April 2017
Established in 1980 
In this issue you will find:
Yes, it's possible to enjoy tulips in the desert! These beauties were photographed by Gary Campbell at Desert Meadows Park.
  • Upcoming Events
    • Member Tours & Events
    • Seminars
  • Feature Articles
    • Looking Ahead to the 2018 Spring Garden Tour
    • "In Your Plot"
    • Make a Donation to GVG via AmazonSmile
  • Project Updates
    • Arid Garden
    • Allen J. Ogden Community Garden
    • Desert Meadows Park
    • GVG Gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch
  • Committee Updates
    • Membership Activities
    • Spring Plant Sale
    • Art-in-the-Park/Spring Fair
    • Annual Spring Garden Tour
    • Membership ~ New Members
  • Member Photographs
    • Just Another Beautiful Morning in Desert Meadows Park
    • Mama Bird
     
To submit an article or a photo for the April newsletter? Please submit it by April 29.  Click to submit.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Seminars
  • April 6 ~ Desert Hills Seminar
    • "Snakebite Precautions & Prevention" ~ Laura Morehouse, University of Arizona School of Pharmacy
Member Activities
  • April 13  ~ Members' Activity
    • Agua Caliente Park, Northeast Tucson
  • April 29  ~ Members' Activity
    • "Farewell to Part-Time Residents" Lunch at Historic Canoa Ranch

Visit our website for a complete calendar of events
FEATURE ARTICLES
Do you know of any gardens in the Madera Reserve/Madera Shadows area that might be possibilities for the 2018 Spring Garden Tour?
Looking Ahead to the 2018 Spring Garden Tour  by Stacie Meyer and Cynthia Surprise

We're scouting for gardens for the 2018 Spring Garden Tour next April. We like to have all of the gardens in the same geographic location, and want to showcase gardens in  the Madera Reserve/Madera Shadows area for next spring's tour.
 
Gardens will be previewed by the selection committee in April or early May of this year. The committee strives to feature a wide variety of gardens that provide examples of different styles and gardening challenges. Our primary criteria are that the garden is well maintained and can provide ideas others can use in their gardens. In addition, the garden must be accessible from the outside of the house.

If you are interested in having your garden considered for the 2018 tour, or if you can recommend a garden in the Madera Reserve/Madera Shadows area, please contact Stacie Meyer at staciemeyer24@gmail.com or Cynthia Surprise at cjsurprise@verizon.net.
Plant now and enjoy eggplant parmesan and other veggie delights this summer!
"In Your Plot"   by Lorna Mitchell

Planting Time! Visions of vegetables dance in our heads; red juicy tomatoes, long green cucumbers and zucchini, bright orange cantaloupe, purple and white eggplant, yellow and red peppers, watermelon and honeydew, endless squash, beans, okra and corn and more. We all dream of the abundant harvest ahead, but it doesn't happen by itself.

Soil is literally the foundation of our garden and the source of nutrients for our plants. Preparation of our soil is very important before planting. Digging in abundant organic matter like composted vegetation, steer manure, or peat to our desert soils, along with balanced fertilizers, goes a long way to making that dream a reality.

Tomato plants can be set out anytime. Check the plants for any hitchhikers like aphids, insect eggs, etc., and remove before transplanting.Test irrigation; dig holes for each plant at a spot that gets adequate water. Space plants to allow room for growth; indeterminate plants need support which can be added in a few weeks. Remove the lower yellowing leaves and bury the stem in the soil up to the growing leaves; new roots will grow from the stem and offer more support and nutrient intake. Water once with a nutrient solution such as Miracle Grow, mixing half the rate directed on the label. These new little babies will need TLC for a couple weeks; check often, a lot can go wrong. A translucent gallon milk jug with the bottom cut out and lid off can be situated over a small transplant for a couple of weeks to offer shelter, just make sure water supply is getting to the roots.

Seeds for summer squashes, green beans, leaf lettuce, radish, etc., can go in the ground this month. Soaking the seeds in water 12-24 hours before putting in the ground can hasten germination; keep the ground moist by a couple of short watering cycles each day. Not too wet, not too dry. Read the package as to depth of planting, space as desired but you may have to thin. Allow room for successive plantings every three weeks or so if you want a continual harvest.

