Back to the Garden – Cristate Saguaro, An Eyeful of Magic Sheilah Britton, Pinal County Master Gardener The Sonoran Desert is full of surprises—javelina families sharing a prickly pear cactus, hawks on the arms of saguaros, water rushing through arroyos after a rain, a chorus of coyotes howling at dusk, cactus flowers coloring the desert…
Sheilah Britton, Pinal County Master Gardener Beginning the first day of this year, Jan. 1, 2022, the United States Bureau of Reclamation has announced a Tier 1 shortage to go into effect for the Colorado River basin. It is the first time a water shortage has been declared on the Colorado River, a source of…
Sheilah Britton, Pinal County Master Gardener When I first moved to Arizona in the late 1970s, I shipped fresh citrus to my parents who lived in the mountains of Colorado each December. It was a rare thing for them to have a box of tangelos and lemons in the midst of winter. A short time…
Back to the Garden—Agave Snout Weevil Sheilah Britton, Pinal County Master Gardener Recent monsoon rains brought much moisture and beauty to our thirsty desert, and with the rain came mosquitos, gnats, and black beetles that carpeted our streets after the storms. Most of these critters are thinning out, although the Agave Snout Weevil (Sycphophorus acupunctatus)…
Back to the Garden: Rain and Shine Sheilah Britton, Pinal County Master Gardener The summer of 2021 has been a marvelous time for gardening in our SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch communities. Tomatoes, squash, potatoes, lettuce, herbs, and flowers were abundant before the rains of July, and cooler temperatures have allowed us to enjoy our homegrown delights…
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 beginning 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…
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…
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 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…