Joe Allen You may not realize it, but all plants and especially desert adapted plants* need much less water during the winter months of December through March. Due to much cooler temperatures, there is less water evaporation from the soil as well as less transpiration of water vapor by the plants themselves. Continuing summer watering…
Tag: Gardening
Generals, January 2021
Back to the Garden: Guardians of the Gardens
Sheilah Britton Fred and Pat Flanagan lived in the Northeast for 35 years before visiting the Southwest. “We fell in love with this place,” Fred said. “When we first visited SaddleBrooke, we decided it was the place we’d settle.” They bought a home in SaddleBrooke in 1999 but it was 2006 before they actually made the…
Generals, November 2020
“Winter Hardy Cactus” for Online Community Education
Zann Wilson Your SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners invite you to join us for an online Community Education program with our long-time friend and frequent presenter, Mark Sitter, owner of B and B Cactus Farm on East Speedway. Join the free Zoom webinar program on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. where Mark will discuss “Winter Hardy…
Generals, November 2020
Master Gardeners Presents Gardening in the Desert
Linda Vautrin-Hale No time like the present to save your spot for the Master Gardeners Lecture Series, Springtime Gardening in the Desert. This is a new series of talks to be held on Wednesdays in February 2021 via Zoom. Lectures are free. These lectures are designed to resolve basic gardening issues along with gaining new knowledge about…
Clubs & Classes, November 2020
Dr. Wilder from the Desert Lab to Speak at Master Gardeners Event
Zann Wilson Your SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners are pleased to bring Director of the Desert Lab at Tumamoc Hill, Ben Wilder, to our Thursday, Nov. 19, online program at 1 p.m. A unique combination of science and culture, Tumamoc Hill is an 860-acre ecological preserve in the heart of Tucson. Its innovative, sustained, long-term environmental…
Generals, November 2020
Back to the Garden: Mastering Your Garden
Sheilah Britton I was recently awarded the certification of Master Gardener, an honor to be sure, but hardly an accurate description since I am still, and will probably forever be a life-long learner in this landscape. SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners are university trained volunteers who serve as community educators. We work with the University of Arizona Cooperative…
Generals, October 2020
Meet Marylee Pangman
Zann Wilson Your SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners are pleased to bring Marylee Pangman to our Thursday, Oct. 15, 1 p.m. online program, “Become the Master of Your Desert Container Garden.” Marylee is the founder and former owner of Tucson’s The Contained Gardener. With more than 25 years of successfully designing and growing potted gardens in…
Generals, October 2020
Back to the Garden: A Tale of Two Cacti
Sheilah Britton For many of us who live in SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch, the saguaro (pronounced “suh-wahr-oh”) Carnegiea gigantea is a much sought after and central focal point of your landscape palette. It has, after all, been an iconic symbol of the Southwest since the mid-1800s and grows only in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, Mexico,…
Generals, September 2020
Back to the Garden
September: The Perfect Pause Sheilah Britton September is like a sigh of relief in the desert. Temperatures begin to fall, nights take on soft breezes, and we slowly return to spending more time outdoors in the middle of the day. While we can’t count on everyday being mild, the shorter daylight hours assure us that…
Generals, September 2020
Backyard Bats
Zann Wilson Your SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners invite you to join our virtual Community Education via Zoom on Thursday, September 17, at 1 p.m. Arizona time. Scott Richardson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist, will present “Backyard Bats.” Scott has responsibility over the previously endangered lesser long-nosed bat. Scott first became interested in bats while…