The Master Gardener Volunteers of Southern Nevada provides horticultural information on gardens, landscapes, plants and other related topics. This newsletter is one of many resources of information available to the public to help accomplish that mission.

Upcoming Special Events

  • Class: Pruning, January 16, 2021, 9-11:30 a.m. via Zoom ($10 fee),  registration required.
  • Classes: Pruning, 3 individual classes starting on from January 21, 2021 and ending on February 20, 2021, Orchard,  4600 Horse Drive, North Las Vegas ($10-$15 fee).
  • Class: Vegetable Gardening, February 20, 2021, 9-11:30 a.m. via Zoom ($10  fee), registration required.
  • Class: Composting, March 20, 2021, 9-11:30 a.m. via Zoom ($10 fee), registration required.
  • *See Horticulture (Gardening) Classes below for more details. For Zoom classes, information will be emailed several days before the event.

GARDENING INFORMATION AND HELP: Contact the Master Gardener (MG) Helpdesk via telephone Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except holidays at 702-257-5555 or by email at (lvmastergardeners@unce.unr.edu).

 

COVID-19 Notice

If you are planning on visiting any of the Extension facilities, it is advisable to call in advance as accessibility requirements may change pending Health Department and Nevada State policies.

Herb Garden Featured Plant: Basil

by Master Gardener (MG) David

Native to tropics from Central Africa to S.E. Asia. Most leaves taste somewhat like anise/licorice. Genovese (sweet basil) most common/popular as opposed to: Thai, Holy, and Lemon. Most basils are annuals, but some are perennial in the tropics, including Holy and the cultivar African Blue Basil. Basil has an immense number of cultivars due to frequent cross pollination. They produce a variety of scents/tastes including anise, cinnamon, clove, coriander, lemon, lime. Taste a leaf before you buy.

Genovese and African Blue: Most basils are cultivars of Genovese (Sweet Basil). Large, fleshy, rather juicy leaves. The traditional anise taste most associated with basil. African Blue (AB) is an “Accidental Hybrid” discovered in the early 80s by an owner of an Ohio herb nursery. A cross  between Camphor Basil and Dark Opal Basil. AB is sterile, unable to produce seeds, so no need to pinch off the flowers.

basil plant

If warm enough it will just keep growing. A bee magnet. AB is one of the best indoor basils. Grow light success. Bonsai potential. Not hardy enough for our climate zone. Needs at least USDA planting zone 10B or Sunset 24 plant zones (some disagreement on this). African Blue (MG personal observations/opinions) isn’t the tastiest basil. Leaves are smaller and thinner than Genovese. Peppery. In fact, dried, crispy leaves crushed in fingers smells exactly like fresh ground black pepper. The green leaves have a bit more anise taste/smell (but still disappointing). MGs like it for its ornamental value.

Holy Basil (Tulsi): Minty, Peppery, and Lemony. Used in herbal teas, religious and traditional medicine.

The Master Gardeners of Southern Nevada maintain a herb garden and farm at the UNR Extension facility at 8050 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Normally the public is welcomed to visit our garden areas; however, due to COVID-19 , visits are limited to scheduled tours. See tour information below.

 

Gardening Tips

Below is a listing of gardening tips for January 2021 with the majority of information taken from a book by Dr. Jacqueline A. Soule whose short title is Month-By-Month Gardening in Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico, copyright 2016. We have selected items applicable to the Southern Nevada Las Vegas area, USDA Zones 9A and 9B.

We ask the reader to review this list, use the tips as applicable, and provide comments so that we can tailor it to our area. With your experience and input and that from the Extension Staff and Master Gardeners (MG) we can improve on the list for each month of the year and continually make changes to include new gardening experiences, techniques and adjustments for climate change.

Always be cautious when using a new gardening method. Each garden has its own special environment and some of these tips may not be applicable or produce the results desired. Contact the MG Helpdesk at 702-257-5555 for questions and comments and mention this issue of the newsletter.

p For our readers in other areas such as Pahrump (Zones 8A and 8B), Logandale, Overton, Mesquite (Zones 9A and 9B) and Mt. Charleston, we welcome your feedback as well and are willing to include your list in a specific area of this newsletter.

women shifting composeJanuary 2021 General Gardening

  1. Get started on garden planning this month, Look for the arrival of seed catalogs.
  2. As tempting as it is to tidy-up, do not remove frost damaged material until after the last day of frost. Even if it is dead, dead branches help shelter and protect the still living branches lower on the plant and the roots from subsequent frost.
  3. Even in the dead of winter, plants which are alive need water. Water when the soil is dry below 1-inch depth for annuals, 2 to 3 inches for perennials, and 3 to 4 inches for shrubs and trees. Do take care not to overwater. Check your garden guides for advice on depths of water penetration and water measuring techniques.
  4. If it is growing outdoors it doesn’t need fertilizer this month.

