How Plants Get Their Names: January 2013

On Tuesday, January 8,  Brinsley will entertain us with an illustrated talk about the ways plants get their names. He'll also show how we can name a plant which we think is new or different. Brinsley will look both at "Latin" scientific names and "common" names for plants and show how a Swedish born botanist, Carl Linnaeus, established a system which ensured, for the first time, that each plant only had one correct name. This system is, by international agreement, used throughout the world today. We will also learn how to understand and pronounce plant names.



See this 1567 plant identification book in person during Brinsley's talk.

Additionally, we will also look at some intriguing aspects of plant naming such as:

• Why in the USA there are more plants named for the Devil than for Saints and in Europe more plants are named for Saints than the Devil.
• Why hemlock is a forest tree in the USA and the official state poison of ancient Greece.
• Why the Irish cannot agree which plant is the true shamrock.
• Why Caltha palustris has over 240 different common names.
• Why the Jerusalem Artichoke is a Sunflower and has nothing to do with Jerusalem.
• Why Botanical Latin is a new language, not just a revival of what the Romans spoke.
• Why Shakespeare wrote about many plants but never used the word "petal."


This presentation is FREE and open to the public. The Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church on the corners of 3rd and Adams. 6:00 pm is our business meeting, with the presentation at 7:00.

Managing Pests in our Gardens

November is here! Our final harvests are in and we're closing up our gardens for the wet and cold season ahead of us. Unfortunately, some of us are also preparing for “undesirable guests.”

 

This coming Tuesday (November 6),  Elmer Bensinger of Alpha Ecological will talk with the Garden Club about a green approaches to managing pests in our gardens. Bring your questions, bugs to identify, and products (questionable ingredients) to inquire about.

Our business meeting starts at 6pm, refreshments await you at 6:45pm, and Elmer's talk begins at 7pm.

All is FREE and always open to the public. Cottage Grove Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church on the corners of Adams and 3rd.

Rainwater catchment: October program

Rain water collection.
(Photo provided by and copyright by watercache.com)

Although we are having a beautiful fall, "we all know the rain will come!” Therefore, this is a good time to learn about rainwater catchment.

October's Garden Club special presenter is Sarah Whitney. Sarah has decades of expertise in rainwater harvesting, sustainable living and gardening practices, as well as designing and installing gardens through her company Terraculture (formerly Habitats). Now teaching in the Water Conservation Technician Program at LCC, Sarah will offer guidelines and suggestions about rainwater catchment.

October's meeting is Tuesday, October 2nd at the First Presbyterian Church (on the corners of Adams and 3rd).

6:00pm is our business meeting, with refreshments at 6:45, followed by our special presentation. Please feel free to come on in!

Children's Hour in the Garden

After a summer break, Cottage Grove Garden Club begins again in September with a “Children’s Hour in the Garden.” Beginning at 7pm on Tuesday, September 4, three local children’s authors will be reading from and discussing their children’s books about gardens and gardening.  The Treesure Trove, The Beetless Garden Songbook, Big Rig Bugs, and The Oddhopper Opera are a few of the books to be read by their authors: Herve Perrault, Cindy Roth, and Kurt Cyrus. Children of ALL ages are invited to bring their own favorite garden books, a pillow to lean upon (we do have chairs!) and escape with the musical sounds of rhyme found in the natural world of our gardens.

 

Cover of "Oddhopper Opera"by Kurt Cyrus

An informal Q & A session with discussion follows each author.

Tuesday, September 4. The business meeting begins at 6:00pm, refreshments served at 6:45 pm, and the presentation begins at 7pm.

Please join us at the First Presbyterian Church on the corners of Adams and 3rd, we’d love to see you.


 

Summer 2012



Garden Club members pose for a photo after a tour of the Village Green Gardens.

Summer is here! For the Garden Club, that means our attention has turned to social events, like the tour and dinner we had at the Village Green in early July. Our attentions have also turned to our own gardens and enjoying the summer weather as much as possible.

This blog will become more active again in September when regular meetings resume.

Happy Gardening!

A Willamette Adventure: 2012 District Flower Show



Barb's 2011 entry received
an Award of Merit.

