MAR. 2014

EDITOR: Vineetha Kartha ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Meg Paterson COPY EDITORS: Jean Updike, Karen Sankman

WEBSITE QUESTIONS: Jo Cook, 602-827-8211 USPS MAIL QUESTIONS: Diane Umeda, 602-827-8239

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 www.maricopamastergardener.com

STAFF: Kelly Young, Assistant Agent, ANR/Urban Horticulture

602-827-8219, kyoung@cals.arizona.edu Jo Cook, Program Coordinator

602-827-8211/jocook@cals.arizona.edu Diane Umeda, Administrative Assistant

6028278239, dianeumeda@cals.arizona.edu Sharon Dewey, Speakers Bureau

602-827-8209/sdewey@cals.arizona.edu

Roots & Shoots

RGRP Gardens MG Update Leaf Rust Calendula And many more!! Cover by Kristen Carter, Cover photos courtesy RGRP Galleries

in this issue >>>

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: Christy Sinclair------------------------480-218-0583/christysinclair29@hotmail.com Don Sutton-----------------------------480-654-1757/dasutton2@mac.com Demonstration Gardens: Pam Perry------------------------------602-279-6250/pamlperry@cox.net NW Valley Satellite: Marianna Hancin ---------------------623-566-1737/borderterriers@cox.net Kris Coates ----------------------------623-214-2385 Debra Martinez -----------------------623-772-5330/drmartinez57@hotmail.com Speakers Bureau: Sharon Dewey ------------------------602-827-8209/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 - 12:30 p.m. Weekdays 9:00a.m.-Noon

https://www.facebook.com/MaricopaCountyMasterGardeners

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 reasona-ble accommodation, such as a sign language interpreter, by contacting Jo Cook, Program Coordinator, at jocook@cals.arizona.edu 602-827- 8211. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jeffrey C. Silvertooth, Associate Dean & Director, Economic Development & Extension, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.

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Roots & Shoots

RGRP Gardens by Margaret Spence

Broadmor School Garden—”The Learning Patch”

A big blackboard lists the chores to be completed for the day: Paint the shed, plant veggie seeds, pull weeds around raised beds. This is the monthly work day for the Broadmor Elementary School garden. Volunteers, mostly parents and grandparents, join with their children to maintain this thriving school garden. Started five years ago with a matching grant from the city of Tempe, the garden is now a thriving outdoor classroom. The Learning Patch is supported by funds from the PTA and school administration, grants and community/private donations. Garden committee co-chair and parent Kelly Hedberg details the creation of ‘The Learning Patch:’ “The gar-den location was identified and preserved five years ago when the original Broadmor school was demolished and a new building was planned/built. This garden location used to be part of an indoor courtyard for the kin-dergarten classrooms. It is bordered by a brick wall from the original school which is covered in ceramic tiles that were decorated by Broadmor students in the 1970’s.” Kelly also explains that the mission of the Broad-mor Garden is to: Create and sustain a dynamic outdoor setting for classroom instruction in science, math, environmental

studies, nutrition and art. Provide an enduring meeting place for the Broadmor community to share ideas and work together in the

design, planting and harvesting of plants. Advocate for an understanding of natural food systems, healthy food choices and environmental steward-

ship.

Kelly adds, “The garden provides a wonderful space for students to not only learn about plants and food sci-ence, but also to enrich their observation and exploratory thinking skills.” Plants are grown in both raised and in-ground beds. Nine vegetable/herb beds form the garden’s inner ring, surrounded by a perimeter bed of desert adapted plants, chosen to attract wildlife and butterflies. There are over twenty vegetables planted for the current season and approximately fifteen different desert adapted plants. Six trees have been planted in the last two years as well: two orange, a peach, two Desert Willows and a Palo Verde. Along the south wall is a two bin composting system, separated by handmade adobe cob walls. Children have learned the value of composting and contribute to the process by recycling food scraps from garden tastings and school lunches. Last year, students constructed the cob walls with the help of the garden’s intern from the ASU School of Sustainability. Water is used wisely: four parallel systems with valves run water to each of the beds. The garden runs on two irrigation zones: one for vegetables and one for desert adapted plants. A combination of soaker tubing, drip irrigation, spray emitters and hand-watering completes the irrigation sys-tem. Students visit the garden for monthly lessons during the school day. This year, twenty-two classrooms par-ticipate in the program, averaging over 500 students per month in the garden. A typical learning session be-

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Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

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ask

RGRP Gardens continued...

