flowers

I’ve fallen in love with some impressive summer-blooming plants given to me by my friend Peggy. They are Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, sometimes called coppertips.

I've never had to worry about illnesses, because I've always known how I was going to die. I would step into an open manhole while out running and get swept out to sea, however that's not likely to happen because I'm no longer running. But it did happen to a Brazilian girl last week, and she lived to tell about it.

You might have heard that Carson City is now a Bee City. But what does that mean, how did it happen, and how can you help?

What happened is that a small group of committed beekeepers decided to approach the city with the idea, and then worked tirelessly for two years with Carson City Board of Supervisors and Mayor Bob Crowell to develop an organization committed to protecting pollinator habitat within the city boundaries.


Our landscape is fairly wild, partly because we like it that way for the birds, but also because it simply gets away from me. We love the space of our two and half acres, but sometimes I get discouraged that our yard will never be pristinely groomed. I have to stop and remind myself how much we do accomplish.

I am fascinated with German bearded irises with their frills, color combinations and scent. I’m also interested in the changes that occur to the flowers after a number of years. I have had deep goldenrod ruffled irises lose their ruffles and fade to a lovely light yellow after years in the same location.

My neighbor Mark, now known as “Chip” after Chip Gaines from “Fixer Upper” on HGTV, acquired his new moniker after building an amazing fence to enclose his wife’s garden (with her help of course!). Since we have major animal challenges in our neighborhood — ground squirrels, rabbits, deer and bears — a strong defense system is essential for successful vegetable production. The impressive garden fence that "Chip" built should keep all the critters out.

Margaret Susan Mitchell, nee Griffin, passed peacefully at her home in Carson City on May 26, 2020 following a lengthy illness. She was born in Pasadena, California on February 3, 1952 to Richard D. Griffin Sr and Helen Ruth Joy Griffin. The family moved to Reno in 1959 when Margaret’s father was stationed at Stead Air Force Base.

The Coronavirus has made many people want to grow their own food. At the Foothill Garden, a partnership with The Greenhouse Project and Carson Tahoe Health, Will Pierz, the garden manager and farmer, is growing some unusual, but hardy edible plants.

Susie Bongers-Gunkel passed away peacefully the morning of Sunday, May 10, 2020 on Mother’s Day with the love of her family surrounding her after a courageous battle with Glioblastoma (Brain Cancer).

I have been a grass warrior lately. Grass persists in exploring and establishing in areas I don’t want it: under shrubs, twined in flowers, out of the edges of the lawn, under the trees, in the field and so on. As a grass warrior, I have employed various attack strategies from hand-digging, weed-whacking and mowing with three different mowers — a riding mower, a small area electric mower, a rough area mower and finally, a tractor.

Yes, we all love the nice weather. However, with the sun and lovely temperatures come weeds, the plants we all love to hate. For a weed is simply a plant out of place, or better yet, a plant you wish was any place other than your place!

Lori Morris and Intimate Designs Floral have been giving back to the local community for years with Angels With Flowers, which Morris founded in order to donate floral arrangements to hospitals and senior care centers throughout the Carson City area.

Spring has sprung and new green leaves are starting to push through, along with the first flower buds on fruit trees, and the always too-early daffodils that pop up before first frost ends. Soon the pastures will be green again and Spring and Summer flowers will come through and liven up our region.

If there’s one thing that could be considered a positive during the mandated quarantine, it’s that nature is becoming a lot happier. From the return of dolphins in Venice, to the return of wildlife in Yosemite, and a lack of air pollution all around, Earth Day this year is certain to be a memorable one.

Gardening is a great activity that can be done at home, and University of Nevada, Reno Extension is offering online courses to teach gardening basics. This April, Extension's Grow Your Own, Nevada! Program will live stream eight classes statewide to help those who want to get on a path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing more of their own food.

Each season brings its joys and its challenges. I’m excited after winter to see the delights of Spring with all the blooming forsythia, flowering plums, daffodils, and other plants displaying their colors. I generally forget the spring problems until suddenly I’m seeing ground squirrels, ants and weeds. All of a sudden, I feel as if I have to hurry to catch up with the pests.

JoAnn was born on December 17, 1936 to Florence Brazonavich and John Nevers Sr in Carson City, NV. JoAnn unexpectedly went home to be with the Lord on Monday, February 17, 2020.

