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Fireworks launched from three different sites light up the Anchorage skyline at the beginning of 2009. Eik Hill/ADNJanuary 1, Happy New Year! May all our gardens be green and healthy this year.

January 1, Friday. Tournament of Roses Parade. Celebrate the New Year with the 121st Rose Parade themed 2010: A Cut Above the Rest. Watch float after float decorated in roses and other flowers as they compete in a parade before the Rose Bowl football game. The parade starts at 7am on Channel 13.

January 3rd, Sunday, 2pm. WINTER BOTANY Join Andy Anderson-Smith of the Alaska Native Plant Society for an exploration of plants during winter. Start indoors exploring how plants adjust to winter conditions and learn to how to identify plants using features visible in winter. Then we’ll go on a plant identification walk, approximately 1 mile roundtrip. At the Eagle River Nature Center. Free program; $5 parking for non-members.

January 5, Tuesday, 10:30am. Valley Garden Club monthly meeting at the Old Catholic Church on Bogard Rd. in Wasilla. Catherine Inman with Wasilla Soil and Water Conservation will speak on Rain Gardens. The meeting will be followed by a potluck and door prizes. All are welcome. Call Fran Potter for more info at 745-7676

January 5, Tuesday, 6:30pm. North Root Big Lake Gardeners monthly meeting. Gardening Bright Spots 2009. A Lockhart & Erskine video and photo presentation edited from this last summer's tours - the Valley Garden Club tours, North Root Tours, Widmer Garden, Coyote Gardens - and greenhouses, featuring the Robbs at Colony Greenhouse. At the Big Lake Library.

Steve Brown and friend. Photo courtesy Steve Brown.January 5, Tuesday, 7pm. Central Peninsula Garden Club monthly meeting. Chicken University: Learn to raise chickens in your backyard and how it can compliment your gardening/compost efforts. Presented by Cooperative Extension Service agent Steve Brown. He recently presented “Chicken U” at the Alaska Farm Bureau annual meeting with Khan, his handsome rooster. If weather allows, Kahn may join us, but if not, who has a tame rooster for a stand in? At the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Bldg., K-Beach Road in Soldotna. Everyone welcome. Contact Marion Nelson at mmkn@ptialaska.net or (907) 283-4632 for more info.

January 10, Sunday, 2pm. PERMACULTURE FOR ALASKANS. Join volunteers Dani Mazotta and Gus Gustafson in a discussion of Permaculture, which seeks to view systems as a whole, observing how each of the parts of a system relate. We’ll explore these key concepts of permaculture living and how we can relate them to an Alaskan environment. Together we will brainstorm ideas on how to introduce permaculture into our households. After the program, there will be a mini lesson on crocheting plastic bags into dish scrubbers and larger, more durable shopping bags (bring plastic grocery bags and large crochet hook). At the Eagle River Nature Center. Free program; $5 parking for non-members.

An heirloom tomato in a Kenai Peninsula greenhouse last summer. Fran Durner photo.January 14, Thursday, 10am. Wildflower Garden Club monthly meeting. Growing the Best Tomatoes! Verna Pratt will share the results of her many years of experimentation with both greenhouse and garden varieties. She will offer advice on the environmental conditions needed to produce the sweetest, most flavorful tomatoes. At Central Lutheran Church, 15th Avenue and Cordova Street. Contact Deb Cologgi for more info at cologgi@mtaonline.net

January 18, Monday, 7pm. Alaska Master Gardeners monthly meeting. Vines. A slide show by Dana Klinkhart. Also the AMGA elections will be held. At the UAF Cooperative Extension Service, 2221 E. Northern Lights Blvd. Call 786-6300 for more info.

January 23, Saturday, 2:30-4pm. Alaska Botanical Garden Winter Workshop Series. Vermicomposting . Learn how to compost at home with worms. Worm compost bins will be available for sale at the class. To be held at the UAA / APU Consortium Library room 307. $5 ABG members, $10 non-members. Registration required, call 562-7055 for more information.

January 24, Sunday, 2pm. Homer Garden Club monthly meeting. Starting From Seed presented by Jeannie McArthur and Teena Garay. Jeannie will cover growing annuals and vegetables and Teena will be covering growing perennials, shrubs and trees from seed. At the Best Western Bidarka Inn conference room. The public is welcome. Contact Neil Wagner at nlights@xyz.net or 235-6953 for more info.

