Members of the Flower/Rose subgroup on their April garden tour
Mary Jane Wilson
Cacti, succulents, citrus, fruit trees, vegetables, herbs, roses, flowers—you name it, and someone in SaddleBrooke probably has experience growing what you are interested in. Members have moved here from Pennsylvania, California, Florida, New York, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Indiana, Washington, Texas, etc., etc.—all places where we have one thing in common: Gardening is very different here! Club members’ gardening experiences run the gamut from Master Gardener to new in town and just starting out to been there, done that, and they will be glad to show you what I’m talking about. Our unique climate and growing conditions provide plenty of fodder for discussion when our members get together.
Four subgroups offer like-minded members breakout meetings and garden tours:
Vegetable and Herb subgroup members’ plans for April and May include offsite tours: a guided tour at Mission Garden at the base of “A” mountain and a visit to Sow Arizona, Kara Adam’s Tubac area garden (with a stop for lunch in Tubac, of course!).
Flower and Rose subgroup members are learning from each other during home garden tours now that their spring blooms have arrived, and they are hoping for some garden parties as well! Local rose bushes are blooming beautifully after benefitting from winter pruning and early spring feedings.
Citrus and Fruit Tree subgroup members recently were invited to two citrus tasting events: one at Mission Garden, a heritage garden growing a variety of fruit trees on historic land, and the second at Rillito Nursery, a small nursery that sells a variety of citrus and other fruit trees. Members look forward to planning some backyard garden tours this spring.
Our Cactus and Succulents subgroup is searching for a new subgroup coordinator. See our website for information on this opportunity.
The SaddleBrooke Garden Club (SBGC) website at sbgardeningclub.weebly.com continues to expand, with great gardening information supplied by our members. Recent additions include several excellent links to expand and improve your citrus growing skills as well as additions to the Veggie/Herb section on soil testing and guidelines for timing your spring season planting. The Upcoming Events section is continually updated with new postings for plant sales, educational seminars, farmers markets, and garden tours all around Tucson. Member contributions make the SBGC website your “go–to place” for all things gardening in SaddleBrooke and the Tucson area. If you see a gardening event happening in the Tucson area that is not on the SBGC website, please send this information to SBGardeningClubAZ@gmail.com so we can add it to the website for the benefit of all our members.
More than 170 gardeners have joined the SBGC so far to learn from each other’s gardening experiences. Membership applications and information about the club and subgroups can be found at www.sbgardeningclub.weebly.com. Dues for a basic membership are $10 a year.