Transplants of eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, okra and melons will appreciate the warmer nights of mid-April before thriving in the garden. They survive the cooler temperatures but they don't grow much. There is still time to start seeds of melons and cucumbers at home, then set out the end of April. You can keep them warm at night in the house to give them a head start.

Those are my plot thoughts for now, Happy Gardening!
Shop AmazonSmile and Benefit the Garden Club  

Green Valley Gardeners is now listed on AmazonSmile. When you shop Amazon, log into AmazonSmile, use your existing personal account login information, select Green Valley Gardeners as your non-profit of choice. The club will receive a small donation for each qualifying purchase you make. Thank you!

To shop AmazonSmile go to http://smile.amazon.com/.
PROJECT UPDATES
Josephina Javelina ready for Easter Celebration at Arid Garden!
Arid Garden  by Mary Kidnocker 

It is now possible to walk all the way around the garden on sturdy pavers!
Friday, we had a young lady in a wheelchair who was able to easily visit the garden from gate-to-gate. Only a couple of gravel side paths remain and those areas can be viewed from the hard surface.
 
Before leaving for Fargo, ND, volunteer Hans Hohle repaired and sealed the old wood work table used by volunteers weekly. Thanks to Hans!
 
This past Friday, full-time volunteers said good-bye to four of our valuable winter friends. Have a great summer Carol, Hans, Maria, and Mary Beth... you will be missed. We also wish a happy life to our tiny hummingbird  baby who left the nest last week.
 
Our mild winter and warm spring have encouraged a colorful world of buds, blossoms, and flowers in the garden. The scents, thanks to the many cassia bushes and our old acacia trees, are heavenly. Stop by and experience it for yourself.

Wildflowers (Penstemon, Verbena, Fleabane) bloom in the Arid Garden.


The Arid Garden 's Schaffner Acacia in full bloom against a March sky.
Allen J. Ogen Community Garden b y George Stone

The Allen Ogden Community garden has plots available. See or call George Stone for details (520-343-9690).

Ogden now has an address. For 35 years we have been without an address. We were nothing but a place in the desert. I had to give landmarks to those who wanted to visit. On at least one occasion, landmarks had to be given to medical personnel who were responding to the garden on an emergency. Guess who that was for? Yep! ME. Thank God Dennis and Carol Allen kept their wits about them and could direct an ambulance in. Our official address is now 16331 (C) S. Santa Rita Rd.

The garden has been a flurry of activity for the past month. Let's look at some of what has been going on.

The Gazebo ~ Our gazebo is about twelve years old and has never had a face lift. Haydee Hernandez and Kelly Strayer, both 2nd grade teachers at Copper View Elementary School, took it upon themselves to do something about that. Drawing from the garden's daily activity, Haydee and Kelly developed a panel of art work depicting some of those activities.

The Ogden Garden gazebo gets a face lift.
 
Learning about seeds ~ I had the privilege of being a teacher on March 8. Yes, it was only for an hour, but I was thrilled to do it for Mrs. Hernandez and her class of 25. That's me in the middle in case you couldn't spot me. My lesson for the day was... seeds.

George delivers a lesson on seeds.

The potato tower ~ was b uilt it one day and filled with eight potato seeds. And yes, I threw one over my left shoulder for luck.  The tower was placed under our rain gutter lettuce garden, which is doing nicely thank you.

The potato tower is a recent addition to the garden.

The Chickens ~ On March 15, Matthew Provsgaard delivered railroad ties to the garden, where they were put in place to be the foundation for our chicken run. On March 18, a fter months of preparation, the Ogden's chicken adventure moved one step closer to a reality. Thanks to the help of garden members Tim Drumm, James Hernandez, Virginia Danieu, Brenda and Matthew Provsgaard, the chicken run was assembled and put in place.

On March 20, Matthew and Brenda delivered five hens. Three Buff Orpington's, one Rhode Island Red and one Cuckoo Maran were loaned to us for a three-month period, and within two hours we had our first egg. Preliminary plans are for Copper View Elementary School to utilize the chickens as an educational project. However, definite plans have not been reached.

Michael shows off the first Ogden egg.

