AUGUST 2012

Images courtesy Chris Schnier

EDITOR: Vineetha Kartha

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Meg Paterson

COPY EDITORS: Adriane Grimaldi, Karen Sankman

CALENDAR: Karen Sankman

WEBSITE QUESTIONS: Kristen Wagner 602/827-8200 x311

USPS MAIL QUESTIONS: Jesse Davenport 602/827-8200 x308

Deadline is the 18th of the month prior.

Roots & Shoots, published monthly by & for

Maricopa Co. Master Gardeners, is printed under the direction of:

THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

MARICOPA COUNTY OFFICE

4341 E. BROADWAY RD. / PHOENIX, AZ 85040-8807

PHONE 602.827.8200 FAX 602.827.8292

HOURS: 8:00AM-5:00PM WEEKDAYS

http://extension.arizona.edu/mg

STAFF:

Kelly Young, Assistant Agent, ANR/Urban Horticulture 602-827-8200 x319, kyoung@cals.arizona.edu

Kristen Wagner, Program Coordinator, Sr.

602-827-8200 x311 / krwagner@cals.arizona.edu Jesse Davenport, Admin. Ass’t

602/827-8200 x308 / jmdavenp@cals.arizona.edu

Roots & Shoots In this edition: Strange Fruits MG Update Traveling Gardener Stink Bugs And many more!! Cover by Kirsten Carter

Maricopa County Master Gardeners MG CONTACT LIST: For a complete listing, see the organizational chart under MG Business on the MG Central website

NE Valley Satellite: Debbie Lyding -----------------------602-789-7377/dlyding@q.com Demonstration Gardens: Pam Perry---------------------------------602-279-6250/pamlperry@cox.net NW Valley Satellite: Marianna Hancin ---------------------623-566-1737/borderterriers@cox.net Kris Coates ----------------------------623-915-3337 Debra Martinez -----------------------623-772-5330/drmartinez57@hotmail.com Speakers Bureau: Sharon Dewey ------------------------602-827-8200 x 837/sdewey@cals.arizona.edu OFFICES: Main Office: 602.827.8200 NORTHEAST VALLEY: 480-312-5810 NORTHWEST VALLEY: 623-546-1672 University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Via Linda Senior Center PORA Office 4341 E Broadway Rd 10440 E Via Linda 13815 Camino del Sol Blvd Phoenix, AZ 85040 Scottsdale, AZ 85258-6099 Sun City West, AZ 85375 Weekdays 8:00 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mon. 9 -12:30 p.m.; Thurs. 9 -4 p.m Weekdays 9:00a.m.-Noon The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities. Persons with a disability may request a reason-able accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting Kristen Wagner, Program Coordinator, at krwagner@cals.arizona.edu 602-470-8086x311. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Ex-tension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jeffrey C. Silvertooth, Associate Dean & Direc-tor, Economic Development & Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.

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Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

Strange Fruits from Around the world - Jackfruit by Vineetha Kartha

Growing up in south India as a child I always looked forward to summer. Not only was it downtime from rig-orous academics, it was also the time to taste the bounty of tropical fruits. Jackfruits topped the list of sum-mer fruits because I was always covered in sticky mess after working through it and reeked of the sweet sickly smell for hours. Any leftovers, except the seeds were fed to cattle. Jackfruits seeds were cooked in many different ways. Any dishes that included jackfruit seeds were and still are my favorite. As a child I was in charge of collecting strong jackfruit leaves for grandma who in turn used it as a spoon, and occasionally as a food wrapper. A very useful tree and fruit, isn’t it? The tree is handsome and stately, 30 to 70 ft tall, with evergreen, alternate, glossy, somewhat leathery leaves to 9 in long, sometimes oblong or deeply lobed on young shoots. All parts contain a sticky, white latex. Largest of all tree-borne fruits, the jackfruit may be 8 in to 3 ft long and 6 to 20 in wide, and the weight ranges from 10 to 60 or even as much as 110 lbs. The exterior of the compound or aggregate fruit is green or yellow when ripe and composed of numerous hard, cone-like points attached to a thick and rubbery, pale yellow or whitish wall. The interior consists of large "bulbs" of yellow, banana-flavored flesh, massed among narrow ribbons of thin, tough undeveloped perianths, and a central, pithy core. Each bulb encloses a smooth, oval, light-brown "seed" covered by a thin white membrane. There may be 100 or up to 500 seeds in a single fruit. When fully ripe, the unopened jackfruit emits a strong disagreeable odor, resembling that of decayed onions, while the pulp of the opened fruit smells of pineapple and banana. No one knows the jackfruit's place of origin but it is believed indigenous to the rainforests of the Western Ghats. It is cultivated at low elevations throughout India, Burma, Ceylon, southern China, Malaya, Phillipines, and the East Indies and grown to a limited extent in Queensland and Mauritius. In Africa, it is often planted in Kenya, Uganda and former Zanzibar. Though planted in Hawaii prior to 1888, it is still rare there and in other Pactfic islands, as it is in most of tropical America and the West Indies. It was introduced into northern Brazil in the mid-19th Century and is more popular there and in Surinam than elsewhere in the New World. In Asia, jackfruits ripen principally in summer, depending on the climatic region, with some off-season crops from September to December, or a few fruits at other times of the year. In many cultures jackfruit is used to make a variety of dishes in addition to being eaten as a fruit. Seeds from ripe fruit are edible and has a milky sweet taste. The leaves are used as food wrappers in cooking and sometimes fastened together for use as plates. If you would like to try this fruit, ripe jackfruits are seasonally available in Asian groceries whereas canned raw jackfruits are regularly available in the same grocery stores. Resources: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/jackfruit_ars.html, accessed on July 27, 2012 Images courtesy http://www.onlyfoods.net/jackfruit.html, accessed on 28, July 2012

