An Introduction to Permaculture and Whole Systems Design

A holistic approach to gardening and sustainable living, Permaculture is a method of design that centers around whole systems thinking.

On Tuesday, January 3, Devon Bonady, owner and steward of Fern Hill Nursery and Botanical Sanctuary in Cottage Grove will share the ethics and principles of Permaculture design for a variety of sites, from urban gardens to rural homesteads. Using local examples, she will include ideas and recommendations for gardeners who want to create a more efficient, low-maintenance, or ecologically integrated garden and home.

Join us from 6:00-8:00 pm at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

LASAGNA – It’s not just for dinner anymore

By Andrea Mull

Now that Fall is here, gardeners might falsely believe that the hard work is almost over. (Ha!)  This is exactly when we should be extra diligent. If we plan it right, the work we do now ― raking leaves, cutting back perennials, and emptying out that chicken coop ― can amount to a new garden bed for the spring.  And it all has to do with Lasagna – Composting that is.

Lasagna Composting (or Sheet Mulching), is a method of creating a new raised bed or adding to an old one. Layers are alternated between Brown (or Carbon) materials and Green (or Nitrogen-rich) materials, and allowed to rot all winter. By spring or early summer It turns into a nutrient rich, fluffy bed.

So how do we perform this miracle?
First, compile your “ingredients.”  Just like making real lasagna, you’ll need everything on hand ahead of time (at least for the first few layers, more layers can always be added later, unlike real lasagna). Materials you might consider include: straw (not hay), shredded leaves, any kind of Herbivore manure (horse, chicken, cow, rabbit), coffee grounds, grass clippings (no herbicide residues please!), and any trimmings from your perennials, vegetables, or yard (though if it is invasive or noxious you might want to just toss it in the trash). If you run the Greens through a shredder or lawnmower, or even roughly chop with a shovel, it will help them break up quicker. And of course food scraps (no meat or dairy!) can always be added, but keep buried so animals don’t come around. Also have on hand cardboard or newspaper; the more the better. 

Constructing the Lasagna Pile:

Wet the cardboard or newspaper and lay directly on top of the soil wherever you plan to have the new bed. No need to remove sod!  Just pry open little air holes with a spading fork, wet the ground thoroughly, and lay thick, overlapping layers of cardboard down. This layer will smother the grass and prevent weeds from growing up through your new bed.  Eventually, this layer rots and your new plants will send down roots.

Lay cardboard directly on top of the soil.

Make your bed is slightly larger than what you want the finished bed to be.  So, if you would like a 4x4 bed, maybe start with 5x5.

Now, looking at your “ingredients,” start making 2-4” thick layers alternating between Brown and Green.  A general rule of thumb is if it’s fresh, it’s green (Nitrogen).  If it’s dead or dried, it’s Brown (containing more carbon).  Exceptions include corn or sunflower stalks (treat as brown but chop first!) and manure (unless composted first, treat as green). Always water the brown layers, this helps with their decomposition.

Pile the bed twice as high as you’d like as it will sink. Cover with a deep layer of soil if you wish to plant in it immediately, otherwise, cover with a piece of plastic (to keep out excess rain), and allow to decompose all winter.  Occasionally, look under the tarp and water your pile, or leave it off for a while to allow for rain and air circulation. After awhile, it will start to look like dirt and you won’t need the cover.

Layer your ingredients, alternating between  Brown and Green.

This process is slow and could take as long as 6 months to fully decompose.  I found that if I start now (Oct-Dec), I can plant in it come May or June.  If you discover that there are still rotting materials in the bed, or if the surface is still lumpy and not smooth, cover with a 2” layer of finished compost or soil.  Plant or seed directly into this layer, by the time the roots come on, they can handle the courser materials below.

You'll  have a new garden bed by spring.

Once you have successfully built your first lasagna bed, you’ll never want to dig or rototill again!! 

November Garden Events in the Cottage Grove Area

Here's a sampling of garden-related happenings in the wider Cottage Grove area this month.

November 1 (Tuesday), 6pm.
Cottage Grove Garden Club. Roger Gossler will be speaking on "Fall and Winter Interest in the Garden." Roger will have plants and copies of his book "The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs" available for sale.