  The Hummingbird CafĂ© ~ is now OPEN by appointment. Call George Stone at 520-343-9690 to arrange viewing, photographing, or just simply watching our little birds fly around the 15 feeder stations.
 
Ogden Garden strawberries. Yum!
Strawberries ~ On March 19, we harvested the first strawberries of the year - Now those were some good berries!


A member of the Quail Creek Fine Arts Painting Club takes advantage of a beautiful spring day to paint at the park.
Desert Meadows Park  by Chuck Parsons

Volunteers have been busy preparing the park for the upcoming Art-in-the-Park/Spring Fair event on April 8th. They have been trimming back winter kill on all the trees and plants, spreading mulch, planting new plants, organizing for the GVG plant sale, etc. We are looking forward to introducing the park to many more folks during this event.

The Quail Creek Fine Arts Painting Club spent a day painting at the park in March.
 
Watch for your KGVY Quarterly in April. We expect a spread on the park to be featured in this issue. All of the photos that were contributed were taken by Gary Campbell.

One of the paintings done at the park by a member of the Quail Creek Fine Arts Painting Club.

Thanks to Mark Thompson, visitors to HCR can relax on this beautifully-refinished bench.
GVG Gardens at Historic Canoa Ranch (HCR)  by Jack Davis and Raydine Taber

The February Green Valley Gardeners' Board meeting was held at the HCR.  At that time, Membership Chairman, Mark Thompson, spotted a bench in need of refinishing. Having accomplished this feat at Desert Meadows Park on several occasions, Mark volunteered to pick up and refinish the bench, which Robert Vaughn, HCR Project Manager, happily approved. Now Mark is not a formal HCR volunteer; however, he saw the need and recently delivered a beautifully-refinished product back to the Ranch.  Our hats are tipped, not only for his innovative thinking, but for doing such a wonderful job. Big thanks, Mark!

With 500 attendees, this year's Heritage Fair broke all attendance records for a special event at the Ranch. Good thing we were able to have great volunteer coverage to answer questions and educate the public on all of the GVG projects, including the Spring Plant Sale. A special thanks to Stacie Meyer and Cynthia Surprise for joining our team of Heritage Fair volunteers, providing a poster and flyers describing the upcoming Garden Tour and Art-in-the-Park/Spring Fair. As part of our continuing partnership with HCR and Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation (NRPR), we have been able to place a similar poster and handouts at the Ranch entrance to educate the public about these events.

Karen Walenga, a feature editor for the GV News/Sahuarita Sun, was one of the recent HCR tour attendees. (Karen produces Mary Kidnocker's GVG column). She was impressed with the garden projects that the HCR docents pointed out, and decided that our work at the Ranch would make a great feature article in the paper. We met with Karen for an in-depth tour, detailed discussion, and photo-op of the current GVG projects, as well as plans for future plantings and projects, in general, at HCR. This special feature should be scheduled for publication the first Wednesday in May.  Big thanks to Mary for making this opportunity available!
COMMITTEE UPDATE S
Beautiful plants, perfect weather, and hard-working volunteers all contributed to a successful plant sale.
Spring Plant Sale by Kathleen Stone, Committee Chair
 
Wednesday, March 8, proved to be a day that surprised me. It was set-up day, and until the day was over I had greatly underestimated its importance. 

The day began at 7 a.m. with setup tables being delivered by volunteers. Boxes from storage followed. Plants began arriving from Civano at 9 a.m., and the volunteers quickly began the process of unloading, sorting and placement onto the tables. Cactus arrived with the need to be unloaded, priced and labeled. Sound easy? If not there to experience firsthand, it may. However, I was impressed how well the volunteers worked together. The entire process took eight hours. End of Day 1.

The next three days began at 7 a.m. for many of our volunteers, who worked in three-hour shifts. Many stayed longer. During their assigned shifts, some of their duties included selling, answering plant questions, making sale tickets and carrying boxes. At the end of the day volunteers watered the remaining plants and prepared for the next day. By the end of the plant sale, a total of at least 30 volunteers per day gave their time. A total of 450 volunteer hours was given.

The plants were beautiful, the weather was perfect and the 2017 Spring Plant Sale was reported to have far exceeded the budget profit expectations.

