Holiday Garden Ideas

For those of you who are already beginning to miss being in the garden there is a place to get your winter garden fix. The Desert Botanical Garden is in bloom and has two wonderful exhibits for December. Chihuly has opened another glass exhibit which will be in the garden until May. You can visit in the daytime or at night when it is lit up. In addition, the garden has their usual holiday fun with Los Noches de las Luminarias. This is an evening exhibit with luminarias lighting up the garden, food and drink, and a variety of music throughout the garden. If you haven't had a chance to see it, it is a must holiday event to get you in the spirit. Reservations are required. The web site is:
http://www.dbg.org/events-exhibitions

Update:
My husband I just returned from Phoenix and both of these events are a must see. Chihuly was spectacular at night. I am adding one of my photos. I have so many great photos that it was difficult to choose one.  There were probably more than 20 different pieces throughout the garden. Enjoy!

Glass boat on the water in one of the marshes.

Loni Shapiro

Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 11/14/2013

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Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 11/14/2013

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church

1601 N. San Francisco

Calendars are now available for sale at the Coconino County Extension office, Warner’s, Native Plant & Seed, Riordan Mansion, and the Allstate office on Cedar. Suggestions on other locations for selling the calendars were the Flagstaff Visitor’s Center and Chamber of Commerce. Sherline Alexander said she would check with some people who are exhibiting at local arts and crafts fairs to see if the calendars could be sold there.

Deb Noel – Historic Gardens and Gardeners

Deb Noel gave an overview of botany and botanists in the United States.  She talked about the importance John and William Bartram, their garden and seed and plant business. In addition, she spoke about how many of the founding fathers of the country were gardeners.  For more information on Bartram’s Garden and early gardeners in the United States, check out the following website and books.  The public library has copies of both of the books.

Bartram’s Garden

http://www.bartramsgarden.org/

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation, Andrea Wulf, 2011.

The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession, Andrea Wulf, 2010

Thanks to Susan Thompson and Sherline Alexander for the wonderful refreshments.

Decline of Pollinators

A friend sent this link to an article in the New York Times to me yesterday.  It will be of interest to all you native plant enthusiasts.  It is about the dramatic decline of insect populations and how this decline will impact native plant populations and even our food supply.  

> http://nyti.ms/17OmCdS

From

D. Lamm

AZ Food and Farm Finance Forum

Arizona Food and Farm Finance Forum, Jan 13-15: What’s in it for YOU?

If you are a social impact investor or venture capitalist: Come and hear Slow Money founder Woody Tasch tell how $30 million of local investing in 220 food and farm businesses since 2010 is creating viable options to placing all your money and trust in Wall Street.

If you are a beginning (or ramping-up) farmer: Come and hear Alex Young of Cornman Farm and the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses talk about double their production and planting area each year, and how he finances it. Zingerman’s has grown seventeen for-profits and non-profits in Ann Arbor to create 650 new jobs and 50 million dollars of annual sales of products and services in its community.

If you want to jumpstart a local food restaurant, or cooperative local food distribution network to restaurants: Come and hear Derrick Widmark, co-founder of Diablo Burger in Flagstaff and Tucson tell how he brokered financial backing and local beef and vegetable sourcing to jumpstart these independently-owned businesses.

If you are a food bank staffer hoping to create new jobs for the poor: Come and hear Lisa Pino, Executive Director of United Food Bank in Chandler explain what USDA Strikeforce Programs and philanthropic initiatives can do to help you create live-able wage jobs in the food growing, processing and distribution sectors.

If you are a community development planner or credit union investment officer: Come and hear Michael Dimock of Roots of Change in the Bay area explain how rural and urban communities are coming together to plan the future of their food-based economies.

If you are an eater, a food justice activist, or student: Come and hear Kimber Lanning of Local First Arizona offer a vision of living local economies that will help Arizona communities recover their health and well-being.

If you are a potential donor, angel investor, stakeholder or loan-giver to such initiatives: Learn from Elizabeth U, author of Raising Dough, how to avoid legal pitfalls and financial risks to match your financial resources to match your investing capacity with your values to do the greatest possible good for your family and community.