“A Willamette Adventure” is the title of the 2012 District Flower, happening June 15-16 in Eugene. This flower show promises to be full of the very colorful flowers of June. Having been to my first flower show last year*, I encourage you to attend! I found it very enjoyable strolling amongst the flowers, seeing the many different types and kinds, and taking in the floral designs, garden art, and educational exhibits. (There is more information about the dates and times of the flower show here.)


I also encourage you to consider entering the flower show—several of our members did last year, and one (Barb) received an Award of Merit. For those of you, like me, who are unsure how to enter a flower show, I’ve created these following guidelines for submitting “horticulture” (a single cutting of a blooming flower, tree/shrub, or herb). Guidelines for submitting a floral design are somewhat different, please ask me for more information or consult the Flower Show Schedule. (For those of you with computer access, I found this video to be informative: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIMABHD7gKk.)


Entering a Flower Show:

• Pick up a Flower Show Schedule (contact me for one)
• Look through the schedule and see if you have any of the plants listed growing in your garden, for example, roses, columbines, peonies, petunias, magnolias, dianthus, or conifers, flowering trees & shrubs, or herbs. You must have been in possession of the plant for at least 90 days in order to enter it into the flower show.
• The evening before the show, stroll through your garden and collect your favorite blooms and cuttings (look at both the bloom and the leaves of the stems you are cutting). Put into warm water in your garden, and then re-cut the ends when you come in before putting them into a bucket of deeper water, a preservative would be good too.
• Groom each cutting, both stems and leaves: it is okay to pick off bad leaves if it won’t be noticeable, but don’t use any sort of “shine” or “leaf gloss”
• Place the cutting in a clean, clear bottle (mark the bottom of the container with your name) making sure no leaves are under water
• If necessary use “wedging” such as plastic wrap or transparent floral tape to inconspicuously prop your stem to show it at an attractive angle
• Fill out an entry card (contact me, or pick one up Friday morning). You’ll need to know both the common and scientific names of your entries (ask other members for help if you don’t know the scientific names of your plants, or consult a reference book or web site)
• Drop off your exhibit on Friday, June 15 from 7:30 to 9:30 am at the Eugene Garden Club building, 1645 High St, Eugene. (You’ll also need to pick up your entry Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.)

If you have questions please send me an email at cdkim719 at gmail.com

* Starting this year, the District Flower Shows will be happening bi-annually, only in even numbered years. The next Flower Show will be in 2014.

Saving Seeds: June's Program

Learn how to save seeds.

Those interested in learning more about saving seeds are encouraged to attend  Garden Club this Tuesday (June 5th). This month's program features John Hogan, a self-trained botanist who has professionally raised seeds for Seeds of Change (a world renowned company specializing in the preservation of heirloom seed varieties) and who is an experienced organic farmer.

John will share his extensive wisdom and knowledge about how to select and pick seeds off of plants, how to store them, how to germinate them, and how to share them.

We welcome visitors and guest to all meetings (starting at 6pm) and our free programs (starting at 7pm).

Join us at the First Presbyterian Church on Adams and 3rd Street.

Protecting Aquatic Ecosystems

The President of the National Garden Clubs, Shirley Nicolai, has chosen Protecting Aquatic Ecosystems as one of her special projects for her 2011-2013 term. Aquatic ecosystems include rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, springs, marshes, bogs, wetlands, estuaries, flood plains, and aquifers.

Members of the Garden Club get a tour of the Row River Nature Park with Pam of the Watershed Council.

As gardeners, each of us has an impact on these ecosystems, and each of us can work to preserve and conserve them. One way to protect aquatic ecosystems is to reduce our demand for water. How can we do that? Below are a few ideas for reducing your water consumption in the garden, even more ideas for reducing your water consumption in the home are available on the National Garden Club web site:

• Reuse water from the house (e.g., from cleaning vegetables) in the garden.
• Water more heavily, but less often, allowing the soil to dry out a bit between watering. This saves water and builds stronger roots.
• Water during the early morning hours or in the evening when temperatures and wind speeds are the lowest. This reduces losses from evaporation.
• Use timers to avoid over watering your yard and garden.
• Use a rain catch system (rain barrel) and use natural rain water for watering in the yard.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk. Using a hose to clean a driveway uses about 50 gallons of water every 5 minutes.
• Plant low-water and xeriscape plants. Plan now to use less water later.
• Use mulch in the garden to reduce water evaporation from the soil, cool the soil, and encourage healthy roots.
• Place plants with similar water needs next to each other.
• Consider soaker hoses or a drip irrigation system for your vegetable garden, shrubs, and flower beds.
• Lawns use a lot of water… Reduce their size, restricting them to spaces where you actually need them (like play areas), or eliminate them altogether.
• Water your lawn only when it needs it. If you step on the grass and it springs back up, it doesn’t need water. If it stays flat, it does need water.
• This summer, watch EWEB for their local water lawn-watering guidelines.

Thank you to the National Garden Club for the basis of this list.

Mark Your Calendars: May 12, 2012!!

Please join the Cottage Grove Garden Club at the 2012 Oregon Plant Fair. This annual event features a plethora of garden art and plant vendors (including us!). Plus, the Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions.

As Garden Club members, we can't stress enough how important this event is to our club, as it is our major fund-raiser of the year.

As gardeners, we can't stress enough how enjoyable this event is, as it features art and plants from specialty artists and growers from around the North West.


SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2012, 9:00 am–2:00 pm at Alton Baker Park in Eugene.

Visit the Avid Gardeners web site for information about specific vendors.

Getting Ready for a Flower Show: Flower Arranging

Close-up of Andrea's flower arrangement at the 2011 Flower Show.

At our May 1 meeting we will be having a flower arranging demonstration given by Sherry Cossey and Georgia Zahar.

Sherry and Georgia are both active in planning the annual Flower Show for the Willamette District Garden Club. So, they will also be providing tips for successfully entering a Flower Show.

This will be a demonstration and workshop. To participate please bring:

• a smallish container
• a few flowers that look nice with the container
• some foliage to go with that
• something tall for height; it could be a branch, a leaf, or man-made item.

Our meeting will begin at 6:00, light refreshments and socializing at 6:45, with the demonstration starting at 7:00.

Upcoming Garden/Plant Festivals

Because sometimes we like to get out and see what the rest of Oregon has to offer, here's a list of upcoming 2012 Festivals. If there are some we've missed, please leave a comment below.


MARCH 30 - APRIL 30
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm  Woodburn, OR
www.woodenshoe.com


APRIL 21 - 22
Hood River Blossom Festival
Hood River OR
http://www.hoodriverfruitloop.com/calendar/april.html


MAY 5 - JUNE 3
Open Gardens
Schreiner's Iris Gardens
Salem OR
http://www.schreinersgardens.com/


MAY 18 - 20
Rhododendroon Festival: "Nothing Short of Wild"
Florence OR
http://www.florencechamber.com/chamber/105th-rhododendron-festival


MAY 20
Mount Pisgah Wildflower Festival
Eugene OR
http://www.mountpisgaharboretum.com/festivals-events/wildflower-festival/


Lavender Drying

JULY 14 - 15
Oregon Lavender Festival
Throughout NW Oregon
www.oregonlavenderdestinations.com


AUG. 25 - 27 & SEPT 1-3
Dahlia Festival
Swan Island Dahlias
Canby OR
www.dahlias.com

April at the Garden Club

Here are some of the events happening with the Cottage Grove Garden Club this month, plus a few additional community events we thought you'd be interested in.

Tuesday, April 3: Garden Club meeting. Program: Irrigation for the Home Gardener with Marty Gascoyne. 6pm business meeting, 7pm presentation. First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street.

Tuesday, April 10: Field trip to Doak Creek Nursery in Lorane, 1pm. Plus optional lunch at Heidi Tunnell Catering Company in Creswell, 11:30 am. Contact Beth for more information.

Friday, April 13: Willamette District Garden Clubs Meeting in Oakridge. Starts at 10am (rescheduled because of weather). Contact Colette for more information.

Saturday, April 14: Cash Mob at Shady Oaks (11am-1pm)

Sunday, April 15: Work Party at the All America City Square, noon-3:00pm

Tuesday, April 17: Board meeting at the Community Center, 6:30-8:00 pm.

