen really worked on our compost and that was much more successful as well.
-- Andrea
This year I didn't have to eat my Brussel sprouts because the aphids got them first. Aphid covered Brussel sprouts are a little too natural for my taste. Next year, I'll spray early and often with insecticidal soap and try to get the aphids under control.
-- Tom
My Quonset hut style greenhouse is great. Most of my lettuce even survived the latest fall cold spell. I'm still harvesting all the kale, chard, radishes, broccoli and lettuce we can eat but not enough for the neighbors, right now. My garlic, carrots, oregano, and peppermint are doing fine. I picked up some bags of leaves and placed them around the outside of the cinder block foundation for insulation. That really seems to help. I had the kids shovel some snow and put it in a couple of my rain barrels that are getting low to hold us over until we get some abundant precipitation.
-- Rebecca
I vow never to buy more bulbs than I can plant in one lifetime -- let alone one fall. (However, the ones I don't get in the ground do make great Christmas gifts for fellow gardeners.) And, always get the bulbs in the ground before the ground freezes -- this prevents major temper tantrums and the consequent throwing of shovels, trowels, etc.
-- Terra
I live out in Doney Park and have had problems with wind. I had good luck this year growing squash and zucchini next to willow hurdles that I used as screens. I'm not sure how they will hold up with our winters though. I bought the hurdles from Plow & Hearth: www.plowhearth.com.
-- Carolyn
Garden more, work less."
-- Terra
The grasshoppers this past year were the worst that I have ever seen. I had to put my tomatoes under rain and light permeable wraps for the entire season as they were being chewed so heavily! Thanks to that trick, I am still reaping the rewards of those fruits picked green and wrapped in newspaper until red!
-- Tisha
I wish everyone a very Happy New Year and a very productive gardening season in 2007.
-- Hattie
By Hattie Braun
The author is the Master Gardener Program Coordinator for Coconino Cooperative Extension. For more information, call 774--1868, Ext. 17 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 8:19 PM
December 22, 2006
When is it going to be finished?
Master Gardener Column 12/23/06
On our last Thursday of the season in the Olivia White Hospice Garden we gathered in the gazebo with garden volunteers and hospice friends to place a brick in the floor of the gazebo. The brick was for Andrea Josephs, a gardening friend and long time contributor to hospice and the garden. As we were sitting there sharing memories of Andrea, a generous and thoughtful friend, we couldn’t help but think about what a beautiful place this is to share memories, and the long history of how it came to be.
To answer the question, yes the structure is finished (there will be no roof), but the gazebo and surrounding gardens have more growing to do and will continue to be a place for others to share memories. The definition of a gazebo, “a small, roofed building affording shade and rest,” certainly doesn’t describe what this one provides for hospice.
It all began in 2002, when Hattie Braun, Horticulturist and Master Gardener Program Coordinator, together with members of the Master Gardener class drew the landscape plans for the garden. A photograph in a garden publication of a lovely wooden garden structure was the inspiration for the existing structure.
A myriad of obstacles needed to be overcome prior to the construction of the gazebo. What is the design plan? How much would it cost? Who would fund it? Who would build it? As with most things concerned with the hospice garden serendipity intervened when Jill Morris, residential designer and hospice volunteer, heard of the need for a plan. She was happy to volunteer her professional services and drafted a plan for the gazebo with only a small photograph for inspiration.
John Adams brought with him Terry Payne, both members of Christ Church of Flagstaff, to begin building the gazebo. It proved to be more difficult and time consuming then either man imagined. It took months just to get the holes deep enough to put in the cement post foundations.
The funds for building it were raised specifically for the garden over several years. Many others provided discounted materials and services in the construction of the gazebo. They included Loven Contracting who provided assistance for building, and Homeco, Paseo Stoneworks and Total Rental Center. Time and energy into the construction and completion of the gazebo were provided by numerous hospice volunteers, Master Gardeners, friends of Northland Hospice, Shawn Newell, and members of the Sunshine Lions Club.
The last job before completion was to lay the brick floor covering the bottom of the gazebo. John Adams and his crew from the Sunshine Lions Club did this. For the last several years money was raised for the Olivia White Hospice Home and Garden by selling memorial bricks. All those that were purchased were placed and several have arrived since placing Andrea’s.
The gardens that surround the gazebo were worked on most of this year by our many volunteers. The largest effort was in revamping the rose garden, a garden that now contains more than 40 roses. The roses were planted with evergreen shrubs, iris, and germander, and were surrounded by lavender to help keep the deer at bay. Pots of wave petunia were hung from the gazebo. Other plants included hollyhock, cleome, and delphinium, and a variety of climbers to eventually provide more shade. Many residents and staff come to enjoy a peaceful moment there, and many families and friends gather to remember loved ones as we did on our last day in the garden for 2006.
