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September 24, 2008
2008 Arizona Highlands Garden Conference: Beating the Water Odds
Master Gardener Column 8/23/08
Even at second glance, casinos and gardening appear to have nothing much in common, but they do. It's chance. Both are gambles, one against the odds of the house and the other against nature, especially the Colorado Plateau. While the odds are always against the gambler and the gardener, the 2008 Arizona Highlands Garden Conference will help gardeners beat the odds, especially the water odds. So it's apropos that the conference will be held this year at the Prescott Resort in Prescott which amongst other things is a casino.
Each October for the last eight years, gardeners from northern Arizona have met, mingled, and shared ideas about gardening at northern Arizona's 3,000 to 7,000 foot elevation, beating the odds of short growing seasons, unpredictable weather, and a dry climate. In addition to fresh ideas, gardening tips, new techniques, and time-tested solutions for gardening in the high country, this year's conference will provide all that and much more, like water-wisdom.
Plant Smart/Water Wise for our Future is the theme of the 2008 Arizona Highlands Garden Conference. Master Gardeners, the organizers of this event, know that water in the high country is an evermore precious resource. So this year's conference is an exploration into water-wise gardening.
The conference will be held October 13-14 at the Prescott Resort in Prescott, and features several nationally recognized experts.
Trevor Hill, the president and CEO of Global Water, a private water resource management company, providing water, waste water, and recycled water for the Phoenix area, will discuss 'Water Issues in Arizona.' His company strives efficiently to use Arizona's water through reclamation and processing, conservation and preservation.
Michael Crimmins, Climate Science Extension Specialist for the University of Arizona, will talk on 'Water and Climate Change.' Dr. Crimmins runs the Climate Science Applications Program in Cooperative Extension program, focusing on climate science research and applications.
On a lighter note, Tucson writer and garden designer Scott Calhoun will give a presentation titled 'Junque Yards: Gardening with Found Objects' featuring his award-winning low-water garden style which has been dubbed by Sunset magazine as "Taqueria Chic." He is the author of the best-selling book Chasing Wildflowers: A Made Search for Wild Gardens and the founder of ZonaGardens, a company that specializes in drought-tolerant and native landscapes.
On Monday, landscape architect Barnabas Kane will talk on rainwater harvesting and together with landscaper Steve Morgan will talk on 'Creating Habitats in the Garden.'
Eric Moore, owner of Jay's Bird Barn, will present 'Birdscaping' or landscaping to bring wild birds to your backyard. Prescott College professor Tim Crews will speak on maintaining a healthy soil using legumes.
Rush Buhrow from the Tohono Chul Botanical Garden will look at historic rainwater harvesting. Rounding out Monday's talk is Maricopa County Horticulturalist Terry Mikel speaking on 'Plant Names,' a talk that is sure to be much more entertaining than the title suggests.
On Tuesday John Alcock, a Regents' Professor at Arizona State University, will talk about his experience of ripping out his high-maintenance lawn and replacing it with native plants, providing a working laboratory for his observations and the field notes for his book In a Desert Garden, Love and Death Among the Insects.
Boyce Thompson Arboretum education coordinator Chris Kline will present 'Wildflowers without Limits, Moving Beyond Picture Keying.' Janet Rademacher from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery who with over 20 years experience with desert-adapted plants will introduce new plants for high elevations. Photographer Linda Lockhart will give a special workshop on garden photography.
The cost of the conference, if registration is received before September 8, is $95 for both days and $55 for a single day. Later registration is $105 and $65 respectively. A little breakfast, lunch, snacks, door prizes, and more are included with registration. For additional information call (928) 445-6590 or visit the conference website at: http://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/ahgc/.
Hosted by Yavapai County, the conference is the result of the collaborative efforts of Master Gardener volunteers from Yavapai, Coconino, Gila, and Navajo counties and the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension. Sign up soon as registration is limited and beat the odds.
Hattie Braun is the Master Gardener Coordinator for Coconino County Cooperative Extension. Dana Prom Smith, a Master Gardener volunteer, is coordinating editor for the Master Gardener Column. He can be contacted at stpauls@npgcable.com. For gardening questions, call the Master Gardener Hotline, 774-1868, x19, or visit MG Web site: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.)
Posted by maxmaddy at September 24, 2008 9:28 PM