“What should you do when you see a swarm of bees in your garden?” Derrick Shields is a local professional beekeeper who will be the featured speaker for the Feb. 15 meeting. He’ll share his vast knowledge of bees and how important they are as pollinators for our food supply. On Jan. 25 the members…
Forty members of the Sun Lakes Garden Club gathered for a field trip to Berridge Nursery on Camelback. Members were met by the owner of the nursery and enjoyed touring the amazing “Seasons” display. The floral designers start decorating in June, to transform their large greenhouse. They have 33 decorated Christmas trees and other beautiful…
“Poinsettias aren’t poisonous … I’ve tasted them!” says Sharon Petterson, speaker for the Nov. 16 meeting. Find out how she created a patriotic red, white, and blue poinsettia after Sept. 11. Sharon Petterson is a second-generation native Arizonan from a farming family. She and her husband Gary founded and operated Gardeners’ World Nursery and Gardener’s Eden…
Carol Stuttard is a horticultural professor at Mesa Community College, horticulture instructor at Desert Botanical Garden, certified desert landscape designer, Maricopa County Master Gardener, and private gardening consultant. Carol is an organic gardener who has been featured in Phoenix Home & Garden magazine and on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Members and guests will gather for socializing,…
Starla Kramer On Tuesday, Sept. 21, Kim Rosenlof will give a presentation on growing, harvesting, and eating artichokes and their wild cousins cardoons. While most people are only familiar with the closed artichoke buds purchased in a supermarket, when left to flower, artichokes and cardoons will bloom with gorgeous purple florets that bring amazing color…
Starla Kramer Members gather for meetings every month, all year, plus lots of optional field trips around the Valley. When the heat rose above 110 degrees, “indoor field trips” were initiated. This summer, the members decided to participate in some do-it-yourself garden projects for fun and fellowship between meetings. The Aug. 17 meeting will feature “The…
Nancy Mumpton Stinknet is a fast-moving, invasive weed in Arizona and locally in Sun Lakes. It has green “carrot-like” leaves and rounded flowers. The leaves smell pungent and can be allergenic. It emerges from November to April and starts flowering in February. Seed is easily spread by wind and traffic. It loves to sprout along…
Starla Kramer Members enjoyed (private) field trip tours and lunches at the Olive Mill in March, Butterfly Wonderland in April, and Schnepf Farms Peach Festival in May! The featured guest for the July 20 meeting is Josh Waltemeyer, whose family owns Treeland Nursery. Josh is a favorite among members, and he’ll discuss the importance of…
Starla Kramer Visitors are welcome to visit our Tuesday, June 15, monthly meeting to learn about how to legally grow marijuana in your backyard. Horticulturalists enjoy watching the plants go from “seed to weed” in 90 days. The new Arizona Law states that homeowners are allowed 12 plants per two adults in the household. The…
Starla Kramer The May 18 monthly meeting will be live, and members will meet Tara Emery, owner of Crème da la Baa Farm near Gilbert Road and Chandler Heights Road. Tara grows everything organically and sells her creamy fudge made with goats’ milk at local farmers’ markets, along with her homemade sourdough breads, cinnamon rolls,…