Bill Robinson is the manager of the Crazy Chile Farm where volunteers plant, nurture, harvest, and grind heritage chiles into powder for sale as part of the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration’s outreach programs. Along with the chiles, the farm grows native blue corn, which is now nearly extinct but was once a staple for…
Do you know how to keep your citrus trees happy and thriving? Do you know what to do with those beautiful amaryllis bulbs you got for Christmas? Steve Sheard has a huge garden full of trees, veggies, and flowers, and he’ll share what he’s learned after gardening for 40 years at our next meeting, which…
“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…
On Tuesday morning, Jan. 18, the members are looking forward to meeting Carol Stuttard. Carol is a Master Gardener who has been featured on BBC TV and in Phoenix Home & Garden magazine. Carol will share her information about preparing and growing spring crops. Her favorite crop is tomatoes! In December the club celebrated with a…
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…
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…
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 We are back to meeting in person as Arizona opens again! Our speakers for the April 20 meeting will be Jeanine and Cameron McChesney, owners of Greenhouse Gardens. They grow crops organically and sell their produce to the public on Saturday mornings. They also sell eggs from their chickens that roam around the…