CMGA General Info

The San Francisco Peaks as seen from Timberline 5 miles northeast of Flagstaff.
Photo by Cindy Murray.

Welcome to the Coconino County Master Gardeners Association blog. The mission of the Master Gardener Program is to create a corps of well-informed volunteers, and to deliver quality horticultural education programs adapted to our regional high elevation environment. The purpose of the association is to provide support for those volunteers and Master Gardener graduates, continuing education, and opportunities to participate in community programs that increase the visibility and participation in the Master Gardener Program.
The Coconino Master Gardener Association (2009) began in 2009. This blog contains information on:
-How to become a member
-Volunteer and Education hours reporting
-Calendar of Events
-General gardening information articles
-Master Gardener Association Documents and forms
-References and Resources
-Interesting Websites and Blogs
-Old Gardening Etcetera columns
-Recipes
-Book Reviews
-How to contact Board or Committee Members
Meetings are held monthly on the 2nd Thursday from 600pm - 8;30pm. We meet at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church at 1601 N. San Francisco. This includes continuing education and a business meeting.

Reporting Master Gardener Hours

All master gardener trainees and certified master gardeners need to report their hours.
Beginning in 2010 certified master gardeners need to have 6 Education hours and 12 Volunteer hours in order to maintain certification.The on line reporting system allows you to report Education or Volunteer hours. You can sign in to record hours in the right hand column under Recording Volunteer and Education Hours. Just click on the U. of A.
If you have any questions or concerns about the new reporting system, please contact Brenda Smith (A - M) or Sue Madden (N - Z). Their contacts are listed at the bottom of the blog under
Contacts.



Ideas for hours------
--Attend monthly meetings
--Work on an association committee
--Work at an informational booth for the Master Gardeners
--Be a speaker about gardening topics at a variety of venues

--Host a garden tour
--Work at a fundraising event (Plant Sale - Garden Tour).
--Work at a MG site (Olivia White Hospice, the Arboretum, Riordan Mansion, or school gardens (many others)). Check out the Assoc. Doc. & Forms under Volunteer Sites.
--Work in the Extension office
--Write an article for the newspaper column -Gardening Etcetera
-Volunteer with the Seed Library
Be creative! There are many ways to fulfill your hours. Just remember for volunteering it needs to be a non-profit endeavor or an approved for profit site.

Change in Contact Information

Have you moved or changed your e-mail address, but would still like to be contacted about high elevation gardening information from the Extension? The Coconino County Extension Master Gardener Program has a site that will let you change your information on-line.

Click here to change your contact information!

Event Calendar

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 10/10/2013


Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 10/10/2013
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
1601 N. San Francisco


Loni Shapiro – Growing Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes, Tubers and Tuberous Roots in Flagstaff

Loni Shapiro, master gardener gave an interesting presentation on growing bulbs in Flagstaff.  Now is the time to get spring bulbs in the ground. She mentioned the following sources for more information on bulbs:

Common bulbs by type
General characteristics of summer and fall flowering bulbs
Bulbs that naturalize
Basic flowering periods, height, usage for flowering bulbs
Home bulb forcing

Thanks to Laura Parker and Jackee Alston for the delicious refreshments.

Business Meeting – Debi Stalvey

Debi Stalvey called for nominations for officers and committee chairs for 2014. No one volunteered.  Nominations will be needed before the November meeting where elections take place. We especially need people to run for president and secretary as Debi Stalvey and Ann Eagan have served the maximum terms as President and Secretary.  Please contact Debi Stalvey at debistalvey@msn.com if you are interested in running for president, vice-president, secretary or treasurer or to serve on a committee, either as chair or as a member. Committee chairs and members are needed for: Education (the first 3 speakers for 2014 are already confirmed), Master Gardener Projects.

The following people have expressed interest in continuing as officers or committee chairs:

Vice-President: Charlotte Dodgson
Co-Treasurers: Linda Guarino/Crys Wells
Community Markets: Sherline Alexander
Historian: Tammy Valdovino
Volunteer Support: Crys Wells

Calendar update

The calendars have not yet arrived though hopefully they will be delivered by tomorrow.  They will be available at the Warners Native Plant and Seed, Riordan and the Coconino Extension Office. The cost for the calendars is a donation of $10/calendar or 3 or $25.

The Christmas Party will take place on Thursday, December 12 at the Shepherd of the Hills Church, 6:30-8:30 p.m.  It will be a potluck and we will have the gift exchange.  Bring your family for a fun evening.  Invitations will be sent out later.

Financial report – Linda Guarino/Crys Wells
We now have 88 members. There is currently $2119.02 in the checking account. The board decided to maintain a balance of $1,000 in the checking account – one year’s expenses.
                                                     
MG Program Happenings (class) – Hattie Braun

Hattie asked for suggestions for where the spring master garden class could be held. The Northern Arizona Healhcare Education Center in the Basha’s Shopping Center near the hospital, the new fire station in Mountainaire, and Shepherd of the Hills Church were all suggested.

