2016 BVGC TV Programs

The January 2016 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 Winter Gardening and the various garden projects and chores that can be done in the winter such as providing bird habitat and food, making mulch, ordering seeds and plants, disposing of live Christmas trees and checking on bulbs and plants through the cold weather. 

The February 2016 Program is hosted by JB Portillo and the guests are new officers of the  Benton County Master Gardeners: Becky Elliott, President; C. W. Doss, Vice President of  Administration; and Regina Neely, Vice President of Projects.  The topic of discussion is Benton County Master Gardeners 2016 and the plans and projects of the organization for the coming year.  Several projects planned are the Lawn and Garden Expo with demonstrations, an "All Things Garden" yard sale and a plant sale.  Many outreach programs for the community are planned to educate and assist the community with their gardens.  

The March 2016 Program guest is Jon Zawislak, Apiculture Instructor for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service.  The topic of discussion is Beekeeping 101 and the importance of bees as pollinators for our food crops.  Also discusses is the decline of bee populations, how to help the bees by using insecticides properly and being aware of their habitat.  Local beekeeping organizations are always ready to help people start tending bee hives and sources of bees and equipment are listed on our Gardening Info page of the website.

The April 2016 Program  is co-hosted by JB Portillo and the guests are both fellow Benton County Master Gardeners:  Vicki Halley and Alycyn Culbertson.  The topic of discussion is Where to Buy Great Plants and since Vicki is very involved in the Master Gardener's Garden Expo being held in Bentonville off the square on Saturday, April 30th, and Alycyn is the chairman of the Bella Vista Garden Club Plant Sale being held at Village Wastewater on Saturday, May 7th, they know what great plants you can get at these sales at very low prices.  These plants are garden tested in Northwest Arkansas as most of them are from the gardens of fellow club members.  Other plant sales in the area are discussed and some nurseries that carry unusual or native plants are shared. 

The May 2016 Program is hosted by JB Portillo and the guests are Tony LiCausi, President of BVGC, with Tim Warden and Christian Serrano from the musical group Rozenbridge.  The topic of the program is Come to a Garden Party and the upcoming event occurring on June 10th is discussed.  The garden party will include wine, appetizers, music, art, a silent auction and garden information and demos by the club held by the pond by the 18th green of Scotsdale Golf Course from 4:30 to sunset with a suggested donation of $10.  The City of Bella Vista and the Property Owners Association will be heavily involved in the event to emphasize their efforts in making Bella Vista a more beautiful place to live. The Mayor will present a Bella Vista Garden Week Proclamation.  Tim and Christian will be performing and gave a sample of their beautiful music on the program.  

The June 2016 Program is co-hosted by JB Portillo and the topic of discussion is Plants that Misbehave.  A power point presentation was given that JB Portillo prepared for educational programs with the Benton County Master Gardeners Master Academy regarding invasive plants that should be avoided.  Several of the plants listed are attractive and gardeners can incorporate them into their gardens but they need to be aware that extra effort may be needed to keep these plants in control.  Keeping plants in pots rather than planting in the garden is a way to control the spread of some of these plants. 

The July 2016 Program is hosted by Fran Zimmermann and the guest is Jan Halgrim, member of the Bella Vista/Bentonville Photography Club.  The topic of the program is Capturing Your Flowers on Camera and photos of various flowers are shown as examples of the best time of day and the best positioning on the photo for the best result.  Suggested specifications to look for in a camera are discussed and camera settings can also make a difference.

The August 2016 Program guests are C. W. Doss and Kathy Duba, both Benton County Master Gardeners.  The topic of discussion is the Helping Hands Pantry Garden located next to the Helping Hands resale shop in Bentonville.  The Master Gardeners have taken on this project to raise food for those in need and have harvested hundreds of pounds of vegetables so far with an expectation of over 1,000 pounds by the end of the year and all going to Helping Hands to distribute.  There is over 7 acres of land that can be utilized and the raised beds that are being used now cover less than one acre.  Additional beds can be added and other clubs or organizations are welcome to join in on this project.  Photos of the garden and the produce are shown.  

The September 2016 Program guest is Fran Zimmermann, a member of the Bella Vista Garden Club.  The topic of discussion is Native Plants and the importance of including them in your garden.  Douglas W. Tallamy's book, 'Bringing Nature Home - How You Can sustain Wildlife with Native Plants' is recommended and referenced.  Information from his book regarding the importance of native trees and plants that support many species of caterpillars for the birds to feed their babies the protein needed is emphasized.  A single pair of Chickadees must find 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to rear one clutch of their young.  Photos of some native plants that can be incorporated in your garden are shown and discussed.

The October 2016 Program  is hosted by Char Brunje and the guest is Barb Templin, a fellow member of the Bella Vista Garden Club.  The topic of discussion is The Scoop on Mulch and also discussed and shown are fall decorating ideas using pumpkins and squash as the containers for fall flowers and succulents.  The various types of mulch that are available are discussed along with their benefits.  A Take Root video produced by Beth Strickland, a Benton County Master Gardener, explains how cover crops can be a great benefit to your vegetable or flower garden over the winter months.

The November 2016 Program guest is Tony LiCausi, President of the Bella Vista Garden Club and a Benton County Master Gardener.  The topic of discussion is Gardening Tools and Their Maintenance and examples of tried and true tools that have been used, some for many decades are shown.  Maintenance tips are discussed and also new tools that are now available that can help with garden chores are suggested.   

The December 2016 Program guest is Barb Templin, a member of the Bella Vista Garden Club.  The topic of discussion is Houseplant Benefits, Care and Safety and various plants that help clean the indoor air are identified.  Other benefits are described like releasing moisture, speeding recovery from surgery, sharpening focus and use of the Aloe plant for burns are discussed.  Care of houseplants and Holiday plants like Christmas Cactus and Pionsettia are provided.  Plants that can harm your pets are mentioned and a link on this subject is posted on this website under Gardening Info - Links of Interest.