The garden club meeting starts at 6pm, and the presentation begins at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

November 5 (Saturday):
Fall pruning of the heathers at Cottage Grove Community Hospital. 11 am to 1 pm. Join the Oregon Heather Society to maintain the heathers at the Hospital and learn about which heathers can safely be pruned in autumn. Bring your favorite pruners, gloves, kneeling pad, sack lunch.  Dress for the weather. (541) 929-6272 or ewulff@peak.orgu

November 8 (Tuesday):
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Vanessa Gardner Nagel talks on Locating Your Garden's Bones: Structural Plant Placement. Campbell Community Center (155 High St., Eugene), at 7:00 pm.

November 15 (Tuesday):
CGGC Board Meeting at the Community Center from 6:30-8:00 pm.

November 21 (Monday):
Avid Gardeners hosts Judith Jones the “Fern Madame” at 7pm


December 6 (Tuesday):
Cottage Grove Garden Club Holiday Party

Fall and Winter Interest in the Garden

On Tuesday, November 1, we are very pleased to be hosting Roger Gossler, who will be speaking about "Fall and Winter Interest in the Garden."

Roger is the buyer and main grower for Gossler Farms Nursery in  Springfield. He has been growing and selling shrubs for more than forty years. Roger spends a great deal of time researching what is new in the trade and worthy of inclusion in their catalog and is the leading contributor to the book The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs.

Interested in plants from an early age, Roger quickly became a leader in promoting the use of woody trees and shrubs. Gossler Farms Nursery serves as a demonstration garden where ninety percent of the plants described in The Gossler Guide have been grown.

Roger will give a slide presentation and have books and plants for sell.

Don't miss this great opportunity! The meeting starts at 6pm and Roger's presentation starts at 7pm. There will be light refreshments and all guests and visitors are welcome.

We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 3rd and Adams, in Cottage Grove.

Cottage Grove Garden Club tours Gossler Farms Nursery
August 2011 with Roger Gossler (left)

October Garden-related Events

Here's a sampling of garden-related happenings in the wider Cottage Grove area this month.

October 4 (Tuesday), 6-8pm:
Cottage Grove Garden Club, "The Promise of Garden Clubs": We will explore some of the projects and community service activities promoted by the National Garden Club: including Blue Star Memorials, Penny Pines, and Plant it Pink. We will also hear about the varied ways that other clubs become active in these projects.

The garden club meeting starts at 6pm, and the presentation begins at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

October 8 (Saturday), 1pm:
The Cottage Grove Garden Club hosts it's last Garden Hop of the season. We will be visiting the home of Beth and Richard. Contact Julie for more information.

October 11 (Tuesday), 7pm:
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Steve Vininsky of Cherry Creek Daffodils speaking on "Bulbs for the Willamette Valley."

October 17 (Monday), 7 pm:
Avid Gardeners. James R. Myers, Professor of Vegetable Breeding and Genetics at OSU will be speaking. Dr. Myers specializes in dry and snap beans, edible podded peas, broccoli, tomato, winter and summer squash, and sweet corn.

October 28 (Friday):
Willamette District Garden Club General Meeting, open to all garden club members. 9:30am Social time, 10:00 meeting/program, 12:00 potluck lunch. There will be a raffle, a country store, the sale of gloves and “Deadline,” and a fun seed exchange. (Meeting at the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St., Eugene).

October 30 (Sunday), 10am - 5pm.
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum's Mushroom Festival.... music, food, art, plants, mushrooms, and a scarecrow contest. Not to be missed!

November 1 (Tuesday), 6pm.
Cottage Grove Garden Club. Roger Gossler will be speaking on "Fall and Winter Interest in the Garden." Roger will has have plants and copies of his boook "The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs" available for sale.

"The Promise of Garden Clubs"

Join us next Tuesday, October 4, as we explore some of the projects and community service activities promoted by the National Garden Club. Using video and photos from around the country we'll learn about old favorites, such as Blue Star Memorials (active since 1945), as well as exciting new projects like Plant it Pink (which began in 2009 as a collaboration with the Komen Foundation).

The garden club meeting starts at 6pm, and the presentation begins at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

Meeting location: the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street, Cottage Grove. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

Tomato Tasting

Back by popular request!

