Leslie Doyle pictured on the cover of her book, with tomatos grown in the desert!
Insider's List
Calendar of Gardening Events
March 2005
Las Vegas, Nevada
If you live outside of Las Vegas and want to receive only the gardening articles
please email the publisher & request 'Articles Only." Did
you know . . . ? that the directions for growing tomatoes, vegetables
and most plants that are written on seed packs and in gardening
books are written for the largest population of gardeners and these
people don't live in desert communities? The popluation increase
in desert communities is a relatively recent event. General gardening
books won't give you the best directions or advice unless they apply specifically
to Las Vegas. Consult a local expert before using gardening practices
that worked for you in another part of the country. The events in this
newsletter will help you . . . . but only if you go to them.
Dogs just aren't eating homework like they used to. When a gas station attendant
in Turkey couldn't find his cell phone, he called it from another phone. Then
his dog's stomach started ringing. Yep, the pooch had noshed on the Nokia.
Give that dog a phone! The man got the phone back when nature called the canine.
OK, everybody, 1, 2, 3 -- Ewwww! Nokia -- it takes an eating and keeps on ringing.
March Gardening Events. Check out the fundraising plant salesThurs, March 3,
7:00 - 9:00 PM. The Cactus & Succulent Society of Southern Nevada
Meeting. Visitors are welcome. They have speakers that present
programs with color slides on the subject of cactus & succulents. This
active club has field trips to the desert and out of town nurseries. They
hold raffles and plant sales at their meetings and members receive an information
packed newsletter. Contact Liz Askew via email at this address: dicnliz7067@earthlink.net for information. Free at the Garden Center Building in Lorenzi Park.
Thursday, March 3, 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM. Prune it Right!. Pruning
cuts last the entire life of a plant. This class shows appropriate pruning
techniques for the life of your landscapes. Reservatrions required, phone
258-3205. Free at the Gardens at the L.V. Springs Preserve.
Saturday, March 5, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. Design Series: Design I - Laying
Out the Plan. Are you thinking about, or in the process of,
a yard remodel? Learn about landscape design and practical approaches to xeriscape.
Join design professionals, Danny Ortega and Lisa Calderwood, to take the first
steps in developing a landscape plan. Reservations required, phone 258-3205. Free
at the Gardens at the L.V. Springs Preserve.
Saturday, March 5, Noon - 1 PM. Yes! You CAN Grow Tomatoes
During Our Summer Heat. New tomato varieties and NEW growing methods
will help you get big tomatoes during our summer heat. Leslie Doyle,
the Tomato Lady from the Sweet Tomato Test Garden will show you the up-to-date techniques
that will improve your harvest of big and tasty tomatoes and veggies. This
workshop will cover cutting edge developments in gardening in desert environments
to help you grow tomatoes and vegetables in terrible dirt and desert heat. Free
at Plant World on W. Charleston.
Saturday, March 5, 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM. Tour: Trees & Palms Walk. Trees
offer so many benefits to your yard and help cut energy costs with their cooling
shade. Your tour guide will offer pointers on the best trees and palms for
the desert climate. Free at the Gardens at the L.V. Springs Preserve.
Sunday, March 6, 2:00 PM - 4 PM. GLVOS, Orchid Society Meeting, Raffle,
Sale, Brunch. These meeting's always feature a fabulous guest speaker,
usually imported from some exotic land in our dreams. This month it will
be Jerry Fischer who will be flown in especially to speak on, "The Orchids
of Borneo." There will be an Orchid Raffle, Orchid Silent Auction,
Orchid Sales, Orchid show and tell, Free buffet and lots of fun!! This
is a lively club, you will enjoy all the activities. Call Carol at 254-4168
for information. Free at the Garden Center Building in Lorenzi Park.
Tuesday, March 8, 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM. Tour: Birds in the Garden
Walk. Rita Schlegeter of the Audubon Society will be your guide as you
spot birds in the garden and learn how to attract them to your landscape. Bring
binoculars for your watching pleasure! Free at the Gardens at the L.V.
Springs Preserve.
Wednesday, March 9, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Veggies for Las Vegas. Last
planting date for tomatoes is March 15, so come get the scoop on how to have
that great garden you've always dreamed of. Master Gardener Elaine Fagin will
share her vast experience with successful vegetable gardening in our desert
climate. Learn the basics of starting your garden, cool-season and warm-season
planting, watering and harvesting. Free at the Gardens at the L.V. Springs
Preserve.