gins with a brief discussion on the monthly topic, followed by a hands-on activity and a tasting. Classroom lessons last for 30-45 minutes per visit. Curriculum topics for 2013-14 include: seeds, beneficial insects, ver-micomposting, cactus, flowers, citrus, plant parts and the water cycle. All curricula is designed by members of the Garden Committee, and classes are taught by garden volunteers, most of whom are Master Garden-ers. Kelly Hedberg explains how nature’s lessons drive the learning process at Broadmor: “Our focus is students and hands-on learning!! We are constantly learning from our garden’s evolution. Typical garden problems are approached as a learning opportunity for our students. A good example of this was last year’s frost. We lost approximately half of our vegetables, despite frost cloth. As a result, we changed our curriculum and taught weather patterns and microclimates for the next month.” The tastings are an important component of the curriculum as they expose and introduce healthy food op-tions to students. “Knowing they’ve grown the food is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies,” says parent and Garden Committee Co-Chair Curtis Barnes. “It’s a farm to table lesson for the children.” Teachers and students are not the only ones to sample the vegetables as each comes to its peak. Broadmor parents and community members also receive fresh food during school Harvest Days and weekend work days. All food is distributed free of charge. The garden is constantly changing throughout the year. The school Harvest Festival occurs in late October. During this time, the garden is covered in straw and decorated with pumpkins. This past fall, scarecrows were created as well to populate the patch. Garden art projects are coordinated by a parent volunteer and have included the following: chalk drawings, watercolor paintings and student sketches from “an insect’s point of view.” For the RGRP tour, there will be a new metal sculpture involving handmade clay hearts. During this year’s Real Gardens for Real People Tour, from 9 am to 4 pm on March 22nd, there will be a wide variety of healthy food and garden-related items for sale on the grounds of Broadmor School. Bring your pennies and enjoy outdoor lunch and shopping at the fair. Tickets for the self-guided RGRP Tour will be available at the school for $30 on the day of the tour (cash or check only).

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Roots & Shoots

WHO: Ryan Wood, Program Manager for Watershed Management Group, teaches water harvesting and permaculture design through hands‐on workshops, presentations, consultations, and integrated design ser-vices. Ryan was raised on a farm and gardened with his grandfather as a child, but when he and his wife, Erica, started gardening here in the desert, it didn’t come naturally. Something many of us can relate to. After many failed attempts, Ryan took the Permaculture Design course to learn about gardening in the desert and got more than he’d bargained for. The Permaculture course drew him into thinking about integrative de-sign and how building soils, composting, water harvesting and the right plants for the right place, can allow people to live well and garden while conserving vital resources like water and soil. Ryan then took this a few steps further. He became a Master Watershed Steward (one of our Maricopa County Extension programs) and also took the Water Harvesting certification course through the Watershed Management Group. Mean-while, his wife, Erica Wood, became a Master Gardener. The Watershed Management Group (WMG) creates community‐based solutions for people and the health of the environment through the harvesting and management of water. They have a shared sweat equity ap-proach that puts a variety of water harvesting options within reach of more people. The Watershed Manage-ment Group has a history of working with cities and residents on practical projects like storm water diversion, so that the water is used on site before it picks up more pollutants as it wends its way to the bottom of the watershed. You can learn more about WMG here: watershedmg.org/

WHAT: Water Harvesting

Ryan’s emphasis is practical. Passive water harvesting can direct rainwater from roof to garden, storm-water from the street to a tree and air conditioner condensate to a garden bed. Active water harvesting is often capturing runoff from the roof in a rain-barrel. Grey-water often comes from a washing machine. It is re-used instead of sending it to the sewer. We’ll learn what factors to consider in designing for water harvesting, con-sider different strategies for creating an integrated water harvesting system and what is required to maintain a residential water harvesting system. When you’re landscaping for water harvesting or anything else, you change the water regimen for existing plants and may dig in the root zone of existing trees. Water harvest-ing, like landscaping and construction can involve digging, compression and other changes to the root zone. Next month Rebecca Senior will help us address this part of the equation at the March update, “It’s All About The Roots”. WHEN: March 12, Wednesday morning, 9:00 am

WHERE: at the extension office, 4341 E. Broadway Rd., Phoenix

Water Harvesting with Ryan Wood

MG Update By Deb Sparrow

Real Gardens for Real People Garden Tour

Date: March 22, 2014 Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Location: Visit gardens in the Tempe/East Mesa area

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Meet Rebecca Senior

Rebecca Senior is the newest member of the Agroecology team as Assistant in Extension, Ornamental Horticulture. She brings with her ten years of experience at the Desert Botanical Garden, the last seven years coordinating the Desert Landscape School, where she completed thirty residential landscape installations as project manager. She is a Certified Arborist (WE-8411A) and is Tree Risk As-sessment Qualified from the International Society of Arboriculture. She is an Arizona Certified Landscape Professional, with a certificate in Sustainable Land-scape Management from the Arizona Landscape Contractors Association. Re-becca received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from Arizona State University.