This September we are featuring another tomato tasting! Bring fresh tomatoes (or any produce) from your garden to share with the club. Please bring enough of just one variety to share; noting its name, and (if it's unusual) where you bought the plant/seed.

We'll share, taste, and enjoy!

Tomatoes still green? Bring another type of produce to taste.
Don't grow vegetables? Come taste anyway!


See you Tuesday, September 6, at 6:00 pm. We meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (the corner of 3rd and Adams).

All visitors and guests welcome.

Hot Water Treatment for Cut Flowers

I have been using this hot water treatment a lot lately. It works great! The last time I used it, I had some roses from the grocery store that were drooping. They picked up their heads and lasted for another week.

Hot Water Treatment for Cut Flowers

The life of many cut flowers can be extended considerably by giving them a good drink of hot water right after you cut them. Here’s how to do it:

Cut your flowers early in the morning or in late afternoon.
Cut the stems at an angle. They should be 12-24 inches in length.
Heat water on the stove to a temperature of 160 – 180 degrees. Use a cooking thermometer to measure the temperature.
Pour the hot water into a plastic or metal bucket so that it is about 2-3 inches deep (you can also add a flower preservative like Floral Life).
Place the ends of the cut stems into the hot water and leave them there until the water cools.
Afterword, there will be a water mark on the stem where the hot water level was. Cut the stem at this mark.
Place them into cold water – and voila! You have very firm, hydrated flowers that will beautify your table for many days.
This works especially well on Dahlias, as well as Lilacs, Gladiolas, Roses, Hydrangea, and Sunflowers. Try it on other woody or semi-woody stemmed flowers.

June Garden Events

We're going to get sun one of these days!

Here's some garden-related events happening in the Cottage Grove area this month.

June 7:
Cottage Grove Garden Club features Diana Learner speaking on "Color in Your Garden." Diana will talk about getting color from annuals and perennials in your garden. Besides a great talk, she will be bringing plants for sale from Gossler Nursery. Plus, we'll have some great door prizes!

Please note: Diana's talk begins at 6pm. We are meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street.

June 12:
Music in the Garden, 14th Annual garden tour to benefit the Eugene Symphony Guild.

June 12:
Avid Gardeners BUS TOUR! Xera and Joy Creek Nurseries plus a private garden. Cost $35 for non-members. Contact: Marietta or Ernie O’Byrne 541-935-3915 or Sandra Rossi 541-343-0882 541-554-6564.

June 23 (1-4 PM):
Cottage Grove Garden Club Garden Hop, visiting the private gardens of Andrea and Vera. Contact the club for more information.

June 26:
KLCC Garden tour featuring gardens of the Whiteaker Neighborhood.

Keep Color in Your Garden

We are looking forward to our June program!

On Tuesday, June 7 we will celebrate the beginning of summer as Diana Learner joins us to talk about "Keeping Color on Our Garden." Diana will tell us how to get the most "color bang" for our buck using both annuals and perennials.

A video of Diana talking with Shelley Kurtz of KVAL news is below to whet your appetite.

Diana's talk starts at 6:00pm and the meeting begins at 7:00. Join us at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 S. 3rd Street in Cottage Grove. There will be light refreshments and door prizes!

Inaugural Garden Hop

On a lovely, sunny spring afternoon (May 12, 2011 to be exact) several members of the Garden Club enjoyed our first Garden Hop. The Hop began at the Tarantola Garden, a private garden in Goshen. Our host Inga showed us around the 4 acre property, of which about half was planned garden area. The gravel paths wound through shaded garden areas and around a sunny pond.




After our guided stroll with Inga we headed over to River Bend Farm just off Highway 58. Owner Annette Pershern gave a brief tour of the orchard and talked about the life of a modern day family farmer.



It was a rare, sunny afternoon and it was delightful to spend it with the company of fellow gardeners and farmers.

Right Plant, Right Place

Please join the Garden Club this May 3rd as we host Marty Gascoyne as our speaker. Marty (a.k.a. the Country Gardener) is one of our favorite presenters. This month he will talk about the benefits of finding the right plant for the right place.

