Gardening in Henderson: Residents can learn tips, tricks to desert planting

Despite the dry and hot climate, it’s possible to garden in the Las Vegas Valley, so Henderson View looks at three local clubs dedicated to educating the public on desert gardening.

MASTER AND JUNIOR MASTER GARDENERS

If you happen to call Henderson resident Howard Galin, chances are he’s outside with his cactuses.

The New York transplant became a Master Gardener in 2010 after retiring as an educator.

“Since then, I’ve specialized in cactus, agave and yucca,” Galin said. “Through the program, I do presentations at the libraries, and I teach a Junior Master Gardener program at Wallin Elementary School.”

Galin’s interest in gardening started early. By 10, he grew his first vegetable garden while living in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“Growing food in pots just fascinated me, so I bought three tomato plants,” Galin said. “When you’re 10 and growing your own food, you start to feel pretty independent.”

When Galin married, his wife was in love with cactuses because she “thought they were weird.”

“We took the family to the Southwest in 1989, and I started collecting different cacti because my wife rekindled my interest in them,” Galin said. “I grew them in New York until I moved to Henderson in 2007. I packed up all the pots in the SUV and moved them with me.”

Three years after the move, Galin became a Master Gardener with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, which trains community volunteers in sustainable desert horticulture practices.

Through the program, Galin completed an 80-hour training course and 50 hours of gardening volunteer work, according to program coordinator Ann Edmunds.

“This is not a commercial training program,” she said. “This is a volunteer program that trains individuals who want to learn appropriate gardening techniques and give back to the community.”

Contrary to its name, those interested do not have to be masters at gardening to join the program.

“You don’t have to know anything about gardening,” Edmunds said. “You just have to have a sincere interest in learning and becoming a community volunteer.

“Being a Master Gardener just means you’re someone who is going to give accurate and unbiased information. We want to help individuals save money and resources while appreciating what the desert has to offer.”

Galin volunteers by teaching Wallin Elementary students about gardening, composting and recycling as part of his community service requirement.

“The students call me the ‘Plant Whisperer,’ ” Galin said. “Sometimes I see the kids at the grocery store, and they’ll yell, ‘There’s the Plant Whisperer.’ If they can remember things outside of school, that’s when you know you’re doing something beneficial and fun.”

The Cooperative Extension also offers a Junior Master Gardener program that teaches children 7 to 12 about planting and harvesting food, bugs and insects, commercial and organic gardens, the environment and more.

To finish the program, children must complete a handbook and community service over four semesters. Each semester contains eight classes and covers two chapters.

“As a hobby, gardening is pretty harmless,” Galin said. “The worst thing that can happen is a plant dies, and you’re not going to do time in the (penitentiary) if you kill a plant.”

Although the desert isn’t always seen as an ideal gardening climate, Galin describes the valley as an empty canvas.

“There’s nothing when you start,” he said. “But like you paint a beautiful masterpiece on a canvas, you can make your landscape beautiful if you know how.

“You can grow anything you want in the desert as long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort.”

Visit unce.unr.edu or call Edmunds at 702-257-5587.

SUNSET GARDEN CLUB

For 23 years, the Sunset Garden Club has offered the Henderson community gardening lectures and expertise.

The club meets at noon the second Tuesday of each month from September to May at the Paseo Verde Library, 280 S. Green Valley Parkway.

“A lot of people move here, and they have no idea how to garden in the desert. It’s their battle cry,” said club vice president Nancy Bovill. “We teach a lot about horticulture and how to help gardens survive.”

Each meeting is based on a topic and features a guest speaker from the club, Master Gardeners program or other horticulture organization.

“We started a new segment this year,” said Jean Engelmann, charter member and club treasurer. “We allow people to bring in their garden’s problem child so members can help give solutions.”

In addition, the club has participated in community service and beautification.

Around 1998, the club designed the Julia Menasco Memorial Rose Garden near the Silver Springs Park, 1950 Silver Springs Parkway, in honor of one of its former members. In 2012, members placed a Blue Star Memorial By-Way Marker at the park as part of a national program to honor men and women who have served in the military.

The club also participates in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Penny Pines Program by donating money to help reforest the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area.

Membership is open to all valley residents and costs $20 per year. Visit sunsetgardenclubofnv.org.

To reach Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher, email cbelcher@viewnews.com or call 702-383-0403. Find her on twitter: @caitlynbelcher.