Services will be held on Saturday February 29, 2020 at 11:00 at the Carson Colony Gym, 2900 South Curry Street, Carson City, NV 89703.

Viewing will be from 10:00 am to 11:00 am before the services. Burial will be at the Stewart Cemetery after services. Fellowship and potluck will follow back at the Carson Colony Gym. Everyone is welcomed. Flowers or food donations is appreciated.

I turned my sprinklers on this past week. So did my gardening neighbor Roni. Her comment was “Ugh!” Mine was “On. Off. Drain. Repeat.” Turning drip systems and sprinklers on and off is tedious, but necessary. We haven’t had enough rain or snow to thoroughly soak the ground.

Shirlee Leah Boyer Veverka, age 84, passed away Sunday, February 9, 2020, from complications of Parkinson’s disease, at her daughter’s home in Carson City, Nevada, surrounded by her four children.

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities over the next three days. Restaurants in Carson City will host Valentine’s Day specials on Friday. The Carson City Celtic Music series will be at the Brewery Arts Center on Saturday featuring Fortunate Strangers. Combined with live music and comedy at the Carson Nugget, the Carson City region is in store for a busy three days. Read on for more information.

The first of a series of 12 educational gardening classes presented through the collaboration of Carson Tahoe Health and The Greenhouse Project begins this Friday, Jan. 24. Site managers Cory King and William Pierz have put together the monthly series of classes.

We often call many of our spring perennial flowers bulbs. However, botanically speaking, not everything we call a bulb is a true bulb. For example, is an iris a bulb? A corm? Or something else, such as a rhizome or tuber?

Are you dreaming of a far away place where snowflakes, bonbons and sugarplum fairies come to life? Pinkerton Ballet Theatre is pleased to present the 31st Anniversary of The Nutcracker Ballet featuring a live orchestra Thanksgiving weekend at the Carson City Community Center.

Daniel Leif Braafladt died peacefully in Carson City, Nevada on Nov. 7, 2019 at the age of 62. Dan is survived by his wife Toni, his daughter Lacy, his grandkids Emmett and Reta, and his dog Bear.

He was born in Carmichael, CA to Jeane and Phil Braafladt. Dan spent a lifetime being the best type of man there is. He could fix anything. His spirit and jolly laugh made any occasion better. His love and respect for wildlife and nature were admirable. He was an avid hunter, sports lover, and was a pretty darn good shot. His wisdom, love, and long garage talks will be missed by so many.

William "Bill" Clarence Thornton, father, attorney, pilot, part-time cowboy, corny joke-teller, and mentor to many, had his final flight on Tuesday, November 5th, 2019 after gracefully charting his course with Parkinson's Disease for over twenty years. Bill died peacefully at home in hospice care surrounded by loved ones.

Fall is bulb planting time. Most people are familiar with the basic bulbs such as daffodils and tulips, but what about some of the plants commonly called bulbs that are actually corms, rhizomes, tubers or tuberous roots? All of these terms refer to the specialized underground structures that are storage organs for many of our spring blooming plants.

Ronald Gutzman passed peacefully on 10/23/2019 at the age of 84. He served in the marine corps as a control tower operator, graduated with two master’s in mathematics and became a principal for Las Vegas school district in 1963. Ron was involved in copious organizations and groups such as the Disabled Veterans of America, Marine Corps League, and American Legion member where he tirelessly advocated for veterans.

Artists from Carson City, Minden and Gardnerville will be featured at the 25th annual Northern Nevada Artisan Show and Sale this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-2 in Reno.

The event’s 25th anniversary will be dedicated to the memory of Jim McCormick, UNR Art Department chair, artist, curator and one of the founders of the show. Admission is free.

I have a hero whose name is Rosalind Creasy. This landscape designer coined the phrase “edible landscaping” in her first book, The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping first published in 1982 and updated three times since 2010. Since I first read this book, and her Gardener’s Handbook of Edible Plants, I have dreamed of foodscaping our yard.

Good yard sanitation in the fall is as important to year-long plant health as proper planting, watering, fertilizing and pruning are. This is particularly true for next year’s crop of vegetables and fruit. Remove or cut back all the plants in the vegetable garden that are done for the season.