Chapter Meetings This Spring
Posted Feb 26, 2023
Tuesday, April 18, 7:00 PM: Gayle Gratop, Susan Holiday, and Patti VanTuyl.
Gardening with High Elevation Native Plants
There are many benefits to gardening with native plants, including increasing biodiversity in your yard, conserving water, and providing food and habitat for local pollinators. This presentation will cover the basics of incorporating native plants into your garden. Learn how to choose the best plants for your environment, find out where to get them, and hear some expert tips on how to become a successful
native plant gardener from Gayle Gratop of UA Coconino County Cooperative Extension and Master Gardeners Sue Holiday and Patti Van Tuyl.
Tuesday, May 16, 7:00 PM: Debbie DeWolf Allen. The Brothers Boutelou and the
Grass They Barely Knew: A Journey into Botany, History, Exploration, and Two
Remarkable Men
Botanical names can be challenging to pronounce and to spell, yet they hold a treasure trove of meaning.
Latin plant names often describe a distinctive characteristic of the plant, but sometimes they honor a person: some mysterious, unknown figure from the past who must have some importance in the botanical world.
In this talk by Debbie Allen, we delve into the origin of the name Blue Grama Grass, Bouteloua gracilis. Blue grama is native to the Southwest, and it is charming, distinctive, and easy to identify. The origin of the genus name, Bouteloua, takes us back to a tale that intertwines two Spanish gardeners from the late 1700s, an enlightened king of Spain, an expedition to explore the New World, and some remarkable botanical drawings that were lost for almost 200 years. Come take a fascinating journey that encompasses botany, history, exploration, and a tale of two exceptional men.
