Cottage Grove Garden Club

February Events

2012-02-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

Can you feel the excitement about spring growing? To help satisfy that garden-itch, here's a listing of gardening related events happening this month in the Cottage Grove area.

February 1: registration has opened for the "Hardy Plant Weekend" being held in Eugene from June 7-10. The theme is "Into the Woods/Out of the Woods," focusing on shady and near-shady gardens. Visit The Hardy Plant Group for more information.

February 7 (Tuesday): Cottage Grove Garden Club will be making "Seed Bombs" in a workshop led by Andrea Mull.

February 9 (Thursday): American Rhododendron Society Eugene Chapter Presents "Plant Hunting in China" with Mike Stewart, owner of Dover Nursery. 7pm.

February 13 (Monday): Native Plant Society of Oregon - Emerald Chapter. Dave Predeek talks on “Flora of the Wallowa Mountains in Northeastern Oregon.”

February 14 (Tuesday): Hardy Plant Group welcomes Jack Olson speaking on "Rhododendrons as Perennials."

February 17 (Friday): Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council leads the Garden Club along the Row River Nature Trail to showcase local restoration efforts. 2pm.

February 20 (Monday): Avid Gardeners Presents FAVORITES—Tried and True and New! Learn from Avid Gardeners board members (Mark Bloom, Alice Doyle, Ernie and Marietta O’Byrne ) about their top picks in both ornamentals and edibles, from great (but often unsung) reliables to the newest offerings.

February 21 (Tuesday): Cottage Grove Garden Club Board Meeting at the Community Center from 6:30-8:00 pm.

February 25 (Saturday): Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council hosts a tree planting at the Row River Nature Park. All interested community members are encouraged to help. 9am-noon. Please RSVP with the Watershed Council.

Seed Bombs!

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Seed Balls (or Bombs as guerrilla gardeners refer to them) are actually an ancient method of coating seeds in a medium of clay and compost, which allows the gardener to "toss" them into a field where they eventually dissolve while the seed is germinating and being nourished by the compost. This protects the delicate seeds from birds and other seed-eating animals, while also allowing the seeds to be sown whenever it suits the gardener, regardless of the weather. Today guerrilla gardeners toss the "bombs" into abandoned areas where food and flowers bloom in the place of weeds and trash.

Join the Garden Club on Tuesday February 7 as Andrea Mull shows us how to make Seed Bombs. Come prepared to get your hands dirty!

The Cottage Grove Garden Club meets from 6:00-8:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors. Our meeting begins at 6pm, the workshop at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

January 2012

2012-01-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here's a sampling of garden-related happenings in the wider Cottage Grove area this month.

January 3 (Tuesday), 6pm: Cottage Grove Garden Club. "An Introduction to Permaculture and Whole Systems Design"

A holistic approach to gardening and sustainable living, Permaculture is a method of design that centers around whole systems thinking. Devon Bonady, owner and steward of Fern Hill Nursery and Botanical Sanctuary in Cottage Grove will share the ethics and principles of Permaculture design for a variety of sites, from urban gardens to rural homesteads. Using local examples, she will include ideas and recommendations for gardeners who want to create a more efficient, low-maintenance, or ecologically integrated garden and home.

Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (3rd and Adams). Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

January 9 (Monday): Sustainable Cottage Grove meeting, 6:30, Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 10 (Tuesday): The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Ivette Soler author of "The Edible Front Yard." Campbell Community Center (155 High St., Eugene), at 7:00 pm.

January 13 (Friday): Sustainable Cottage Grove potluck, (open to ALL!), 6:30, Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 16 (Monday): Avid Gardeners hosts Marty Wingate at 7pm.

January 16 (Monday): Food Hub meeting (Victory Gardens speaker), Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 17 (Tuesday): Cottage Grove Garden Club Board Meeting at the Community Center from 6:30-8:00 pm includes an important budget meeting.

An Introduction to Permaculture and Whole Systems Design

2011-12-28T06:15:00.000-08:00

A holistic approach to gardening and sustainable living, Permaculture is a method of design that centers around whole systems thinking.

On Tuesday, January 3, Devon Bonady, owner and steward of Fern Hill Nursery and Botanical Sanctuary in Cottage Grove will share the ethics and principles of Permaculture design for a variety of sites, from urban gardens to rural homesteads. Using local examples, she will include ideas and recommendations for gardeners who want to create a more efficient, low-maintenance, or ecologically integrated garden and home.

Join us from 6:00-8:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

LASAGNA – It’s not just for dinner anymore

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

By Andrea Mull

Now that Fallis here, gardeners might falsely believe that the hard work is almost over.(Ha!) This is exactly when we should be extradiligent. If we plan it right, the work we do now ― raking leaves, cutting backperennials, and emptying out that chicken coop ― can amount to a new garden bedfor the spring. And it all has to do withLasagna – Composting that is.

LasagnaComposting (or Sheet Mulching), is a method of creating a new raised bed oradding to an old one. Layers are alternated between Brown (or Carbon)materials and Green (or Nitrogen-rich) materials, and allowed torot all winter. By spring or early summer It turns into a nutrient rich, fluffybed.

