Gardening Forum and Succulent Exchange: Tuesday Sept 3

We all have questions about gardening, whether we are new to gardening or have been gardening for decades we all have questions. We all, also, have answers and experiences to share.

Back by popular demand, on Tuesday September 3, Cottage Grove Garden Club will be hosting a Gardening Forum. After a summer of gardening, you probably have some questions on your mind, so bring them to garden club as well as your ideas, experiences, and answers, because at this round-table discussion we will be answering each-others gardening questions.

We'll also be hosting an informal succulent exchange, if you've got succulents or cacti to share, please bring them down to garden club, making sure to note if they are indoor or outdoor plants, as well as any other characteristics.

Please join us, as we gather for our first meeting after the summer break.

Garden Club's informal business meeting begins at 6 PM and the succulent exchange will happen during the refreshment break, before the Gardening Forum at 8 PM.

All guests and visitors welcome. Light refreshments provided. We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams), Cottage Grove, Oregon, enter off the garden on Adams Street.

Keeping Your Garden Healthy: June 4 at Cottage Grove Garden Club

For gardeners, spring brings the excitement of preparing for another season of fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers. With the warming of the soil and longer daylight hours, seeds and bulbs sprout and trees bud into bloom. Gardeners around Cottage Grove envision an abundant harvest as we shop, till, and plant.

Soon we will be easing into summer, and our goal will shift to keeping our gardens healthy and sustainable. We want the maximum yield possible from the fruits of our labors -- large and vigorous vegetables to fill our tummies and bright flowers to gaze upon.

On Tuesday, June 4, Cottage Grove Garden Club will welcome Christina Bixel, who will talk about ways to keep our gardens healthy. Christina will discuss small daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that will maintain optimum yield and help gardeners achieve success, growing both flowers and vegetables.

Christina has been an OSU Extension Master Gardener since 2012, with a specialty in plant diagnostics and additional training in composting. She is the past president of the Lane County Master Gardeners Association and provides lectures throughout the county on a wide range of topics.

The Cottage Grove Garden Club is a local organization with the mission of expanding our interests and building lifelong friendships while bettering our community and the environment through sustainable gardening practices.

Christina will present Keeping Your Garden Healthy Tuesday June 4, at Cottage Grove Garden Club, meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (enter off the garden on 3rd Street). The Garden Club’s informal business meeting begins at 6PM and the presentation begins at 7PM. Guests and visitors welcome.

Firewise Gardening: May 7th Program

The Willamette Valley is known for its abundant rainfall and lush landscapes, but summer heat and the abundance of fuels can leave the valley just as vulnerable to wildfire as any other fire-prone area of the state. Especially this year, with the damage caused by the snow storm and heavy April rains.

Gardeners in Cottage Grove can decrease the potential for damage to their home and property by incorporating Firewise USA principles. These principles include maintaining a 30’ flammable-free area around the home and using fire-resistant plants in the landscaping. Fire-resistant plants are those with moist, supple leaves and low resin content. They are slow to ignite, slowing or stopping the spread of a fire. Fire-resistant, however, does not mean fireproof. All plants have the potential to burn if they are neglected.

On Tuesday, May 7, Cottage Grove Garden Club welcomes Kristin Babbs from Keep Oregon Green to talk about Firewise Gardening. Keep Oregon Green is a statewide association that has been educating the public on fire prevention for the past 75 years. This presentation will highlight the Firewise USA program, the need for defensible space, and the use of fire-resistant plants that thrive in the Willamette Valley’s weather conditions.

Kristin Babbs is the President and CEO of the Keep Oregon Green Association, where she develops partnerships and coordinates activities to help Oregon’s residents and tourists become aware and knowledgeable of their role and responsibility in the prevention of wildfires.

Ms. Babbs will talk about Firrewise Gardening to the Cottage Grove Garden Club on Tuesday May 7, at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (enter off the garden on 3rd Street). The Garden Club’s informal business meeting begins at 6p.m. and Ms. Babbs’ presentation begins at 7p.m. Guests and visitors welcome.

Benefits of being a Garden Club Member

Garden Club members gathering for a private tour of Log House Plants, June 2018

Did you know Cottage Grove Garden Club is about more than just monthly meetings and presentations?

Every year, CG Garden Club members enjoy a number of members-only activities, including

• garden tours
• nursery tours
• private planting parties
• potlucks and other social events
• civic projects within the community

Membership is only $15 per person, $20 a family. Come to our next meeting and join!

The Garden Club meet's at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams), Cottage Grove, Oregon, enter off the garden on Adams Street. The first Tuesday of the month (Sept - June) from 6pm to 8pm.

Cottage Grove Garden Club members touring the Japanese Garden in Portland

Indoor Succulents and Cacti: April 2 Presentation with Marcia Peeters

Walk into any store lately and you will likely to see a small display of succulents and cacti growing in tiny 2-inch pots; nurseries and specialty shops will have even more. The variety of whimsical shapes and sizes, can make selecting just one a delightful challenge.

Because of their tiny sizes and minimal needs, succulents and cacti are attractive to a wide variety of gardeners, from “newbies” who want to try growing for the first time to experienced gardeners who are looking for new ways to add plants to their homes.

But once you’ve purchased a tiny treasure, what is the best way to keep it healthy? How fast will it grow and for how long? To answer these questions and more, Marcia Peeters from Pierce Street Gardens in Eugene will be joining Cottage Grove Garden Club on Tuesday, April 2 to talk about getting the best out of indoor succulents and cacti.

Marcia will discuss the differences between cacti and succulents, and the basics for growing healthy plants year-round including heat and light requirements, and how much to water and when. She’ll also explain how to choose the best pots, what type of soil to use, and best practices for combining several plants in a single pot.

Marcia will also bring a variety of succulents and cacti that can be purchased after her talk.

Please join us. The Garden Club's informal business meeting begins at 6 PM and Marcia's presentation runs from 7 to 8 PM. All guests and visitors welcome. Light refreshments provided. We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams), Cottage Grove, Oregon, enter off the garden on Adams Street.

Also, mark your calendars for these upcoming programs:
May 7, 2019: Firewise Gardening with Keep Oregon Green
June 4, 2019: Keeping your Garden Healthy with Christina Bixel
July 2, 2019: Summer Social/ Garden Hop
August 6, 2019: Summer Potluck

(Photos on this page courtesy of Pierce Street Gardens.)