The Faire will take place on Saturday, April 14th, from 10:00 AM until 4:00 pm and Sunday, April 15th, from 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM. On both days, we will feature the talents of artists from Yucaipa's own VisionQuest - The Center for Creativity. Nineteen VisionQuest artists (including painters, glassblowers, and potters) will display their work for sale and, in some cases, demonstrate how they create their art. Newell Nurseries is proud and excited to have the opportunity to partner with such a talented and committed group of people for our First Annual Artisans' Faire.

Yucaipa VisionQuest - The Center for Creativity was founded in 2001 and currently boasts a membership of 182, including 95 artists who work with watercolors, oils, acrylics, pastels, and pen and ink. Other artists include quilters, glassblowers, stone workers, metalworkers, bead and jewelry makers, potters, photographers, musicians and writers. Their mission is to "foster public interest in the development of creative thinking, with the goals of empowering people and enhancing the quality of life, by providing opportunities for all community members to participate in and enjoy creative activities." This non-profit organization relies on volunteers to maintain The Gallery at 35136 Avenue A in Yucaipa. The Gallery is currently open on Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.

On the evening of April 14th, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM, Newell's will host a "Meet-the-Artist" Reception. You will have the opportunity to hear the artists speak about their passion while you enjoy wine provided by Redlands' Citrone Restaurant, sample a selection of cheeses, and enjoy live music presented by Redlands musicians. Reservations are required for this evening reception, so please call Newell Nurseries at 909-797-9210 or email us as soon as possible with your name and the number of people in your party.

Read on to meet some of the artists who will be at the Faire and the Reception:

Beverly McClanahan joined the Yucaipa Valley Art Association in 2000, where she soon became Vice-President. After three years in that office, she became YVAA Liaison to VisionQuest - The Center for Creativity, where she has been on the Board of Directors for several years. For years, Bev has been a significant part of promoting and supporting local artists. She is also the recipient of numerous awards for her artwork, including her most coveted award - The 2002 Yucaipa Valley Art Association Spring Show Popular Vote Award.

Bob Norris discovered his talent for oil painting in the 70s by taking adult evening classes. Fellow art colleagues call him the "Mountain Man" as he prefers to paint mountain scenery. He and his wife spend summers at their mountain home in the Colorado Rockies that provides the inspiration for his oil paintings. Bob says, "I truly enjoy the creative process of painting. It takes me away to places I love to visit or would like to visit. I would wish for everyone the pure artistic enjoyment I have each time I sit down at my easel."

Dave Taylor has been blowing glass in Southern California since 1997. He trained at San Bernardino Valley College under Ken Reed and Jim Stewart. He also attended workshops and demonstrations by such artists as Fritz Dreisbach, Elio Quarisa, Dick Marquis, and many others. Teaming up with fellow glass artist Ezra Hunt, he has established his own studio, "Big Yellow T," in Rialto, California, where he produces his own unique glass pieces. His work has been featured by The Redlands Glass Museum in Redlands, California and VisionQuest - The Center for Creativity, where he has been a member for more than 5 years.

David Porras' love for pottery began while studying under Robert Karlinsey at Loyola Marymount University and continued while studying under the late Neil Moss at El Camino College. He improved his throwing skills by working as a production potter at factories in Carson and Santa Monica. Then he had his own retail pottery studio in Playa del Rey, making and selling functional stoneware. Many years ago, a neighbor asked David' then five-year old son, what his dad did for a living. Since his son had only seen his dad working on pottery in his garage studio, David's son said he was an attorney and said that attorneys make pottery. Actually, his son was right - David works with pottery and is an attorney with Varner and Brandt in Riverside.

Ezra Hunt is a native of San Bernardino. He started blowing glass in the spring of 1998, where he studied under Ken Reed and Jim Stewart, at Valley College. He has attended workshops by Elio Quarisa. Ezra's work is renowned for its technique and vivid colors. He has sold many glass vases and bowls since The Gallery opened five years ago. He currently works with Dave Taylor, owner of "Big Yellow T" studio in Rialto, and has been a member of VisionQuest for more than five years.