Home and Garden Show, Mar. 28-30, 2014 – Hattie Braun

Several people volunteered to work on the Home and Garden Show. Hattie stated she wants to have a planning meeting before Christmas. We will have 8 booths.
                                                     
Volunteer Support – Crys Wells

Master Gardeners volunteered for 610.75 in September and earned 34 education hours. Year-to-Date: Volunteer: 3812, Education: 711.
                                                     
Gardening Questions?

Q. How did your tomatoes do this year?
A. A lot of people lost their entire garden due to the hailstorm. Others did quite well. Some people used tomato trolleys (from Gardeners Supply) or a child’s wagon to move their tomatoes into the garage when the weather started getting cooler at night.

Announcement: Hunter Kemmet will deliver horse manure for your garden for a $10 donation. You will need to unload it. Call him at 602-290-7751 to schedule a delivery.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Flagstaff Native Plant Society Monthly Talk and Walk

Tuesday, October 15:  Rich Crawford, "A Vascular Flora of the Rugged Little Colorado River Gorge"
 
Rich Crawford, a graduate student at NAU, has compiled a checklist of the vascular plants of the very remote and rugged Little Colorado River Gorge.  His flora documents the lower 54 miles of the LCR below Cameron where the river descents 1,400 feet on its way to the confluence with the Colorado.  The last 10 miles of the stretch are fed by travertine springs combined with steep canyon walls to create a dramatic and rugged landscape. 
 
Rich will present on the way groups of plant species function together in communities within the LCR Gorge, distributions of Grand Canyon native plants found only within the LCR Gorge, and notable collections, including a new species (!!!!!) of Loeseliastrum in the Polemoniaceae (Phlox) family.
 
This event takes place at the Shepherd of the Hill Lutheran Church at 1601 N. San Francisco Street at 7:00pm.  Easy to find!  Easy to park!
 
 
Saturday, October 19: Walk in the Elden Pueblo/Picture Canyon area
 Susan Holiday will lead October's walk on SATURDAY, October 19 in the Elden Pueblo/Picture Canyon area.  Meet at the Elden Pueblo Site parking area on Highway 89 across from the Townsend/Winona Road at 9:00 am.  Please note that the day and meet-up location are not the usual ones. 
 
This walk will be the kick-off event for a new PAPAZ (Plant Atlas Project of Arizona) work project.  PAPAZ is a collaborative project of the Grand Canyon Trust, Deaver Herbarium at NAU, and the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, which teaches interested volunteers to identify native plants and how to collect specimens properly for herbariums.
 
During this first event, participants will be verifying a plant list for the area and collecting any new specimens found under the direction of botanist Susan Holiday.  In 2014, the project will continue visits to Elden Pueblo/Picture Canyon during each season to identify and collect plants as they mature and blossom.  
 
The Elden Pueblo/Picture Canyon area is of interest because it is a modern urban-forest interface area and because the ancient Sinagua people used it as a settlement area.  The plant lists that are developed will be used by the Arizona Archaeological Society when they give tours and by various groups that use the Picture Canyon area. 
 
It is expected that Saturday's event will last until approximately 3:00pm.  Please wear appropriate clothes for the weather including a hat and hiking shoes, and bring plenty of water, snacks and a lunch.  Susan will be at the trailhead come rain or come shine.
 
EVERYONE is welcome, not just volunteers who have taken the PAPAZ training.  You may find out that you would like to take the training next year!!  I'm a "graduate", and going on these PAPAZ walks and collecting trips has been a highlight of many summers for me. 

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Master Gardener Meeting Agenda 10/10/2013


Master Gardener Meeting Agenda 10/10/2013
Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church
1601 N. San Francisco

6:30pm-6:40pm                  Welcome – Agenda – Debi Stalvey
                                                      Brief review of agenda for the evening

6:40pm-6:45pm                  Introduction of speaker – Jim Mast                 

6:45pm-7:45pm                  Continuing Education
Loni Shapiro – Planting and Caring for Fall Bulbs

7:45pm-8:00pm                  Refreshments –  Laura Parker and Jackee Alston

8:00pm - 8:25pm                  Business Meeting – Debi Stalvey

Call for nominations
Call for volunteers
Calendar update
Christmas Party Dec. 12

                                       Financial report – Linda Guarino/Crys Wells
                                                     
                                       MG Program Happenings (class) – Hattie Braun
                                                      Location for Spring class

                                        Home and Garden Show, Mar. 28-30, 2014 – Hattie Braun
                                                      Volunteers to plan and work the show
                 
              Committee Reports:

                                       Continuing Education – Jim Mast
                                       Community Markets – Sherline Alexander
MG Projects – Alison Coates/Loni Shapiro                                                     
Volunteer Support – Crys Wells
                                                     
8:25pm – 8:30pm                  Gardening Questions?

Next meeting:                    Nov. 14 Deb Noel - Historic Gardens and Gardeners of the US