So how do weperform this miracle?
First,compile your “ingredients.” Just likemaking real lasagna, you’ll need everything on hand ahead of time (at least forthe first few layers, more layers can always be added later, unlike reallasagna). Materials you might consider include: straw (not hay), shredded leaves,any kind of Herbivore manure (horse, chicken, cow, rabbit), coffee grounds, grassclippings (no herbicide residues please!), and any trimmings from yourperennials, vegetables, or yard (though if it is invasive or noxious you mightwant to just toss it in the trash). If you run the Greens through a shredder orlawnmower, or even roughly chop with a shovel, it will help them break upquicker. And of course food scraps (no meat or dairy!) can always be added, butkeep buried so animals don’t come around. Also have onhand cardboard or newspaper; the more the better.

Constructingthe Lasagna Pile:

Wet thecardboard or newspaper and lay directly on top of the soil wherever you plan tohave the new bed. No need to remove sod! Just pry open little air holes with a spading fork, wet the groundthoroughly, and lay thick, overlapping layers of cardboard down. This layerwill smother the grass and prevent weeds from growing up through your new bed. Eventually, this layer rots and your newplants will send down roots.

Lay cardboard directly on top of the soil.

Make your bedis slightly larger than what you want the finished bed to be. So, if you would like a 4x4 bed, maybe startwith 5x5.

Now, lookingat your “ingredients,” start making 2-4” thick layers alternating between Brownand Green. A general rule of thumb is ifit’s fresh, it’s green (Nitrogen). Ifit’s dead or dried, it’s Brown (containing more carbon). Exceptions include corn or sunflower stalks (treatas brown but chop first!) and manure (unless composted first, treat as green).Always water the brown layers, this helps with their decomposition.

Pile the bedtwice as high as you’d like as it will sink. Cover with a deep layer of soil ifyou wish to plant in it immediately, otherwise, cover with a piece of plastic (tokeep out excess rain), and allow to decompose all winter. Occasionally, look under the tarp and wateryour pile, or leave it off for a while to allow for rain and air circulation. Afterawhile, it will start to look like dirt and you won’t need the cover.

Layer your ingredients, alternating between Brown and Green.

This processis slow and could take as long as 6 months to fully decompose. I found that if I start now (Oct-Dec), I canplant in it come May or June. If youdiscover that there are still rotting materials in the bed, or if the surfaceis still lumpy and not smooth, cover with a 2” layer of finished compost orsoil. Plant or seed directly into thislayer, by the time the roots come on, they can handle the courser materialsbelow.

You'll have a new garden bed by spring.

Once you havesuccessfully built your first lasagna bed, you’ll never want to dig or rototillagain!!

November Garden Events in the Cottage Grove Area

2011-10-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a sampling of garden-related happenings in the wider Cottage Grove area this month.

November 1 (Tuesday), 6pm.
Cottage Grove Garden Club. Roger Gossler will be speaking on "Fall and Winter Interest in the Garden." Roger will have plants and copies of his book "The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs" available for sale.

The garden club meeting starts at 6pm, and the presentation begins at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

November 5 (Saturday):
Fall pruning of theheathers at Cottage Grove Community Hospital. 11 am to 1 pm. Join the OregonHeather Society to maintain the heathers at the Hospital and learn about whichheathers can safely be pruned in autumn. Bring your favorite pruners, gloves,kneeling pad, sack lunch. Dress for theweather. (541) 929-6272 or ewulff@peak.orgu

November 8 (Tuesday):
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. VanessaGardner Nagel talks on Locating Your Garden's Bones: Structural PlantPlacement. Campbell Community Center (155 High St., Eugene), at 7:00 pm.

November15 (Tuesday):
CGGC Board Meeting at the Community Center from 6:30-8:00 pm.

November 21 (Monday):
Avid Gardeners hostsJudith Jones the “Fern Madame” at 7pm

December6 (Tuesday):
Cottage Grove Garden Club Holiday Party

Fall and Winter Interest in the Garden

2011-10-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, November 1, we are very pleased to be hosting Roger Gossler, who will be speaking about "Fall and Winter Interest in the Garden."

Roger is the buyer and main grower for Gossler Farms Nursery in Springfield. He has been growing and selling shrubs for more than forty years. Roger spends a great deal of time researching what is new in the trade and worthy of inclusion in their catalog and is the leading contributor to the book The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs.

Interested in plants from an early age, Roger quickly became a leader in promoting the use of woody trees and shrubs. Gossler Farms Nursery serves as a demonstration garden where ninety percent of the plants described in The Gossler Guide have been grown.

Roger will give a slide presentation and have books and plants for sell.

Don't miss this great opportunity! The meeting starts at 6pm and Roger's presentation starts at 7pm. There will be light refreshments and all guests and visitors are welcome.

We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 3rd and Adams, in Cottage Grove.

Cottage Grove Garden Club tours Gossler Farms Nursery
August 2011 with Roger Gossler (left)

October Garden-related Events

2011-10-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a sampling of garden-related happenings in the wider Cottage Grove area this month.

October 4 (Tuesday), 6-8pm:
Cottage Grove Garden Club, "The Promise of Garden Clubs": We will explore some of the projects and community service activities promoted by the National Garden Club: including Blue Star Memorials, Penny Pines, and Plant it Pink. We will also hear about the varied ways that other clubs become active in these projects.