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MG Update Community Gardens in Action By Deb Sparrow

WHAT: Community Gardens in Action Gardens don't just grow plants. Gardens grow people and they can grow community, too. This is what the August update is about. WHO: Sam Kelsall Sam Kelsall is one of us, having gone through the Master Gardener course in 1980. He is a farmer and a very down to earth lawyer, switching from suits to overalls easily and often. Sam was a founding member of the Down to Earth Toastmasters which meets regularly at the Extension. He is a very effective and engaging speaker. Sam is passionate about gardening, small farms, community gardening and growing through gar-dening. Sam was active in the Master Gardener program for a long time and made major contributions in many ar-eas, from the updates and general advice, to work with local farmers. If you've been to the annual Arizona Sweet Onion Festival, you may have seen Sam dressed as an onion. Sam played a large part in introducing sweet onions to Arizona farmers and creating the Onion Festival. Sam has been very active in regional efforts to boost small farms, and start local farmer's markets to bring local produce to local tables. Sam started Mother Nature's Farm in Gilbert, growing pumpkins and gourds, Christmas trees and peaches and holding festive events there that make customers into participants, and build community while doing business. Now that the farm is surrounded by the city, their events provide many much needed doses of na-ture for their visitors. Sam's son Wade and family run the farm now. Sam has been helping out a bunch of community gardens for a long time. He has been a regular fixture at the gardens on Broadway Road and helped to start these gardens with the Tigermountain Foundation. Not only are Tigermountain's CEO, Darren Chapman and his wife Master Gardeners, but more members of the community have followed them into the program. In these gardens, children have their own small plots and can learn to garden and sell their produce, while learning about financial literacy and a bit about business as well. They learn social skills by working with other people The gardens provide the basis for relationships between community members, children and adults and a place where skills and real wisdom can be shared. Sam is a very knowledgeable guy with all kinds of experience and he's always about to learn more. We've spoken about the gardens at different points and each time, I hear about someone else who is involved in the project and sharing their knowledge or a book or an article to read. I don't know if Sam has had formal training in dealing with children beyond his experience with his family but I can tell you, he's a real sponge for good information and wisdom, too. Sam's long involvement in community gardens and so many aspects of small farms give him a whole lot to share. I had an interesting time writing this one up. When I called his office to talk to Sam about material for this notice, I learned that he was in Iowa. In fact he was bicycling across Iowa with a team of other bicyclists in an annual race he's been riding in for more than 30 years. Sam is a multi-dimensional man and an inspira-tion. WHEN: AUGUST 9, Thursday Morning, 9:00 am WHERE: at the extension office, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix

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Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

