Tag: gardening

Master Gardeners Presents: February Speaker

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…

Back to the Garden: High Altitude Orange Blossoms

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…

Online Program

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…

Watering Guidelines

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…

Back to the Garden: Guardians of the Gardens

Master Gardeners presenting Fred and Pat Flanagan with a gift of gratitude for their many years of service.

Sheilah Britton Fred and Pat Flanagan lived in the Northeast for 35 years before visiting the Southwest. “We fell in love with this place,” says Fred. “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…

Winter Hardy Cactus Online Course

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 on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. Mark will discuss “Winter Hardy Cactus” for…

Back to the Garden: Agave: Drama in the Desert

Agave Americana

Sheilah Britton The more agaves I discover, the more I feel they represent the theatrical spirit of the desert. With colors ranging from silver and blue to red and green, in stripes and textures, with teeth and hair, their characteristics seem almost human. Species of agave are found in the United States, Mexico, and Central…

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 a Zoom format. Lectures are free. These lectures are designed to resolve basic gardening issues along with gaining…