Heavenly Hellebores and Divine Companions

Ernie and Marietta O’Byrne are the well-known owners of Northwest Garden Nursery, a Eugene-based nursery specializing in hellebores. On February 5, they will present a special program to the Garden Club.

This program will illustrate plant choices for the late winter and early spring garden. Of course, they will feature their hellebores, and some will be available for purchase; as well as podophyllums, early bulbs, winter-interest shrubs, and much more.

The O’Byrne’s presentation will also include cultural tips regarding the plants discussed.

Presented by the Cottage Grove Garden Club. Meeting at the First Presbyterian Church on the corners of Adams and 3rd (216 South 3rd St.) This event is free and open to the public.

Meeting time: 6:00 pm
Presentation: 7:00 pm

How Plants Get Their Names: January 2013

On Tuesday, January 8,  Brinsley will entertain us with an illustrated talk about the ways plants get their names. He'll also show how we can name a plant which we think is new or different. Brinsley will look both at "Latin" scientific names and "common" names for plants and show how a Swedish born botanist, Carl Linnaeus, established a system which ensured, for the first time, that each plant only had one correct name. This system is, by international agreement, used throughout the world today. We will also learn how to understand and pronounce plant names.



See this 1567 plant identification book in person during Brinsley's talk.

Additionally, we will also look at some intriguing aspects of plant naming such as:

• Why in the USA there are more plants named for the Devil than for Saints and in Europe more plants are named for Saints than the Devil.
• Why hemlock is a forest tree in the USA and the official state poison of ancient Greece.
• Why the Irish cannot agree which plant is the true shamrock.
• Why Caltha palustris has over 240 different common names.
• Why the Jerusalem Artichoke is a Sunflower and has nothing to do with Jerusalem.
• Why Botanical Latin is a new language, not just a revival of what the Romans spoke.
• Why Shakespeare wrote about many plants but never used the word "petal."


This presentation is FREE and open to the public. The Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church on the corners of 3rd and Adams. 6:00 pm is our business meeting, with the presentation at 7:00.

Managing Pests in our Gardens

November is here! Our final harvests are in and we're closing up our gardens for the wet and cold season ahead of us. Unfortunately, some of us are also preparing for “undesirable guests.”

 

This coming Tuesday (November 6),  Elmer Bensinger of Alpha Ecological will talk with the Garden Club about a green approaches to managing pests in our gardens. Bring your questions, bugs to identify, and products (questionable ingredients) to inquire about.

Our business meeting starts at 6pm, refreshments await you at 6:45pm, and Elmer's talk begins at 7pm.

All is FREE and always open to the public. Cottage Grove Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church on the corners of Adams and 3rd.

Rainwater catchment: October program

Rain water collection.
(Photo provided by and copyright by watercache.com)

Although we are having a beautiful fall, "we all know the rain will come!” Therefore, this is a good time to learn about rainwater catchment.

October's Garden Club special presenter is Sarah Whitney. Sarah has decades of expertise in rainwater harvesting, sustainable living and gardening practices, as well as designing and installing gardens through her company Terraculture (formerly Habitats). Now teaching in the Water Conservation Technician Program at LCC, Sarah will offer guidelines and suggestions about rainwater catchment.

October's meeting is Tuesday, October 2nd at the First Presbyterian Church (on the corners of Adams and 3rd).

6:00pm is our business meeting, with refreshments at 6:45, followed by our special presentation. Please feel free to come on in!

Children's Hour in the Garden

After a summer break, Cottage Grove Garden Club begins again in September with a “Children’s Hour in the Garden.” Beginning at 7pm on Tuesday, September 4, three local children’s authors will be reading from and discussing their children’s books about gardens and gardening.  The Treesure Trove, The Beetless Garden Songbook, Big Rig Bugs, and The Oddhopper Opera are a few of the books to be read by their authors: Herve Perrault, Cindy Roth, and Kurt Cyrus. Children of ALL ages are invited to bring their own favorite garden books, a pillow to lean upon (we do have chairs!) and escape with the musical sounds of rhyme found in the natural world of our gardens.

 

Cover of "Oddhopper Opera"by Kurt Cyrus

An informal Q & A session with discussion follows each author.

Tuesday, September 4. The business meeting begins at 6:00pm, refreshments served at 6:45 pm, and the presentation begins at 7pm.

Please join us at the First Presbyterian Church on the corners of Adams and 3rd, we’d love to see you.