Diggings in the Garden by Pam Perry

The humidity is hovering around 50%, the early morning temperatures are just below 90 and rising to the low 100’s. And, I was told all those years ago that it would be a ‘dry heat! Cucurbits of all kinds show relief as the humidity rises, although many are not likely to pollinate well in the higher temperatures. Harvest any baby squash with blossoms still attached for your own gourmet treat! Armenian cukes, yard long beans, eggplant, and many hot peppers flourish, and produce. I’itoi onions are breaking dormancy and the weedy purslane grows abun-dantly. The summer greens crops we are experimenting with come into their own at this time! If you did not plant the horticultural purslane, you can harvest the local crop. High in omega fatty acids, purslane-the weed makes a reasonable addition to both sum-mer salads and cooked dishes. As a last resort it is a great addition to a compost pile. Spent toma-toes and summer squash can be removed and the soil can be prepped for planting again. Monsoon planted beans, corn and melons will fill gaps in your garden. Or use this time to solarize fallow ground, which can help balance soil biodiversity. Seed catalogues are offering specials on ‘fall planted’ seed and offer garlic, shallots and onions for fall planting. Melons are fragrant and the little tendril near the melon turns brown as the fruit ripens. Check daily and keep your irrigation consis-tent to control splitting. Keeping the melons elevated, away from the soil on a layer of straw or pine needles, helps keep interested bugs away. Keep weeds under control should your garden have been blessed with monsoon rain. Pull them small and succulent and add them to compost. Do not pursue any major pruning until later in the year. Wind damaged trees should be evaluated by certified arborists if you need more than a ladder and pole saw to do the work. You can harvest mature seed from desert adapted plants. This is a good time to plant them, as many desert plants germinate during monsoon. Enjoy the colorful leu-cophylums, familiarly known as Texas sages; they do come into their own this time of year. Fig beetles are completing metamorphosis and emerging as adults from the soil. They are more than an inch long and a dark iridescent green. Their noisy, lumbering flight takes them in search of fig beetles of the opposite sex. They will not do harm to your gardens or plants. Once mated they look for areas rich in organic matter to lay eggs. We often find happy larvae in our compost piles! The installation of a smart timer, a component of the Water Harvesting Demonstration project re-places the original timer installed for the rose garden. Along with a state of the art valve box dis-play, new poly, tubing, and emitters, our rose garden should last for another 3 decades, and visitors to the garden will have an opportunity to see how an irrigation system can be brought into this day and age! Thank you to all the volunteers who worked on this project, and to Summer Waters and Haley Paul for their efforts to include this update to the rose garden! Image courtesy http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/diagnostics/insectsftom.htm, image accessed on July 29, 2012

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Traveling Gardener, wandering, wondering, noticing…

Rio Grande Bio Park by Linda Larson

Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rio Grande Bio Park, Aquarium & Botanical Garden Even on a 100 degree day this garden is a cool place to be. Only 15 years old, this 36-acre botanical garden was built on the site of a city park that had fallen into disrepair. As a result, mature cottonwood and elm trees provide shade all throughout the gar-den. The entry courtyard is spacious and decorative. As you enter the garden through beautiful, ornate bronze gates, the first space to catch your eye is the chil-dren’s fantasy garden with a castle tower and dragon. The dragon towers up above the trees with fabric wings and a spine planted with rounded boxwood. The castle tower floor is a sand pit ready for play. Walking through the castle courtyard, you find yourself in a land of giants. This garden grows huge carrots, radishes, and onions. The tools of the giants are scattered about. There is a rake, trowel, watering can, and flower pots, all fit for the giant. A motion activated bee begins buzzing overhead as you enter the potting area. You walk into the interior of a monstrous pumpkin with the seeds and stringy center dangling over-head. The tree trunks open up for play, you may slide down to another level. This imaginative garden space is a bit of magic for all ages. This garden also has a Dragon/Damsel Fly Sanctuary Pond. From the garden website I learned, “The exhibit is the first dragonfly sanctuary pond in the United States. The pond features aquatic habitat perfect for attracting and breeding dragonflies and damselflies. Plants for perching grow around the pond, allowing guests to view and identify several species of dragonflies at once. A stream bubbles into the exhibit from a rocky desert landscape, and a deck overlooks the vibrant scene.”

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Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

Traveling Gardener Continued...

It is fascinating to stand and watch the activ-ity in this pond. Both the Dragon and Dam-selflies will land and stay still for considerable time allowing you to fully examine their trans-lucent colors. Over 20 varieties of flies are identified in the informative charts overlook-ing the pond. For more magic, right next to the pond is the butterfly pavilion open May to October. Many public gardens have medicinal or herb gardens, representing the importance of plants in medicine. Here El Jardin (garden) de la Curandera commemorates the Curanderos, Spanish folk doctors, who have been practicing for 300 plus years. A bas-relief sculpture by Diego Rivera is the centerpiece of this garden. There is much more to see, an architecturally wonderful conservatory, a perennial garden, a Japa-nese garden, and a model railroad garden. Driving through Albuquerque on my way farther east, this garden was a great travel stop. It’s a cool place to be, regardless of the season.