As Committee Chair I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of the volunteers. Without YOU this sale may not have been as successful. We look forward to working with you again during our fall plant sale.
Membership Activities by Marita Ramsey and Cathy Merritt

Jr. House at Historic Canoa Ranch

"Farewell to Part-Time Residents" Lunch

Please join us on Saturday, April 29, for a "farewell to our part-time residents" lunch at the Historic Canoa Ranch, 5375 S I-19 Frontage Road (East Frontage Road).
 
Come and see the many improvements to the ranch, including the gardening projects of our GVG members. Docent-led tours will begin at 10 a.m., followed by lunch in the ranch's Orchard. We will be serving pizza, salad, and dessert. Beverages will include lemonade, beer and wine.
 
The cost is $6.00 per person, and reservations can be made at our April 8 seminar or by mail to:
 
Marita Ramsay
217 S Placita Arcos  
Green Valley Az  85614

Checks should be made payable to GV Gardeners. The deadline for making reservations is April 24.
Art-in-the-Park/Spring Fair by Gene Van Dyken

The new 'Art-in-the-Park/Spring Fair' will run concurrent with the Spring Garden Tour - Saturday, April 8, from 9 to 4, at the Desert Meadows Park. If successful, this event could become another major fund-raising opportunity for our club.

The event will feature:
  • Thirty-six vendor booths selling merchandise from local growers and artists
  • "Recycled Treasures" yard sale
  • GVG on-site container planting and cacti sale
  • Food trucks
  • Music
And don't forget to visit the Silent Auction Tent to bid on one (or more) of the many art pieces to be entered into the auction. Bidding ends at 3:30 p.m.

This desert landscape oil painting, "Sonoran Morning" is one of the many art pieces to be entered into the Art-in-the-Park Silent Auction event. The award-winning artist, Marsha Davis, is one of our member gardeners.

Click these links to download a list of participating vendors and a map of booth locations.
Annual Spring Garden Tour by Stacie Meyer and Cynthia Surprise

The Spring Garden Tour on April 8 is one week away!
 
Remember, this is a major fundraiser for the Green Valley Gardeners and helps support the Arid Garden, Historic Canoa Ranch, Desert Meadows Park, Ogden Garden and the GVG weekly seminars. It's also a great way to get ideas for your own garden.
 
The only remaining seminar where you can buy tickets at the member price of $10 is April 6. If you buy tickets at one of the vendors or at Desert Meadows Park the day of the event, they will be $12. 
 
We are very excited about the gardens, which are now at their best. Visit five different gardens with examples of a large property with natural landscaping, xeriscape gardening, container gardening, perfect gardening for a winter visitor and interesting ways to incorporate art in creative ways in the garden. Watch a plein air artist at work in one garden and hear a musician in another.
Membership - New Members
 by Mark Thompson

During the month of March, we welcomed eight new members to our group:
 
            Rosalie Cassidy
            James Tyrer
            Mary Powell
            Gail Van Wagoner
            Cheri Hannah
            Judith Torres
            Mike and Carol Gaydos
 
The next time you see them, please welcome them to our group.
 
If you have been putting off renewing your membership, April would be a great time to do just that.  Go to our website greenvalleygardeners.com and click on 'Membership".
 
Remember that your membership, and your donations, are 100% tax deductible.  And, please think of GVG for donations in lieu of flowers and in your estate planning.
 
Coming next month - a chance to buy your own GVG Polo Shirt.  You won't want to miss this opportunity.

Thanks for your support!
MEMBER PHOTOGRAPHS
Just Another Beautiful Morning in Desert Meadows Park
Photos by Gary Campbell

Tangerine Beauty Crossvine, along with several aloes and cactus, were in full bloom during Gary Campbell's recent morning visit to Desert Meadows Park. We're fortunate that he had his camera along so we can vicariously share in that morning!







 























Mama Bird
Photo by Cathy Merritt

This sweet mama bird is nesting in the bottom of a light fixture on Cathy Merrit's patio.
Editor: Linda Gricius | Green Valley Gardeners | linda@greenvalleygardeners.com  | www.greenvalleygardeners.com
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