Meeting starts at 6pm, Marty's presentation begins at 7pm. Light refreshments provided. All guests welcome.

Note that we are meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

Garden Club Community Activities

This month, the Garden Club has two important activities happening in the community.

First, on Sunday, April 10 at 1pm we will be gathering at the Bohemia Community Gardens (on R Street) to pot plants for the upcoming plant sell. Please come dressed for the weather, bring digging hand tools, and Clean/Sterilized 1-gallon pots (if you have them available). We are preparing for the May plant sell which is our major fund raiser for the year.

In Thursday, April 28 from 10am-1pm we will be having a clean-up party at the All America City Square (aka Opal Park). Volunteers should bring hand tools for weeding and digging, kneeling mats, buckets, shovels or whatever they're comfortable using and working with. We will be planting a new tree for the center round bed, and hauling/shoveling soil and mulch. Coffee will be provided. Plus clean pots will be available to transplant any plants the get displaced by the tree.

April Garden-Related Happenings

Here's a selection of garden-related happenings in the wider Cottage Grove area this month.

April 5 (Tuesday), 6-8pm:
"Propagation: Seeding, Cutting, and Dividing" Debra Levings joins the Cottage Grove Garden Club to talk about various methods of propagation. She will tailor the talk to the interest of the audience.

Please note: in April, we will be meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

April 12 (Tuesday), 7pm:
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Tami Ott-Ostberg will be speaking on "Small Space Gardens."

April 18 (Monday), 7 pm:
Avid Gardeners. Lucy Hardiman speaking on "Full Frontal Gardens." Lucy will explore the history of the front garden and the ways in which adventurous gardeners are thinking outside the box creating gardens that are in the public eye.

April 20 (Wednesday):
Garden Club Field Trip to the Oregon Gardens.

April 29 & 30:
Small Standard Flower Show sponsored by the District Garden Club. Location: the Sheldon McMurphy Johnson House in Eugene.

April at the Garden Club

Spring is upon us and, no doubt, you are thinking about your garden! Join the Cottage Grove Garden Club on Tuesday, April 5, as we learn about propagation. Debra Levings will be joining us to talk about "seeding, cutting, and dividing." Debra will tailor her presentation depending on the interest of the audience. She will also have a hand-out available for a minimal $2.00 cost (to pay for photocopying).

The meeting starts at 6:00 and Debra's presentation starts at 7:00. Light refreshments will be provided.

Please note our meeting location has temporarily changed. In April, we will be meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street. Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

Field Trip to The Oregon Gardens

The Oregon Gardens is located in Silverton about 2 hours northeast of Cottage Grove. If you haven’t been before, you need to see this garden!!! If you have been before we’re sure you will want to join our enthusiastic plant-and-garden-loving group for another view!

Groundbreaking for the 80-acre garden was 14 years ago and the ambitious master plan is now well underway with many of the 20 themed gardens maturing into masterpieces. The Northwest Gardens was one of the first completed gardens and is an excellent place for ideas for your own Northwest landscape. The Conifer Garden is characterized by large charismatic conifer species and boasts one of the largest collections of dwarf and miniature conifers in the United States: it is stunning! The A-Mazing Water Garden is an award-winning garden that beautifully incorporates a circular water garden with an ornate bridge, criss-crossing paths, and a cascading waterfall.

On Wednesday, April 20, we will carpool to The Gardens arriving at 10am, board the trolley for an hour tour, meet with the Oregon Garden Chairman, Marcia Kay Whitelock, have BYO picnic lunch in the gardens and tour independently in the afternoon. An optional tour to the Gordon House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright House in Oregon, is also available.
Please come to the April 1 Cottage Grove Garden Club meeting to learn more about this all-day field trip. Or call Julie 541 510-1165. And visit TOG website: www.oregongarden.org

March Garden Events

Garden season must be upon us, look at all the events happening this month!

March 1 (Tuesday), 6-8pm:
"The "weeds" in my garden....or are they?" Cheryl Bertuccelli of Cedar Creek Botanicals joins the Cottage Grove Garden Club to talk about the medicinal value of 10 common garden weeds.