Images by Rich larson

Design Charette

Hey fellow Master Gardeners, does your yard/garden look as summer sad as ours? Planting time is just around the corner and we'd like to invite you to host a Design Charrette. As a host we ask that you've attended a Charrette before, in return you get the thoughts and ideas of a group of dedi-cated gardeners. One of the great benefits of a Charrette is that you are left with plans and sug-gestions from which you can pick and choose. Our season runs from September through May.

Please drop us a line at designcharrette@hotmail.com and give us a couple of months that might work for you if you are interested.

Your Design Charrette Team

Matt, Beth and Sue

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Stinkbugs by Sue Hakala

Stinkbugs have piercing and sucking mouthparts, are predators of other bugs, and have glands that produce an odor when threatened. In fact, they will squirt the stinky stuff at you as they make their escape. I may as well get it out in the open right away: I HATE STINKBUGS! I hate them more than any other bug I’ve ever known—well, I guess to be truthful, they are part of my “big three” which includes mealy bugs and cockroaches. Their piercing and sucking mouths create those horrible little cream-colored circles on my cac-tus that never go away. They inject a toxin while feeding that causes the yellow spots. Through the years, they seem to know which plant I am particularly admiring, choosing that one for their egg laying that year. I diligently check my plants for them daily when the temperatures start heating up. Often times they have al-ready left for good when the yellow marks appear in great numbers. They also love to suck out the juices of tomatoes. Eggs are barrel shaped, laid in clusters of usually ten or more on leaf surfaces and under spines. As the eggs hatch, the young (as well as the adults) then suck out the juices from my plants leaving those nasty perma-nent marks. I suspect that these punctures may provide an avenue for bacteria and viruses to enter too. In my potted plants and for some of the larger less lethal landscape plants, I’ve developed a strategy to kill the nasty things. (I don’t like using pesticides.) Using a large pair of blunt tweezers, I steady one hand with the other, and then slowly approach the ¾” long adults head on. Oddly, they just sit there and watch me coming. Then, I grab them with the tweezers and employ the stomp method. Their escape strategy, if I approach too fast, is to drop quickly to the ground or into the plant. The adults can also fly away. Then, I’m unable to get at them. So a slow and steady ap-proach leads to success. If I squish them with the tweezers, it’s at this moment that I’m reminded why they are called stink bugs. You see, they shoot a powerful stream of stinky stuff right at me, one time landing the green goo right on my glasses. Under a thick shoe sole, their defense mechanism has no effect. That way I know that they are dead and not faking. They can be sneaky and can fly away or hobble away with one less leg. I also find that where there is one adult, there is usually always another. If they escape by dropping or flying away, I know that they’ll be back in 5-10 minutes. Patience brings me success. The babies, called nymphs, require a little different strategy as they are more bashful, and are usually (but not always) found in more densely spined plants. They are round, a bright green with reddish antenna held high over their heads. They can be observed early in the morning when the first shafts of sunlight are gently caressing the plants. It seems as though they are warming themselves. Anyway, they line up on the edge of a cactus pad or, at the top and edges of plants, and seem to be smiling while enjoying the morning with their little heads bobbing around. Probably, they are grateful to be alive one more day or are remembering the great feast they had sucking the juices out of my plants. Gently blowing on the plants seems to reassure them and make them move so they reveal themselves—maybe they think it’s mom coming back for a visit. I use the blunt tweezer method, but quickly substitute the squashing method when needed using the tip of the tweezers. They can quickly escape; falling into the plant (they are wingless until mature). Then, I go for the “killing stick.” A small, blunt twig especially selected for the purpose (I don’t want to pierce the plant to kill the bug). Jabbing repeatedly at the soil, I can usually squish them. If not, after 5-10 minutes they are back up on the plant ready for another round of “escape the tweezers.” I’m wise to their tactics, and can usually kill them all in one round of the game. If this fails, I slowly water the plant. Not being swimmers, they crawl back up on the plant, then, squish, I’ve got ‘em. If fact, if you notice the telltale marks on your plants announcing their presence, try this method. They always show themselves. With a heavy infestation, I have used Malathion with great success, but not all cactus and succulent plants will survive a drenching with this chemical.