Her job is to be a link between the University of Arizona and the people of Mari-copa County, bringing research-based information on selecting the right plants for urban landscapes and maintaining their health. She will focus on creating fun, new pathways to access this information such as plant clinics, new train-ing sessions, and hands-on workshops. Helping the people of Maricopa County, homeowners and professionals, have more success with their landscapes is her mission and passion. The shared goal is creating vibrant healthy landscapes with less water, chemicals, and labor. The results will be more beautiful and sustainable urban landscapes, more livable cities and increased productivity and profit for landscape professionals. Rebecca is so glad to be here, she said: “Lucky me, I have worked with many talented and skilled volunteers over the years and so I know there is great joy ahead working with Master Gardeners bringing the University to the people, growing programs, and growing friendships.” When she is not working with plants she likes to work with her artist husband in his studio creating sculptures in metal, stone, concrete, and just creating.

Please contact Rebecca anytime, rsenior@cals.arizona.edu or 602-827-8276

Save the Date – The Plant Clinic is Coming!

On March 29 , 2014, from 9 – 11 am, we need Master Gardeners for a trial and assessment session of the new Plant Clinic.The Plant Clinic will serve the public and their plant problem needs. We will be testing the format of a two hour, once a week drop-in session and would like your input before offering it to the public.

The first portion will be an update on a timely topic followed by three to five plant problems from the past week. The rest of the time is for “drop-in” plant problems.

So sharpen your evaluator pencil and find a plant problem to bring with you. Look for details in an email the week before March 29th.

Summer 2013 Master gardener Class has a new Master Gardener in training. Congratulations to Kathryn

Mathewson, 2013 Intern class for her beautiful baby girl born in February. She weighed in at 9 lbs, 14 oz and is

20.5 inches tall. She sure is a cutie!

Our Newest Master Gardener in Training

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Roots & Shoots

DESIGN CHARETTE

The March Design Charrette will be March 8th from 9:00 AM until noon in Scottsdale near the crossroads of Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard at the home of Mary Dokes. This is an opportunity to help Mary with her garden, meet and work with fellow Master Gardeners and earn three volunteer hours. We follow the design part of the Charrette with a potluck lunch and opportunity to socialize. Experience is not necessary to participate.

Here is what Mary has to say about her garden:

“We recently moved into an attached patio home in McCormick Ranch and are excited to have Master

Gardeners bring their ideas for two spaces of our home. The first is in the back patio which has a direct western exposure. It had a Palo Verde tree that provided lovely shade but a terrible mess so it was removed along with all the river rock. All that is left in the approximately 160 sq ft space is dirt ~ so it’s a blank slate. We’re looking at low water use and native plants to add color for this area. The

other area is the front entry walk. There are areas on each side of the sidewalk available for plantings and we’re open to any suggestions. We’re looking forward to getting design suggestions and advice

from fellow Master Gardeners.”

If you are interested in participating in this Charrette, please e-mail us at designcharrette@hotmail.com or call Beth Kirkpatrick at 480-275-4833.

We are still seeking a homeowner to help in May, so if you need help with your landscape, please contact Sue Lanker at designcharrette@hotmail.com or call her at 602-576-0051.

What is a Design Charrette...And How Can I Participate?

A Design Charrette is a forum hosted by a Master Gardener to develop design ideas for a chosen landscape. As a Master Gardener, you can host a Charrette for your own property or any other. This is a 3-hour event that includes a tour of the grounds, potluck and design discussion. The number of attendees is usually limited to 12.

HOSTS: Receive the benefit of free design ideas. As the host, you will provide a tour of your property which includes plant identification and information, researched or experimental. The host provides a letter of intent for the property that prioritizes goals, needs and problems to be solved. A simple drawing of the property must also be provided to the group to use in their landscape design. Lastly, the host provides cups, plates, utensils, napkins and water. Guests will bring the food.

GUESTS: No formal landscape design education is required. But we do require that you bring your imagination! Come; enjoy the garden tour, plant identification and the opportunity to learn from fellow Master Gardeners as we share our design ideas. Each guest will need to bring a potluck dish. Design Charrettes are held on Saturday mornings and the date is determined by the host and Design Charrette team. If you are interested in hosting a Design Charrette or have any questions, please contact us at: designcharrette@hotmail.com

Design Charrette Team—Beth Kirkpatrick, Sue Lanker, and Matt Murman

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If you are new to our program, the Real Gardens for Real People Tour is a very popular self-guided tour of inspiring Real Gardens designed and maintained by Real Master Gardeners. But you don't need to be an expert to help out!