Annuals, Perennials & Flowers

  1. Check post-Christmas sales for amaryllis bulbs. Often greatly reduced in price at this time. You can still get them to bloom indoors this winter, they can be planted outdoors in USDA zone 9.
  2. Perennials can add needed dimension to your landscape design. This is a good time to walk around and decide where you would like to add some perennials.
  3. Roses are often placed only in Rose beds, but they can be grown anywhere the lighting and other variables are right in your garden. Durable heirloom and miniature varieties are especially useful.
  4. Now is the time to locate, purchase and plant bare root and other dormant roses (typically December through February).
  5. The earlier you plant spring-blooming perennials the better but be ready to protect young transplants in case of hard freezes.
  6. Deadhead spent blooms.

Shrubs & Trees

  1. A garden of only tall trees and low perennials could use some interest in mid-level layers. Shrubs provide that. If you like hummingbirds or butterflies, plan on adding some shrubs to help draw them into your yard.
  2. January is a good time to plant trees except for cold sensitive and bare root palm trees which should be planted when the soil temperature is 70º F.
  3. Plant a wide variety of shrubs this month and in February.
  4. Large succulents used as shrubs in the landscape, such as agave, yucca, and cacti, should be planted only after all chance of frost is past.
  5. Plant living Christmas trees. First, acclimatize the plant (harden off) to cooler temperatures.  A week or so in an unheated garage or on a protected porch offers the plant a chance to switch from house to winter mode before being exposed to the additional stress of cold winds while trying to root itself. Second, do not “kill with kindness”. Avoid overwatering a newly planted tree in this cold month when not much water is needed.
  6. January is a good month to do most of the pruning of trees and shrubs with the exception of shrubs that should be pruned after they bloom..
  7. Consider planting deciduous trees that offer shade in summer but let the sun passively heat your home in winter.

Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs

  1. A key to success for the vegetable garden is to sow seeds indoors so you can plant outdoors as soon as temperatures are optimal. In low elevations, beat the heat with a spring crop of the tomato family of plants, such as peppers and eggplant.
  2. Count back from the official last frost date and get ready for indoor sowing:
    1. Six weeks for cool-season crops, such as kale, fennel, and broccoli; and,
    2. eight weeks for warm-season vegetables that bear fruit, such as cucumber, melon, pepper, squash and tomato.
       
 

Clark County Center for Urban Water Convervation & Demonstration Orchard (aka MG Orchard)

4600 Horse Drive, North Las Vegas NV 89131,
Contact Manager: Louise Ruskamp 702-786-4361, (lvmastergardeners@gmail.com)
MG Orchard Facebook

The Orchard is open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon for walk-ins or curbside pickup. Closed only on major holidays. Masks, social distancing, and contact tracing sign-in are required. MG and volunteers must have completed the COVID-19 training and filled out the required documentation. Volunteers are needed to assist with fruit tree pruning! Come for an hour or an entire morning, any amount of time is appreciated.

Pruning Classes Offered: Apricot and plum trees, Thursday, Jan. 21; wine and table grape pruning, Saturdays, February 13 and 20. All classes are $10 for an individual or $15 for a couple. They will be held at the Orchard from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. Space is limited due to social distancing requirements. Call 702.786.4361 or email to register.

Mulch: Contactless “Load Your Own”: Enter through the chain gate to the west side of the Orchard’s main gate on Horse Drive. Drive around to the north side of the property by the large dirt pile. Fill your own containers with your own tools. You are not required to have completed the COVID-19 training or to notify us to enter on this side. Please wear a proper facemask when other people are present. “Tractor loaded” ($5 fee) is available through appointment. Call for availability before coming out.

Produce FYI: We are NOT a “you pick it” facility. Curbside or walk in available. Call Louise at 702-786-4361 or send an email, (lvmastergardeners@gmail.com), for more information. Ask to receive the weekly emails detailing what produce is available!