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Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

The Washington Parent Navel Orange Tree by Sheryl Stradling

At the busy intersection of Magnolia and Arlington Avenues in River-side, California, a small, fenced park holds one of the most important plants introduced into this country – the parent navel orange tree. At 138 years old, its history is quite amazing. It is also a tribute to its amazing care, fine scientists and great horticulture. It is thought that the sweet orange was introduced into Bahia, Brazil around 1530, but a navel orange was not mentioned in this area until 1802. The first recorded shipment of navel orange trees to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was in 1871 from Bahia, Brazil. This shipment arrived dry and dead, and William Saunders, then Su-perintendent of the Gardens and Grounds of the USDA sent a letter requesting that new trees be grafted and sent, and the Department would pay the expenses. The second shipment of twelve newly bud-ded trees arrived later in fairly good condition. Eliza and Luther Tibbets, who lived in Washington, D.C. at the time, decided to move out west to California to the new colony of River-side. Through a family relationship with a Civil War General, Benjamin Franklin Butler, Mrs. Tibbets was introduced to William Saunders, who suggested sending her two of the trees once she relocated to River-side. She agreed, and two trees arrived in 1873. They were shipped by rail and then stagecoach, taking a month for the trip. She and her husband drove their buckboard wagon 65 miles from Riverside to Los Angeles to pick them up, and took them straight to the leading horticulturalist in Riverside, Mr. Garcelon. He advised them to soak the trees overnight in a tub of water, and personally supervised their planting in the Tibbets’ yard the next day. It is widely accepted information that Eliza Tibbets cared for the trees using her dishwater to water them, since their property was not con-nected to the canal for water, because Mr. Tibbets refused to pay for water rights. Riverside is a hot, dry area with minimal summer rain, so water is critical. The first oranges were not actually produced on their trees, but on trees of their neighbors who used the budwood from the Tibbets’ trees. The navel oranges won prizes at the area’s first citrus fair in 1879. This created a demand for budwood, and a fence was erected around the trees at the Tibbets’ home. It is said that buds were sold for $1.00 each. On April 23, 1902, one of the trees was transplanted to its current home at the corner of Magnolia and Arlington Avenues in a small, fenced park. The other was transplanted on May 8, 1903 in the courtyard of the Glenwood Tavern (now the Mission Inn). President Theodore Roosevelt assisted at the planting ceremony. This tree sur-vived until 1922, when the Riverside Daily Press reported on Decem-ber 4th that it had been removed after its death. The people in the area noted that it had begun to fail rapidly after President Roosevelt’s death in 1919. The decline of the tree was due to Phytophthoragum-

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The Washington continued...

mosis or foot rot fungus. On a historical note, the 2-foot section of the trunk was made into a plaque and given to Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, a writer and owner of Amanzi Citrus Estate near Port Elizabeth, South Africa, who was visiting Riverside at the time. The gift was made by Archibald Shamel, a physiologist with the River-side USDA Citrus Experiment Station.

The parent tree planted in the dedicated park also started to die due to Phytophthora foot rot .Scientists at the University of California decided to save the tree by inarching, or grafting the tree onto new rootstock. They used seedlings of sweet orange, rough lemon, and sour orange. The inarching was done by Dr. H.J. Webber, H.W. Mertz and Glenn Blackman. This tree survived until 1951, when lesions of gummosis were again evident. A second inarching was done that year, using three seedlings of Troyer citrange (hybrid of the Washington navel orange crossed with trifoliate orange pollen – see online University of California Citrus Vari-ety Collection) and one trifoliate orange. The grafting was done by Denard C. Wylie, Senior Superintendent of Cultivations at the Citrus Experiment Station. These graftings saved the parent Washington tree (note the trunk in the photo).

The tree is now California Historical Landmark No. 20 and was included in the group of the first twenty his-torical landmarks created by California. These historical landmarks are determined by their unique place in California history by being the first, last, only, or most significant of its type in the state or regional area, be-ing associated with a group or individual having a profound influence on the state’s history, or being a nota-ble architectural work. This tree has influenced not only the history of California, but of the world. It is cur-rently robust and bears a good crop of fruit. We are all indebted to Eliza Tibbets and to all those who have preserved this amazing tree.

Resources: “The Parent Navel Orange Tree,” Victoria Avenews, Vol. 19, No. 3, December 2011 and Vol. 20, No. 1, March 2012, by Dr. Chester N. Roistacher.

“The Parent Navel Orange Tree,” 2012, California Citrus State Historic Park NMPC, credited to Dr. Chester Roistacher, Citrograph magazine, and Creating an Orange Utopia, by Patricia Ortlieb and Peter Economy, Victoria Avenue Forever.

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service,

and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours. Underlined words are links to websites or e-mail addresses.

