Yesterday's sessions were packed with great speakers. Mary Irish spoke first to the entire crowd. Living in Phoenix, this active woman works at the Boyce Arboreum in central Arizona and also teaches desert gardening classes in the Valley. Her presentation was very animated, which I like in a teacher. Her knowledge is amazing. When she speaks, others quiet and listen.
According to Irish, there are about 83 native plants that are ideal for this area. I'll stick to my acacias, mesquites, penstemons, salvias and lavenders (which came from Europe) to some of the more drab low-desert evergreens.
A four-man Q&A session followed, hosted by the Sonoitan Jin Koweek and panel members Russ Burrow of the Tohono Chul Park, Rob Call, Cochise County Extension Agent, John White, Curator of the Chihuahan Desert Gardens in El Paso and Jack Kelly, Pima County Extension Agent. This was an entertaining as well as educational question forum, although Rob told me later that some of the people were offended that some of the questions were mocked.
Wynn Anderson, Curator of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens in El Paso gave a wonderful slideshow of plants he's come across while hiking in Chihuahua, Mexico. The photographs were so beautiful I felt compelled to jump into them to feel the dirt and smell the flowers. His photographs of the Basaseachic Falls in the Sierra Madre were especially breathtaking. The falls there are some of the tallest in North America. Anderson also leads hikes with the penstemon society into Mexico, but, according to him, "those trips aren't cheap."
None of the plants he photographed were native to our area, but he felt there was no reason why none of the plants there could be cultivated and sold in nurseries here. Some of the plants most northern natural range is in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend, Texas.
I was tired today from lack of sleep the nights before. I sat with the same crowd but tried to find Betty Rae. I didn't see her until the end of the day as we were leaving. We had just finished a very inspriting presentation by Peter Gierlach (aka Petey Mesquitey from Radio KXCI Tucson ) from Spacefood Nursery (who gave me a penstemon for free yesterday). We hugged each other and promised a repeat for next year. At 82 years old, I do hope I get to see her again.
Peter's presentation is an annual event at this conference. So many people enjoy listening to him that the conference room is doubled during his talks. Although he didn't teach anything new, his observations on life in the grasslands of Southeast Arizona, on the western slopes of the Chiricahuas, was quite touching. This tall and lanky man spoke poetically about his daily jaunts through the high grasslands in his "Rotton Cotton Purple Shorts" across faded jeep trails, honoring the badgers and coyotes he's seen along the way, as well as honoring the bones of dead animals as well.
It turns out that Peter has his own website of his desert observations and is a well-known former Tucsonan of earlier decades. This website also includes some of his poetic music. I told Peter that I really liked his desert observations. He's an accomplished gardener, nursery manager and lover of wildlife who's quite happy with the simple things in life. He told the audience earlier that "I moved to Albuquerque with dreams of living in an adobe hacienda but I found out I'm doomed to live in narrow trailers on windy grasslands."
According to Irish, there are about 83 native plants that are ideal for this area. I'll stick to my acacias, mesquites, penstemons, salvias and lavenders (which came from Europe) to some of the more drab low-desert evergreens.
A four-man Q&A session followed, hosted by the Sonoitan Jin Koweek and panel members Russ Burrow of the Tohono Chul Park, Rob Call, Cochise County Extension Agent, John White, Curator of the Chihuahan Desert Gardens in El Paso and Jack Kelly, Pima County Extension Agent. This was an entertaining as well as educational question forum, although Rob told me later that some of the people were offended that some of the questions were mocked.
Wynn Anderson, Curator of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens in El Paso gave a wonderful slideshow of plants he's come across while hiking in Chihuahua, Mexico. The photographs were so beautiful I felt compelled to jump into them to feel the dirt and smell the flowers. His photographs of the Basaseachic Falls in the Sierra Madre were especially breathtaking. The falls there are some of the tallest in North America. Anderson also leads hikes with the penstemon society into Mexico, but, according to him, "those trips aren't cheap."
None of the plants he photographed were native to our area, but he felt there was no reason why none of the plants there could be cultivated and sold in nurseries here. Some of the plants most northern natural range is in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend, Texas.
I was tired today from lack of sleep the nights before. I sat with the same crowd but tried to find Betty Rae. I didn't see her until the end of the day as we were leaving. We had just finished a very inspriting presentation by Peter Gierlach (aka Petey Mesquitey from Radio KXCI Tucson ) from Spacefood Nursery (who gave me a penstemon for free yesterday). We hugged each other and promised a repeat for next year. At 82 years old, I do hope I get to see her again.
Peter's presentation is an annual event at this conference. So many people enjoy listening to him that the conference room is doubled during his talks. Although he didn't teach anything new, his observations on life in the grasslands of Southeast Arizona, on the western slopes of the Chiricahuas, was quite touching. This tall and lanky man spoke poetically about his daily jaunts through the high grasslands in his "Rotton Cotton Purple Shorts" across faded jeep trails, honoring the badgers and coyotes he's seen along the way, as well as honoring the bones of dead animals as well.
It turns out that Peter has his own website of his desert observations and is a well-known former Tucsonan of earlier decades. This website also includes some of his poetic music. I told Peter that I really liked his desert observations. He's an accomplished gardener, nursery manager and lover of wildlife who's quite happy with the simple things in life. He told the audience earlier that "I moved to Albuquerque with dreams of living in an adobe hacienda but I found out I'm doomed to live in narrow trailers on windy grasslands."
I'd much rather have wild land and a small house myself than a huge house with a square-foot garden in the back.
Although this conference cost me $100 plus another $150 in lost revenue, I enjoyed the comeraderie with other gardeners. Some of the Cochise County Master Gardeneres finally got to accept me as one of them; earlier last year I was the "New Kid in Town." I even took a liking to Jean, who took the Rainwater Harvesting Class with me. She's a retired college lecturer who recently spent all her savings on buying 40 acres outside Tombstone.
The CCMGA committee really outdid themselves on getting everything organized. All the speakers were well planned out and diverse.
Motivated by the speakers and by the warm weather, I spent most of today planting new growths in the front yard and getting the garden ready for more cool-weather vegetables.
http://www.timberpress.com/authors/id.cfm/874
Although this conference cost me $100 plus another $150 in lost revenue, I enjoyed the comeraderie with other gardeners. Some of the Cochise County Master Gardeneres finally got to accept me as one of them; earlier last year I was the "New Kid in Town." I even took a liking to Jean, who took the Rainwater Harvesting Class with me. She's a retired college lecturer who recently spent all her savings on buying 40 acres outside Tombstone.
The CCMGA committee really outdid themselves on getting everything organized. All the speakers were well planned out and diverse.
Motivated by the speakers and by the warm weather, I spent most of today planting new growths in the front yard and getting the garden ready for more cool-weather vegetables.
http://www.timberpress.com/authors/id.cfm/874
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Currents/Content?oid=112278
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kxci/arts.artsmain?action=viewArticle&sid=15&id=1462294&pid=218http://www.apsdev.org/library/references/news200712.pdf
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kxci/arts.artsmain?action=viewArticle&sid=15&id=1462294&pid=218http://www.apsdev.org/library/references/news200712.pdf
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Bisbee made national newshttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29197019/
And this article scares the begeesus out of me because my neck still hurts from the whiplash the dogs gave me Christmas Eve: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/280324
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