McMinnville Garden Club PO Box 386,
McMinnville, OR January 2011 503-434-4344
January 17,
2011 – MEETING
Hillside
Retirement Community “Activity Room” at the Manor
900
N. Hill Road McMinnville, OR 97128
PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO PARK IN THE CHURCH PARKING
LOT
9:30a.m. - 10:00a.m.
- Social time
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Business
Meeting and FUN:
11:00 a.m. - 12:00
p.m. - Deborah Topp - Rain Gardens
Have you had enough rain yet? If we continue to have typical Oregon winter
weather, you can expect much more.
That's why you need to attend our January Garden Club meeting on the
17th. Deborah Topp will present a
program on Rain Gardens. She is the City
of Salem's Natural Resource Outreach Specialist.
Her presentation will address the
need for alternative rain gardens while showing their beauty and function. Rain gardens are a beautiful feature to
protect water quality and provide wildlife habitat.
Deborah's presentation will show you
what rain gardens are, how to size them to your property, and help identify
what plants are appropriate. She will
also cover other types of water conservation and pollution prevention ideas as
well as address the needs of wildlife.
You won't want to miss this
meeting. Remember Monday, January 17,
come to learn what rain gardens are all about.
January’s speaker will count for ONE hour of Master Gardener
educational recertification hours.
"ALL ABOARD"
What fun was
had at our December meeting: great food, great company and time to enjoy each
other. A big thanks to everyone who helped create a PERFECT
meeting!!! I’m really looking forward to our speaker in January.
I’ve always wanted to learn more about rain gardens. After all, Oregon is
the perfect place for that type of gardening! And it is a bit too muddy to do
much in the dirt.
As I sit
here typing this note, I’m looking at all the Christmas decorations I need to
organize then box up and store for next year; it reminds me of the seasonal
Fall chore of putting the garden to rest. Now that I have another
seasonal pile to stow away, I remember the joys of January, February and
March. Those are the months when I can curl up with a book, plan new
gardening adventures, focus on my indoor plants, enjoy the outbursts of
weather, and all within my warm, cozy house. Oh, but I think it is time
for a nap before I tackle that last task of December. And then maybe a
trip to Kraemer’s for some additions to my indoor garden……..After all, January
will arrive whether things are put away or not!!! Just like the Fall
rains arrived before I had my gardening chores done.
Winter Garden
By Jane
Morrison - printed in December, 1948 issue of The Home Garden
That beauty flowers no longer
from their seed;
These borders, ghosts of bloom,
have still a need
To clothe themselves in
loveliness; how loath
They are to eat of winter’s
bitter feed!
Passed on, and left a faded
overgrowth
For winter winds to shatter
without heed.
But gardens find a way to bloom
again;
They know that flowers are never
out of season
As winter gives them loveliness
to show:
Stark branches, petal-etched by
frost, and then
Across these borders, without
thought or reason,
A thousand starry flowers of
shadowed snow.
Cindy Flake’s Winter
Garden!
Wildlife
Habitat
June Benson
How Much Do You Know About Backyard Birds?
Decide whether each statement is True or False.
1. You should take down hummingbird feeders in
the fall so the hummers know when to migrate.
2. You can’t keep a
hawk from killing birds at your feeders.
3. Birds seek shelter in thick, dense shrubs
without thorns.
4. Birds that fluff their feathers, huddle in a
row, or tuck their heads under their wings are probably frightened.
5. If you are on vacation and stop feeding the
birds, they will not starve.
6. Some trees attract insects and therefore will
attract birds.
7. Well manicured lawns attract birds.
8. Native plants are likely to appeal to
resident birds.
Answers on back
page!
MEET JACCI REED
All of the above
adjectives apply to Jacci Reed --- and then some! Many of us have enjoyed
Jacci’s hospitality (and that of her good-natured husband, Clyde) recently, as
they welcomed us to their home for a holiday wreath-making workshop. This was
scheduled to be a one-day event, but because Jacci knew that some members
couldn’t join us that day, she kept extending the invitation --- through the
entire week!