August 2012 Events Calendar Submit events to Karen Sankman

Upcoming Events

Sep 3 Desert Landscape School

8 am-noon, one day per week for 7 months, Desert Botanical Garden, $1275. Info/Register. Rebecca Senior (480) 481-8161

Sep 3 Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Class

10:30 am, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Free with admission. Info

Sep 5 Creating a Monarch Garden

6-9 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, $25. Info/Register

Sep 9 Gourd Art Class 9 am-1pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. $39. Info. To register and pre-pay call (520) 689-2723.

Sep 22 SRP Shade Tree Distribution

8 am- noon, PERA Club, 1 East Continental Drive, Tempe. Volunteer. Kat Farris (602) 413-5700.

Sep 22 Vegetable Gardening

9 am-noon, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, $25. Info/Register

Sep 29 APS Shade Tree Workshop

8:30 am and 10:30 am, Deer Valley Community Center, 2001 E. Wahalla Lane, Phoenix. Info/Register. Volunteer. Kat Farris (602) 413-5700.

Oct 6 SRP Shade Tree Workshop

8 am and 10 am, South Mountain Community College, 7050 S. 24th St., Phoenix. Register now for this class as space is limited. Info/Register. To volunteer for 30-45 min. after each workshop to answer questions, contact Kat Farris (602) 413-5700.

Oct 6 Container Gardening

9 am-noon, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, $25. Info/Register

Oct 20 SRP Shade Tree Workshop

8 am and 10 am, Red Mountain Community College, 7110 E. McKellips, Mesa. Register now for this class as space is limited. Info/Register. To volunteer for 30-45 min. after each workshop to answer questions, contact Kat Farris (602) 413-5700.

Oct 20, 21 Orchid Society of Arizona Show and Sale

9 am- 5 pm Sat, 9 am- 3pm Sun, Arizona State Veteran Home, Liberty Hall, 4141 N. 3rd St., Phoenix. Free. Orchid Society

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service,

and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours. Underlined words are links to websites or e-mail addresses.

August 2012

Thu 2 Vericomposting 6:30-8:30 pm, Valley Permaculture Office, 1122 E. Washington St., Phoenix. $15. Info/Register

Thu 2 NW Satellite Office Diagnostic Clinic

10 am-noon, 13815 Camino del Sol, Sun City West. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. Rose and citrus care in the summer will be presented by Jim Oravetz. Kris Coates (623) 214-2385.

Fri 3 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice.

Fri 3,4,5 Maricopa Home and Garden Show

10 am-6 pm Fri & Sat, 10 am-5 pm Sun, University of Phoenix Stadium, 1 Cardinal Dr., Glendale. $5. Info/Discounts

Sat 4 Arizona Herb Association Weed and Feed

7 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Everyone is welcome! Fun, hands-on experience. Carolyn Hills, AZ Herb Assoc

Sat 4 Master Gardener Q&A Session

10 am-2 pm, Northwest Regional Library located in the Surprise Recreation Complex, 16089 N. Bullard Ave, Surprise, AZ. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. Lynn Rivers (623) 412-1882.

Sat 4 Valley Permaculture: Indoor Gardening

12-1:30 pm, Sea of Green Hydroponics, 1301 E. University Dr., Suite 101, Tempe. $15. Info/Register

Sat 4 Scottsdale Bonsai Society Meeting

1:30-3 pm, Via Linda Senior Center, 10440 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale. Pat Mitchell (480) 575-5649. Scottsdale Bonsai

Sun 5 Gourd Art Class 9 am-1pm, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. $39. Info. To register and pre-pay call (520) 689-2723.

Mon 6-Wed 29

Smartscape Program

3-5:30 pm, Mondays and Wednesdays from Aug. 6-29, Chandler City Hall, 175 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler. $75 for all 8 classes. Info/Register

Mon 6 Valley of the Sun Gardeners Meeting

6:30 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Orvalita Hopkins, Valley of the Sun Gardeners

Mon 6 Orchid Society of AZ Meeting

7-9 pm, Arizona State Veteran Home, 4141 Herrera Way, Phoenix. Julie Rathbun (602) 843-0223. Orchid Society of Arizona

Tue 7 Tuesday in the Garden

6-10 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring water, gloves and tools that you like to help with maintenance in the demo garden. Pam Perry (602) 279-6250

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service,

and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours. Underlined words are links to websites or e-mail addresses.