If you want to start a food microenterprise from a community kitchen using local ingredients for value-added products: Listen to Ernie Rivera, Kitchen Manager of Mixing Bowl, the Kitchen for Entrepreneurs in Albuquerque talking about helping sixty active food microenterprises each year and guiding another hundred prospective food businesses in product development and business planning.

Follow this link for details on the forum

Laurel Bellante

PhD Student
School of Geography and Development

bellante@email.arizona.edu 

Arizona Strawberry Day

Arizona Strawberry Day

      Learn how to grow strawberry hydroponically in Arizona greenhouse

Saturday December 7^th (10AM to 2PM)

      For more information visit the strawberry information website

http://cals.arizona.edu/strawberry/Hydroponic_Strawberry_Information_Website/Event_files/Event%20ASD.pdf

Go directly to the registration site

Lecture in Camp Verde

"Pre-Columbian Agaves in Southwestern United States: A New Way of Looking at Species and Their Cultural Landscapes"
Tues., November 19, 7pm
Camp Verde Community Center Rooms 206/207 (behind the Historical Society) by Wendy Hodgson, Research Botanist, Herbarium Curator, and Botanical Illustrator, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix

Wendy has been with the Desert Botanical Garden for nearly 40 years and has lived in the desert for 44 years.  Her areas of interest include southwest United States and northern Mexico floristics, rare and endemic plants, and taxonomy and systematics of Agave and Yucca, including the study of pre-Columbian agave cultivars. Other current projects include the study and documentation of the flora of the Grand Canyon region, including the evolution and distribution of certain plant groups as affected by the unique factors characteristic of this area. Ms. Hodgson is studying and documenting southwest United States cacti and is a co-coordinator for the Cactus Family of Arizona project by Desert Botanical Garden research staff and research associates. She was also the coordinator for the Cactus family treatment for the Intermountain Flora project, the preeminent botanical initiative documenting plant diversity between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, published in 2012 by the New York Botanical Garden Press. She is the author of numerous scientific papers and the illustrated book, Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert, published by the University of Arizona Press and winner of the 2002 Klinger Book Award by the Society for Economic Botany. She is an avid plant collector, particularly those pesky, difficult to press plants of the Agave and Cactus families.

From Linda Guarino

Water Conservation Fundraiser for Foodlink

Dear Garden Start CSA past and present members,

As you probably know, Flagstaff Foodlink, who brings you the garden starts CSA, also has 5 community gardens that we manage. Starting next spring, Flagstaff Foodlink is making a serious commitment to water conservation. We want our community and school gardens  to be shining examples of how to grow food, grow community AND conserve water, all at the same time!  
We have already received funding from the Flagstaff Community Foundation and private donations to start this project next spring, however, we need to raise $10,000 more to fully develop, demonstrate and integrate water conservation practices in our gardens, and to provide hands-on learning opportunities about water conservation to community gardeners, community members and school children. 

Dear Garden Start CSA past and present members,

We would like your help in reaching this goal by contributing to Flagstaff Foodlink starting next Monday, November 18 during our online fundraiser - the Crowdrise Holiday Challenge! 

To contribute to our goal, please go to: http://www.crowdrise.com/flagstafffoodlink/fundraiser/foodlink on November 18th at noon!

Please help spread the word!

In gratitude,
Regan Emmons

Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator, President 

Flagstaff Foodlink, 501c3 - Growing food, growing community
flaggardenstarts@gmail.com

http://flagstafffoodlink.com/

 

Master Gardener Meeting Agenda 11/14/2013

Master Gardener Meeting Agenda 11/14/2013

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

Distribute calendars to those whose photographs appear in it

Calendars for sale

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

6:45pm-7:45pm                  Continuing Education

      Deb Noel – Historic Gardens and Gardeners

7:45pm-8:00pm                  Refreshments –  Susan Thompson and Sherline Alexander

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

      Vote on officers

      Call for volunteers

      Holiday Party Dec. 12

                                              Financial report – Linda Guarino/Crys Wells

                                                     

                                              MG Program Happenings (class) – Hattie Braun

                                              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:                    January, 9, 2014 Dave Brimhall –flower arranging

Master Gardeners and friends –

Please join us for a special tour of Todd Cislo’s garden.

When: Saturday, November 9 at 10AM.

Where: The home of Todd Cislo. The address is 2645 E. Matterhorn Drive, in the Swiss Manor neighborhood.

