Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message was recorded on Tuesday, January 22, 2008.

The Landscapes West Garden Show at Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junction on February 1, 2, and 3, will feature a special bonus of “mini demos”, approximately half hour presentations, at no additional charge.

Beginning at 2:00 Friday the first, Sheryl Williams, horticulture educator for the Delta-Montrose Technical College, will be discussing “Green Industry Education.” Sheryl was recently selected teacher of the year at the college, and it’s a well-deserved recognition for this dynamic, creative instructor. At 3:00, Mike Vendegna, Grand Junction City Forester, will be talking to us about “Selecting the Right Tree for the Right Location.” Mike’s lengthy and outstanding experience in urban tree management will make this a very valuable program. Tri River Area’s own Dr. Curtis Swift will be presenting “The Mesa County Arboretum at the Gardens” at 4:00 to fill you in on this exciting project, and at 5:00, Mesa County’s Pest and Weed Inspector Jude Sirota, will be informing us about “New Escaped Ornamentals” and what to be looking out for in our gardens.

Saturday’s mini demos begin at 10:00 a.m. with Advanced Master Gardener Kathy Kimbrough’s presentation on “Growing Great Lavender.” She’ll also be telling you about the demonstration garden her team of “lavender ladies” is developing at the Arboretum. At 11:00, the Grand Valley Rose Society will be telling us about “Selecting and Preparing Roses for Showing,” and at noon the Spellbinders, a story-telling association, will present “Gardening Stories for Young and Old.” The afternoon brings Blair Elsberry from Monument Hot Tubs on “Hot Tubs 101 - The Basics” at 1:00, and Juliane Kennedy from Age Old Organics on “Growing Earthworms for their Castings” at 2:00. Our 3:00 presenter is Darrell Rule of Willow Bend Farm who’ll be talking about “Iris - Divide and Conquer” and the final presentation, at 4:00, will be Vince Urbina, Assistant Staff Forester for eight Colorado State Forest Service districts in Western Colorado and the San Luis Valley, on “Grand Junction’s Notable Trees.”

The mini demos will continue during the Garden Show on Sunday, beginning at 10:00 with Advanced Master Gardener Albert LaSalle on “What’s Bugging Your Garden?” Al is a retired science teacher with a passion for insects, so this will be a lot of fun. Jim Hyrup of The Lily Pad will present “Assembly of a Decorative Water Feature” at 11:00. Jim’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable in guiding us through this process. And our sessions conclude at noon with Susan Carter of Carter Designs, on “Designing to Avoid Common Landscape Mistakes,” which we can all appreciate.

Garden Show hours are 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 1, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday the 2nd, and 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 3. The daily cost for the show is $3.00, with children 12 and under and Landscapes West Gardening Conference participants admitted free; we will do our best to ensure it will be well worth your while.

Landscapes West conference and Garden show information may be found at http://westernslopegardening.org or give us a call at 244-1834.

Sublimation is the term for the evaporation of snow and ice without passing through the liquid stage. It is familiar to anyone with a frost-free freezer; ice cubes stored there will gradually diminish in size. The same thing happens in our yards, when the temperature stays below the freezing point. As the snow sublimates, it is actually drawing moisture out of the soil rather than returning it. When the snow is melted off, it will be important to provide supplemental water to our woody plants, perennials, roses, and lawns. This is especially important for the survival of trees and shrubs planted in the last couple of years, which do not have good root systems established yet. Information on winter watering is available on our website at http://westernslopetrees.org or give the Master Gardeners a call at 244-1836.

Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden. This message will be updated next week; have a great week!

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Curt Swift CSU Extension Tri River Area Horticultural Agent