Friday, April 20: Day of Caring at Bohemia Park, 9am-1pm

Saturday, April 21: All Species Parade and Earth Day celebration, 2:00 pm

Tuesday, May 1: Garden Club, "Getting Ready for a Flower Show: Flower Arranging” workshop led by Sherry Cossey and Georgia Zahar

Irrigation for the Home Gardener

Sprinklers, drip lines, hand watering.... what's the best way to irrigate your home garden? This coming Tuesday (April 3) Marty Gascoyne will be joining us to talk about home irrigation. Marty is one of our favorite presenters, so this program promises to be very educational.

At this meeting we will also have a raffle with all proceeds going to support State and National Garden Club projects. (We'll decide in June where the funds will go -- scholarship programs, 5th Grade educational trips, and assistance to communities restoring parks after natural disasters are just a few examples of the types of projects we can support on a broader level.)

Please 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. Our meeting begins at 6pm, social time and refreshments follow, with the presentation beginning at 7pm. All guests welcome.

2012 Oregon Plant Fair

By Andrea Mull

Imagine if you could attract all of your favorite specialty Pacific Northwest nurseries, combined with exciting garden art and a collection of the District Garden Clubs, all offering unique items in one place at one time. You would have the Oregon Plant Fair!!

This year the Oregon Plant Fair is Saturday, May 12. It allows attendees to peruse unique, unusual, and hardy plants. Attendees also love to find the deals and offerings provided by the Garden Clubs, and the Cottage Grove Garden Club specifically! We are one of six clubs representing the Willamette District, and with only three Fairs under our belt, we have been one of the top earning clubs.

As the Chairperson for this event, I would love to see our earnings increase, maybe even oust Eugene from the top spot! I think this is possible if we hold to a few easy goals:

1. All plant material should be healthy and vibrant. Having good plants which have been well cared for is paramount.
2. Plants should be highly desirable to gardeners: they should be rare or unusual, native or medicinal, or have a desirable trait of some kind. If you don’t know what kind or variety the plant is, it might still be usable, but named varieties are best.
3. Always wash and sterilize your pots; 1 gallon size are best. Always use sterile potting soil, never garden soil.
4. Plants sell best if they are blooming. If you have a spring bloomer, think of bringing it to a potting party.
5. All plants should be labeled with the genus species (if known), common name, and the culture requirements (full sun, shade, high water, drought tolerant). Also, helpful is bloom time, or any other specific information. If you have a color photo of the plant (especially in bloom!) send it, and we will make a laminated placard for it.
6. Plants that sell well are landscape or horticultural varieties, small trees or shrubs, flowering perennials, and unusual sedums. But don’t forget those indoor plants – most can be propagated easily.

Plants ready for the 2010 Plant Fair

Potting parties will be announced at our meetings and/or through email. Please plan to help with the Plant Fair, from helping at a potting party, to volunteering the day of the event, to providing plants, pots, or soil. This is our club’s major fundraiser for the year, plus it is a great way to get to know the other members, meet other clubs, and it’s FUN!

Our first Transplanting Workshop/Potting Party is Sunday, March 25 at 531 E Adams St. (corner of 6th and Adams). Drop in between noon and 3pm, and I will demonstrate how to successfully transplant, divide, or propagate plants for the Oregon Plant Fair. Bring work gloves and plants, and wear clothing appropriate for the weather!! Soil will be provided.

Heather Garden

Heather Garden at the Cottage Grove Community
Hospital, mid-January 2012

By Colette Kimball

In the middle of January, I had the opportunity to visit the Heather Garden at the Cottage Grove Community Hospital. I had heard about the Garden before, but had never had the opportunity to see it. I must say, on that dreary Sunday afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised; the Heather Garden was filled with the most brilliant reds, accented by light pinks and chartreuse – all in the middle of January!

One of the perks of being Club president is that I get to meet and talk with others in the gardening community, and serendipitously just a few days after my visit to the Heather Garden, I received an email from Ella May Wulff of the Oregon Heather Society. I learned from Ella May about the short history of the Garden and the Oregon Heather Society’s goals.

A brief history
Planting of the Heather Garden began in the fall of 2004, after the Facilities Director of the Community Hospital contacted the Oregon Heather Society about planting a heather garden on a steep slope near a drainage ditch. Since that initial planting, plans have changed to accommodate other plantings, an accidental oil spill, and other problems that one might expect when planting in a publicly-accessible space such as this. The outcome is a bright spot of color in the middle of January.

