Pauline Lee Our July 18 meeting will feature Jackie Rich, a Phoenix native and a Master Gardener. In 2010, Jackie’s yard was included in the Real Gardens for Real People Tour, organized by the University of Arizona Maricopa County Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardeners. At that time, she was interviewed by a reporter with Arizona…
Sustainability of our food production – part 2 Pauline Lee Modern agriculture has increased production several-fold in the last half of the 20th century by mechanization and chemicalization, both of which require large energy input. At the same time, the efficiency of modern agriculture has actually decreased drastically if one takes into account the concomitant…
The Sun Lakes Garden Club will be learning about marijuana crops grown here in Arizona at the June 20 meeting. The featured speaker this month is David Grandon from “Harvest of Arizona.” Members and guests will see a slide presentation of the crops and learn about the horticulture of the plants and how botanical research…
Pauline Lee During April, our club had two extra activities besides our usual monthly meeting. On April 8, our club members enjoyed a morning tour to five Sun Lakes gardens, each being different in size, utility and ambience. Each garden was beautifully developed by the homeowner whose artistry and creativity were amazingly different from one…
Sustainability of our food production – part 1 Pauline Lee The amount of food and water we consume will not be sustainable for future generations due to the depletion of our natural resources. In the last 40 years, 30% of arable land has become unproductive, and 25% of the planet’s soil is severely damaged. What…
Pauline Lee On April 18, our club will present speaker Josh Waltemeyer from Treeland Nurseries to help us prepare for a garden with summer blooms. He will also tell us how to use container plants for effective decoration in our landscape. Bring any questions that you have to become a successful gardener in the desert.…
Earth Day 2017 Pauline Lee Our earth is estimated to be over 4.5 billion years old, and traces of chemicals left in rocks in Greenland indicate that these were the remains of early one-celled living beings, possibly 3.5 billion years old. On Earth Day, April 22, 2017, let’s reflect how scientists have developed enough understanding…
Pauline Lee Our March 17 meeting will feature Ken Roberts, a member of Phoenix Bonsai Society. Ken and his wife have a collection of approximately 50 trees of various size, from the smallest, approximately four inches tall, to the largest, approximately three feet tall. The trees vary greatly in age also. The oldest, collected in…
Genetically modified plants Pauline Lee Farmers generally plant seeds that will yield the kind of crop they wish to harvest. After centuries of such selection processes, many farm crops have prominent characteristics not at all like their wild ancestors. Yet, we generally accept such farm produce as natural and consume it without hesitation. Now, how…
Pauline Lee At our December meeting, we enjoyed a beautiful, tasty and fun potluck brunch, and our president Diane Beatty presented a donation check of $300 to Neighbors Who Care. Carol Bowers, Volunteer Services Coordinator for NWC, accepted the check. In our January meeting, our speaker Ilene O’Meara, a master gardener and a resident of…