January 26, Tuesday, 7:30pm. Alaska Orchid Society monthly meeting. Orchidoid Mycorrhizae presented by Kate Mohatt. Mushrooms are the flowers of the fungus world. Mycorrhizal fungi, associated with plant roots, make it possible for 80% of trees and plants and 100% of orchids to exist and thrive. Kate Mohatt of the U.S. Forest Service will speak and give a power point presentation on these fabulous fungi with a special slant on mycorrhizae association with orchids. Guests are always welcome to attend. Held at Central Lutheran Church at the corner of 15th Avenue and Cordova Street. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Wayne at AkOSNewsletter@aol.com or calling 277-2157.

January 27, Wednesday, 6pm. Happy New Year from Anchorage TREErific! We welcome Scott Stringer, municipal forester and certified arborist, who will explain where, what and how the root impact zone affects a tree's overall health. Knowing more about what is happening below the ground will help us be better tree stewards. At the Anchorage Senior Center,1300 East 19th Ave. Pizza donated by The Moose's Tooth arrives by 5:45. Any questions call Nancy Beardsley at 343-4288 or email us at TREErificAnchorage@yahoo.com

Janyary 30, Saturday, 2:30-4pm. Alaska Botanical Garden Winter Workshop Series. Planning Your 2010 Kitchen Garden. Join ABG staff to talk about incorporating biodiversity in your kitchen garden planning, and 10 uncommon vegetables / herbs / fruit to consider including. There will be a seed swap at the end of the session. At the UAA / APU Consortium Library #307. $5 ABG members, $10 non-members. For registration, call 562-7055 for more information.

You can make beautiful baskets using bark harvested from downed trees. Fran Durner photo.January 31st, Sunday, 2pm. MINIATURE BIRCH-BARK BASKETS Learn how to sew baskets from birch bark – all materials provided. Limited to the first 10 participants ages 15 and up, who register at 694-2108. Cost $10; additional $5 parking for non-members. At the Eagle River Nature Center.

GARDEN CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS
NOTE: Please check websites and contacts to confirm meetings.

Alaska Native Plant Society: First Monday of each month October through May, at 7:30pm. At the Campbell Creek Science Center. Contact admin@aknps.org for info.

Valley Garden Club: First Tuesday at 10:30am at the Old Catholic Church on Bogard Road. A short business meeting and an education program followed by a potluck lunch. It is a great time to catch up on all the gardening events and happenings in the Valley. All are welcome. Contact fpotter@mtaonline.net for more info.

North Root Big Lake Gardeners: First Tuesday, 6:30pm. At the Big Lake Library. Everyone is welcome. Call Linda Lockhart for more info, 892-8119.

Central Peninsula Garden Club: First Tuesday at 7pm at Cook Inlet Aquaculture Bldg., K-Beach Road. Everyone welcome. Contact Marion Nelson at mmkn@ptialaska.net

Anchorage Garden Club: First Thursday at 7pm at Pioneer School House basement, corner of Third Avenue and Eagle Street. Call the AGC hotline for program information, 566-0539.

Alaska Rose Society: Second Tuesday at 7pm. During the summer, we conduct outdoor workshops, take field trips and visit gardens. Locations vary, depending on the activity. Visitors and guests are welcome to all our summer activities. During the winter, education programs are presented at each meeting. Our meetings and educational programs are open to the public - visitors and guests are always welcome. Our winter meetings are usually held at the Central Lutheran Church, 1420 Cordova Street, on the corner of W. 15th Avenue and Cordova Street. Contact info@alaskarosesociety.org for info.

Wildflower Garden Club: Second Thursday at 10am at Central Lutheran Church, 15th Avenue and Cordova Street. Summer meetings are field trips. Go to their website for more information.

CANWIN (Citizen's Against Noxious Weeds Invading the North.) NOTE: Day of week and time have changed. Second Wednesday, 3-4:30pm, at the BLM’s Anchorage Field Office, 4700 BLM Road. (Another note: the street address has changed but it is still the same location.) E-mail or call Lori Zaumseil at AKCANWIN@aol.com, or call 245-2373 for more details.

Alaska Master Gardeners: Third Monday at 7 PM at UAF Cooperative Extension Service, 2221 E. Northern Lights Blvd. Summer meetings are field trips. 786-6300 for info.

Willow Garden Club: Third Thursday at 7 PM, Willow Community Center.

Alaska Rock Garden Society: Third Saturday at 2pm, September through March. Meetings alternate between Anchorage and Palmer. Anchorage contact, 522-3490; Wasilla contact, 1-907-357-2747. Call to find out meeting location and program.

Alaska Orchid Society: Fourth Tuesday at 7:30pm at Central Lutheran Church at the corner of 15th Ave.and Cordova St. Show and tell of orchid plants. Free and open to public.

Homer Garden Club: Fourth Sunday, 2pm. at the Best Western Bidarka Inn conference room. The public is welcome. Contact Neil Wagner at nlights@xyz.net or 235-6953 for more info.