Todd is an expert in 4-season gardening.  Folks who stop by will see first-hand some simple, inexpensive, usable techniques that can make year-round gardening possible.  Todd says his winter crop is just now up and running along and he has a few summer stragglers- still!  He has recently re-worked his long low hoop so it's now as state of the art as space permits.

Todd has been gardening in Flagstaff for more than 20 years and has dealt with all the challenges - extreme cold, high intensity sun, poor soil, lack of moisture, hail, and wind.  He has a greenhouse, but he mainly uses home-built hoop houses and raised beds to garden all year in Flagstaff. 

Hope to see you Saturday - Hattie

Fundraising for the Native Plant Society

Posted by
D. Lamm 
 

From: kelly@timdarby.net
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 21:05:34 -0700
Subject: AZNPS Car Donation Program
To: jdougripley@gmail.com
CC: roxiep@msn.com; suejs01@yahoo.com; bebbia@hotmail.com; ries.lindley@gmail.com; alauren33@gmail.com; asalywon@dbg.org;cblodgett2@cox.net; csfunicelli@gmail.com; mjplagens@arizonensis.org; whodgson@dbg.org; Lammke@msn.com

We're up!  The car donation is now working.  The program was approved at the Sept 15, 2013 meeting with funds to be "distributed to the chapter to which the individual donor belonged unless they preferred to have the funds go to the State."

Here is the main website.  Drill down to get to us.

http://www.donatingiseasy.org/

And this is the link that goes directly to our donation page.

http://www.donatingiseasy.org/CarDonationInfo.aspx?CID=2820

We've been promised that we will receive some marketing ideas and when I know more I will let you know.

Diane Kelly

Interesting Christmas Gift Idea for Gardeners

Posted by 
D. Lamm 

 

From: plants@timdarby.net
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 20:31:08 -0700
Subject: AZNPS T-shirts available from the Tucson Chapter
To: jdougripley@gmail.com
CC: roxiep@msn.com; cblodgett2@cox.net; mjplagens@arizonensis.org; ries.lindley@gmail.com; bebbia@hotmail.com;alauren33@gmail.com; asalywon@dbg.org; csfunicelli@gmail.com; whodgson@dbg.org; lammke@msn.com; bagphillips@yahoo.com;suejs01@yahoo.com; aznpsinfo@yahoo.com; aznps_tucson_excomm@yahoogroups.com

I am writing again, this time to tell all our chapters that the Tucson Chapter now ships our t-shirts.  Same great shirt - 100% organic cotton, made in the US.  Same price: $20.  And now, until year end, we ship free anywhere in the US.   Email our treasurer Diane for more information: plants@timdarby.net

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

http://www.rochestergardening.com/bulbs/comnbulb.html

General characteristics of summer and fall flowering bulbs

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheet/bulbs-summer/bulletin32/table1.html

Bulbs that naturalize

http://www.bulb.com/ibc/us_en/publiek/information.jsf/bulbs_gardening/spring-flowering-bulbs/naturalizing/Bulbs-that-Perennialize.xml

Basic flowering periods, height, usage for flowering bulbs

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/dept/hort/consumer/factsheets/bulbs-perennial/bulletin37/table_one/html

Home bulb forcing

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1325/ANR-1325/pdf

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.

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. 

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                 

                 

Urban Land Stewardship Workshop Series

Here is information from Kate Watters at the Grand Canyon Trust about the Urban Land Stewardship Workshop Series that they and TerraBIRDS are presenting: 

 

I want to pass along this information about an upcoming workshop series hosted by TerraBIRDS and Grand Canyon Trust at our historic homestead on Fort Valley Road.

 

Many members have been key supporters of a project to build a new barn for our volunteer program. We are excited to have a new, green facility to stage our service trips to the Colorado Plateau.

 

Now the work begins to restore the site to natural conditions and create a beautiful, functioning ecosystem and fabulous event space.

Here is some information on the Urban land Stewardship Workshop Series that may interest you.  

 

The 1 1/2 day workshop will be hands-on learning and practice in:

• Applying ecological design concepts
• Rainwater harvesting
• Soil microbiology and restoration techniques
• Working with native plant palettes
• Changing the world starting in your own backyard 

Friday, October 4th  1-5pm/Saturday, October 5th  9-3pm

2601 North Fort Valley Road, Flagstaff

Free and open to the public!

