Pacific Region Garden Clubs 2025 Convention April 28-30th

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• Make & Take Containers and Designs
• Build Bee & Insect Hotels
• Multi-Grafting Techniques
• Palm-Dates Pollination

• Harvest and Save Seeds
• Low Water Use Gardens
• Making Herbal Teas
• Wild At Art
• Color Theory in Designs

• Membership Tips
• Networking at Roundtables
• Canva 

Keynote Speakers  - See Below

Education/Workshops    - See Below 

Tours  - See Below 

Several sessions are  featured every day with some concurrency. There is something here for  everyone! If you are not involved in the business meetings, then you can  join in an educational breakout. Many of these sessions are included in  the cost of registration; if a workshop has an additional fee, then  that fee will be noted in its description.  At the bottom of this page,  you will find a list of suggested things to do on your own in the Tempe  area. Take a look!

Educational Breakout:    25 Tips to Boost Membership with Robin Pokorski
Find It… Monday, April 28th at 9:30am – 10:30am in Main Ballroom (60 minutes) [PRGC Convention]
Included at no additional cost with PRGC convention registration.

*Followed by an hour of roundtable discussion when every club is invited to share experiences and hear from other clubs.

Robin Pokorski joined Southern California Garden Club in the San Fernando Valley District in 1989. She has served garden club in many roles from club, to district to  state to region. Robin is a parliamentarian and member of the National  Association of Parliamentarians. Robin enjoys gardening in San Fernando  including a thriving veggie garden and more than 75 rose bushes. Now  Robin serves as the NGC Membership Chairman and hosts a monthly NGC  Membership Monday zoom.

Join Robin to discuss how to grow a thriving garden club!

Hands-On Workshop:   Build A Bee & Insect Hotel with Rosemary Wade
Find It… Monday, April 28th, at 10:30am – 11:30am in the Rio Salado Room (60 minutes) [PRGC Convention]
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED! Cost: $30 per person
Cost includes all materials and tools.

Very packable! Assembled this bee hotel measures 10.4in by 3.4in by  5.4in so would fit in a large suitcase. Or carry the unassembled kit to  build at your home.

A bee/insect hotel supports the natural habitat of the useful  creatures in your garden. Wild bees use this hotel as a nesting place in  the spring and summer and as refuge in the autumn and winter. The bees  pollinate the blossoms of fruit and vegetable plants in the surrounding  area and thus, make an important contribution towards a more successful  harvest.

Please join the workshop and learn more about these important creatures and their needs while building a hotel.

Hands-On Workshop:   “Make and Take” Petite Floral Design Workshop with Mickie and Kathie
Find It… Monday, April 28th at 2:30pm – 5:00pm in Rio Salado Room (2 hours) [PRGC Convention]
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED! Cost: $30 per person, limited to 40 registrants
Cost includes all materials and tools.
 

Plan to impress yourself!
This is an opportunity to “MAKE”a container from a recycled item.
Followed by “BASIC TRAINING ” in floral design.
You will leave with a very impressive fresh floral design to “TAKE” with you.

Note that registrants will be divided into 2 workgroups of 20 people  each. The first workgroup will begin at 2:30pm. Tentatively, the second  workgroup will begin around 4pm following the PR Board meeting. These  times will be confirmed with registrants prior to April 1st.

Educational Session:   Wild At Art – The Adventures and Art of Dyana Hesson
Find It… Monday, April 28th at 2:30pm – 3:30pm in University Room (60 minutes) [PRGC Convention]
Included at no additional cost with convention registration.

*Followed by time for questions and a book signing for “The Art of Wildflowers”

Botanical artist Dyana Hesson loves a good adventure. “I  simply can’t get enough of Arizona; its sun on my face, its dirt under  my feet, its colors on my pallet. The Grand Canyon state has been  generous with inspiration for my 33 years as an artist, and I’m just  getting started. There’s always more to explore around the next bend.” Dyana found her gift of painting in an art class in college. Dyana’s latest book The Art of Wildflowers was recently published by Arizona Highways. She is currently working on  a series she calls “Wild Arizona” for the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum  which opens in the fall of 2025. 

Educational Breakout:   Beginner’s Guide to Harvesting and Saving Seeds with Kim Rosenlof
Find It… Monday, April 28th at 4:15pm – 5:00pm in the Main Ballroom (45 minutes) [PRGC Convention]
Included at no additional cost with PRGC convention registration.