Richard Jones, a Painter and native of Ohio, Richard spent his formative years growing to love the beauty of nature by hiking along rivers and through the woods. Since his retirement in 1997, he has enjoyed oil painting, gardening and traveling. He said his early art training was in high school, but during the last two years, he has very much enjoyed his art classes taught by Anita De Carlo. Richard is a member of VisionQuest - The Center for Creativity and has many paintings for sale at The Gallery@VisionQuest. He was honored with an Artist's Reception by VisionQuest on March 23, 2007.

Charlene MacLeod, a painter and a native of Los Angeles, moved to Yucaipa with her husband Fred, in 1987. She is an avid member of the Yucaipa Valley Art Association (YVAA) and a Board Member of Directors of VisionQuest. She has belonged to the Hawthorne Art Group, the Torrance Traditional Art Guild, and the Gardena Art Association. From 1973 to 1987, Charlene displayed her work at shows in San Diego, Del Mar, and Hawthorne. She continues to show her work at The Gallery@VisionQuest. Over the years, Charlene has won numerous blue ribbons for her beautiful paintings. Her most coveted award was at the 1975 Gardena Valley Art Association when she won Best of Show.

Although Charlene is mostly self-taught, she used some instruction when learning to use acrylics, which is her medium of choice. She paints on canvas, sandstone quarried from Arizona, and Basswood from Wisconsin, The ideas for Charlene's paintings come from photos taken when she and Fred took trips into the " Gold County" (up highway 49) and in the New York area. She has recently begun painting at art classes taught at the Scherer Senior Center in Yucaipa by Anita De Carlo, another YVAA and VisionQuest Associate Member.

Marge Lammers, a painter and a native of the mid-west, has lived in the Yucaipa/Calimesa area over 50 years. She and husband Rome have five children and ten grandchildren. Marge worked in banking for 20 years and upon retirement has had the opportunity to pursue her interest in painting, taking lessons from Sharon Rachal, Anita De Carlo and David Fairrington. She says,that besides learning to paint, the new friends she's made these past few years mean the world to her.

Marge is a member of VisionQuest and the Yucaipa Valley Art Association, where she currently serves on the Board as Treasurer.

Patty St. Clair, a Yucaipa resident, specializes in painting lighthouses, because of the detail involved. Although she has painted in pastels, oils, and other media, she loves to paint in watercolors. After sitting many hours in her little "studio" in her spare bedroom, Patti has everything at her fingertips so she can make beautiful watercolor paintings, many of which have garnered blue ribbons and sales of many of her watercolor lighthouses.

Occasionally after delving into some other art project, she always returns to her love of watercolors and her lighthouses. Patty is a member of VisionQuest.

Adam Wagner is a lampworker. The art of glassblowing is thousands of years old; it began before Biblical history. As a person who appreciates unique beauty, Adam Wagner (Yucaipa) was drawn to this ancient art. He has always enjoyed working with his hands, creating masterpieces, and designing custom art molded to individuals taste and desire. He specializes in tailor-made glass pieces for the individual art people want to display in their homes or offices as well as custom-made pieces for the private collector. Adam began lampworking five years ago while taking classes at Valley College. While he learned lampworking from Luke Wilson, a friend, it was under the private training of a master of glassblowing that Adam gained the knowledge and expertise necessary to design and craft the beautiful custom pieces he makes today.

From his Yucaipa studio - Firebug Glass Design - Adam uses glass called "Borosilicate," or Pyrex (like the cookware) to make various types of items, including hummingbird feeders, vases, goblets, ashtrays, windowpanes. A dam features small works of art, including glass pendants, key fobs, and orbs. For custom-made pieces, he sits with the collector to design the pieces they want made. After selecting the styles and colors to be used, the collector has the option of watching Adam make the pieces or waiting for the surprise. Adam truly has a passion for art, design, and making a living creating beautiful glass pieces for his very happy customers.

The Ancient Art of Glassblowing or Lampworking

Glassblowing, or 'lampworking' is the ancient practice of melting and shaping glass into colorful objects. Its popularity soared in the 1300s in Murano, Italy, and continues into the 21st century, especially with the invention of modern tools and a wide selection of glass to work with. Each piece is unique, one of a kind." (Bob Otto, The Sun)

The Unwanted Trio: Powdery mildew, rust, and blackspot. For rose growers, these three characters are hard for us to avoid. Morning and evening air moisture will get us every time, no matter how careful we are about giving our plants the best cultural environment that we can. Oh sure, there are others! But we'll start with these three guys.