 

There is limited space, so register now!!

Email or call Kate Watters:

kwatters@grandcanyontrust.org   928-774-7488

 

Medicinal Plant Talk

Hi, Flagstaff Folks,

We are hosting a free medicinal plant talk at Native Plant & Seed this Thursday evening at 5:00pm.

Thursday, September 26, 5:00pm (to 6:00ish)

Flagstaff Native Plant & Seed Nursery

400 E. Butler Ave.

(928) 773-9406

 

Local herbalist, Mike Masek, of The Forager's Path School of Botanic Medicine, specializes in the traditional uses of Southwest plants for both food and medicine. Mike will give a free talk on many of our native medicinal and edible plants. I have taken classes from him in the past and the information he shares is really wonderful. Bring pen and paper to take lots of great notes, and be sure to bring warm clothes as this will be outdoors. Extra parking on Elden side street if lot is full. Happy Fall Equinox!!

  

 

Jen

Flagstaff Native Plant & Seed

(928) 773-9406

Master Gardener Meeting Minutes 8/8/2013

Continuing Education

Todd Cislo – Extremes of Growing in Flagstaff

Todd Cislo has been gardening in Flagstaff for more than 20 years, dealing with extreme cold, high intensity sun, poor soil, lack of moisture, hail, and wind. Because our soils lack organic matter, he emphasized that you should not be afraid to amend your soil – add a lot of organic matter and keep adding it. Also, because our soils are very alkaline do not be afraid to add pine needles.  They take a long time to decompose so they are best used as mulch to shade the soil but do not worry if you mix some into your soil.

Todd gardens all year in Flagstaff.  He does have a greenhouse, but he mainly uses home-built hoop houses to garden.  His beds are raised beds - either native rock or cinder block.  The rock and cinder block hold heat. For the hoop houses, he uses ½ inch PVC pipe set about 12 inches into the ground for the frame and heavier frost cloth for the covering.  He uses sandbags or rocks at most of the corners to secure the cloth. His beds are generally about 20 feet long and about 3 feet wide so that they are easy to reach into from either side.  To vent the hoop houses, he attaches a length of PVC pipe to the frost cloth, rolls the pipe up the side of the hoops and fastens it to a hoop.  When it gets really cold, he places a second layer of frost cloth on small hoops inside the larger hoops.  The small hoops are closer to the plants and the two layers keep the plants warm enough. The hoop houses are very flexible so they survive high winds by leaning over and springing back up. When it snows, he just brushes the snow off.

Emeritus Assisted Living

Jacki Hainsworth, Mary Lou Parliman, Marie Pickle and Carol Daily

On Friday I attended the Annual Garden Party held at Emeritus Assisted Living. I was invited because I was one of the original master gardeners who began creating a garden there. Mary Lou Parliman, Carol Daily, and Jacki Hainsworth have all continued there for more than 10 years, with help from many other master gardeners including Marie Pickle who is the activities director there. Carol and Jacki's husbands were also a big part of creating the hardscape there. While I was there I worked with Marcia Lamkin and Nancy Nashtall, but others followed such as Karen Cooper. I am mentioning this because the crew is retiring after this season. They have done a great job of providing a garden that resident's can work in or just enjoy. There are many amenities for those who have physical or cognitive limitations. They have several raised beds and large pots that can be accessed from wheelchairs or walkers. There is a circular walk that is useful for those with memory problems. Over the years with Marie's help they have developed a program for residents to participate in weekly. Part of the program includes an indoor light fixture for growing seeds and cuttings and they often prepare food that is grown in the garden. Many people have contributed to the garden (a grant was given from the CMGA last year), but the bulk of the cost in creating the gardens there was from the three gardeners who helped start it. All three of them have greenhouses and grew many of the plants for the garden each year.

The garden is well established but will need the care of new gardeners. It is a great place to learn what Horticultural Therapy is all about. You can learn how much gardening means to almost everyone, how it lifts the spirit, engages the brain, activates the senses, and helps with mobility. If your interested in helping next year to continue this special garden project, contact Marie Pickle at Emeritus (779-7045).

Loni Shapiro