The garden club meeting starts at 6pm, and the presentation begins at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

October 8 (Saturday), 1pm:
The Cottage Grove Garden Club hosts it's last Garden Hop of the season. We will be visiting the home of Beth and Richard. Contact Julie for more information.

October 11 (Tuesday), 7pm:
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Steve Vininsky of Cherry Creek Daffodils speaking on "Bulbs for the Willamette Valley."

October 17 (Monday), 7 pm:
Avid Gardeners. James R. Myers, Professor of Vegetable Breeding and Genetics at OSU will be speaking. Dr. Myers specializes in dry and snap beans, edible podded peas, broccoli, tomato, winter and summer squash, and sweet corn.

October 28 (Friday):
Willamette District Garden Club General Meeting, open to all garden club members. 9:30am Social time, 10:00 meeting/program, 12:00 potluck lunch. There will be a raffle, a country store, the sale of gloves and “Deadline,” and a fun seed exchange. (Meeting at the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St., Eugene).

October 30 (Sunday), 10am - 5pm.
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum's Mushroom Festival.... music, food, art, plants, mushrooms, and a scarecrow contest. Not to be missed!

November 1 (Tuesday), 6pm.
Cottage Grove Garden Club. Roger Gossler will be speaking on "Fall and Winter Interest in the Garden." Roger will has have plants and copies of his boook "The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs" available for sale.

"The Promise of Garden Clubs"

2011-09-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

Join us next Tuesday, October 4, as we explore some of the projects and community service activities promoted by the National Garden Club. Using video and photos from around the country we'll learn about old favorites, such as Blue Star Memorials (active since 1945), as well as exciting new projects like Plant it Pink (which began in 2009 as a collaboration with the Komen Foundation).

The garden club meeting starts at 6pm, and the presentation begins at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

Meeting location: the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street, Cottage Grove. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

Tomato Tasting

2011-08-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Back by popular request!

This September we are featuring another tomato tasting! Bring fresh tomatoes (or any produce) from your garden to share with the club. Please bring enough of just one variety to share; noting its name, and (if it's unusual) where you bought the plant/seed.

We'll share, taste, and enjoy!

Tomatoes still green? Bring another type of produce to taste.
Don't grow vegetables? Come taste anyway!

See you Tuesday, September 6, at 6:00 pm. We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams).

All visitors and guests welcome.

Hot Water Treatment for Cut Flowers

2011-07-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

I have been using this hot water treatment a lot lately. It works great! The last time I used it, I had some roses from the grocery store that were drooping. They picked up their heads and lasted for another week.

Hot Water Treatment for Cut Flowers

The life of many cut flowers can be extended considerably by giving them a good drink of hot water right after you cut them. Here’s how to do it:

Cut your flowers early in the morning or in late afternoon.
Cut the stems at an angle. They should be 12-24 inches in length.
Heat water on the stove to a temperature of 160 – 180 degrees. Use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature.
Pour the hot water into a plastic or metal bucket so that it is about 2-3 inches deep (you can also add a flower preservative like Floral Life).
Place the ends of the cut stems into the hot water and leave them there until the water cools.
Afterword, there will be a water mark on the stem where the hot water level was. Cut the stem at this mark.
Place them into cold water – and voila! You have very firm, hydrated flowers that will beautify your table for many days.
This works especially well on Dahlias, as well as Lilacs, Gladiolas, Roses, Hydrangea, and Sunflowers. Try it on other woody or semi-woody stemmed flowers.

June Garden Events

2011-06-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

We're going to get sun one of these days!

Here's some garden-related events happening in the Cottage Grove area this month.

June 7:
Cottage Grove Garden Club features Diana Learner speaking on "Color in Your Garden." Diana will talk about getting color from annuals and perennials in your garden. Besides a great talk, she will be bringing plants for sale from Gossler Nursery. Plus, we'll have some great door prizes!

Please note: Diana's talk begins at 6pm. We are meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street.

June 12:
Music in the Garden, 14th Annual garden tour to benefit the Eugene Symphony Guild.

June 12:
Avid Gardeners BUS TOUR! Xera and Joy Creek Nurseries plus a private garden. Cost $35 for non-members. Contact: Marietta or Ernie O’Byrne 541-935-3915 or Sandra Rossi 541-343-0882 541-554-6564.

June 23 (1-4 PM):
Cottage Grove Garden Club Garden Hop, visiting the private gardens of Andrea and Vera. Contact the club for more information.

June 26:
KLCC Garden tour featuring gardens of the Whiteaker Neighborhood.

Keep Color in Your Garden

2011-05-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to our June program!

On Tuesday, June 7 we will celebrate the beginning of summer as Diana Learner joins us to talk about "Keeping Color on Our Garden." Diana will tell us how to get the most "color bang" for our buck using both annuals and perennials.

A video of Diana talking with Shelley Kurtz of KVAL news is below to whet your appetite.

Diana's talk starts at 6:00pm and the meeting begins at 7:00. Join us at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 S. 3rd Street in Cottage Grove. There will be light refreshments and door prizes!

Inaugural Garden Hop

2011-05-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

On a lovely, sunny spring afternoon (May 12, 2011 to be exact) several members of the Garden Club enjoyed our first Garden Hop. The Hop began at the Tarantola Garden, a private garden in Goshen. Our host Inga showed us around the 4 acre property, of which about half was planned garden area. The gravel paths wound through shaded garden areas and around a sunny pond.