Look for an article next year that will focus on the surrounding gardens. In the meantime, if you would like to remember or honor someone with a brick, contact the Northland Hospice office at 779-1227 or go to: www.northlandhospice.org.
By Loni Shapiro & Laura Davis
The authors are Master Gardener volunteers for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. For more information about the Master Gardener Program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 5:49 AM
December 15, 2006
Kicked to the Curb
Master Gardener Column Article 12/16/06
“If you drag that icky compost gunk of yours into my kitchen one more time, I’m going to kick you to the curb.”
As I leaned against the garbage can on the curb waiting for the fellows from Environmental Services to happen by, I fastened my eye on my berm and front yard. The berm is that forlorn strip of land protecting walkers on the sidewalk from drivers racing through pools of water and city snowplows hurling volcanic rubble mixed with snow. The front yard is the way we greet our neighbors and friends. People inside the house reveal themselves in the landscape in front of their house.
Meine Uberfrau, Gretchen, and I live in a walker-friendly community with berms and front yards. What to do with them? As I drive around town, I find that most people waste them.
Some people think they are still living in Phoenix, Black Canyon City, or some other dreadful place and create a desert in the High Country with gravel, cow skulls, a few stray junipers, and a couple of large rocks. Such yards look unfriendly, something like bone yards. Other Black Canyon types, such as developers, drop the accoutrements and use only crushed rock. All they need is a “No Trespass” sign. They also heat up the property in the summer and keep it cold in the winter.
In contrast, other people favor green lawn front yards. Migrants from the Middle West, East, and South often carry their lawns with them, wanting remembrances of things past. Green is at least friendly, but as a lawn it goes unused. I don’t see people playing croquet, cricket, badminton, polo, bowls, practicing chip shots, or grazing sheep on their Kentucky bluegrass water-guzzling front yards.
So why waste a berm and front yard with gravel, skulls, and unused grass? Sometimes front yards are used for storage, like rusted-out pickup trucks up on blocks. In short, land costs too much in Flagstaff to waste it by not using it, and that means attractive and useful grasses, flowers, and vegetables. Of course, this all has to be done water-wisely.
There are various water-wise grasses such as sheep fescue (Festuca ovina.) A densely tufted, dark green, bunch grass, it requires watering only during dry periods (once a month), stays green all year, likes lousy soil, and dislikes fertilizer. It can get by on 18 inches of rain a year. Flagstaff’s annual rainfall is about 23 inches. It can be sown in the spring, summer, and fall, or planted with plugs, although sowing is best and cheaper. Also, there are similar grasses, such as Elijah blue fescue, a blue form of sheep fescue. These cannot be used as a turf, but for a front lawn it is a far more interesting than regular turf grass.
As for usefulness, vegetables in the front yard are a must. For the faint of heart, they can be planted amongst beds of flowers so as to disguise them. They can be contained in carefully controlled beds with underground drip systems so that water doesn’t evaporate and isn’t wasted on places that don’t need it. Zucchini has big beautiful leaves and attractive large yellow blossoms that can be eaten along with the fruit. Bulls blood beet has a deliciously sweet fruit along with deep red leaves which when young can be used in salads. Of course, Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch kale, along with its cousins Siberian and Tuscan, has lovely leaves and is excellent in massed beds and borders.
Beds of tulip, iris, and daffodil are water-wise and after blooming can be over planted with wild flowers. They require little water and almost no attention. The list goes on to include, but not limited to, blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata), various penstemons, and the ubiquitous Russian sage (Peroviskia atripticifolia.)
Gardening in the front yard as well as the back and side yards almost doubles the arable land. When we think of how much that land cost us, we might think again about plastering it with gravel or water-stupid grass.
By Dana Prom Smith
The author is a Master Gardener volunteer for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. For more information about the Master Gardener Program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 6:05 AM
December 7, 2006
The Season for Mistletoe
Master Gardener Column 12/9/06
If you plan to be in the crowd at the Holiday Lights parade this year, you will have the opportunity to get some mistletoe to hang in your home this Christmas. Look for volunteers and staff from The Arboretum at Flagstaff who have instituted a holiday tradition of collecting the parasitic Phoradendon coyrae from scrub oaks each December and packaging it to distribute at the parade. This practice benefits the host shrub as well as the Flagstaff community who welcome having a sprig hanging in their homes for the holidays.
Mistletoe is considered a parasite even though it does carry out some photosynthesis through its evergreen leaves. By robbing the host plant of nutrients, it can eventually prove fatal. However, it usually causes a reduction in the growth of its host tree or shrub.