If you have been a Master Gardener for awhile, then you know this is our biggest (fundraising) event of the year, where we educate and inspire the public to garden sustainably and in harmony with our harsh desert climate. We need your help to make it a success. And, yes, it is one of the most fun ways to get your volunteer hours, get out in the fresh air, meet some old friends and make some new ones along the way!

Before The Tour

If you would like to get your hours before Tour Day, many of the Gardens still are in need of a little sprucing up, including light pruning, weeding, and tidying up. To volunteer in a garden Before Tour Day, use this link:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0C45ABA92BAA8-rgrp1/11562699

On RGRP Tour Day 3/22/2014

We still need about a dozen Garden Guides to be Greeters, Roamers and Safety/Traffic People.

There are two five-hour shifts on tour day, 7:30 am-12:30 pm, and 12:00 pm-5 pm. To volunteer on Tour Day, use this link:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0C45ABA92BAA8-rgrp/11562699

Don't forget, if you volunteer on Tour Day, you will be eligible to go on a quick pre-tour, which begins on March 16 at 11 am with a potluck meet-up at the Extension Center. (We will carpool and follow a predetermined route with a 15 minute stop at each garden. Attendance is optional. Details will go out later to eligible MGs and interns.)

For More Information on the RGRP tour use this link:

www.realgardensforrealpeople.com

See YOU in the Gardens!

The Real Gardens for Real People Tour is BACK!

March 22, 2014, from 9 am to 4 pm, 6 gardens in Tempe/West Mesa.

Calling All Master Gardeners and MG Interns!

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Roots & Shoots

Sitting on a Paris bench in May, I was enjoying a

view of the Eiffel Tower. The beds of the park had

been freshly dug exposing the rich dark soil, and I

knew colorful summer plants would be arriving

soon. An elderly woman came walking through the

grass pulling her shopping cart. She stopped at the

flower bed. In the bright light of day she removed

her red trowel and a plastic shopping bag. Bending

over she began carefully filling the bag with fresh

soil.

Mission accomplished, she tucked the small bag of

dirt into her cart and began walking back in the di-

rection from which she came. She wanted to grow

something! I imagined her returning to her small

apartment and filling pots for her windowsill. She

might plant seeds, or she may take another walk

and snatch a cutting off a park’s geranium! The aim

was to put a plant in her window where every day

she could enjoy the beauty of life.

She lived within walking distance of one of the

world’s great public parks, yet she needed a more

personal connection to nature. In Richard Louv’s

Nature Principle he writes: “Everyday our relation-

ship with Nature or lack of it influences our lives.”

Louv’s persuasive writings for our need of nature in

our lives is for “thrival” not simply survival. He even

suggests our National Park System should be

aligned with our Department of Health since they

are important to our well-being. He calls Nature our

most healthful prescription and advocates a daily

dose of Vitamin N!

In a recent article by the popular Doctors Oz &

Roizen, they write about the importance of optimism

Traveling GardenerTraveling GardenerTraveling Gardener

Wandering, Wondering, Noticing...Wandering, Wondering, Noticing...Wandering, Wondering, Noticing...

By Linda Larson

“Zest of Life”

Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

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for keeping our bodies healthy. In it they say a long life is a result of having a “zest for life.” They give an

often repeated list of how keeping that attitude results in better heart health, reduced stress and improved mental and physical fitness. In the life stories of many founders of grand gardens I find a trend. Virginia Robinson of the Robinson Gar-dens in Hollywood lived just a few months shy of 100 years. She developed and directed her gardens with passion. In her later years she walked daily in her garden and settled down to read in a comfortable chair surrounding herself with the beauty of her King Palm grove. Madame Ganna Walska gardened in her Lo-tusland until age 94, still supervising and improvising her garden arrangements. She was always expecting improvement. Ginnie Butchart of Butchart Gardens lavished her attention on her gardens until age 84. She trucked in soil to remake her husband’s depleted rock quarry into her famous sunken gardens. Christopher