March 5 (Saturday), 11am-1pm:
Heather pruning. Join the Heather Society in pruning the heather at the Cottage Grove Hospital. You'll learn how to identify and correctly prune heathers; help keep the hospital looking nice; and mingle with fellow gardeners all at the same time! Bring a lunch, gloves, a kneeling pad, and pruners.

March 6 (Sunday), car pool leaves at 1:45pm:
Garden Club Field Trip to Aprovecho. Aprovecho is a internationally known non-profit education and research center located just outside of Cottage Grove. Aprovecho promotes sustainable, appropriate technologies around the world. Come with the Garden Club to tour Aprovecho and learn more about what they do. Carpool leaves the Library/Community Center at 1:45, or meet us at Aprovecho (directions here) for the tour which starts at 2:00. The tour will last from 2-3 hours. A $5-$10 donation is requested by Aprovecho. Please wear appropriate shoes and clothing.

March 8 (Tuesday), time TBA:
Spring Work Party at the All America City Square. The AACS is the signature project for the Garden Club and we have already received City recognition for all of our efforts there. Join us on the 8th as we prepare the garden for the upcoming growing season. Contact Suzanne for details.

March 8 (Tuesday), 7pm:
The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Dave Eckerdt will speak on "Great Gardens of the Pacific Northwest."

March 21 (Monday), 7 pm:
Avid Gardeners. Maurice Horn, co-owner of Joy Creek Nursery, will talk on “Psychiatric Disorders in the Garden.” This is a humorous look at how gardeners, growers and marketers have different expectations about plants.

March 25-27:
Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs, Flower Show. EXPO Center in Portland.

March 29 (Tuesday), time TBA:
Garden Club Potting party for the May Plant Sale. The May plant sale is the major fundraiser for the Garden Club. Join us as we prepare plants for the sale. Please come dressed for the weather. Time and exact location to be announced.

March 29 (Tuesday), 6-9pm:
Plant "Nerd" Night at the Eugene Garden Club.

The "weeds" in my garden.... or are they?

Cheryl Bertuccelli of Cedar Creek Botanicals will be joining the Garden Club on March 1 to talk about common garden weeds. More specifically, Cheryl will talk about the medicinal value and common medicines made from 10 common garden weeds. Plus we'll have door prizes and great refreshments!

Cheryl is an Herbalist, Medicine Maker & Nutrition Consultant. At Cedar Creek Botanicals she leads workshops and makes salves, tinctures, and more. Cedar Creek Botanicals is located out Row River Road in Dorena.

Join us on Tuesday, March 1, 2011 from 6-8 pm. We meet in room 130 of LCC-Cottage Grove campus. Meeting starts at 6:00, Cheryl's program starts at 7:00.

February Events

Our photo contest Tuesday night was fun! We have a lot of talented photographer-gardeners in our group and it was difficult to pick just two photographs to send to the district-wide competition. Congratulations to both Scott and Brinsley for their winning photos.


There are other exciting gardening-related events happening this month, including:

Feb. 8, 7pm: The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group is hosting Ed McVicker from the Portland Japanese garden. Ed will speak on "The Hillside Gardens of the Portland Japanese Garden."

Feb 21, 11am: Potting party! at Scott & Jen’s House, 34248 Garoutte Rd. This is our first potting of the year, in preparation of the May Plant Sale (our major fund raiser). Bring plants (if you have them) and come join us in dividing, potting, and marking perennials for the sale.

Feb 21, 7 pm: Avid Gardeners. Tom Fisher will speak on “The Tale Your Garden Tells.” Among other topics, Tom will talk about learning a whole new plant palette, adapting to a modified Mediterranean climate, becoming addicted to Pacific Coast irises, learning to love conifers, and weeding eleven months out of twelve. You can even sing along at the end.

Happy Gardening.

Oregon Nurseries

The beginning of the 2011 garden season is fast approaching. For gardeners, that means dreaming of new plants and garden designs, browsing the internet, and strolling through nurseries. We have compiled a list of Oregon companies whose web sites, catalogs, and store aisles might entice you.