Saturday, March 12, Noon - 1 PM. Yes! You CAN Grow Tomatoes
During Our Summer Heat. New tomato varieties and NEW growing methods
will help you get big tomatoes during our summer heat. Leslie Doyle,
the Tomato Lady from the Sweet Tomato Test Garden will show you the up-to-date techniques
that will improve your harvest of big and tasty tomatoes and veggies. This
workshop will cover cutting edge developments in gardening in desert environments
to help you grow tomatoes and vegetables in terrible dirt and desert heat. Free
at AAA Indoor Organic Garden Super Center located in Trader Joe's Plaza on
Decatur. Space is limited, Reservations Required. Phone 450-4769.
Saturday, March 12, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM. Design II - Water Smart: The Solution. Find
out why xeriscape is a natural choice in our arid Mojave Desert climate as
you learn the basics to getting started. Design professionals will
show you how to analyze your site and take the next step in developing a landscape
plan. Reservatrions required, phone 258-3205. Free at the Gardens at
the L.V. Springs Preserve.
Saturday, March 12, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Understanding Drip Systems. Learn
more about the installation, maintenance and scheduling of water-efficient
drip irrigation systems. Lawn sprinklers are discussed in a different workshop.
Reservatrions required, phone 258-3205. Free at the Gardens at the L.V.
Springs Preserve.
Thursday, March 17, 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM. Become a Desert Gardener II. Part
two of this workshop covers day-to-day landscape maintenance. Learn the nitty-gritty
of pruning, garden tools, pest control, aeration, composting and watering.
We'll also cover basics of seasonal veggies and take a brief tour of the Gardens.
Session 01 is not required to participate in this workshop.
Sunday, March 20, Noon - 1 PM. Yes! You CAN Grow Tomatoes During Our Summer Heat. New tomato varieties and NEW growing methods will help you get big tomatoes during our summer heat. Leslie Doyle, the Tomato Lady from the Sweet Tomato Test Garden will show you the up-to-date techniques that will improve your harvest of big and tasty tomatoes and veggies. This workshop will cover cutting edge developments in gardening in desert environments to help you grow tomatoes and vegetables in terrible dirt and desert heat. Free at Plant World on W. Charleston.
Saturday & Sunday, March 19 & 20, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, and 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM Sunday. FREE Cactus and Succulent Show and SALE. Come by and see a great selection of specialty cacti and other water saving plants plus great landscape ideas. Experts will help you plant for your summer water conservation needs. They will offer an excellent selection of Native Plants, Landscape Specimens, Choice Collector Plants, Pottery, Arts & Crafts, Raffle, Demos, Show, Free Advice and MORE. Sponsored by the So. Nev. Cactus and Succulent Society. At the Garden Center Building in Lorenzi Park at the Corner of Washington and Twin Lakes. Twin Lakes is 2 blocks east of Valley View. Call 458-6323 or email: sncactusclub@aol.com for more information.
Tuesday, March 22, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM. Drip Irrigation Workshop. This
hands-on workshop is the next step in drip irrigation. Learn how to select
and assemble components and see how they tie together. Prior drip systems class
or experience is recommended. Reservatrions required, phone 258-3205. Free
at the Gardens at the L.V. Springs Preserve.
Saturday, March 26, 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Spring In the Desert, Annual Gardening
Plant Sale and Educational Workshops. Rare and unusual plants for your
landscape. Local gardening organization groups. Free educational
workshops presented all day. Floral Scholarship Fundraiser. Co-sponsers: Community
College of So. Nv. and U of N Cooperative Extension. For more info call
651-5050. Community College of So. Nv. at the W. Charleston Campus at
Torrey Pines.
Gardening on the Radio
Every Saturday morning, 9:00 until 10:00 a.m.. The Great Southwest Gardening
Show. Listen to Don Davis, Horticulturist, solve your gardening problems
on KDWN radio, 720 AM. This is a call in radio show packed with useful
information for we local gardeners.
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Each week on News 88.9 KNPR, Angela O'Callaghan and Norm Schilling explore
the challenge of gardening in the desert on Desert Bloom.
The 5-minute feature airs during local broadcast of Morning Edition on Tuesdays
at 5:33 a.m. and 7:33 a.m. with a repeat Saturday at 8:35 a.m.
All the segments are archived online and available in real-audio on the web
at, www.KNPR.org.
They welcome your comments and suggestions for topics and you can email the
hosts from the website.
Publisher: Leslie Doyle, Phone 702-658-7585, Email: 4TheInsidersList@cox.net
Sweet Tomato Test Garden. www.SweetTomatoTestGarden.com.
The Gardens at The Las Vegas Spring Preserves, Phone 702-258-3205
UNR Cooperative Extension Office, Phone 702-222-3130
Master Gardener Hotline, Phone 702-257-5555
Las Vegas Gardens Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lasvegasgardens/
Garden Club Information, Phone 702-658-7585
Division of Agriculture, Phone 702-486-4690
UNLV Arboretum, 702-895-3392