Lloyd, of Greater Dexter Garden in England, worked his garden until just a few months before his death at 84. For 42 years he wrote a weekly gardening column for Britain’s The Guardian, always finding new material to interest his readers. A connection with soil and nature grows a zest for life. Whether a mogul with millions or a frugal pensioner, if we have a little dirt where we can grow something, we will get our daily dose of Vitamin N. Gardeners wake up hopeful. We wander out in the morning air, full of expectation. We enjoy the sunrise, and we are on the move! Perhaps the bud we noticed yesterday will open in bloom today. Maybe the seeds we planted last week will be popping up their fresh green shoots. There is hope that a favorite plant will be showing signs of settling into its new location and will soon flourish and flower. We have connections to a larger world in all aspects of life. Our plants need us, for water, for food, for care. We need our plants to brighten our days. Our life is shared with others whether it be in zucchini, lemons or multiplying iris and agaves. Sharing generates energy and more creative ideas. We enjoy being helpful in our world. Gardeners are resilient. Hungry caterpillars, powdery mildew and broken sprinkler lines will not stop us. There is beauty, joy and adventure in our gardens and it fills our being with happiness and purpose. Follow-ing the cycle of the seasons we reduce our anxieties as we witness the ebb and flow of life. Planning ahead as our garden changes we feel some control of our next season. We bring the outdoors in with flowers and fresh food. Anticipation of the sweet taste of salad or cobbler our gardens will soon provide comforts us as we end our day. In the lottery of life some will have more money for dirt than others. They may buy it by the acre and haul it in by the truck full. But nature is available to all of us. If you resolve to increase your zest for life, may I suggest a dose of Vitamin N – whether it is a walk in a park, fresh soil in a pot or an ambitious garden over-haul – if we grow a little something, we grow a zest for life. Images courtesy Rich Larson

Traveling Gardener continued...

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Roots & Shoots

Lessons from Leaf Rust by Gail Cochrane

Coffee is cultivated in over 50 countries, mostly in the equatorial regions of Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. While it is the second most heavily traded commodity after petroleum, most of the world’s coffee is grown on small-scale family farms.

Recently, coffee exports from Central America have been severely impacted by la Roya or leaf rust. The spores of this parasitic fungus drift on the wind and fall with the rains. When they land on coffee tree leaves they wait for the perfect (wet, warm) conditions to germinate and steal in through the stomata. A single spot of the orange-colored leaf rust can produce four to six generations of spores within five months. An infesta-tion of the fungus Hemileia vastatrix causes coffee trees to lose their leaves, impacting photosynthesis. The plants can no longer store reserves for fruiting. Since beans are grown on wood produced the previous year, future crops are affected as well. Leaf rust first ravaged coffee farms in South Asia in the nineteenth century, raging through the coffee growing regions of Sri Lanka and southern India. After ten years of coffee leaf rust, farmers in what was then Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) switched to cultivating tea. The rust spores have spread in the years since and are now present in varying degrees in coffee growing regions around the plan-et. The recent 2013 la Roya outbreak in Central America was one of the most widespread ever. This winter’s coffee bean harvests in Nicaragua were down 80% due to leaf rust. Honduras was down 43%, Guatamala 42%, and Mexico was down 65%. Estimated losses exceed $500 million and 374,000 jobs.

Sweet tasting Coffea arabica is more susceptible to leaf rust than Coffea canephora (robusta). Varieties of C. arabica have been developed with resistance to rust, but the rust seems to adapt after a decade or so. Ge-netic markers are being developed for the most rust resistant plants. Researchers are also experimenting with hyper parasitic fungi, parasites of parasites. Studies on companion plantings are examining relation-ships with protective organisms that co-evolved with coffee in its native environment in Africa. Changes in temperature and patterns of rainfall associated with global warming may have led to the massive infestation. Scientists are also examining the affects of shade versus sun grown coffee and related planting densities. There is work to be done to better understand the biology of the fungus.

Last April the World Coffee Research Program (WCR) responded to the crisis with its first international sum-mit. WCR is a global network focused on sustainable growth of Arabica coffee. The fledgling organization is sponsored by US and international coffee industries and administered by the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M. More than 150 participants gathered in Guatemala city representing diverse sectors such as coffee associations, local governments, agro chemical companies, non-governmental organizations, coffee producers, and agricultural research institutions. Various groups addressed specific top-ics, drawing on their particular expertise, and outlined goals to deal with the crisis. In the short term, it was decided that coffee growers would be advised and assisted in pruning and cleaning their groves. Government funding was requested to subsidize copper based fungicides to be sprayed periodically. Over the next sever-al years the farmers will have to replant resistant varieties. In the long term, studies are focused on genetic structures for rust resistance. Hybridization could then be implemented.

The Wall Street Journal reported after the WCR summit that regional governments had agreed to finance the immediate fungicide needs. The World Bank is considering low cost loans to help farmers pay for new rust resistant seedlings. Sustainable Harvest and other non-profit organizations working in Central America are helping farmers diversify their crops, develop alternative income ventures, and nurture current fields.

Sources:

Bladyka, Emma. Some Insights on Coffee Leaf Rust (Hemileia vastatrix). Specialty Coffee Association of America. February 15,

2013.

Cressey, Daniel. Coffee Rust Regains Foothold. Nature. January 29, 2013.