After our guided stroll with Inga we headed over to River Bend Farm just off Highway 58. Owner Annette Pershern gave a brief tour of the orchard and talked about the life of a modern day family farmer.

It was a rare, sunny afternoon and it was delightful to spend it with the company of fellow gardeners and farmers.

Right Plant, Right Place

2011-04-18T07:22:00.001-07:00

Please join the Garden Club this May 3rd as we host Marty Gascoyne as our speaker. Marty (a.k.a. the Country Gardener) is one of our favorite presenters. This month he will talk about the benefits of finding the right plant for the right place.

Meeting starts at 6pm, Marty's presentation begins at 7pm. Light refreshments provided. All guests welcome.

Note that we are meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

Garden Club Community Activities

2011-04-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

This month, the Garden Club has two important activities happening in the community.

First, on Sunday, April 10 at 1pm we will be gathering at the Bohemia Community Gardens (on R Street) to pot plants for the upcoming plant sell. Please come dressed for the weather, bring digging hand tools, and Clean/Sterilized 1-gallon pots (if you have them available). We are preparing for the May plant sell which is our major fund raiser for the year.

In Thursday, April 28 from 10am-1pm we will be having a clean-up party at the All America City Square (aka Opal Park). Volunteers should bring hand tools for weeding and digging, kneeling mats, buckets, shovels or whatever they're comfortable using and working with. We will be planting a new tree for the center round bed, and hauling/shoveling soil and mulch. Coffee will be provided. Plus clean pots will be available to transplant any plants the get displaced by the tree.

April Garden-Related Happenings

2011-03-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a selection of garden-related happenings in the wider Cottage Grove area this month.

April 5 (Tuesday), 6-8pm:
"Propagation: Seeding, Cutting, and Dividing" Debra Levings joins the Cottage Grove Garden Club to talk about various methods of propagation. She will tailor the talk to the interest of the audience.

Please note: in April, we will be meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

April 12 (Tuesday), 7pm:
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Tami Ott-Ostberg will be speaking on "Small Space Gardens."

April 18 (Monday), 7 pm:
Avid Gardeners. Lucy Hardiman speaking on "Full Frontal Gardens." Lucy will explore the history of the front garden and the ways in which adventurous gardeners are thinking outside the box creating gardens that are in the public eye.

April 20 (Wednesday):
Garden Club Field Trip to the Oregon Gardens.

April 29 & 30:
Small Standard Flower Show sponsored by the District Garden Club. Location: the Sheldon McMurphy Johnson House in Eugene.

April at the Garden Club

2011-03-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

Spring is upon us and, no doubt, you are thinking about your garden! Join the Cottage Grove Garden Club on Tuesday, April 5, as we learn about propagation. Debra Levings will be joining us to talk about "seeding, cutting, and dividing." Debra will tailor her presentation depending on the interest of the audience. She will also have a hand-out available for a minimal $2.00 cost (to pay for photocopying).

The meeting starts at 6:00 and Debra's presentation starts at 7:00. Light refreshments will be provided.

Please note our meeting location has temporarily changed. In April, we will be meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

Field Trip to The Oregon Gardens

2011-03-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Gardens is located in Silverton about 2 hours northeast of Cottage Grove. If you haven’t been before, you need to see this garden!!! If you have been before we’re sure you will want to join our enthusiastic plant-and-garden-loving group for another view!

Groundbreaking for the 80-acre garden was 14 years ago and the ambitious master plan is now well underway with many of the 20 themed gardens maturing into masterpieces. The Northwest Gardens was one of the first completed gardens and is an excellent place for ideas for your own Northwest landscape. The Conifer Garden is characterized by large charismatic conifer species and boasts one of the largest collections of dwarf and miniature conifers in the United States: it is stunning! The A-Mazing Water Garden is an award-winning garden that beautifully incorporates a circular water garden with an ornate bridge, criss-crossing paths, and a cascading waterfall.

On Wednesday, April 20, we will carpool to The Gardens arriving at 10am, board the trolley for an hour tour, meet with the Oregon Garden Chairman, Marcia Kay Whitelock, have BYO picnic lunch in the gardens and tour independently in the afternoon. An optional tour to the Gordon House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright House in Oregon, is also available.
Please come to the April 1 Cottage Grove Garden Club meeting to learn more about this all-day field trip. Or call Julie 541 510-1165. And visit TOG website: www.oregongarden.org

March Garden Events

2011-02-22T06:18:00.000-08:00

Garden season must be upon us, look at all the events happening this month!

March 1 (Tuesday), 6-8pm:
"The "weeds" in my garden....or are they?" Cheryl Bertuccelli of Cedar Creek Botanicals joins the Cottage Grove Garden Club to talk about the medicinal value of 10 common garden weeds.

March 5 (Saturday), 11am-1pm:
Heather pruning. Join the Heather Society in pruning the heather at the Cottage Grove Hospital. You'll learn how to identify and correctly prune heathers; help keep the hospital looking nice; and mingle with fellow gardeners all at the same time! Bring a lunch, gloves, a kneeling pad, and pruners.