The mistletoe of lore found in Europe is the species Viscum album. In North America a similar species is used for holiday decoration, Phoradendron leucarpum. This species grows on a wide range of trees and is spread predominantly by birds that eat the sticky berries that usually ripen in December. In the west, silky flycatchers (Phainopepla) are dependant on mistletoe berries. They spread the plant by defecating seeds from the berries on the branches where they perch. If the seeds are able to work their way into crevices in the bark, a new mistletoe plant can take root. If you have fresh mistletoe hanging in your house this Christmas, be sure to keep it indoors and dispose of it carefully in a plastic bag after the holidays to prevent spreading the parasitic plant.
We will be collecting Cory’s mistletoe from scrub oak found growing below the Mogollon rim. This mistletoe is a true mistletoe because it has developed green leaves making it a showy choice for holiday decorations. It is different from our local, leafless dwarf mistletoe that is found on ponderosa pine and other conifer species. Regardless of the species you harvest, permits are required for collecting on public lands.
Mistletoe features prominently in the legends of many cultures. It holds a mystique because it is produced by a seed but cannot be cultivated in the earth like other plants. It was revered by the Druids who collected it with a golden knife to welcome in the New Year. The Celts used it extensively in fertility rites. The French in Brittany call it Herbe de la Croix, and have held the belief that the Cross was made from mistletoe wood. The practice of two people kissing when they find themselves under a sprig of mistletoe comes from a Norse tradition that continues today.
In Norse mythology, the god Baldur was killed with a weapon made from a branch of mistletoe. His mother Frigga, the goddess of love, removed the mistletoe’s poison with her tears. When Baldur came back to life, Frigga kissed everyone who passed underneath the mistletoe.
Therefore, kissing under the mistletoe is a wonderful way for us to show that we are grateful to have our loved ones around us this holiday season.
By Rachel Edelstein
The author is the Public Programs Manager for the Arboretum at Flagstaff. For more information about the Master Gardener program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our website: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 4:46 AM
December 2, 2006
Master Gardener Class to Start In February 2007
Master Gardener Column 12/1/06
If you want to learn more about gardening and share your knowledge with others, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program may be for you. You don't have to be a gardening expert to become a Master Gardener. All you need is an interest in gardening, a willingness to learn more about horticulture, a desire to share horticulture information with others, and a personal commitment to volunteerism.
Applications are now being accepted for the Coconino County 2007 Master Gardener Program. This program is part of a nation-wide certification program that provides university training to volunteers for the purpose of enabling them to help their communities through horticulture education.
The first Master Gardener program was started in Washington State in 1972. In response to a high number of requests for home gardening information, county agents developed a training program to educate volunteers in various aspects of horticulture science. After completing the training, the volunteers assisted agents by providing information to the community. The first Master Gardener course was a tremendous success and the idea spread across the country and beyond. Today, the Master Gardener program is active in all 50 states and four provinces in Canada.
This will be the 17th year for the Coconino County Master Gardener Program. Tom DeGomez, former Agricultural and Natural Resources Extension Agent, introduced the program to our county in 1991. Currently, there are over 110 certified Master Gardeners in the program; 32 students completed their training in 2006; 10 students from the 2006 class have already become certified.
Here in Coconino County, Master Gardener volunteers are involved in numerous community service and outreach projects as well as providing answers to horticultural questions from county residents.
In 2006, Master Gardeners answered more than 200 "hort" questions via the "hotline", a free service provided to Coconino County by the Master Gardeners. On a smaller scale, many Master Gardeners helped friends and neighbors by providing solutions to gardening problems.
Master Gardeners have worked on many beautification projects around our community and have transformed these locations into places of beauty and pride for Flagstaff. Shepherd of the Hills Church and Grand Canyon Trust are just two of these projects.
Presently, a group of Master Gardeners, along with many other friends and volunteers, are creating gardens around the Olivia White Hospice Home to provide residents and their families a place for peace, reflection, joy and comfort.
Numerous Master Gardeners volunteer for the Arboretum at Flagstaff, leading tours, propagating plants, working in the gardens and promoting the mission of the Arboretum.
And, most notably, this column was initiated by a Master Gardener.
The Master Gardener Training Course will be offered in Flagstaff starting February 6 thru May 15. The class will meet on Tuesdays from 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the East Flagstaff Community Library. Registration for the program is $175 with a $50 rebate for completion of the volunteer portion of the program.
Participants will learn the keys to successful gardening in high elevation environments. University of Arizona Extension specialists and instructors, and Master Gardeners will teach classes in basic botany, soils, plant propagation, plant problem diagnosis, insect management, pruning, fruit tree, vegetable gardening, Xeriscape, ornamental plants, composting, and arboriculture. After completing the training course, Coconino County Master Gardeners must complete 50 hours of volunteer service within the first year to become certified.
Contact Laura Parker at (928) 774-1868 ext. 10 to request an application or for more information. Class size is limited. Applications must be received by Jan 23.
By Hattie Braun
The author is the Master Gardener Program Coordinator for Coconino Cooperative Extension. For more information about the program, visit our Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.
Posted by maxmaddy at 7:57 PM