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Master gardeners conference planned

Green thumbs from around the world will converge on Las Vegas in March for the International Master Gardeners Conference at the Alexis Park.

The event is sponsored by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and coordinated by Southern Nevada Master Gardeners, which has planned a four-day program that celebrates the neon of the Las Vegas Valley as well as the bright and lush gardens that have been nurtured from unforgiving soils in the Mojave Desert.

“We are eager to share tips on how to have a beautiful, water-wise landscape — even if you get more than the 4 inches of rain that we get here in Las Vegas,” conference coordinator Ann Edmunds said.

The event is open to the general public as well as certified master gardeners.

Registration for the March 22-25 event is $320 until Feb. 15 and $350 for late registration, if space is available.

Master gardeners are volunteers educated at land grant universities around the U.S. In Nevada, these gardeners take at least 50 hours of instruction in advanced plant science from the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and volunteer at least 50 hours a year.

In addition to garden tours, the conference features seminars on such topics as pollinators, honey bees and colony collapse disorder; replacing turf with meadow plants; how to nurture young trees; and a show-and-tell session on integrated pest management that will feature a guest appearance by a 6-inch black Emperor scorpion. Sessions on the wise use of water also are planned.

Keynote speaker will be Jeff Lowenfels, whose 32-year-old column in the Anchorage Daily News is the longest-running garden column in the United States. Lowenfels is the founder of Plant a Row for the Hungry program, which has resulted in gardeners growing and donating enough food to provide 20 million meals. His book, “Teaming With Microbes, A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web,” is considered the among most important gardening books written in the past 25 years.

For more information or to register, contact Ann Edmunds at 257-5587 or edmundsa@unce.unr.edu or the master gardener help line at 888-891-9662 or 257-5555. Additional information can be found at www.unce.unr.edu/imgc.

Holiday themes on tap for Ikebana group

The Nevada Chapter of the Ikenobo Ikebana Society will gather for a holiday-themed flower arranging workshop from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

The morning session will be a Christmas arrangement, while the afternoon session will be a three-material holiday shoka.

Fresh flowers will be used for each design.

For workshop location or more information, call 655-2447 or 496-3763.

Program offers ‘Hope’ with remodel project

The Nevada State Contractors Board and Associated Builders and Contractors of Las Vegas will remodel one room in the home of a needy Southern Nevada family free of charge through their third annual Rebuilding Hope holiday community service program.

The program is limited to no more than 100 applications, which will be accepted now through Jan. 2. Applications will be judged on a person’s or family’s special circumstances or needs.

The program is not offered to tenants, landlords, mobile homes or owners who do not live at the residence.

Volunteers from the Associated Builders and Contractors will do the remodeling

An application and more information can be downloaded from the Nevada State Contractors Board Web site at: www.nscb.state.nv.us, or obtained by calling Ranya Botros at 486-1165.