March 6 (Sunday), car pool leaves at 1:45pm:
Garden Club Field Trip to Aprovecho. Aprovecho is a internationally known non-profit education and research center located just outside of Cottage Grove. Aprovecho promotes sustainable, appropriate technologies around the world. Come with the Garden Club to tour Aprovecho and learn more about what they do. Carpool leaves the Library/Community Center at 1:45, or meet us at Aprovecho (directions here) for the tour which starts at 2:00. The tour will last from 2-3 hours. A $5-$10 donation is requested by Aprovecho. Please wear appropriate shoes and clothing.

March 8 (Tuesday), time TBA:
Spring Work Party at the All America City Square. The AACS is the signature project for the Garden Club and we have already received City recognition for all of our efforts there. Join us on the 8th as we prepare the garden for the upcoming growing season. Contact Suzanne for details.

March 8 (Tuesday), 7pm:
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Dave Eckerdt will speak on "Great Gardens of the Pacific Northwest."

March 21 (Monday), 7 pm:
Avid Gardeners. Maurice Horn, co-owner of Joy Creek Nursery, will talk on “Psychiatric Disorders in the Garden.” This is a humorous look at how gardeners, growers and marketers have different expectations about plants.

March 25-27:
Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs, Flower Show. EXPO Center in Portland.

March 29 (Tuesday), time TBA:
Garden Club Potting party for the May Plant Sale. The May plant sale is the major fundraiser for the Garden Club. Join us as we prepare plants for the sale. Please come dressed for the weather. Time and exact location to be announced.

March 29 (Tuesday), 6-9pm:
Plant "Nerd" Night at the Eugene Garden Club.

The "weeds" in my garden.... or are they?

2011-02-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

Cheryl Bertuccelli of Cedar Creek Botanicals will be joining the Garden Club on March 1 to talk about common garden weeds. More specifically, Cheryl will talk about the medicinal value and common medicines made from 10 common garden weeds. Plus we'll have door prizes and great refreshments!

Cheryl is an Herbalist, Medicine Maker & Nutrition Consultant. At Cedar Creek Botanicals she leads workshops and makes salves, tinctures, and more. Cedar Creek Botanicals is located out Row River Road in Dorena.

Join us on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 from 6-8 pm. We meet in room 130 of LCC-Cottage Grove campus. Meeting starts at 6:00, Cheryl's program starts at 7:00.

February Events

2011-02-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

Our photo contest Tuesday night was fun! We have a lot of talented photographer-gardeners in our group and it was difficult to pick just two photographs to send to the district-wide competition. Congratulations to both Scott and Brinsley for their winning photos.

There are other exciting gardening-related events happening this month, including:

Feb. 8, 7pm: The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group is hosting Ed McVicker from the Portland Japanese garden. Ed will speak on "The Hillside Gardens of the Portland Japanese Garden."

Feb 21, 11am: Potting party! at Scott & Jen’s House, 34248 Garoutte Rd. This is our first potting of the year, in preparation of the May Plant Sale (our major fund raiser). Bring plants (if you have them) and come join us in dividing, potting, and marking perennials for the sale.

Feb 21, 7 pm: Avid Gardeners. Tom Fisher will speak on “The Tale Your Garden Tells.” Among other topics, Tom will talk about learning a whole new plant palette, adapting to a modified Mediterranean climate, becoming addicted to Pacific Coast irises, learning to love conifers, and weeding eleven months out of twelve. You can even sing along at the end.

Happy Gardening.

Oregon Nurseries

2011-01-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

The beginning of the 2011 garden season is fast approaching. For gardeners, that means dreaming of new plants and garden designs, browsing the internet, and strolling through nurseries. We have compiled a list of Oregon companies whose web sites, catalogs, and store aisles might entice you.

Bloom River Gardens
Springfield, OR
www.bloomriver.com
Specializing in unique, rare, and unusual landscape plants for the creative gardener

Forest Farm
Williams, OR
www.forestfarm.com

Fragrant Garden Nursery
Brookings, OR
www.fragrantgarden.com

Goodwin Creek Gardens
Williams, OR
www.goodwincreekgardens.com
Specialize in herbs, lavenders, scented pelargoniums, everlasting flowers, and fragrant plants

Gossler Farms Nursery
Springfield, OR
www.gosslerfarms.com
Specializing in shrubs and trees, especially magnolias

Greer Gardens
Eugene, OR
www.greergardens.com
Specializing in shrubs and trees, most especially rhododendrons

Heirloom Roses
St. Paul, OR
www.heirloomroses.com
Specializing in own-root roses

Joy Creek Nursery
Scappoose, OR
www.joycreek.com

Nichols Garden Nursery
Albany, OR
www.nicholsgardennursery.com
Specializing in herbs and seeds for the gardener/cook

Schreiner's Iris Gardens
Salem, OR
www.schreinersgardens.com
Specializing in irises

Swan Island Dahlias
Canby, OR
www.dahlias.com
Specializing in dahlias

Territorial Seed Co.
Cottage Grove, OR
www.territorialseed.com
Located here in the Grove, specializing in vegetable seeds and plants

Victory Seeds
Molalla, OR
www.victoryseeds.com

This is not an exhaustive list. We encourage you to add your own favorites in the comments below.

Photo Contest

2011-01-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

We are having a photo contest and all GC Garden Club members are encouraged to participate.

