   Come to the Arizona Highlands Garden Conference - August 26, 2009 Jeff Schalau, Associate Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County The 9th Annual Arizona Highlands Garden Conference will be held at the du Bois Conference Center on the Northern Arizona University campus September 19, 2009. This educational conference rotates each year between four northern Arizona counties and is organized and presented by University of Arizona Master Gardener volunteers and is open to all members of the public. This year’s conference theme is “From the Ground Up” and features two nationally recognized speakers, Jeff Lowenfels and Brad Lancaster, as well as several other speakers and topics. Jeff Lowenfels is an organic gardening expert, founder of Plant a Row for the Hungry, and host of a popular radio show called the Garden Party. He will present his popular talk Teaming with Microbes. Jeff has also coauthored a book with the same title. Jeff has the distinction of having the longest running weekly gardening column in North America – it will be 33 years in November. His favorite flowers are orchids which he grows in his greenhouse near Anchorage, Alaska. His fellow garden writers, however, knowing that Jeff is also an attorney, have dubbed him “America's Dirtiest Lawyer.” Brad Lancaster, a dynamic speaker and teacher, consultant, and designer of rainwater harvesting systems, will give a presentation titled “Turning Water Scarcity into Water Abundance with Rainwater Harvesting and More.” Brad is also the author of two respected volumes on rainwater harvesting. His interest in water harvesting originated in permaculture: an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural systems. Brad believes that by harvesting rainwater sustainably we can all begin to transform our households from consumers of resources to producers of resources. The conference will also have three concurrent break-out sessions where you can learn more about native shrubs, how to grow tomatoes, seed saving, year-round greenhouse food production, creating wildlife habitats, moon gardens and integrated pest management in the garden. All will be presented by local and regional experts. The complete agenda is available on the web site listed below. There will also be a pre-conference garden tour on Friday September 18 between 10 am and 4 pm. The tour consists of six gardens in Flagstaff, including: a Master Gardener project for over six years which features over three dozen roses; a garden with wonderful outdoor living space; an award winning Xeriscape garden; and a local landscaper’s garden paradise that features an island, lake with water lilies, extensive perennial beds and much, much more. You will also receive information about several community gardens in Flagstaff. There is a $15 fee for the self-guided tour and you must be pre-registered. Once registered, Coconino County Cooperative Extension will send you information about the tour and a map to the gardens. You will be on your own to visit each garden between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm. You must pre-register to attend. Master Gardeners will be at each site to answer your questions. Registration for the two-day conference is $65 if received by September 1 and $80 if received after Sept. 1. The registration includes continental breakfast and lunch. For more information, go to the conference website at: cals.arizona.edu/coconino/highlandconference.html or call Hattie Braun at 774-1868 x 17. I hope you can attend this incredible conference! The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension has publications and information on gardening and pest control. If you have other gardening questions, call the Master Gardener line in the Cottonwood office at 646-9113 ext. 14 or E-mail us at cottonwoodmg@yahoo.com and be sure to include your address and phone number. Find past Backyard Gardener columns or submit column ideas at the Backyard Gardener web site: http://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/. |