Bloom River Gardens
Springfield, OR
www.bloomriver.com
Specializing in unique, rare, and unusual landscape plants for the creative gardener

Forest Farm
Williams, OR
www.forestfarm.com

Fragrant Garden Nursery
Brookings, OR
www.fragrantgarden.com

Goodwin Creek Gardens
Williams, OR
www.goodwincreekgardens.com
Specialize in herbs, lavenders, scented pelargoniums, everlasting flowers, and fragrant plants

Gossler Farms Nursery
Springfield, OR
www.gosslerfarms.com
Specializing in shrubs and trees, especially magnolias

Greer Gardens
Eugene, OR
www.greergardens.com
Specializing in shrubs and trees, most especially rhododendrons

Heirloom Roses
St. Paul, OR
www.heirloomroses.com
Specializing in own-root roses

Joy Creek Nursery
Scappoose, OR
www.joycreek.com

Nichols Garden Nursery
Albany, OR
www.nicholsgardennursery.com
Specializing in herbs and seeds for the gardener/cook

Schreiner's Iris Gardens
Salem, OR
www.schreinersgardens.com
Specializing in irises

Swan Island Dahlias
Canby, OR
www.dahlias.com
Specializing in dahlias

Territorial Seed Co.
Cottage Grove, OR
www.territorialseed.com
Located here in the Grove, specializing in vegetable seeds and plants

Victory Seeds
Molalla, OR
www.victoryseeds.com


This is not an exhaustive list. We encourage you to add your own favorites in the comments below.

Photo Contest

We are having a photo contest and all GC Garden Club members are encouraged to participate.

Two of the photos will be selected (by popular vote) to represent the Club at the District photo contest. However, ALL members who bring photos will be entered into a random drawing for prizes.

Contest rules are easy:
1. Photo subject must include plant material
2. Photos may be either black/white or color, and may not be digitally modified
3. Photos must be 8” x 10” in size
4. Photos must be unframed
5. No additional embellishments (e.g. scrapbooking) permitted
6. The photographer must be a Cottage Grove Garden Club member
7. Photos must be the original work of the photographer. Label back of photo with name of photographer, garden club, and district
8. Limit 2 photos per member
9. Bring your photos to the February 1, 2011 meeting

Prizes:
For each photo you submit (limit 2), you will be entered into a random drawing for a door prize.

Two photos will be chosen by popular vote to represent our Club at the District meeting. From the District meeting one photo from all district clubs will be selected to represent the District at the 2011 OSFGC convention in Albany.

Those entering photos in the contest are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes before the meeting starts.

Tooting our own horn

Last night at the "State of the City" address, Mayor Gary Williams officially acknowledged the work of the Cottage Grove Garden Club. Mayor Williams thanked our group for the many hours put in by our volunteers at the All America City Square. Calling us up in front of the Council, he then gave us a plaque from the city in gratitude of our work.

Thanks to Andrea, Suzanne, and John for attending the address, and thanks to all the Garden Club members who have volunteered at the park over the past couple of years.

January 2011 Events

We had an excellent speaker at Garden Club this month – Brett, from BRING Recycling, talked about reducing, reusing, recycling, and rethinking. It was an engaging presentation and full of information.

If you are hungry for more garden-related information here are a couple other events happening in the Cottage Grove/Eugene area this month:

Tuesday, January 11, 7 pm. The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group will present John Greenlee. Mr. Greenlee’s talk will give a good introduction to the creation of meadow-like spaces in urban and suburban settings. Doors open at 6:30 for book sales and viewing botanical samples. Admission is $6 for non-members and free for members.

Saturday, January 15, 1pm. The North American Rock Garden Society will feature Norm Kalbfleisch speaking on the “Plants of Japan”. The talk is free and open to the public. Door prizes and refreshments follow. Location: the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St.

Monday, January 17th, 7pm. Ernie and Marietta O’Byrne will speak on “Late Winter & Early Spring in the Garden–Culture and Combinations” at the Avid Gardeners meeting at the Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High St. This program will illustrate plant choices for the late winter/early spring garden, including hellebores, podophyllums, early bulbs, winter interest shrubs, and much more. The presentation will include cultural tips regarding the plants discussed.

Additionally:
On Tuesday, January 18, a nine week Master Recycler class begins at the Creswell Community Center. This promises to be an interesting class. Contact Kelly L Bell, Master Recycler Coordinator Lane County Public Works, kelly.bell@co.lane.or.us