We have been
having these workshops for a few years now, but since the weather was extremely
cold this year, we were invited to set up in the house, rather than the barn!
We all learned techniques, shared experiences, and helped each other, taking
turns on the three machines; some of us learned to construct hanging baskets of
greenery, sparkly decorations, and huge ribbons, but none of us worked too
hard, as
Jacci was born
in Nebraska, but spent only a few months there before the family moved on --
and on. They lived in California, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Oregon, as
her father worked for the highway department, and that means “on the road
again”. Jacci attended six high schools, graduating from Sherman County High
School near Rufus, Oregon. By necessity, she had learned to be outgoing and
friendly, since she didn’t have time to wait for people to come to her. As a
young girl, Jacci learned to sew, making many of her school clothes, including
Pendleton skirts, buying the fabric at Pendleton Woolen Mills, matching plaids,
and thereby bypassing the super-expensive retail store. She even made wedding
dresses and coats.
Jacci and Clyde
met while both were working for the Post Office in McMinnville, and were
married in l984. They are delighted to live right where they are, on acreage on
a hillside with a gorgeous green view of valleys and hills, and have enlarged
and improved their house, doing most of the work themselves, adding a sunroom
with wrap-around windows for the views and light. They also added an apartment sized
area for Jacci’s mother to live in, when Jacci became her care-giver.
But there is a
new adventure in store for Jacci. In the last few years she has been the
primary care-giver for several close relatives, and has decided to begin
volunteering at Rock of Ages Nursing Home. Any of us would be fortunate to have
her as a friend and a care-giver. She’s a natural!
Jacci provided her homemade soup, breads & jams, coffee and miscellaneous
goodies. (Cindy Flake brought a huge container of spiced cider for us to enjoy.
“spiced”, not “spiked”!) Jacci, ever the good hostess, insisted that we take
frequent breaks to visit, exchange ideas, and get better acquainted. We also enjoyed seeing all her “nature
collections” -- beautiful rocks and minerals, pottery, woods. It was a relief
to find that the “nature collections” that we dragged into Jacci’s and Clyde’s
home (prickly holly, seed, cones, tree boughs of every description, wires,
boxes and bags ) had vanished! Not without a great deal of work on the part of
our kind hosts! We’ll have to ask Clyde
just how many holes he drilled in all those baskets!
THANK YOU, THANK
YOU, JACCI & CLYDE !
Internet Links:
Pioneer District Newsletter http://oregongardenclubs.org/pioneer/
State website http://oregongardenclubs.org/default.htm
Club Calendar of Events
http://mcminnvillegardenclub.org/yearbooks/2009-10/2010-11calendar.htm
Wanting to
spend some time this winter studying how to better garden? Check out this
tutorial on deep soil prep, composting, companion planting, etc. Great
resource
http://www.growbiointensive.org/PDF/FarmersHandbook.pdf
New York Botanical Garden site is
not only beautiful but helpful too!!
A site full of great information
for novice gardeners. Be sure to try their search function.
A guide to environmentally
friendly gardening.
Answers to Bird quiz!!
1. False.
Instinct and hormonal urges are what drive birds to migrate, not what we do.
The Anna’s Hummingbird is a year-round resident and would appreciate you
leaving the feeder up during the winter.
2. True.
both literally and legally. Birds of prey are protected by federal and state
wildlife laws.
3. False.
Thorns deter predators so birds will seek shelter in thorny shrubs too.
4. False.
These are ways birds stay warm.
5. True,
although your birds may be disappointed! Feeding stations are like McDonalds,
more of a convenience than a necessity.
6. True.
Trees that attract insects include maple, birch, oak, and dogwood.
7. False.
Neat lawns have no seeds and do not provide concealment from predators.
8. True.
Score:
5 or fewer
questions right: backyard birds would like you to learn more about them.
6 or more
questions right: your garden must be a bird paradise!