Two of the photos will be selected (by popular vote) to represent the Club at the District photo contest. However, ALL members who bring photos will be entered into a random drawing for prizes.

Contest rules are easy:
1. Photo subject must include plant material
2. Photos may be either black/white or color, and may not be digitally modified
3. Photos must be 8” x 10” in size
4. Photos must be unframed
5. No additional embellishments (e.g. scrapbooking) permitted
6. The photographer must be a Cottage Grove Garden Club member
7. Photos must be the original work of the photographer. Label back of photo with name of photographer, garden club, and district
8. Limit 2 photos per member
9. Bring your photos to the February 1, 2011 meeting

Prizes:
For each photo you submit (limit 2), you will be entered into a random drawing for a door prize.

Two photos will be chosen by popular vote to represent our Club at the District meeting. From the District meeting one photo from all district clubs will be selected to represent the District at the 2011 OSFGC convention in Albany.

Those entering photos in the contest are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes before the meeting starts.

Tooting our own horn

2011-01-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

Last night at the "State of the City" address, Mayor Gary Williams officially acknowledged the work of the Cottage Grove Garden Club. Mayor Williams thanked our group for the many hours put in by our volunteers at the All America City Square. Calling us up in front of the Council, he then gave us a plaque from the city in gratitude of our work.

Thanks to Andrea, Suzanne, and John for attending the address, and thanks to all the Garden Club members who have volunteered at the park over the past couple of years.

January 2011 Events

2011-01-05T20:06:00.000-08:00

We had an excellent speaker at Garden Club this month – Brett, from BRING Recycling, talked about reducing, reusing, recycling, and rethinking. It was an engaging presentation and full of information.

If you are hungry for more garden-related information here are a couple other events happening in the Cottage Grove/Eugene area this month:

Tuesday, January 11, 7 pm. The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group will present John Greenlee. Mr. Greenlee’s talk will give a good introduction to the creation of meadow-like spaces in urban and suburban settings. Doors open at 6:30 for book sales and viewing botanical samples. Admission is $6 for non-members and free for members.

Saturday, January 15, 1pm. The North American Rock Garden Society will feature Norm Kalbfleisch speaking on the “Plants of Japan”. The talk is free and open to the public. Door prizes and refreshments follow. Location: the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St.

Monday, January 17th, 7pm. Ernie and Marietta O’Byrne will speak on “Late Winter & Early Spring in the Garden–Culture and Combinations” at the Avid Gardeners meeting at the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St. This program will illustrate plant choices for the late winter/early spring garden, including hellebores, podophyllums, early bulbs, winter interest shrubs, and much more. The presentation will include cultural tips regarding the plants discussed.

Additionally:
On Tuesday, January 18, a nine week Master Recycler class begins at the Creswell Community Center. This promises to be an interesting class. Contact Kelly L Bell, Master Recycler Coordinator Lane County Public Works, kelly.bell@co.lane.or.us

Reduce • Reuse • Recycle

2010-12-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, January 4, 2011 Brett Jacobs, Education Director for BRING Recycling, will be at the Cottage Grove Garden Club to talk about reducing, reusing, and recycling in the garden. Brett will begin by discussing the problem caused when compostable material end up in our landfills. He will then field questions about applying the 3 Rs in the garden.

Please join us at 6:00 pm for our regular meeting, followed by Brett’s presentation at 7:00 pm. And please, bring your questions about recycling.

Creating Seasonal Centerpieces

2010-10-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Join the Garden Club on Tuesday, November 2, to learn about creating seasonal centerpieces. For our program, we will be joined by Kim Barker, a local floral designer, who will show us how to "make something out of nothing." This program is an optional hands-on demonstration; either watch and learn, or create one yourself.

Whether you want to watch or do, all members and guests are asked to bring items which can be used in creating the centerpieces, such as: dried sticks, dried flowers, pods, pine cones, silk flowers, and ribbons.

Please join us this Tuesday, November 2, at 6:00 PM, LCC Campus, Cottage Grove, Room 130.

Guests and Visitors welcome. Refreshments provided.

Upcoming Local Garden Happenings

2010-10-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 14, 7:00 pm: Peter Korn talks about "Building for Growing: How to Create Different Environments in the Garden, from Deserts to Bogs" at the North American Rock Garden Society (location: the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St.)

Saturday, October 16 (10-9pm) and Sunday 17th(11-6pm): Orchid Society Fall Show. Center Court at the Valley River Center.

Monday, October 18, 7:00 pm: Jeffery Bale presents a slide show on the Gardens of Italy. Avid Gardeners meeting, at the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St.

Tuesday, October 19, 11:30am: Eugene Garden Club Meeting, with Merry Bradley of the GrassRoots Garden presenting a program on "Dirty Tricks" at 1645 High St.

Sunday, October 31, 10-5:00pm: Mt. Pisgah Mushroom Festival and Plant Sell.

Tuesday, November 2, 6-8:00pm: Cottage Grove Garden Club meeting and program. Location and topic to be announced.

Saturday, November 6, 11-1:00pm: Join the Heather Society in pruning the Heather at the Cottage Grove Hospital. Bring a lunch.