Are you spending more on plants than on shoes? Do the cashiers in the  garden department at big box stores know you by name? Do you wish you  could grow flowers and vegetables more economically from seed or  contribute to your garden club’s seed swap?  If so, join Master Gardener  Kim Rosenlof for a beginner’s level session on harvesting and saving  seeds from various types of flowers, herbs and vegetables. Kim will talk  about different types of seeds, tips and tricks for collecting seeds  from popular plants, and methods for storing and preserving seeds.  She’ll also lead you in a hands-on origami seed packet folding exercise  that will enable you to collect seeds “in the wild” as long as you have a  square piece of paper.

Roundtable Discussion:   Club Officers Networking
Find It… Tuesday, April 29th at 8:30am – 9:45am in Main Ballroom (75 minutes) [PRGC Convention]
Included at no additional cost with PRGC convention registration.

EVERYONE IS INVITED! Come learn and share about how Executive  Officers in Garden Clubs run their organization. Across all 8 states in  the Pacific Region Garden Clubs, we have a lot in common and come to  support each other. Your past experiences are invaluable to new  officers. Hear from others about what works. Ask questions. Bring  business cards to handout to all your new friends.

Hand-outs will be available for all clubs about officer positions, parliamentary procedures, membership drives and more.

Hands-On Workshop:   Multi-Fruit Grafting Techniques Workshop with Steve Sheard
Find It… Tuesday, April 29th at 8:30am – 9:45am in Rio Salado Room (90 minutes) [PRGC Convention]
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED! Cost: $20 per person, limited to 15 registrants
Cost includes all materials and tools.
 

Steve Sheard will share his 20+ years  of experience leading you through the steps of a cleft graft, the most  common graft used on fruit trees. You will create a single tomato/potato  plant that will produce both tomatoes and potatoes! Everything will be  provided including a growing root-stock, scion wood, knives and tape.

Steve  Sheard and his family moved to Tempe Arizona in December 1980 and found  the valley had the ideal climate to grow many of the fruit trees that  he grew up with in Zimbabwe. He started grafting on roses and then  branched out into fruit trees. Steve has created a three-flavor lemon  tree for his son and has an orange tree that produces a bumper crop of  limes. His pomegranate tree has three different types of fruit on it!  Steve is a Master Consulting Rosarian with the  American Rose Society, a member of the Arizona chapter of the California  Rare Fruit Growers and a member of Tempe Garden Club.

Educational Breakout:   Using Color Theory in Design with Sue Mogan
Find It… Tuesday, April 29th at 2:30pm – 3:30pm in the University Room (90 minutes) [PRGC Convention]
Included at no additional cost with PRGC convention registration.

Sue Mogan served as the president of the Tempe Garden Club from 2020  to 2024 and earned her Master Gardener certificate in 2023. She is also a  graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU), where she earned a  degree in graphic design with a focus on color theory. Born in Illinois,  Sue has lived in several states, including Alaska, and has settled in  Arizona. Her love for gardening has been a constant throughout her life.  She has grown flowers and vegetables in every state she has called  home, a testament to her passion for cultivating beauty and  sustainability. Even after stepping down as president, she remains an  active member of the Tempe Garden Club’s board and continues to nurture  her love of gardening in her personal garden plot.

Educational Breakout:   Low Water Use Gardening with Liz Lonetti
Find It… Tuesday, April 29th at 2:30pm – 3:30pm in Main Ballroom (60 minutes)  [PRGC Convention]
Included at no additional cost with PRGC convention registration.

Learn the pros and cons of the most commonly used  low water gardening techniques from high-tech to low-tech. Liz Lonetti  shares her experience adapting these techniques for sustainably growing  vegetables in the desert.

Liz  Lonetti is a champion of sustainable, low-water gardening in the desert  Southwest. As the outgoing president of the Arizona Herb Association,  she has spent over a decade educating and inspiring gardeners to embrace  eco-friendly practices, including the use of native plants and  innovative irrigation techniques like ollas and wicking beds. With a  background in construction and urban planning, Liz combines practical  experience with a passion for fostering vibrant, resilient landscapes.

Educational Breakout:   Learn About Date-Palm Harvesting and Palm Pollination with Deborah Thirkhill
Find It… Tuesday, April 29th at 3:45 pm – 4:45 pm in Rio Salado Room (45 minutes) [PRGC Convention]
Included at no additional cost with PRGC convention registration.

The Arboretum at  Arizona State University has the largest date palm collection of any  public garden in the country. Its date-palm collection is comprised of  more than 50 varieties, including more common varieties such as Medjool,  Black Sphinx, Khadrawy, Zahidi, Honey and Halaway, and a number of rare  varieties such as Peggy Ann, Deglet Beida, Bentamoda and Taj. Read more about the ASU cultivar list here.

