CMGA General Info

Fall painted lady butterfly 2024.
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

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Plants for the People

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Hi Friends,
With this heat, even our established plants are wilting a bit in the midday sun, our new plants are definitely wilting, and we are wilting as well. We've been protecting our new plantings with coverings of straw and leaves, giving them a brief hose and wetting the ground to increase the humidity directly around them, and in some cases, covering them with row cover (or even a sheet would work, just be sure it is vented). These measures relieve the pressures of dry air and drying direct sun, allowing plants to photosynthesize without losing as much moisture to the air (which causes them to wilt). Also, be sure to water the plants regularly with long deep waterings so they aren't also struggling with dry soils.  We've posted pictures of our protection measures at the bottom of the email if you prefer a visual. Until the rains come, we're holding our breath, tasting the air in sweet anticipation for the full start of the daily monsoon parade, and standing watch in the garden. Fortunately, this is a nice way to pass the time these days.

PLANT OFFERINGS THIS WEEK

Shrubs and Perennials
We have a few extra plants from our recent 300 plant order. Most of these plants were pre-sold, and this is what is still available. These plants were grown in New Mexico. 

We have small quantities of plants right now, orders are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Mountain Mahogany - #5 pot (similar to 5 gallon) - only 1 left - $35
Fernbush - #1 pot (similar to 1 gallon) - only 1 left - $12
Apache Plume - #1 pot - 4 left - $12
Lemonade berry/3-leaf sumac - #5 pot - 3 left - $35
Caradonna sage - #1 pot - 3 left - $12
Desert 4-O'clock - #1 pot - 8 left - $12

Locally Grown Plants

Clary sage - 4" pot - $6
  • These will likely bloom next year. Clary sage gets these beautiful lavendar stalks around 3 feet tall, makes an excellent cut-flower, leaves can be dried and used for cooking, attractive to many types of pollinators, and smells incredible. 
Alpine strawberry (white soul & pineapple mix) - Pack of 4 plants - 3" pots - $15
  • White strawberries that taste like roses & pineapple. Makes an excellent ground cover and is fun for foraging kids (and the young at heart). 

Seeds
Native Turf Lawn - low water green lawn.
Mountain Prairie Mix - mix of grasses & flowers for low-maintenance beauty
Flagstaff Wildflower Mix - get the right blend of drought-tolerant flowers
Seed packets of native grasses & wildflowers - choose your own!

Landscape Design
Jeff is available again for ecologically-based landscape designs. He collects information on various aspects of your property, what you are hoping to create, and thoughtfully develops a design that is low-resource emphasizing on-site and locally-sourced materials, low-maintenance, great habitat for pollinators & song birds, and is most importantly, beautiful. Find out more here.

Photos of protection measures for plants - waiting for the Monsoon!
Ways to create shade for your new plants.

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Hope to join you soon dancing collectively in the rain!
Molly & Jeff
928-821-5100

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