Trees in the Desert: Should We Have Them?

Our meetings resume September 9th with a must-see presentation by certified arborist and Instructor Master Gardener, Laura Eisenberg, who titles her talk “Trees in the Desert: Should We Have Them?” She was hired by the Springs Preserve as a horticulturist as part of the team that grew and built the gardens at the Springs, developed their plant education programs, managed their seed collection, herbarium, and database. Laura worked for the Nevada Division of Forestry as the Community Forester and now volunteers as a consultant for the Nevada State Museum, the Division of Forestry, College of Southern Nevada, and Wetlands Park. She is clearly one of Nevada’s tree experts.

Our annual field trip in October will be to the UNR Extension Botanic Gardens in Las Vegas, where everything from herbs to palms is grown to perfection here in the Mojave Desert. Members will pay only $5 for a round-trip coach ride and guided tour by docents. At this writing there are only 15 seats left on the bus, so don’t put off enrolling online (web address below) or emailing SCAGardenClub20@gmail.com for a registration flyer.

Rounding out the year, Master Gardener Gail Brandys will return in November to talk about the benefits of growing Nevada’s native plants and promises to have free seeds to distribute. Finally, by popular demand, an updated reprise of a comprehensive talk with new videos on Nevada’s hummingbirds and their favorite nectar-bearing flowers is scheduled for December. 

We meet in the Penn/Morris/Nelson Rooms of the Independence Center from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the second Monday of each month except July and August. Free coffee, tea, and cookies are available from 9:00 a.m. Sun City residents are welcome to attend two meetings/year without joining. Dues for 2024 are $15; checks may be made payable exactly to: Sun City Anthem Community Association, Inc. with “Garden Club’ on the memo line. Enrollment forms are also available at the Anthem Center kiosk and on our website (https://garden.scaclub.org) and can be placed in the Garden Club mailbox located outside Anthem's Fitness Center along with your check payable as above. Feel free to email any questions about the Club to its president, Dr. Alec Pridgeon (apridg1@gmail.com).