Desert Gardening in Southern Nevada (2021-09)

In this edition

• Upcoming Special Events
• Research Orchard
• NV Naturalist & Professional Horticulture
• MG Home Show Booth
• Gardening Classes

About the Newsletter

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 this mission.

Upcoming Special Events

• Classes: Nevada Naturalist, fall session September 13 to November 1, 2021 (fee). See NV Naturalist & Professional Horticulture for more details.
• Class: Pruning: Trees, Palms & Shrubs, Bilingual English-Spanish, Wednesday September 15, 2021, 5:30-8:30 p.m., in person class (free). See NV Naturalist & Professional Horticulture for more information.
• Class: Native and Desert-Adapted Plants*, Gardening in Small Places Series, September 18, 2021, 8 a.m.-noon, in person class ($10 fee), registration required.
• Class: Planting and Watering, Bilingual English-Spanish, Wednesday September 22, 2021, 5:30-8:30 p.m., in person class (free).  See NV Naturalist & Professional Horticulture for more information.
• Home Show Booth and classes at the World Market Center, September 24-26, 2021. See Home Show for more details.
• Classes: Desert Green, September 30 to October 1, 2021 (fee). See NV Naturalist & Professional Horticulture for more information. 
• Class: Roses*, Gardening in Small Places Series, October 16, 2021, 8 a.m.-noon, in person class ($10 fee), registration required.
• Class: Garden Apps*, Growing Under the Stars Series, October 20, 2021, 6-8 p.m., via Zoom (free), registration required.
• Herb Committee Boutique, Wednesday November 3, 2021, in the Extension Garden area. Open to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Class: Pomegranates*, Growing Under the Stars Series, November 10, 2021, 6-8 p.m., via Zoom (free), registration required.
• Class: Growing Fruit at Home*, Gardening in Small Places Series, November 20, 2021, 8 a.m.-noon, in person class ($10 fee), registration required.

* See Gardening (Horticulture) Classes for more details. Zoom class information will be emailed several days before the event.

GARDENING INFORMATION AND HELP: Contact the Master Gardener (MG) Help Desk via telephone Monday through  Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except holidays at 702-257-5556 or by email at (lvmastergardeners@unr.edu). Walk in welcomed.

Botanical Garden: Open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (except holidays) for self guided tour. Scheduled tours will begin in October. Call the Help Desk for the latest schedule.

For Extension gardening publications go to (extension.unr.edu). Select Publications in the QUICKLINK drop down. Change the year to All Years for a more complete listing of documents. Use keywords such as roses to narrow you search.

 

Research Center and Demonstration Orchard

4600 Horse Drive, North Las Vegas NV 89131
Orchard Manager: Louise Ruskamp, 702-786-4361(LVResearchCenter@unr.edu)

The Research Center and Demonstration Orchard has been growing test plots, orchards, palms and vineyards for almost 30 years! We provide information on fruit trees, grape vines, hops, herbs, and garden vegetables, as well as palms and native plants. We plant and collect data on these crops and then can pass the information onto the backyard farmer, viticulturist or orchardist. We are open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon for walk-ins, curbside pickup or tours. Closed only on major holidays. Volunteers are welcomed.

FYI: We are NOT a “you pick it” facility.

Wood Chip Mulch: We are OUT! We do not anticipate having any until later this month. For those of you who compost, we do have horse manure.

Produce, Hops & Herbs: Curbside or walk in available for plants, seeds, produce and fresh herbs.

Vegetables available in September: sweet & hot peppers, Armenian cucumbers, eggplant, summer and winter squash, fresh herbs (oregano, rosemary, thyme, curry, Genovese, Thai and Purple Ruffle basil, rue, echinacea flowers or leaves, comfrey, garlic chives, green onions tops of I'itoi bunching onions, Asian and Caribbean lemongrass).

Fruit available in September: pluots, almonds, Asian and European pears and pomegranates. Dried hops packages in 1-ounce amounts are available: Amalia, Cascade, Cashmere, Galena, Neo1, Nugget, Petrosky, Zeus. Ask to be added to the weekly email distribution list, which details what is available.

Plants: Lots of native, desert adapted plants; trees and agave are available in all sizes! .

Contact us for the updated product lists or signup for our email notification  distribution list.

Please note that we can not guarantee to have these products available when you visit the Orchard due to supply and demand.

NV Naturalist & Professional Horticulture

Flower blooming in the Nevada desert.

Denise Parsons (parsonsd@unce.unr.edu) 702-948-5906

NV Naturalist: The premier natural resource education and volunteer training program sponsored by the University of Nevada begins its fall session on September 13, 2021 through November 1, 2021. Classes meet in person in the evening on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays at various times and locations.
Professional Horticulture: Desert Green XXV, this 2-day conference features innovations in the green industry. The conference is sponsored by the Desert Green Foundation in partnership with University of Nevada Extension and others and will be held in person at Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall in Las Vegas, NV on September 30 and October 1, 2021. Topics include irrigation, plants, arboriculture, pesticides, golf and sport turf, and design challenges. For more information or to register go to (www.desert-green.org). Fees vary from $235 to $60. 

Class: Pruning: Trees, Palms & Shrubs, Bilingual English-Spanish, Wednesday September 15, 2021, 5:30-8:30 p.m., (free) in person at Extension classroom, registration at (Classes).
Class: Planting and Watering, Bilingual English-Spanish, Wednesday September 22, 2021, 5:30-8:30 p.m. (free) in person at Extension classroom, registration at (Classes).

For more information about any of the classes contact Denise Parsons.

MG Home Show Booth (September 24-26, 2021)

June 2021 MG Home Show Booth.