Seeds: Crimson or Pink Hollyhocks, Echinacea (Coneflower), Gaillardia grandiflora (Indian Blanket Flower), basil, cilantro, green onion, wildflower, hummingbird and butterfly mix seeds: $1 per packet.

Native Plants: Working in conjunction with UNLV, we have several native plant species now available.

One-gallon pots, $3: Hesperaloe parviflora (Red Yucca), Aloe vera (Blue Aloe), and Sphaeralcea ambigua (Globe Mallow), Cercis occidentalis (Western Redbud), Amorpha fruticosa (Midwest Indigo Bush), Ambrosia (white bursage).

One-gallon pots, $5: Moringa oleifera (Moringa), Mexican fan and Canary Island palm, and Wisteria sinesis (Chinese Wisteria).

5-gallon pots, $10 - $25: Opuntia chlorotica (Pancake Prickly Pear Cactus), Opuntia Iindheimeri (Cow Tongue Cactus), Sphaeralcea ambigua (Globe Mallow), Agave americana (Century Plant), Ambrosia (White Bursage), Hilaria rigida (Big Galleta, clumping perennial grass), Moringa oleifera (Moringa), Hesperaloe parviflora (Red Yucca).

Some trees in 15-gallon pots: Rhus lancea (African Sumac) and Agnus-castus (Vitex) are available for $15.
 

 

Youth Horticulture Education Programs (YHEP)/ Junior MG Program

Tricia Perry

The YHEP involves children, families and educators. Each YHEP program is tailored to address the educational needs and levels of specific target audiences from basic gardening to workforce and professional development. YHEP promotes life-skill development through hands-on learning.

Included in the YHEP is the Junior Master Gardener program, which is supported by each state's Cooperative Extension and was implemented in 1999. Adult leaders facilitate the program with an array of research-based curricula developed by the Texas Agri-life Extension. To learn more about the programs offered and to help, contact either Tricia or Barbara. Please visit us on Facebook (Facebook YHEP Clark County) for more information and to show your support for the Junior MG.  

Contact Tricia perryt@.unr.edu 702-948-5975

 

Horticulture (Gardening) Classes

Pruning1 , Gardening in Small Places

January 16, 2021, 9-11:30 a.m. via Zoom ($10 fee).

Instructor ML Robinson will teach you the what, when, where, why and how of pruning your landscape to keep your plants healthy and looking like you want them to.
Register at (Eventbrite class, pruning).

Pruning, Classes are held at the Orchard, 4600 Horse Drive, North Las Vegas from 8:30-11 a.m. ($10 or $15 per couple fee).

Limited space as social distancing will be implemented. Masks and sign-in are also required. Call Louise to be placed on the list at 702.786.4361. Payment in cash or check payable to the Board of Regents due on the day of the class.

Pruning: Apricot and Plum Trees, January 21, 2021

Pruning Grapes: Wine & Table, February 13, 2021

Pruning Grapes: Wine & Table, February 20, 2021

Vegetable Gardening1, Gardening in Small Places, February 20, 2021, 9-11:30 a.m. via Zoom ($10 fee).

Join Dr. Angela O’Callaghan as she explains the ins and outs of vegetable gardening. This workshop is geared to help the beginning gardener, returning gardener, gardeners from outside the desert or current gardeners that just want a little refresher, learn how to be successful growing their own food in the Mojave Desert. Register at (Eventbrite, vegetable gardening).

Composting1, Gardening in Small Places, March 20, 2021, 9-11:30 a.m. via Zoom ($10 fee).

If you think you can’t compost in the Mojave Desert, or if you’ve tried to compost in the desert and haven’t been successful, join our compost class. If you eat fruits vegetables and throw any parts of them away, you have the makings of compost. Let Dr. Angela O’Callaghan show you! Register at (Eventbrite class, composting).
 

Footnote1: For more information, please contact Elaine Fagin. We are pleased to make reasonable accommodations for members of the public who are disabled and wish to participate in our programs. If special arrangements are necessary, please notify Elaine Fagin at (efagin@unr.edu) or 702.257.5573 at least 3 days prior to the event.

Mcgue, D., Perry, T., Ruskamp, L., Sgamma, R. 2021, Desert Gardening in Southern Nevada, January 2021, Extension, Uviversity of Nevada, Reno, Newsletter, Edition 21-01

Learn more about the author(s)

Lori Leas
Lori Leas
 

Extension Director's Office | On the campus of University of Nevada, Reno