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…
Tag: Master Gardener
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…
Generals, August 2019
Landscape hum-drum?
Bonnie Nowicki, master gardener and Quail Creek resident Do you want to dress up your Quail Creek landscape just a bit? Or1 do you wish you had a ‘wow’ garden? I have a few ideas that will make a pleasant difference either way. For a difficult spot in your yard where nothing grows or if…
Generals, July 2019
Relax in your garden
Bonnie Nowicki Most of us have been busy planting and tidying our Quail Creek home landscapes. Perhaps during the warm summer weeks, we should sit among our garden plants and admire their beautiful growth and our well-done hard work. It’s important for all our senses to be stimulated. What a joy to breathe in…
Generals, April 2019
Quail Creek garden trips
Bonnie Nowicki, Quail Creek resident April showers bring May flowers. So far March has fulfilled that requirement. We certainly have had our share of wetness, but the heat can dry out potted plants quickly. Brenda Sawchuk, a Quail Creek resident and Master Gardener with the U of A Green Valley Cooperative Extension center, located on…
Clubs & Classes, February 2019
A Quail Creek garden surprise
Bonnie Nowicki, Quail Creek resident Waking up January 1 to a dusting of snow was magical. Waking up January 2 to almost two inches of the white stuff was shocking. This, once in a decade phenomenon, caught me off guard. The freezing cold lingered for a few nights. Hastily covered tender citrus survived, but some…
Generals, January 2019
Gardening options close to home
Bonnie Nowicki, Quail Creek resident Have you wanted to learn more about our tropical desert here in southern Arizona? Perhaps you even wished you could become a Master Gardener. These opportunities are right here locally. I am one of fourteen graduates of the Pima County Master Gardeners class of 2018. The ten-week class sessions were…