Hands-On Workshop:   Build A Bee & Insect Hotel with Rosemary Wade
Find It… Tuesday, April 29th, at 3:45pm – 4:45pm in the University Room (60 minutes)  [PRGC Convention]
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED! Cost: $30 per person
Cost includes all materials and tools.

Very packable! Assembled this bee hotel measures 10.4in by 3.4in by  5.4in so would fit in a large suitcase. Or carry the unassembled kit to  build at your home.

A bee/insect hotel supports the natural habitat of the useful  creatures in your garden. Wild bees use this hotel as a nesting place in  the spring and summer and as refuge in the autumn and winter. The bees  pollinate the blossoms of fruit and vegetable plants in the surrounding  area and thus, make an important contribution towards a more successful  harvest.

Please join the workshop and learn more about these important creatures and their needs while building a hotel.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER!  Kim Gray, Executive Director at Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Monday, April 28, 2025  [PRGC Convention] at the Lunch-n-Learn in Main Ballroom, 12:45pm – 1:45pm
Plated Lunch will be served at Noon.

Conservation In Action at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum!

Kim Gray, a  native Arizonian, has cultivated her deep-rooted passion for the natural  world through a lifetime spent exploring the diverse landscapes of  Arizona. Kim’s professional journey spans over  35 years within the zoological and conservation community, starting as a  zookeeper at the Phoenix Zoo and progressing through various managerial  roles at zoos and nonprofit organizations in the US. Kim’s  commitment to conservation led her to the role of Chief Operating  Officer at the International Crane Foundation, a nonprofit organization  dedicated to preserving cranes and their ecosystems. Kim’s  dedication extends to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, a place that held a  special spot in her youth. Her love for gardening finds expression in  her role as an avid cultivator of cacti, succulents, and vegetables.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER!  Karen Cesare, Central Arizona Project
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 [PRGC Convention] at the Lunch-n-Learn in Main Ballroom, 12:45pm – 1:45pm
Plated Lunch will be served at Noon.

Water Conservation in the Arid Southwest!

Elected as Pima County’s representative to Central Arizona’s Water District, Ms. Karen Cesare has been a key part of the water rights negotiations and water  management.  Karen is a third generation Arizonian and a registered  Landscape Architect.  She owns and operates Novak Environmental Inc.   She was elected to the CAWCD Board of Directors since 2014, currently  serves at BOD Secretary at Central Arizona Project and serves on the  Canoa Ranch Conservation Committee.  Karen and her family enjoy hiking,  cycling and birding in Tucson, Arizona.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER!  Linda Larson, Author of “Traveling Gardener”
Tuesday, April 29, 2025  [PRGC Convention] at the Gala Dinner in Main Ballroom, 8:00pm -8:45pm
Plated Dinner will be served at 6:30pm

Ms. Linda Larson‘s  passion is for gardens and plants and for putting wonder into  wandering. Upon retirement from her teaching career Linda became a  Traveling Gardener – wandering, wondering, noticing. She has been on an  incredible journey, visiting over 1000 gardens worldwide. Sharing her  travels through breathtaking visuals and insight, her enthusiasm and  excitement for discovery captivate audiences nationwide. Linda’s  adventures have given her a unique perspective on the world. She  explores the human stories behind each garden, appreciates the  significance of its location and architecture, and marvels at the land’s  beauty. To Linda, gardens are not just places of tranquility; they are  gateways to understanding the world we inhabit.

Since wandering the enchanting terrains of Brazil’s Roberto Burle  Marx Garden to the hidden gems of New Zealand, Europe, and Asia, Linda  will share her program “In Search of Wonder, Traveling 1000 Gardens.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKER!  Silviculturists with National Forest Service
Wednesday, April 30, 2025  [PRGC Convention] at the Closing Ceremonies in Main Ballroom, 10:30am – 11:30am
Breakfast Buffet will be served from 8:30am – 9:30am.

Come hear about how the USDA National Forest System conducts  Reforestation Programs. These are the efforts that garden clubs support  through the “Plant a Tree” donations, formerly known as “Penny Pines”.  Regional Silviculturists will share specific examples from the southwest  but also relate where you can find information in other forest service  regions. These leaders have authored several papers on eco-resiliency  through fire fuel practices which account for sustainable habitats and  sensitive species in the central and southern Rockies, the Sierra  Nevadas and the transverse and peninsular ranges of California.

Learn more about “Plant A Tree” Program through National Garden Clubs and USDA.

Learn more about Reforestation Programs through the National Forest Foundation.

Learn more about Forest Service Regions.