Fall planting, fun events, and sustainability news!

$$ This Month's $ustainability $avings Tip $$

Dig In: Fall is the Best Time to Plant After a record-breaking hot summer, the temperatures are finally starting to cool down (okay, barely). Get ready to dive into your fall garden and landscape projects! Read our September Sustainability Savings Tip [PDF] for all the ideas and tips you need to get your yard looking beautiful. You'll find: - How to pick up your free copy of our popular and newly updated Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert guide. - How to qualify for up to $1,100 in grass removal incentives. - Details on planting wildflowers, overseeding, vegetable gardening and more.

+ + Bonus Tips + +

Water – Plant It Wisely Fall Microsite!

Want to create a landscape that is beautiful and resilient? Water – Use It Wisely has the ultimate Arizona fall landscaping and planting microsite with a slightly different name, Water – Plant It Wisely. The site showcases low-water use plants, design ideas, how to plant, sowing wildflowers for spring bloom, helpful videos, demonstration gardens, local workshops, and a listing of fall plant sales. You'll also find a link on how to hire a landscape professional. Visit the site, and dig in!

Mark Your Calendar!

Oct. 4, 9 to 9:30 a.m. Trees are Cool Presents: Get Answers, Get Planting! Join us to learn where to find trees for your home, chat with an arborist, participate in a tree activity, and learn about the Park Ranger Program. This is a free event and registration is not required. Reed Park, 1631 E. Broadway Road. Additional dates and locations are available. Oct. 5 and 18, 8 to 11 a.m. Mesa Plant Nursery Pop-Up Events. Get tree and planting questions answered in person and meet the City of Mesa’s Urban Forest Program Manager and water conservation staff. Sat, Oct 5 at Treeland Nursery and Fri, Oct 18 at SummerWinds Nursery.

Oct. 5, 10 to 11 a.m. Survival Guide to Buying or Selling a Home This seminar will guide you through the steps of buying or selling a home and give you current information about crucial aspects of the process. Dobson Ranch Library, 2425 S. Dobson Road, Mesa.

Oct. 11 & 12, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The 10th Great American Seed Up This event features a room full of open pollinated seeds for your scooping pleasure. It is the most amazing seed bulk buy you will find. 

Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to Noon. Ask a Master Gardener UofA Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners are volunteers who answer questions about gardening, landscaping, plant identification, and plant problems. Get your questions answered—you can even bring your problem plant. Red Mountain Library, 635 N. Power Road.

Oct. 12, 5 to 9 p.m. Celebrate Mesa Fall Festival This free family festival includes face painting, family activities, food vendors, live music and more. Get your photo with Wayne Drop, our Water – Use It Wisely mascot. Red Mountain Soccer Complex, 905 N Sunvalley Boulevard, Mesa. Oct. 19, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. El Rancho Del Sol Community Garden Volunteer Day This event is organized by Local First Arizona's Good Food Finder group. Help prep 28 garden beds in anticipation of the upcoming growing season, which means turning soil, adding amendments, and more. Location: 701 E. Main Street, Mesa. Nov. 1, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Trees Matter's Annual Mesquite Pancake Breakfast for Dinner Fundraiser This event is a fundraiser to support Trees Matter whose mission is to foster and inspire an increased, more equitable tree canopy in the Valley of the Sun! That means that the pancakes are made with mesquite tree seed pod flour, and the syrup is made from maple tree sap! Yes, please!

~ Sustainability News ~

Mesa Encourages Residents to Take Advantage of Water-Saving Fall Planting Resources September brings planting season, and Mesa reminds homeowners of its incentives for converting grassy yards into water-wise...

Fuel Operation at Falcon Field Brings Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Mesa The City of Mesa joins with its Falcon Field Airport partners in celebrating the arrival of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a new, emissions-reducing fuel...

September Landscape Watering Guidelines & Tips Find watering schedules, overseeding details, grass removal incentives, & more.

Plant of the Month (to NOT Plant): Ryegrass or Winter Grass Most Americans love lush, green lawns, and have shown that they are willing to do whatever it takes to have them... Hotter and Drier Conditions Impact Water Resources This summer, Arizona's weather has been consistently setting new records. The monsoon season in the Valley has remained drier than usual, and extreme heat has broken previous...

Urban Forestry Accelerator Aims to Boost Green Infrastructure, Economic Growth in Phoenix A new three-year project at Arizona State University — in partnership with community-based organizations, municipalities (Phoenix, Gaudalupe, and Mesa), industry partners and national organizations — will work directly with Valley residents to co-create actionable neighborhood urban forestry plans...

Inside Goodwill’s Bid to Build a Textile Recycling Powerhouse Goodwill found that 60 percent of the cotton, polyester and polycotton textiles it can’t sell can be turned into new textiles with existing mechanical or chemical recycling technologies...

Public Meetings for Proposed Five-Year Consolidated Plan to Seek Input on Community Needs The City of Mesa is hosting meetings to provide information and seek public input about the proposed 2025-2029 Five Year HUD Consolidated Plan and a proposed Annual Action Plan for fiscal year 2025/2026 regarding community...

Survey is now through November 30. We need your input! Learn more.

+ + Mesa Climate Action + +

Help Us Grow a Cooler Community Our Trees Are Cool initiative was launched as one branch of Mesa's Climate Action Plan. Reducing impacts on our environment requires us to focus on the areas of energy reduction, air quality improvements, water stewardship, and heat mitigation. Trees play a role in these solutions and more.

Trees beautify yards, parks, and shared spaces, and play a significant role in providing shade, filtering greenhouse gas emissions, and helping to cool our community. This last benefit is particularly important following this summer's record-breaking high temperatures.

Our fall planting season is a perfect time to plant a tree on our property. Use the opportunity to celebrate a loved one, commemorate a memory, or mark a birthday. Our "Trees Are Cool" page offers helpful information on choosing the right tree, proper planting methods, and watering.

You can also volunteer your time for tree plantings with nonprofit organizations such as Trees Matter or Arizona Sustainability Alliance. Finally, you can donate to Mesa's tree planting funds. Go to the Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation page (use the down arrow to select 'Tree Program'). If you are a business or corporation with interest in supporting community tree planting, contact us.

If you plant a tree, we'd love to add it to our tree planting map! Be sure to record your tree.

~ Learn to Live Green ~