Sheilah Britton, Pinal County Master Gardener According to the National Weather Service, monsoon season officially begins on June 15, which means we might expect to see rain, flooding, lightning, wind, and dust sometime in the next few months. But, we haven’t really had a monsoon for the past two years, so how do we proactively…
Sheilah Britton, Pinal County Master Gardener If you have walked the nature trail at SaddleBrooke Ranch in the past few months, you’ve likely seen a barren section of land transform into a fenced collection of raised beds, a shaded area with tables and benches, potting tables, and an oversized shed on the property. The community…
Laurie Foster, Pinal County Master Gardener The Master Gardener Training Course will once again be offered to SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch residents on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon, Oct. 6, 2021 through Feb. 16, 2022. The program will be presented via Zoom in webinar format. This is an intensive 17-week lecture series given by…
Sheilah Britton, Pinal County Master Gardener Your SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners are pleased to host Locana De Souza, an urban wildlife specialist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, for an online community education program on Thursday, May 20 at 1 p.m. In the communities in which we live, we share the…
Sheilah Britton, Master Gardener, Pinal County April showers are an unlikely event in the coming month. The average April rainfall in Tucson is .17 inches and that won’t do much to help your garden grow. But there are many things you can do for your garden in this month of near perfect weather that will…
The Role of Trees in Climate Change Sheilah Britton Your SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners are pleased to bring Tanya Quist, a faculty member in the School of Plant Sciences and Director of the University of Arizona Campus Arboretum for an online community program “The Role of Trees in Climate Change” on Thursday, March…
Sheilah Britton Your SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch Master Gardeners invite you to join us for an online Community Education program with Kim Matsushino of the Tucson Audubon Society on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. Kim will speak on Creating Beneficial Habitats for Birds and Pollinators. Kim Matsushino is a native Tucsonan who grew up…
Sheilah Britton The image of plump, colorful fruit against a background of verdant green foliage leaves a lasting impression on any visitor to the Southwest who has left a white, snow-covered universe in the midst of winter. There is something slightly liberating about being able to pick fruit from a tree in your backyard, peel…
Zann Wilson Your SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Master Gardeners invite you to join us for an online Community Education program with Carianne Campbell, owner of Strategic Habitat Enhancements, on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 1 p.m. Carianne will speak on Near-Native Plant Choices from the Chihuahuan Desert for your SaddleBrooke/SaddleBrooke Ranch Garden. Botanist Carianne Campbell is a well-known advocate…
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…