Mark Your Calendars

2010-09-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

Start your September with the Cottage Grove Garden Club. This month's presentation by Pat Patterson, a Master Gardener, will be on Adaptive Gardening. Pat's presentation will start at 6:00 pm with the regular meeting to follow.

Join us at 6:00 pm, Tuesday, September 7, in room 130 at the LCC-Cottage Grove Campus (1275 S. River Road, next to the high school). There will be refreshments and door prizes!

Please don't be late as you won't want to miss any part of this program.

You'll also want to mark your calendars with these other local gardening events:

September 14. 7:00 pm. Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group
Planting a Bird-Friendly Hedgerow with Kali Robson

September 18-19. Gathering of the Gardeners
Gather with fellow gardeners at our own Village Green Resort. Check their web site for a schedule of events and speakers. While there, don't forget to stop by the Garden Club booth to learn about upcoming speakers.

September 25. 1:00 pm. New Ideas for the Shade Garden
The Oregon Garden, Silverton Oregon.

2010-08-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

September is just around the corner, and so are ripe tomatoes (so they tell me), and so is the annual Gathering of the Gardeners held at our local Village Green Resort. The Gathering of Gardeners will be held on Sept 18-19 at the Village Greens' amazing grounds!! The Cottage Grove Garden Club had an informational booth there last year and we hope to have another one this year as well (calling all volunteers!!). So, gardeners, dust off your boots, grab your most ripe tomatoes for the Territorial Seed tomato taste-off, and join us for a weekend of art, demonstrations, plants and everything garden-related.

Dahlia Festival

2010-08-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

We're excited! On Monday, August 30 we are debarking on our first official "road trip" to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival.

The Swan Island Dahlia Festival is a "must see" for anyone interested in dahlias or great flowers in general. We'll see over 400 floral arrangements of dahlias, have the chance to view demonstrations and talks on dahlia culture and tuber dividing, and stroll through over 40 acres of dahlias in full bloom.

Join us! If you are a member, call or email Andrea for more information. If you are not a member, become one so you can join us.

For more information about dahlias, Swan Island Dahlias, and the dahlia festival check out the video below.

Garden Tour!!!

2010-07-14T06:09:00.000-07:00

The Garden Club is delighted to be part of this year's Town and Country Garden Tour on July 24. Please join us at the All America City Square (aka Opal Whitely Park) from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. We would love to show off the park, and talk plants and gardening with you.

The Town and Country Garden Tour is a benefit for South Lane Mental Health, plus a great way to sneak a peak at some awesome gardens in the Cottage Grove area including the gardens of two of our Garden Club members.

Cost is $10 in advance (pick up your tickets at The Bookmine or Territorial Seed), or $15 the day of the event.

See you there!

2010 Summer Garden Tours

2010-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Garden tours give us the chance to peak into other people’s gardens and support a local cause at the same time. They are one of the joys of summer.

Below is a listing of local garden tours, with links to the sponsoring organization for more information. If we’ve missed one, please leave a comment below.

Eugene Symphony Guild’s “Music in the Garden”
Sunday, June 13, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

A self-guided tour of six private gardens in Eugene. The Guild promises beautiful gardens, music, food, plant sales, art, and bird houses.

BRING Recycling’s “The Art of Sustainable Living”
Sunday, June 20, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

New to the garden tour scene, this is the second annual garden tour sponsored by Bring Recycling. It includes 20 homes in Eugene, Springfield, and Cottage Grove.

KLCC’s “Art of the Garden”
Sunday, June 27, 9:00am to 5:00 pm

In its 16th year, KLCC’s garden tour includes seven homes in the Eugene area.

South Lane Mental Health’s “Town and Country Garden Tour: Beauty, Blooms & Bounty in Cottage Grove”
Saturday, July 24, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

In its second year, this annual garden tour benefits South Lane Mental Health. All 14 private gardens on this tour are in the Cottage Grove area. The Garden Club is involved with this tour, watch this space for more information as the date approaches.

Talkin’ Dirt

2010-05-28T12:12:00.001-07:00

Don’t miss our upcoming meeting on Tuesday, June 1. The presentation this month will be on “Dirt!” Please bring to the meeting a quart-sized jar filled one-third full of your native soil, preferably not from an amended part of the garden.

Also, you are encouraged to bring to the meeting any extra seedlings you have to share with your fellow garden club members.

Meeting starts at 6pm, Tuesday June 1, Room 130 of LCC-Cottage Grove Campus.

Local Upcoming Gardening Events

2010-05-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

Mark your calander for these exciting upcoming events:

May 17, 6:30 pm, Avid Gardeners. Topic: "Black Plants – Bring the dramatic interplay of light and dark to your garden" presented by Paul Bonine of Xera Plants.

June 1, 6:00 pm, Cottage Grove Garden Club. Marty Gascoyne talks dirt! Please bring a quart sized jar 1/3 full of your native garden soil (NOT soil that has been amended).

June 6, Avid Gardeners bus tour. This tour goes to Xera Plants (a wholesale nursery specializing in unusual perennials and shrubs, many for dry areas); Cistus Nursery (offering Mediterranean climate, southern hemisphere, hardy tropical plants); and Joy Creek Nursery. This all day event costs $30 for non-members, contact Sandra Rossi to register or ask questions (541-343-0882, spc4sandra@aol.com)

Oregon Plant Fair: Saturday May 8

2010-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Below is a small sampling of the plants we will have available at the annual Oregon Plant Fair on Saturday, May 8. The Plant Fair includes both art and plant vendors, including your local Garden Club. This is our major fund raiser for the year.