Powdery mildew appears as a superficial white or gray powdery substance over the surface of leaves, stems, flowers, or fruit of affected plants. These patches may enlarge until they cover the entire leaf on one or both sides. Young foliage and shoots may be particularly susceptible. Leaf curling and twisting may also occur with this fungus. Severe powdery mildew infection will result in yellowed leaves, dried and brown leaves, and disfigured shoots and flowers. Although it usually is not a fatal disease, powdery mildew may hasten plant defoliation and the infected plant may become extremely unsightly. On roses, uncontrolled powdery mildew will prevent normal flowering on highly susceptible cultivars.

Some powdery mildew, especially those on roses, is favored by high humidity. This can happen in our gardens when we have plant overcrowding; shading will keep plants cool and promote higher humidity. These conditions are highly conducive to powdery mildew development.

Rust is another fungus presenting problems in our gardens. It first appears on the undersides of leaves and other plant parts as orange powdery "pustules." As these pustules develop, they become visible on the upper leaf surfaces as orange brown spots. Rust can develop when temperatures are 65 to 70 F, and moisture is continuous for two to three hours.

It is very important to remove and destroy the infected foliage containing rust. Wear gloves that can be washed afterwards and clean any tools used in the removal. This fungus is easy to spread. That is why it is important to also clean up any foliage that has fallen to the ground under the infected plant. Replace any mulch present with new mulch. Don't try to "wash" the rust away from the foliage! This will only help it to spread further in your garden.

Blackspot , also a fungus, appears like its name. It also develops during warm but wet weather. Unfortunately, it can overwinter in the leaf buds and canes or on fallen leaves not cleared away from your roses. Lots of sun, good air circulation and healthy soil will increase your rose plant resistance capabilities. As with rust, it is very important to remove and clean up infected foliage. Remember to clean your tools between cutting on infected plants.

Before using fungicides you should attempt to limit powdery mildew and rust by following good cultural practices.

• Purchase only top-quality, disease-free plants of resistant cultivars and species--we sell only the best.
• Prune out diseased terminals of woody plants, such as rose during the normal pruning period. All dead wood should be removed. Remove from the surrounding soil all dead leaves that might harbor the fungus.
• Keep plants healthy. Plant where the plants will obtain a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight daily (especially roses), space for good air circulation.
• Water thoroughly without over-watering. Don’t use overhead watering/sprinklers, which wet the foliage. Don’t water in the late afternoon or evening when the foliage will not have time to dry.

Fungicides may become necessary to achieve acceptable control. For best results with fungicides, spray programs must begin as soon as mildews are detected. Ask one of us which of the fungicide products are best suited for your needs. There is a range of products available on our shelves.

Scales are bark, branch, leaf, stem, and fruit pests. Hmm, that's just about everything but the flower! These little pests look like crusty or brown rounded bumps on your plants. They are like barnacles. Unless they have accumulated in numbers, they may be entirely missed.

Scales are “suckers” like aphids and mealybugs. They are less mobile than the latter, however, and spend much of their lives in one spot. Their excrement is like the honeydew of aphids, and that sugary substance is an excellent growth medium for black sooty mold. If your plant has sooty mold, chances are you have an infestation.

Damage to your plant from scales is minimal in the long run (unless there is a huge infestation). But they are unattractive to your plant.

You can flick them off with your thumbnail, or alternatively, you can clean your plant with strong blasts of water and knock these “stem potatoes” right off. Because they have a sucking mouthpart and are generally immobile, they won't be back anytime soon. And, if they had that mouthpart stuck into your plant at the time of detachment, it will break off, and the little brown scale can no longer eat.

Scales have natural predators too. Lacewing larvae, predaceous beetles and microscopic parasitic wasps all control the scale population. The beneficial wasp pierces the hard shell and lays eggs within the scale – thus the name parasitic. If you see a scale with a hole on its shell, it has already been attacked by one of these wasps. This parasitic outcome is also true for aphids.