How you can help
Twice each year, members from the Oregon Heather Society gather in Cottage Grove (some driving over two hours to get here) to prune and maintain the Heather Garden. Members of the community and the Garden Club, are encouraged to help. The next pruning party is Sunday, March 10, from 11am to 1pm. Please join us!

The Heather Garden is on Village Street just before the Emergency Entrance. You’ll learn about heathers and heather culture, and have the opportunity to take home clippings to root and begin your own heather garden. Bring clippers, a knee pad, and a lunch to enjoy with others after the heather is pruned.

March in the Grove

There are a lot of gardening-related events happening in Cottage Grove this month. See below for events the Garden Club will be hosting or participating in.

Plants ready for the 2010 Plant Sale

Sunday, March 4: The Garden Club will be having a transplanting workshop and potting party at 531 E. Adams St. (The corner of 6th and Adams). Drop in between 11am and 2pm. This is in preparation for the May Plant Sale.

Tuesday, March 6: At Garden Club this month, Brinsley Burbidge will talk about "Plants of a (US) Tropical Island."  The meeting begins at 6:00, social time about 6:45, and Brinsley's talk begins at 7:00. For more info, click here.

Saturday, March 10: There is a Heather Pruning Party at the Cottage Grove Community Hospital, hosted by the Oregon Heather Society,  11:00am to 1:00pm. The Heather Garden is on Village Street just before the Emergency Entrance. You will learn about heathers and heather culture, and have the opportunity to take home clippings to root and begin your own heather garden. Bring clippers, a knee pad, and a lunch to enjoy with others after the heather is pruned.

Saturday, March 17: The Garden Club tours Bohemia Park with Faye Stewart, 1:00 pm 10:00 am.

Tuesday, March 20: Board meeting at the Community Center, 6:30-8:00 pm.

Friday, March 23: Willamette District General Meeting at Oakridge, Molly Juillerat will be speaking on "Invasive Species." Coffee starts at 9:30, Potluck Lunch at 12:00. All Garden Club members are invited to attend this bi-annual meeting.

Sunday, April 1: District-wide trip to Gossler’s Nursery, 1:00 pm.

Finally, don't forget to put our April meeting on your calendars. On Tuesday, April 3, we will hear about "Irrigation for the Home Gardener" presented by Marty Gascoyne, 6:00-8:00 pm. Marty is one of our favorite speakers, and we are delighted to have him return again this spring.

Plants of a (U.S.) Tropical Island: March Program

The US Virgin Islands are a favorite cruise ship destination and vacation get-away. The island of St. Croix is the most remote of these and, as a non-volcanic island, has a different vegetation from most of the other West Indies. Also it has a high mountainous central ridge and wind that almost always comes from the same direction. As a result, the vegetation varies from rain forest to desert over a very short distance.

Mango Flowers

Formerly the home of the Taino people, the island was "discovered" by Columbus and then successively occupied by seven different nations, among whom the Danish left the greatest impact, before finally being sold to the US.

Historically, sugar cane was the main agricultural crop. Much of the island‘s agricultural history remains as ruins now buried deep in forest. As it is the most isolated, rugged and least visited of the islands it also still has large areas undeveloped and in some cases unexplored. For three years, our presenter, Brinsley Burbidge worked on St. Croix and explored the island intensively, often cutting trails into the least accessible mountainous areas. Along with his wife Julie, he also worked with local plant experts (including the island‘s "Weed Woman") and the Department of Agriculture.

On March 6, Brinsley will give an illustrated talk about the island, its dramatic and very scenic topography, and the way that plants (both native and introduced) have been important (and continue to be) in the islands history.

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. Our meeting begins at 6pm, social time and refreshments follow, with the presentation beginning at 7pm. All guests welcome.

Community Events

Members of the Cottage Grove Garden Club are participating in two upcoming community events. Please join us.

Turtle. Row River Nature Park.