Josephs, Leslie. Fungus Wreaks Havoc on Coffee Crop. Wall Street Journal. May 14, 2013

National Coffee Association of Guatamala. Primary Outcomes of 2013-2014 Coffee Harvest. LaPrensa. January 9, 2014

Schmick, Henry. WCR Meeting of Coffee Leaf Rust in Central America. GAIN Report. April 24, 2013.

Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

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Six Tempe/West Mesa Real Gardens will be open for a self-guided tour that you won't want to miss!

Features:

One community garden - growing fresh produce for the largest food pantry in Tempe

One school garden - teaching real-world lessons in health and science

Four diverse home gardens - featuring art in glass, metal, stone, and wood, beautiful flowers, vegetables, fruits, trees, and chickens!

Food Trucks and Vendors of Garden-Related Items

Garden Experts on hand at each stop

RGRP Ticket Information

Purchase Tickets Online, By Phone, By Mail, or In Person for $25 In AdvanceOn Tour Day - Tickets $30 Cash Only - Purchase In Person at Escalante Park and Broadmor Elementary (see website for details)

For more information on the 2014 Real Gardens for Real People Tour or to purchase tickets, use this link:

www.realgardensforrealpeople.com

Tell all your friends! Tell your family! See YOU in the Gardens!

2014 Real Gardens for Real People Tour! March 22 - 9am to 4pm

Looking for a fun gift for a friend or a memorable spring event to take an out-of-town guest on?

Look no further - its the

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Roots & Shoots

We all know the herb calendula (Calendula officinalis) or pot marigold (also called the poet’s marigold) is an annual in our desert climate as is typical for this herb. It blooms with bright yellow, orange or pink-tinged blossoms from fall through spring and dies out in the heat of summer, usually starting in mid June to early July. Or does it?

Calendula is my favorite herb and flower. I’ve extolled its virtues before, but for the record, the flower petals can be used to brighten salads; it is also considered the “poor woman’s” saffron. The whole plant can be tossed into soups and stews (hence its name “pot marigold”), and the flower petals can be dried and used in a variety of salves for skin irritations. And they are a great cut flower for color and cheerfulness (for those into the psychological effects of color, yellow encourages not only cheerfulness but communication).

I’ve grown calendulas for years, in central and southern California before moving here, and enjoyed their bloom almost year round in that climate. Some of my favorites are Orange King (for its brilliant large blooms) and Pacific Beauty Mix, which includes a great variety of shades from apricot to peach and cream. The vari-ous “radio” varieties introduced in the 1930’s to celebrate the invention of the radio are also stunning for their pointed, quilled petals often tipped with deeper color. For the most part as they self-sow from season to season (or as I save the seed-heads), they revert to yellow. In my book, there’s nothing wrong with that. Their blooms grace my table with food and color year round, and when I’ve had too many and tossed them on the top of the compost, they stubbornly continued to grow.

Being an experimental gardener by nature (or possibly nurture, as my mother was also a master gardener) and loving this plant as I do, I hate to be without it. So, the last two summers I’ve kept a few alive in my herb bed. It’s a small 3’ x 10’ bed along the base of the house on the east side. It gets full morning to noon sun and afternoon shade and gets quite hot there in the summer, as it is directly against the house (a light-colored stucco wall which retains heat) and is surrounded by a low concrete block edging in a small enclosed yard. It is a microclimate of heat. The soil is a mix of some desert clay with primarily topsoil and compost so it has lots of organic matter as well as some manure mixed in. I pamper that bed. It gets watered daily in the heat, often twice a day because it is small and dries out quickly.

I cut the plants back by half or more in mid-June. In July and August they survived and formed buds which stayed small until September, when a few opened into small flowers. In my experiment of the previous year, there were more buds and small flowers, about one quarter the size of the spring and fall blossoms. In both years, these flowers bloomed for a day or two and then died (during spring and fall they would last 3-4 days). New buds were also slow to form. Later, in September through October, more buds started to open. As the weather cooled through November and December, and then warmed again this year, the flowers have become larger, deeper and richer in color and the plants more vigorous than they were the previous year. The plants are also more compact (not leggy as calendulas often get through the growing season).

Although this is hardly a scientific experiment, it is interesting. I now know calendulas can be a perennial in this climate with some extra care. And even better, I can have my favorites year round with only a short summer break in bloom – and even then the buds have color. When everything is hot and dry and my other beds are being solarized, this is a cheerful treat!

Calendula - The New Perennial Herb by Sheryl Stradling

Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

12

The demonstration gardens at the Maricopa County Extension Of-fice have a new feature !!

An agave demonstration garden – complete with walking path, plant identification tags and even a rock seat – now welcomes visitors thanks to generosity, creativity and a large team of volun-teers.