Word to the wise gardener: keep your plants healthy with correct watering, fertilizers and mulch. A healthy plant can better combat any annoying insect.

An artichoke (Cynara scolymus or C. cardunculus) is a giant thistle which becomes a beautiful flower. Well, it could become a beautiful flower - if we didn't we pick it as a flower bud and eat it as a vegetable.

Artichokes, native to the Mediterranean region, were later introduced to Southern Europe and Asia. The artichoke has dramatic and sculptured gray green foliage that is very attractive in your vegetable garden. In fact, this vegetable is beautiful in your ornamental garden, too!

An artichoke’s overall form is almost like a fountain and needs up to 4 feet of space for full growth. It likes full sun, cooler temperatures and moist soil. If you live in a very hot zone, plant it in the shade. Mulch under the plant to help maintain the moisture that it loves.

At planting time, plant dormant roots or young plants with the root shoots just above the soil level and then mulch. Water at least once a week, keeping the root system moist.

Aphids, snails, slugs, and earwigs tend to be the artichoke “pest of the day.” Blast the aphids and earwigs off with water.

The best time to harvest your artichokes is once the edible flower buds are 2-4 inches in diameter. Cut off the bud, including 1.5 inches of stem with the bud. At the end of the season, cut back the old bearing stems/foliage to near ground level and mulch around the remaining plant. Don’t forget to give your artichokes a well-balanced fertilizer such as Nurserymans Vegetable Garden Fertilizer.

Peppers (Capiscum frutescens) are in the same group as the potato and tomato family (Solanaceae) which is also called Nightshade. The pepper is another one of our favorite vegetables that are natives of South America. It has been a part of the human diet in the Americas for thousands of years.

A bushy annual, the plant grows to from 1-4 feet tall and likes full sun but will tolerate part shade too. Regular water is necessary, along with a long, warm growing season to produce the most fruit. If your growing season is cool or short, try techniques that will increase the warmth around your plants such as clear plastic mulch. Steve Goto of Goto Nursery (heirloom tomatoes and peppers) recommends mixing an acid plant (azalea, camellia, gardenia) planting mix with your native soil at planting time.

There are so many kinds of peppers--what is your fancy? They range from the classic bell peppers that can be green, red, yellow, orange or buff to Hot Hot Hot!

There are peppers for salads, peppers for stuffing, peppers for spices, peppers for pickling…on and on and on.

Hotness scales related to peppers reveal the amount of capsaicin, which is the source of that hotness, and truly can be scientifically measured. Bell peppers are rated at 0 SHU (SHU=measure of hotness), green chilies are 1500 SHU, jalapenos 3000-6000SHU and habaneros 300000 SHU. How could one even chew one tidbit of something that hot!! Great care must be taken when trying out a new, hot chile pepper.

FYI, the camp song above is referring to Pepper Pot Soup. There are many variations on this recipe theme. Here’s one to try with your home grown peppers!

The Caribbean
• Pepper Pot
• 2 chickens, cut up in pieces (2-1/2 pounds each)
• 1 pig's foot
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 cup cassareep*
• 1 lg. onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 chile peppers, seeded, diced
• 1 2-inch piece stick cinnamon
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Place the chicken pieces and pig's foot in a large stew pot and pour water in to cover. Add salt. Bring to a boil and skim scum. Cover partially and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove as much fat as possible from surface of water. Add pork, cassareep, onion, brown sugar, chiles, cinnamon, cloves, and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, for another hour. Remove the cloves and cinnamon and discard. Stir in the vinegar.

*Used primarily in West Indian cookery, cassareep is a bittersweet condiment made by cooking the juice of bitter cassava with brown sugar and spices until it reduces to a syrup. Bottled cassareep can be found in Caribbean markets.

Sandy is a native Californian born and raised in San Bernardino. In addition to her Mom and Dad she has 4 brothers, 1 nephew and 1 nephew or niece on the way, 1 sister-in-law and the best boyfriend in the world. When she was younger, Sandy loved being in her Grandma’s garden, so working at Newell’s around the plants and flowers reminds her of her Grandma—nice!