Please join us at Alton Baker Park in Eugene from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Stop by the District Garden Club booth to say "Hi" and purchase plants grown by your neighbors here in The Grove.

Watershed Stewardship: From Your Garden to the Coast Fork Willamette River

2010-04-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Please join the Garden Club on Tuesday, May 4th as we learn more about watersheds.

Our presenters this month will be Pam Reber (Coordinator of the Coast Fork Watershed Council), Eric Cullander (teacher at Cottage Grove High School), and several high school students. This program will discuss why healthy watersheds are important and strategies gardeners can use to minimize their impact and potentially improve their watershed.

Then Pam and the students will talk about current projects being done to assess and improve regional water quality, our river, and local riparian areas.

We'll see you May 4, 6:00pm for our monthly meeting and program. LCC-Cottage Grove Campus, Room 130. Refreshments provided.

Join us April 6, 2010 for a program on Worm Composting

2010-03-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Carol Boissevain of Three Trees Farm will talk about the benefits of worm composting verses thermal composting and how to make your own worm bin without spending an arm and a leg. She will also answer any questions you have about worm composting, and have supplies and fresh bagged castings (worm poo!) available for purchase.

Please join us at our April meeting for this exciting program: 6:00pm, Room 130, LCC-Cottage Grove Campus. All visitors are welcome.

Upcoming Gardening Related Events

2010-03-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Spring must be here. There are a plethora of gardening related events happening:

March 26-28: State Flower Show, Portland Convention Center.
March 26: Willamette District Garden Club Meeting/Potluck Social. 10am, Oakridge United Methodist Church.
March 28: Fern Hill Nursery Open House and Plant Sale. 11-3.
March 30: Plant Nerd Night at Eugene Garden Club. 7pm.
April 1: Dahlia Society Tuber Sale at the Campbell Center, Eugene. 7pm.
April 6: Cottage Grove Garden Club Meeting. Speaker Carol Boissevain on Worm Composting. 6pm, LCC-Cottage Grove Campus, Rm 130.
April 10: Herb Tasting–Westside Gardeners, 10am. RSVP Edie Moro 541.998.8852 (This is at a member's home in Noti).
April 13: Hardy Plant Society – 7pm Agate Hall.
April 14-15: Symposium held at Eugene Garden Club.
April 17-18: Hardy Plant Society Plant Sale/Garden Art in Portland.
April 19: Avid Gardeners, speaker Sean Hogan “Plants That Do Well Here.” 7pm. 1645 High St.

Planting Parties

2010-03-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we had our first of two planting parties to prepare for the upcoming Spring Plant Fair on May 8. Not only did we have a good time getting those little plants divided and nestled into new soil, but I saw a lot of great plants getting prepared -- white asters, hybrid pacific coast irises, heucheras. More plants are ready to be divided at the next planting party on Monday, March 22 from noon to 2:00. If you want to join us, email Andrea for directions (andrea.flowerista at gmail.com).

Now on facebook!

2010-03-12T21:36:00.001-08:00

Cottage Grove garden club is now on facebook!

Save These Dates in March

2010-03-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Upcoming local gardening events include:
March 6: Heather Society Pruning at the CG Hospital.
March 5-7: NW Nursery Gardens -- Helebore Days.
March 8: OSFGC Spring Board Meeting, Hood River.
March 16: Eugene Garden Club Flower Show.
March 26: Willamette District Regular Meeting, 9:30 am, 48137 E. 1st St., Oakridge.
March 30: Plant Nerd Night, 7:00 pm, Eugene Garden Club (1645 High St., Eugene).

Coming March 2, 2010

2010-02-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

Join us on March 2, 2010 to hear Brinsley Burbidge talk about "50 Years in Gardening."

Brinsley has worked at Edinburgh Botanic Garden in Scotland (and written a book on Scottish gardens), the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew in London England, and was Director of three gardens: Fairchild Tropical Garden in Florida, Denver Botanic Garden in Colorado, and St George Village Botanical Garden in the Virgin Islands. More recently, with his wife Julie, he has worked for a private island in the tropics involving garden design and construction on a large scale. The talk, illustrated by pictures, will look at the different aspects of work in the gardening world.

Budget Meeting

2010-01-19T11:51:00.000-08:00

A one-time budget meeting will be held Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 8:00am at the BackStage Bakery. All current Garden Club members are invited to attend. Contact Suzanne for more information. If you are unable to attend, and want to provide input, please email Suzanne.

Changing of the Guard

2010-01-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

On January 5, 2010 we said a hearty "thank you" to the four courageous volunteers who led our new Garden Club through its first year of existence: Jennifer McCall (President), Andrea Mull (Vice President), Claire Dross (Treasurer), and Suzanne Keavany (Secretary).

At that time, we also welcomed our officers for 2010: Andrea Mull (President), Colette Kimball (Vice President), Claire Dross (Treasurer), and Suzanne Keavany (Secretary).

2009 Holiday Party

2009-12-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

Our first annual Holiday Party was a success! Excellent food, lovely decorations, and fun times!