Bonnie Nowicki, Master Gardener As we continue to be ever hopeful about these challenging times in our country, perhaps envisioning a lovely arbor covered with lush greenery and fragrant flowers is just what we need to boost our spirits. Visualize a charming vine meandering up a wall, arbor, or trellis. Vines, actually, are a practical…
Tag: gardening
September 2020, Generals
Container Herb Gardening
Bonnie Nowicki, Master Gardener Two books devoted exclusively to herbs sit on my bookshelf and need attention. Both books extol the versatility and medicinal value of herbs. So much information! For this article, I decided to focus on growing herbs in containers for their beauty, practical uses, and movability. You don’t need a garden or…
Features, August 2020
Gardening for the Love of Butterflies
Bonnie Nowicki, Master Gardener A recent butterfly article in the SanDiego News gave me cause for concern about the noticeable decrease of butterflies everywhere. The article centered their attention on the tiny Quino checkerspot. Its remaining habitats are under threat from development projects, and environmental groups have filed a petition to have this butterfly added…
Features, July 2020
The Hidden Meaning of Flowers
Bonnie Nowicki, Master Gardener As our country’s health struggles continue, I delve deeper into my book collection. I was fascinated reading about the language of flowers. From ancient times, flowers have been symbolic. Greek and Romans made garlands and wreaths for their warriors. Poets have extolled the virtue of flowers over the centuries, but it…
Generals, June 2020
Sassy Succulents
Bonnie Nowicki, Master Gardener Perusing through my favorite gardening books, I can’t help but marvel at the amazing variety of succulents. They are unusual; so plump and artistic looking. In my May 2019 article on cacti, I mentioned that all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Succulents are plants that are able…
Generals, May 2020
Realistic Gardening
Bonnie Nowicki, Master Gardener The lazy days of summer are fast approaching. As we continue to shelter in place from the virus, many of us are planning in our minds, or even on paper, how we will enhance our yards with new plantings or exciting yard art once the local nurseries open again. During these…
Generals, March 2020
The Green Valley Gardeners Spring Celebration April 4
Cheryl Richardson Come enjoy the arrival of spring with the Green Valley Gardeners Spring Celebration to be held April 4, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The celebration includes a self-guided tour of five private and unique gardens in our area. This year, three of the gardens are right here in Quail Creek. The…
Generals, November 2019
Autumn garden pests
Bonnie Nowicki A huge collection of insects, mites, or diseases are always present in our environment, but specific types of pests are active only during certain seasons. They gain the upper-hand when a plant is weak or stressed. While healthy plants can also become infected, they usually rebound quickly by using their built-in mechanisms to…
Generals, October 2019
Quail Creek garden renewal
Bonnie Nowicki Hello full-time residents and welcome back snowbirds. Your gardens await! Are you anxious to begin planting, fine-tuning or creating a landscape that comforts and inspires you? Perhaps you should first consider your home interior spaces. Small seasonal changes will brighten up kitchens, living rooms, and even bedrooms. Vignettes or groupings of fall sunflowers…
Generals, September 2019
House plants are good for you!
Bonnie Nowicki With our Arizona summer heat, many of us are lingering indoors. It’s a perfect opportunity to pay more attention to our foliage house plants, or perhaps decide to purchase one. Decade after decade, house plants continue to be popular. They add an attractive, natural touch to any decor. They also purify the air…