Tue 7 Master Gardener Training Class

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Topic: Citrus and Deciduous Fruit

Tue 7 Down to Earth Toastmasters

6-7:30 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Olivette Aviso (480) 235-5989. Down to Earth Toastmasters

Tue 7 Sun Country Iris Meeting

7 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Ardi Kary at (480) 949-0253, Sun Country Iris Society

Wed 8 New River Gourd Patch Meeting

8:30 am-1 pm, Pioneer RV Park, 36408 N. Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix. Karen Friend

Wed 8 Saguaro Garden Club Meeting

9:30 am, Pyle Adult Center, 655 E. Southern, Tempe. Mary Trick at (480) 829-7972.

Thu 9 Master Gardener Update

9 am-noon, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Topic: Community Gardens. Deb Sparrow .

Thu 9 Tolleson Gourd Patch Meeting

2:00-4:30 pm, Tolleson Senior Center, 9555 W. Van Buren, Tolleson, AZ. Lana Hinde (602) 843-9015

Thu 9 Spirit of the Desert Gourd Patch Meeting

4:30-6:30 pm, Sewing Room at the Sun Lakes Oakwood Arts & Crafts Center, 24201 S. Oakwood Blvd, Sun Lakes, AZ. Sally Kiste (480) 895-7638, Spirit of the Desert

Thu 9 Mesa East Valley Rose Society Meeting

7-10 pm, Mesa Community College Library, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. (480) 807-3475. Mesa East Valley Rose Society

Thu 9

AZ Rare Fruit Growers Meeting

7:30 pm, Palo Verde Room at Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. AZ Rare Fruit, Monte Palmer (480) 688-2087

Fri 10 Southwest Horticulture Annual Day of Education (SHADE)

All day event at Renaissance Glendale Hotel, 9495 W. coyotes Blvd., Glendale. $115, includes lunch. Info/Register

Fri 10 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice.

Sat 11 Best Plants: Trees 7:30-10:30 am, Desert Botanical Garden, $35 mem/$44 non-mem. Info/Register

Sat 11 Heritage Rose Garden Volunteer Day

8-10 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Steve Young (602) 237-9043.

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service,

and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours. Underlined words are links to websites or e-mail addresses.

Sat 11 Xeriscape 9 am, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. RSVP or (602) 437-0700.

Sat 11 Sunrise Garden Club Meeting

9:30 am, Member home in Tempe. Contact for address: Julie at (480) 838-2414.

Sat 11 Earthbox Tomatoes 10 am, Southwest Gardener, 2809 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix. $98. Info/Register

Sat 11 Scottsdale Community Garden Club Meeting

10 am, Scottsdale Community College, 9000 E. Chaparral Rd., Scottsdale, Room 527 in the Fitness and Wellness complex on the NW corner of the campus. Scottsdale Community Garden Club, Carol Stuttard

Sat 11 Master Gardener Q&A Session

10 am-noon, Avondale Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. E-mail or (623) 333-2602

Sat 11 Ask a Master Gardener

10:30 am-1:30 pm, White Tank Branch Library, 20304 W. White Tank Mountain Rd, Waddell. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. Angie Tatum (623) 882-7976.

Tue 14 Tuesday in the Garden

6-10 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring water, gloves and tools that you like to help with maintenance in the demo garden. Pam Perry (602) 279-6250

Tue 14 Master Gardener Training Class

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Topic: Soil/Plant/Water Relationships

Tue 14 Down to Earth Toastmasters

6-7:30 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Olivette Aviso (480) 235-5989. Down to Earth Toastmasters

Tue 14 DBGenus: Euphorbia 6:30-8:30 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, $30 mem/$38 non-mem. Info/Register

Wed 15 Valley Permaculture: Introduction to Square Foot Gardening

6:30-8 pm, Tempe Transportation Center, Don Cassano Community Center, 200 E. 5th St., 2nd floor, Tempe. $15. Info/Register

Wed 15 Southwest Gourd Society Meeting

7-9 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Lana Hinde (602) 843-9015, SW Gourd

Thu 16 Desert Valley Orchid Society Meeting

6:30 pm, Scottsdale Senior Center, 10440 E. Via Linda, Scottsdale. Steve Grass (602) 508-1808, Desert Valley Orchid Society

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service,

and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours. Underlined words are links to websites or e-mail addresses.

Thu 16 Backyard Composting Basics

6:30-8 pm, Valley Permaculture Offices, 1122 E. Washington St., Phoenix. $15. Info/Register

Fri 17 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice.