On Saturday, February 25, the Coast Fork Watershed Council is hosting a tree planting at the Row River Nature Park (previously known as East Regional Park). Meet at the weigh station on Row River Road at 9am. We'll be helping the Watershed Council plant big leaf maple trees, among other plants. Wear winter clothes, boots, and bring a water bottle. The Watershed Council will provide work gloves, snacks, and refreshments. Please call the Watershed Council to RSVP: (541) 767-9717.

Heather Garden at the Hospital

On Saturday, March 10, the Oregon Heather Society is sponsoring a pruning event at the Heather Garden at the Cottage Grove Community Hospital. Learn how to identify heathers and when to prune them. Oregon Heather Society members will demonstrate correct pruning techniques during the semi-annual pruning of the hospital's heather garden.

The Heather Garden is located to the left as you face the front of the Hospital. Bring pruners, a kneeling pad, gloves and a lunch. 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Contact Ella May at (541) 929-6272  for more information.

February Events

Can you feel the excitement about spring growing? To help satisfy that garden-itch, here's a listing of gardening related events happening this month in the Cottage Grove area.

February 1: registration has opened for the "Hardy Plant Weekend" being held in Eugene from June 7-10.  The theme is "Into the Woods/Out of the Woods," focusing on shady and near-shady gardens. Visit The Hardy Plant Group for more information.

February 7 (Tuesday): Cottage Grove Garden Club will be making "Seed Bombs" in a workshop led by Andrea Mull.

February 9 (Thursday): American Rhododendron Society Eugene Chapter Presents "Plant Hunting in China" with Mike Stewart, owner of Dover Nursery. 7pm.

February 13 (Monday): Native Plant Society of Oregon - Emerald Chapter. Dave Predeek talks on “Flora of the Wallowa Mountains in Northeastern Oregon.” 

February 14 (Tuesday): Hardy Plant Group welcomes Jack Olson speaking on "Rhododendrons as Perennials."

February 17 (Friday): Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council leads the Garden Club along the Row River Nature Trail to showcase local restoration efforts. 2pm.

February 20 (Monday): Avid Gardeners Presents FAVORITES—Tried and True and New! Learn from Avid Gardeners board members (Mark Bloom, Alice Doyle, Ernie and Marietta O’Byrne ) about their top picks in both ornamentals and edibles, from great (but often unsung) reliables to the newest offerings.

February 21 (Tuesday): Cottage Grove Garden Club Board Meeting at the Community Center from 6:30-8:00 pm.

February 25 (Saturday): Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council hosts a tree planting at the Row River Nature Park. All interested community members are encouraged to help. 9am-noon. Please RSVP with the Watershed Council.

Seed Bombs!

Seed Balls (or Bombs as guerrilla gardeners refer to them) are actually an ancient method of coating seeds in a medium of clay and compost, which allows the gardener to "toss" them into a field where they eventually dissolve while the seed is germinating and being nourished by the compost. This protects the delicate seeds from birds and other seed-eating animals, while also allowing the seeds to be sown whenever it suits the gardener, regardless of the weather. Today guerrilla gardeners toss the "bombs" into abandoned areas where food and flowers bloom in the place of weeds and trash.

Join the Garden Club on Tuesday February 7 as Andrea Mull shows us how to make Seed Bombs. Come prepared to get your hands dirty!

The Cottage Grove Garden Club meets 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. Our meeting begins at 6pm, the workshop at 7pm. Light refreshments are provided and all guests welcome.

January 2012

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

January 3 (Tuesday), 6pm: Cottage Grove Garden Club. "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. 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.

Garden Club meets at the First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 3rd Street (3rd and Adams). Please enter through the garden area, to the left as you face the front doors.

January 9 (Monday): Sustainable Cottage Grove meeting, 6:30, Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 10 (Tuesday): The Willamette Valley Hardy Plant Group. Ivette Soler author of "The Edible Front Yard." Campbell Community Center (155 High St., Eugene), at 7:00 pm.

January 13 (Friday): Sustainable Cottage Grove potluck, (open to ALL!), 6:30, Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 16 (Monday): Avid Gardeners hosts Marty Wingate at 7pm.

January 16 (Monday): Food Hub meeting (Victory Gardens speaker), Healing Matrix (across from Axe and Fiddle)

January 17 (Tuesday): Cottage Grove Garden Club Board Meeting at the Community Center from 6:30-8:00 pm includes an important budget meeting.