Invaders in your garden! What are they, why they are a problem, and what you can do!

Gardeners face the never ending problem of unwanted "bully" plants crowding out desirable plants in their garden. Many gardeners have questions like: Are these invasive species? What damage could they cause, and what, if anything, can I do about it?

On Tuesday, June 3, the Garden Club will host Tania Siemens, Program Coordinator of the Watershed and Invasive Species Education (WISE) Program at Oregon State University. Ms. Siemens will provide an overview of the broad problem of invasive species in the state of Oregon and help us understand the difference between a "weed" and an "invasive species".  Then she will focus on the identification, impacts, prevention, and control some common invasives you might find in your garden or pond.

Finally we will learn how we can make a difference in an effort to prevent the spread of these damaging invaders by preventing, identifying, reporting, and controlling some of the new invasive species that are top priority for early detection and rapid response in Oregon.

Please join us at 6pm for our business meeting and 7pm for Ms. Siemens presentation. The Cottage Grove Garden Club meets in the Friendship Hall at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams), Cottage Grove, Oregon.

Water Gardens: May 6 Presentation

Last summer, during our August Garden Hop, so many of our garden club members were enamored with Faye Forhan’s water gardens that we asked her to present to the Garden Club. On Tuesday, May 6, Faye will show us how to design and construct a free-standing, pot-sized water garden.

Included in Faye's presentation will be a discussion of small water pump systems, various plant options, potting materials, dealing with mosquitoes, and water garden ornaments.

Faye is a member of the Garden Club, the President of the Oregon Koi and Water Garden Society, and owner of two koi ponds and several water gardens.

You’ll want to bring some extra cash to this presentation, because we will be raffling off the water garden that Faye creates!

Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church (on the corner of 3rd and Adams). Our business meeting begins at 6pm and Faye's presentation will begin at 7pm. All guests and visitors invited.

Flower Show: April 25 and 26

Cottage Grove Garden Club is excited to announce that we are bringing a Flower Show to Cottage Grove.

Flower Shows are intended to inspire and educate gardeners of all experience levels. You'll see which flowers have come through our winter storms with no problems. You'll be inspired to create new and different kinds of flower arrangements. You'll find new plant ideas for your flower borders. Plus, you'll see lots of pretty flowers and have the chance to connect with other local gardeners.

This bi-annual Flower Show is put on by the Willamette District Garden Clubs -- consisting of six different garden clubs within Lane County, including Cottage Grove. Every other year, the Cottage Grove Garden Club works with other Clubs within the Willamette District to put on a flower show. In the past, this show has always happened somewhere in Eugene. This year, we have brought it to  Cottage Grove to share with our local community.


We are also excited to announce that we will be a part of April's Downtown Art Walk!

This year's theme is "Rocking '50s in the Garden" and it promises to be a enjoyable experience for all! Come get inspiration for your own garden through our floral and plant displays, flower arrangements, and informational exhibits.

Friday, April 25, 1pm-8pm
Saturday, April 26, 10am-2pm

Free and open to the public.

Location: The First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street in Cottage Grove.

Better Garden and Flower Photography

On Tuesday, April 1, Cottage Grove Garden Club is proud to present Brinsley Burbidge talking about how to take better photographs of gardens and flowers.

Brinsley’s talk — illustrated with many photographs — will be very practical and will show ways in which making memorable pictures is less about buying an expensive camera and more about the way you use what you already have (though he believes that outstanding lens design does help). He will also look at the limitations of letting your camera make all the decisions for you. The talk will examine the challenging issue of getting the color right (one of his personal obsessions) and highlight camera settings that can make all the difference to the final result. He will also show how the use of some small and inexpensive gadgets can make vast improvements to your pictures.

Brinsley believes that photographic software is an essential partner in making winning photographs and will show how even free software can make a great difference. Many of the photographs in the talk will be from around Cottage Grove.

Photographing gardens and plants for most of his life. Brinsley has worked for some of the major Botanic Gardens in Britain and the USA, has run photography departments, and has made botanical expeditions to many countries, especially in Central Asia and South America. He was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society for natural history photography and was responsible, with three fellow photographers, for founding the agency Nature Photographers Ltd.

Please join us, Tuesday, April 1 in the Friendship Hall at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams). Our business meeting begins at 6pm and Brinsley's talk begins at 7pm. All guests welcome, refreshments provided.

Lunar Planting: March 4 Program

On Tuesday, March 4, Cottage Grove Garden Club presents Marjory House talking about lunar planting.

Come learn how to utilize the forces of the moon to better enhance garden planting. From seeds to starts, learning how to use lunar forces (i.e., water forces and rhythms) can help plants grow bigger, be more productive, and be more resistant to pests and disease.

The Cottage Grove Garden Club meets in the Friendship Hall at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams). Our business meeting begins at 6pm and our presentation on Lunar Planting begins at 7pm.