Sat 18 Mesa East Valley Rose Society Deadheaders

7 am deadheading, 8:30 am Society meeting, Mesa Community College Rose Garden, 1833 W. Southern Ave, Mesa. Bring gloves and pruners/shears. Training provided. Mike Cryer , Deadheaders

Sat 18 Plants of the Bible Guided Tour

8 am, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Learn about botany, history, and scripture on this slow-paced walk. Info

Sat 18 Ask a Master Gardener

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Sunrise Mountain Library, 21109 N. 98th Ave., Peoria. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. David Haase (623) 889-5585.

Sat 18 Tomato, Pepper, Chili Plant Sale

10 am-1 pm, Southwest Gardener, 2809 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix. Info

Sat 18 Master Gardener Q&A Session

10:30-1:30 pm, Civic Center Library, 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice. George Salamunec

Sat 18 Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit Class

10:30 am, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Free with admission. Info

Sat 18 Herb Propagation 12-1:30 pm, Valley Permaculture Office, 1122 E. Washington St., Phoenix. $15. Info/Register

Sun 19 Tree Tour 8 am, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Info

Sun 19 Phoenix Chrysanthemum Society Meeting

2-4:30 pm, member home. Contact for address: George Chi (480) 248-7685. Phoenix Chrysanthemum

Tue 21 Tuesday in the Garden

6-10 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring water, gloves and tools that you like to help with maintenance in the demo garden. Pam Perry (602) 279-6250

Tue 21 Master Gardener Training Class

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Topic: Selecting ,Planting, Staking Trees and Chemical Safety

Tue 21 Phoenix Rose Society Meeting

7:30 pm, Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th Ave, Phoenix. Phoenix Rose Society, Jeannie Cochell (602) 363-6444

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service,

and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours. Underlined words are links to websites or e-mail addresses.

Wed 22 Permaculture Design-Residential Site Planning

6:30-8 pm, Valley Permaculture Office, 1122 E. Washington St., Phoenix. $15. Info/Register

Fri 24 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring plant or insect specimens for ID and advice.

Sat 25 Heritage Rose Garden Volunteer Day

8-10 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Steve Young (602) 237-9043.

Sat 25 SRP Shade Tree Workshop

8 am and 10 am, Fountain Hills Learning Center, 16000 E. Palisades Blvd., Fountain Hills. Register now for this class as space is limited. Info/Register. To volunteer for 30-45 min. after each workshop to answer questions, contact Kat Farris (602) 413-5700 or Sign Up Online

Sat 25 Houseplants and Shade Plant Selection

9 am, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. RSVP or (602) 437-0700.

Sat 25 Propagation and Cultivation of Herbs

9-11 am, Desert Botanical Garden, $30 mem/$38 non-mem. Info/Register

Sat 25 Sustainable Edible Gardening

9 am-noon, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix, $25. Info/Register

Sat 25 Drip Irrigation Design and Installation

9 am-noon, Desert Botanical Garden, $35 mem/$44 non-mem. Info/Register

Sat 25 Landscape 101 10:30 am, Gardener's World, 3401 E. Baseline Rd., Phoenix. $5, includes product coupons over $5 in value. RSVP or (602) 437-0700.

Sun 26 Edible/Medicinal Desert Plant Guided Walk

8 am, Boyce Thompson Arboretum, 37615 U.S. Highway 60, Superior, AZ. Learn about native desert plants have fed, clothed, and healed indigenous peoples for a millennia. Info

Sun 26 Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society Meeting

2-4 pm, Dorrance Hall at Desert Botanical Garden. Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society . Judy Braun-Brody (480) 481-8129

Tue 28 Tuesday in the Garden

6-10 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring water, gloves and tools that you like to help with maintenance in the demo garden. Pam Perry (602) 279-6250

Tue 28 Master Gardener Training Class

9:30 am-12:30 pm, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix. Topic: Entomology 101

Items in green denote an event sponsored by the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service,

and/or an opportunity for volunteer hours. Underlined words are links to websites or e-mail addresses.

Tue 28 The Producers: Fall and Winter

6:30-8:30 pm, Desert Botanical Garden, $30 mem/$38 non-mem. Info/Register

Tue 28 Basic Yard Makeovers 6:30-8:45 pm, Chandler City Hall, 175 S. Arizona Ave., 2nd floor, Chandler. Free to Chandler utility customers. Info/Register

Thu 30 Valley Permaculture Volunteer Orientation

6:30-8 pm, Valley Permaculture Office, 1122 E. Washington St., Phoenix. Info/Register

Fri 31 Main Office Diagnostic Clinic

8 am, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Bring plant or pest samples for ID and advice.