The plants are gifts of master gardener Carol Stuttard and repre-sent her entire personal agave collection. There are 50 varieties of agave represented -- and more are sought.

“This entire production cost absolutely nothing,” Carol told master

gardeners gathered at the February update meeting.

On January 23, a team of about 20 master gardeners and other volunteers prepared the soil, installed irrigation, laid and raked stone pathways, and, lastly, tucked the agaves into their new set-tings. Each plant has identifying signage.

All of the materials were donated – from river rock and ¼ inch minus gravel to the irrigation supplies and ID tags.

The 2,600-square-foot site was a wildflower garden that was no longer productive. Established desert mallow and desert senna plants were preserved, however, to keep the agave company and provide seasonal color. Also retained on the site was a boulder, the area around which was landscaped to create a small seating area. A few paving stones also were decoratively repurposed.

Providing architectural interest and crucial shade to the site are two large trees – an old mesquite and a palo verde. Carol de-signed a curved, rock-lined walking path that maximizes the con-tributions of the handsome mature trees and shows off the aga-ve, too.

Two low spots in the garden were excavated and lined with river rock to facilitate rainwater collection and to minimize runoff. Berms were also added to the north side of the garden to pro-vide a natural looking dividing area between the nearby bus stop, sidewalk and the garden itself.

Though the garden is ready to welcome visitors, additional plant donations are still needed. The garden also needs additional volunteers to maintain it as a high-quality educational attraction for master gardeners and the public. You can find the new garden on the northeastern corner of the Maricopa County Extension Office on Broadway Road in Phoenix.

Contact Master Gardener Carol Stuttard for more details.carolstuttard@cox.net

Agave Garden Installation by Emily Heller

13

Roots & Shoots

Real Gardens For Real People, 2014 - Hands-On Exhibits

Hands-on exhibits are a new feature of this year’s Real Gardens for Real People Tour, to be held in the Tempe-Mesa area on Saturday, March 22.

As the largest garden on the Tour, the Escalante Community Garden, at 885 S. River Drive, Tempe, will have five exhibits. You’ll learn how to “Garden in Raised Beds,”, with Laura Royal, while “Irrigating Gardens” will

be taught by Judy Curtis, and “Growing Healthy Turf,” by Sharon Dewey. Appealing to the would-be homesteaders among us, this garden will also feature lessons on “Preserving Garden Produce,” by Kari

Spencer, and “Raising Chickens,” by Cindy Schuler. Be sure to check out the baby chicks. Escalante’s mature

chickens roam their enclosure and enjoy the new coop volunteers built in this expansive and beautiful garden. The Escalante Community Garden, established two and a half years ago on acres owned by the City of Tempe, provides produce that ups the nutrition content of food pantry boxes given to clients of the Tempe Community Action Agency.

The garden of Alejandra and Alfonso Iniguez on E. Lehi Rd in Mesa, takes the visitor back in time to a peaceful country scene even though the property is not far from the busy 202 highway. Fruit trees abound and there will be talks on “Pruning Trees,” by Kris Coates and Lee Ann Aronson will demonstrate “Salsa Gardening

with Herbs.” Lee Ann will show how to create salsas using herbs grown at different times throughout the year.

Homeowner Alfonso Iniguez, a metal sculptor, will point out the many pieces he’s made for the garden.

At Jan Wise’s garden at Friendship Village, Tempe, Lisa Barrkman will provide expertise on “Container

Gardening with Cacti and Succlents” and Hozy McCarter will show visitors how to “Appreciate Bonsai.”

Former Desert Botanical Garden instructor Kirti Mathura will teach “The Art of Flower Gardening” at Linda Larson’s recently renovated “Heart, Art & Flower” garden on W. Milagro Drive, Mesa.

Permaculture fans and those who just want organically grown edibles will enjoy Doreen Pollack’s talk on “Best

Friends! Companion Planting! at the Stone Soup Garden on Oxford Drive, Tempe. In keeping with garden owner Kristen Battafarano’s natural gardening philosophy, Michelle Schrade will tell visitors what pollinators – bees and other insects, bats and birds - do and how they can be welcomed to your yard and how to plant a pollinator-friendly garden in the southwest. In her demonstration, “Pollinator Paradise,” Michelle will also discuss

ways people can stop using pesticides or limit their use.

The Learning Patch is the teaching garden of the Broadmor Elementary School, on the corner of College Street and Aepli Drive, Tempe. Here, Pam Perry will teach “Growing Great Vegetables”, Bonnie Newhoff will

delve into “Composting,” ( excuse the pun) Carol Diemer will turn the worms in “Vermicomposting” and Mitra

Khazai will show how parents, teachers and kids can get a school garden going.

