Moving Toward Sustainability

Many of us are concerned about the impact humans have on the environment. We wonder how we can personally do something about overwhelming events such as climate change, bee decline. and pollution of our water and soil. Fortunately, we can be can be part of the solution by implementing a continuum of sustainable gardening practices when developing or renovating our yards and gardens. 

Please join Cottage Grove Garden Club on Tuesday, October 3rd as we welcome Master Gardener Carol Salami-Goswick. Carol will introduce us to the basic concepts of sustainable gardening in her talk Moving Toward Sustainability. She will also share some easy steps to help you get started.

The Garden Club's informational meeting begins at 6pm and Carol's talk will begin at 7pm. We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams). All visitors and guests welcome.

Next Month
November 7: Pesticides and Alternatives with Ashley Chesser of NW Center for Alternatives to Pesticides

Garden Riches and Garden Art

What did you do in your garden this summer?

What varieties did you grow?

Did you learn anything you'd like to pass on?

Come to September's Garden Club meeting on Tuesday, the 5 as we share our Garden Riches and enjoy making Garden Art.

If you have them, bring samples of your garden bounty for the tasting table, including varietal names. This is a great opportunity to scout out the varieties you'd like to plant and use next year.

If  your flowers are in bloom, bring your favorites to show off.

Plus, plastic caps await your hands and imagination. Peggy will lead us in a garden art project to make  "Colorful Repurposed Non-Recyclables." Bring a silly attitude and you'll have a good time.

The Garden Club's informational meeting begins at 6pm and the tasting and art begin at 7. We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams).

All visitors and guests welcome.

Coming up later this fall
October 3: Moving Towards a Sustainable Landscape with Lane County Master Gardeners
November 7: Pesticides and Alternatives with Ashley Chesser of NW Center for Alternatives to Pesticides

It's summer! That means members of The Cottage Grove Garden Club are out in our own gardens, or enjoying the gardens of others. We have no formal meetings until Tuesday, September 5.

If you are a Garden Club member and need the details of our July 11 potluck or August 1 garden hop, leave a comment below, or use the Questions feature (scroll down, it's on your right). We'll get back to you.

Meanwhile, these photos were taken by Andrea of a nursery tour Garden Club members took in May to Seabright Nursery, Adelman's Peonies, Mid-America and Schreiner's Iris all in the Salem area.

Homegrown Teas

Source your tea right from your own backyard! On June 6, please join Cottage Grove Garden Club as we welcome Abby Colehour and learn about growing teas at home.

During Abby's presentation, we'll tour some common weeds and easy to grow herbs, discover their medicinal and nutritional benefits, and learn ways of preparing them. We will sample hot and cold teas, vinegar and alcohol tinctures, and non-alcoholic fermented brews. Plus, Abby will have plants available for purchase.

Abby Andrus Colehour is a native Minnesotan, social organizer, plant enthusiast, traditional skills dilettante, and do-it-yourselfer living at Aprovecho Center for Research and Education in Sustainability. There, she works as Residential Steward--maintaining social harmony, wholesome eating, administrative duties, and program development. She is especially passionate about trees,  forests, and woodland crafts.

Please join the Cottage Grove Garden Club on Tuesday, June 6 as we welcome Abby Colehour. Our informal business meeting begins at 6pm and Abby's presentation begins at 7pm.

 Refreshments provided, all guests welcome.

Cottage Grove Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams), Cottage Grove, Oregon. Garden Club members are encouraged to park in the lot behind the church, not along 3rd Street.

Upcoming Presentations:
During the summer, Cottage Grove Garden Club meets informally at member-only events. Guests and visitors are welcome to join us this fall for:
September 5: Garden Art & Garden Tastings
October 3: Moving Towards a Sustainable Landscape
November 7: Pesticides and Alternatives

The Allure of Lavender: May Program

Known to promote relaxation, improve sleep, and enhance blood circulation, many people associate lavender with soaps and lotions. However, it is also has many culinary purposes -- try, for example, lavender scones or lavender lemonade. The good news is that lavender grows well in gardens throughout the Willamette Valley as long as it has full sun and well-drained soil. 

On Tuesday, May 2, Cottage Grove Garden Club welcomes Carol Tannenbuam of McKenzie River Lavender. Carol will talk about the history of lavender cultivation and the history of her farm (located just 10 miles east of Springfield). She'll also share insights in growing, harvesting and maintaining lavender in Oregon, and explore lavender products and their uses.

Carol Tannenbaum

Carol Tannenbaum moved to Oregon in 1999 to retire on the McKenzie River and fly fish.  As an avid gardener for over 30 years she soon realized that their farm consisted of Class I & II Agricultural soil. Her desire to better utilize the soil led to starting McKenzie River Lavender in 2003.  Carol has been a member of the Oregon Lavender Association since 2006 and a charter member of US Lavender Growers Association since 2012. The Tannenbaums first opened their farm in July 2009 to visitors during the annual state wide lavender festival.

Please join the Cottage Grove Garden Club on Tuesday, May 2, as we learn about the Allure of Lavender. All guest and visitors welcome. Light refreshments provided.

Location: First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams), Cottage Grove, Oregon.

Time: Tuesday, May 2, 2017. Informal business meeting begins at 6pm, Carol's talk begins a 7pm.