Reduce • Reuse • Recycle

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

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

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

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.

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Cottage Grove garden club is now on facebook!

Save These Dates in March

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

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

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

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).