The children of Broadmor School will host their own Lemonade Stand and provide demonstrations on “Cooking

with Kids. “

Broadmor School will also be the location where you’ll find twenty vendors, some selling food and drink, and

Master Gardeners will be on hand to man the Ambassador Booth and to sell Master Gardener books.

To buy tickets, visit http://www.realgardensforrealpeople.com To volunteer for workdays: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10COC45ABA92BAA8-rgrp1 To volunteer on the day of the tour: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10COC45ABA92BAA8-rgrp

By Margaret Spence

Maricopa County’s Master Gardener Newsletter

14

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION,

MARICOPA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER’S

REAL GARDENS FOR REAL PEOPLE TOUR

GUIDELINES FOR EARNING MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER HOURS

GENERAL RGRP PROJECTS AND TASKS ELIGIBLE FOR MG VOLUNTEER HOURS: Attending any meetings related to the RGRP Tour Participating in activities related to the Tour (*see below for exceptions) Participating in activities related to educating Master Gardeners for the Tour TASKS RELATED TO PREPARING THE GARDENS ELIGIBLE FOR MG VOLUNTEER HOURS: Early Tours and Pre-Tour and provision of feedback inspired by these mini-tours Organizing and/or training volunteers Making pre-existing garden elements tour ready (i.e. chicken coops, composts, yard art, hardscape, ponds, potted plants, etc.) General garden plant cleanup Light pruning to enhance the plant shape or remove frost damage Pruning to create a clear (safe) tour path Weeding Planting or transplanting that does not require heavy labor Creating a temporary Tour Day path Plant identification and labeling Creating story boards Tasks associated with setting up the garden day of and day before the Tour Volunteer activity on Tour Day Tasks associated with clean-up and wrap-up activities following the Tour TASKS RELATED TO PREPARING THE GARDENS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR MG VOLUNTEER HOURS: Construction of hardscape including walls, walkways, fire pits, barbeques, ponds, permanent shade struc-tures, etc. Extensive tree or shrub pruning Turf removal Tree and shrub planting (anything that requires digging big holes) Any project requiring heavy labor

*NOTE: As decisions are made related to this topic remember we are an educational organization not a labor force. Even though

certain tasks won’t earn volunteer hours, if a master gardener desires to participate in that activity as a learning experience or

simply chooses to do such a task, it is the individual’s choice. The master gardener may decline when asked to perform a task that is

not approved for earning volunteer hours. If any of these guidelines conflict with other guidelines of the master gardener volunteer

program, those guidelines take precedence. If questions arise whether or not an activity qualifies, the final decision rests with the

MG Volunteer Program Coordinator.

Maricopa County Master Gardener’s Advisory Board Approved January 2014

4341 E. Broadway Road, Phoenix AZ 85040-8807 • 602-827-8200 • Fax: 602-827-8292 • extension.arizona.edu/maricopa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

12th Annual Real Gardens for Real People Tour

Maricopa County Master Gardeners Present Inspiring Tour of Beautiful and Bountiful Community, Home, and School Gardens in Tempe and West Mesa

WHAT & WHY: The Real Gardens for Real People Tour offers inspiration and instruction for gardeners of all ages and experience levels. This year’s RGRP tour features six innovative gardens:

• Escalante Community Garden, growing fresh produce for the largest food pantry in Tempe with volunteer help from civic groups and residents

• Broadmor Elementary School Learning Patch Garden, teaching real-world lessons in health and science with participation from parents, students, & teachers

• Four diverse home gardens, featuring art in glass, metal, stone, and wood; the natural beauty of flowers, fruit, trees, and vegetables; and bug-eating, egg-laying chickens, among other sustainable gardening practices for the low desert

WHO: Master Gardeners will be available in every garden to offer interactive demonstrations of gardening techniques and to answer questions. The festivities at Broadmor School will include a variety of healthy food and garden-related vendor booths. Artists will create paintings of each garden for auction to the public. WHEN: On Saturday, March 22, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. WHERE: This year’s tour can be started at any of the gardens in Tempe and West Mesa. RGRP is experimenting with a new system to ensure easy driving and smooth traffic flow. Visitors are requested to follow in a clockwise direction the route on the map they receive with their tickets. TICKETS & MORE INFORMATION: $25 online at www.realgardensforrealpeople.com and at selected nurseries starting in mid-February, as well as $30 cash only on tour day at the Escalante Community Garden, 885 S. River Drive, Tempe, AZ 85281, and at Broadmor Elementary School, 311 E. Aepli Drive, Tempe, AZ 85282. MEDIA CONTACT: Alane Bowling, 602-832-1430 or abowlinglane@gmail.com for interviews with garden owners and pre-tour photos.