2015 BVGC TV Programs

The January 2015 Program guest is Jason Worley, a new member of the Bella Vista Garden Club and owner of Hydro and Brew.  Hydroponics 101 is the topic discussed and Jason exhibits examples of vegetables that can be grown in water over the winter months indoors and the growing elements necessary.  Almost any plant can be grown in water instead of soil and all supplies that are needed and instructions are available at his store in Bentonville.    

The February 2015 Program guests are Jason and Staci Elkins.  Birdsong Gardens and Landscape in Bella Vista is the topic discussed and the Elkins along with Steven and Christy Miller are opening a new nursery in March at the same site where Village Garden and Landscape was located.  Landscaping services are available now.  Native plants and organic gardening supplies will be a main attraction at the nursery and the gift shop will feature gardening items created by local artists.  Workshops, seminars are also being planned.  A cutting garden will provide fresh cut flowers to purchase.  We are very happy to welcome Birdsong Gardens and Landscape to Bella Vista.  

The March 2015 Program guest is Becky Fox, a member of the Bella Vista Garden Club and a Benton County Master Gardener.  The topic discussed is Getting Ready for Spring including trimming grasses, starting seeds indoors, pruning and trimming shrubs, roses and  evergreens.  A Take Root DVD showing how to cut back maiden grass and rejuvenate a grass that has a dead area in the middle is shown.  Samples of various ways to start seeds 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost are shown.

The April 2015 Program guest is JB Portillo, a member of the Bella Vista Garden Club, a Benton County Master Gardener and a Benton County Master Naturalist.  The topic discussed is Vegetable Gardening and includes a Take Root DVD on how to plant and grow asparagus.  JB shares many great tips about companion planting and shares a great website with a gardening calendar and her favorite vegetable gardening book that is a great source for growing vegetables the organic way.  Also discussed is the Master Gardener Expo near Bentonville Square in April featuring Janet Carson giving seminars in addition to the various plants sales going on in April and early May.

The May 2015 Program guest is Linda Neymeyer, a member of the Bella Vista Garden Club, a Benton County Master Gardener and President of the Floralia Arranger's Guild Garden Club.  The topic of discussion is Duets in Bloom which is a floral exhibit interpreting art works that will replace the Standard Flower Show that is usually held every other year.  The exhibit is being produced by four of the local  garden clubs which are:  Bella Vista Garden Club, Bentonville Garden Club, Floralia Arranger's Guild Garden Club and the Garden Club of Rogers.  It will be held on June 19th and 20th at the Arvest Bank Conference Center off the Bentonville Square.  Each club will provide 4 designs interpreting art provided by local artists.  The Duets in Bloom is open to the public at no charge and a wine and  hors d'oeuvres event will take place on Friday evening.  

The June 2015 Program guest is Tony LiCausi, new President of the Bella Vista Garden Club and Benton County Master Gardener.  The topic of discussion is Critter Control the Natural Way and control of aphids, bagworms, grubs, mealybugs, scale, squash bugs, spider mites, thrips and webworms are discussed using good bugs like ladybugs, lacewings and praying mantis and sprays using natural ingredients.  Several recipes for these sprays and soaks using natural ingredients are posted on this website under Gardening Info.  

The July 2015 Program guest is Fran Zimmermann, a member of the Bella Vista Garden Club.  The topic of discussion is Plant This - Not That with suggestions of what plants could be used to reduce maintenance or replace invasive species.  A list of these suggested plants can be found on this website under Gardening Info. Even some native plants can be a little too happy in their location and may need to be controlled causing more maintenance than desired.  Tips to garden smarter to reduce work in your garden are also given.

The August 2015 Program guest is Kitty Casanova, Benton County Master Gardener. The topic of discussion is Saving Seeds and Taking Cuttings.  Kitty works at the Village Wastewater Plant and is very involved in their "Nature's Calling" program that propagates plants using the bio-solids from the water treatment process, sells the plants and uses the proceeds for charitable organizations in our area.  Since inception they have returned over $75,000 to the community.  The various plants that they have grown from seeds and the process used for cuttings of various plants is discussed.  Also tips on how to prepare cuttings are given.

The September 2015 Program guest is JB Portillo, a fellow member of the Bella Vista Garden Club, the Benton County Master Gardeners and a Master Composter.  The topic of discussion is Composting and Compost Tea and the basics of composting are covered along with the various composting processes whether it is just a compost pile, a wire mesh bin, a wooden pallet bin, a large trash can with air holes drilled in the sides, a tumbler system or a three bin wood and wire bin that can be used to move the compost from stage to stage of readiness.  A Take Root DVD is shown with Tony LiCausi demonstrating the materials needed and the steps to create compost tea and how to use it. 

The October 2015 Program guest is Mary OBrien, a fellow member of the Bella Vista Garden Club and a Benton County Master Gardener. The topic of discussion is Making Concrete Garden Art from cement or hypertufa recipes using glass molds that can be purchased at flea markets or resale shops.   Several finished samples of both types of mixtures are shown including planters, garden art and patio candle holders.  Mary's favorite book on the subject is Making Concrete Garden Ornaments by Sherri Warner Hunter which is available on Amazon.  The steps to be taken are discussed and the recipes, all materials needed and instructions are available on bellavistagardenclub.com.  Mary holds workshops to make these pieces.   

The November 2015 Program guest is Fran Zimmermann, a fellow member of the Bella Vista Garden Club.  The topic of discussion is Winterizing Your Garden with a list of the chores you need to do to put your garden to bed for the winter.  A demonstration of how to clean your hand tools and store them in a bucket of sand with oil to keep them from rusting over the winter.  A Take Root DVD is shown with Beth Strickland, a Benton County Master Gardener, demonstrating how to use milk cartons as mini greenhouses to start your perennial seeds in December and giving you a head start on planting in the spring.   

The December 2015 Program guest is Barb Templin, a fellow member of the Bella Vista Garden Club.  The topic of discussion is Decorating Naturally and finished decorations were exhibited using natural materials you can find in your garden or the nearby woods.  A Christmas tree was made from Hickory nut shells with snow and glitter and a small tree made from acorns was decorated with magnolia seeds and pieces of jewelry making supplies.  A centerpiece made with oak leaves sprayed silver on one side and glitter on the other with options for finishing touches was demonstrated.  The process for using acorns in the house to eliminate any larva was discussed which is bake the acorns in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Some acorns had small holes where the larva had exited the acorn before it was gathered.  Branches with glitter, snow using Epsom Salt and ice using plant water crystals where shown.