Expo, Work Market Center
435 South Grand Central Parkway
Las Vegas, NV 89106

Master Gardeners will have a booth at the home show Friday through Sunday answering gardening questions and handing out publications and native wildflower seeds. We will also have presentations and round table discussions on gardening topics. Presentations will last about 45 minutes with a brief question and answer period to follow. Round table discussions are informal with question and answer sessions lasting from one to two hours. People will be coming and going. Show hours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Sunday it will close at 4 p.m. Entrance fee ($0 to $5). Seniors and Veterans entrance is free on Friday.

The Home Show will have a variety of vendors displaying and selling home, gardening, health, and beauty items and services. A schedule listing the dates, times and topics of presentations and round-table discussions is provided below. Schedule subject to change. Information on our booth at the show can also be obtained by calling our Help Desk at 702-557-5556, Mondays through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. except holidays.

Gardening Topics

(P)= Presentation, (RT) = Round-Table Discussion

Schedule	Topic
Friday  25th:
11 a.m.	(P) Hydroponics
noon	(P) Gardening Basics and Useful Tips
1 p.m.	(P) Growing Roses in Southern Nevada
1 p.m.	(RT) Gardening Basics and Useful Tips
2 p.m.	(P) Herb’n Adventures
2 p.m.	(RT) Growing Roses in Southern Nevada
3 p.m.	(P) How Not to Kill Your Tree, Tree Care, Pruning and Watering
3 p.m.	(RT) Herb’n Adventures
4 p.m.	(RT) How Not to Kill Your Tree, Tree Care, Pruning and Watering
Saturday 25th:
11 a.m.	(P) Growing Vegetables & Plants in Small Places
noon	(P) Honeybees
1 p.m.	(P) Growing Roses in Southern Nevada
1 p.m.	(RT) Honeybees
2 p.m.	(P) Hemp
2 p.m.	(RT) Growing Roses in Southern Nevada
3 p.m.	(P) How Not to Kill Your Tree, Tree Care, Pruning and Watering
4 p.m.	(P) Gardening Basics and Useful Tips
4 p.m.	(RT) How Not to Kill Your Tree, Tree Care, Pruning and Watering
Sunday 26th:
11 a.m.	(P) Research Center & Demonstration Orchard
11 a.m.	(RT) Grapevines: A Year in the Caring of Yours
noon	(P) Palm Trees in the Desert: How to Select, Care and Maintain
1 p.m.	(P) Growing Roses in Southern Nevada
1 p.m.	(RT) Palm Trees in the Desert: How to Select, Care and Maintain
2 p.m.	(RT) Growing Roses in Southern Nevada
3 p.m.	(P) Gardening Basics and Useful Tips
3 p.m.	(RT) Native & Desert Adapted Plants

Gardening (Horticulture) Classes*

Native and Desert-Adapted Plants, Gardening in Small Places Series, September 18, 2021 8 a.m.-noon, in person class ($10 fee).

How about using plants that will do well in our soil, will do well with our weather and with our water? You can have a lush landscape while saving energy, water and money! There are so many more native and desert adapted plants that will do well in your yard, giving your landscape color and interest. Discover using these wonderful plants in your landscape. Register at (Native Plants).

Roses, Gardening in Small Places Series, October 16, 2021 8 a.m.-noon, in person class ($10 fee).

Roses are a desirable addition to any garden, even here in the Mojave Desert. With about 100 species and thousands of cultivars to choose from, selecting the right rose for the right place may seem daunting. Come let Master Gardener and Rosarian Dr. Judith Kafantaris teach you about the attributes to look for in roses that will do well in our dry climate. In addition, she will teach you how to care for your roses so you can get the biggest blooms and the healthiest plants. Register at (Roses)

Garden Apps, Growing Under the Stars Series, October 20, 2021, 6-8 p. m., via Zoom (free).

New to gardening or new to the desert Southwest? A gardening book is great, but is not always on hand when you see something delightful. Learn how to use your cell phone to identify plants that are growing and thriving here: Plant what is already working! Amaze your friends with your new super power! Entertain and educate the young and young-at-heart with facts about their finds in the plant world. Contribute to global/regional/local knowledge about what’s out there in the plant kingdom.

Which app? It depends on what you want to know. We will focus on plant identification, but also review other apps that local gardeners might find useful. There are also some other tricks your phone can do for you in the garden.

Master Gardener Susan Lloyd will show you how to find and get the most out of an app that will entertain and inform you. Register at (Garden Apps).

Pomegranates, Growing Under the Stars Series, November 10, 2021, 6-8 p.m., via Zoom (free).

Did you know that Pomegranate trees have different pruning guidelines than other fruit trees? Join Pahrump MG Coordinator Heather Freeman for an informative presentation to learn the best practices for caring for and pruning your pomegranate tree for peak production. Register at (Pomegranates).

Growing Fruit at Home, Gardening in Small Places Series, November 20, 2021 8 a.m.-noon, in person class ($10 fee).

Can you grow fruit trees and berries in the desert? You bet! Figs, nectarines, peaches, apricots, pears, apples, strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes and blackberries are just a few of the fruits you can grow at home. The fruit varieties may be different from what you are used to but the results can still be spectacular! Come and let Dr. Angela O'Callaghan instruct you on what plant attributes to look for when planning your home orchard. Register at (Fruit at Home).

*For more information, please contact Elaine Fagin. If expecting an email on a Zoom meeting, please check your spam and junk mail folders. Our notices are sent via Listserv emails, which sometimes go to these folders. 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 (efagin@unr.edu) or 702-257-5573 at least 3 days prior to the event.