McMinnville
Garden Club, PO Box 386, McMinnville, OR
March 2011 503-434-4344
March21 , 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. – Speaker
March 23 - Portland
March Field Trip Fun
After a quick lunch, if
there is time, we’ll drop over to Portland Nursery about 10 minutes away.
They have an extensive display of bonsai plants. This should give us some
ideas for our own miniature gardens workshop the next week!
Bring your container, potting soil and plants to share! One small plant can be divided into several
clumps for this tiny garden. Web sites
for additional information and samples of miniature gardens can be found on the
Garden Club web site.
March President’s Message
"ALL ABOARD"
Quote:
“Friendship
is an endless garden of surprises in which we bloom.”
But here we go
now! The snow is behind us? Spring is “March”ing right in. The
daffodils are blooming at the coast and my French Pussy Willow tree is about to
burst with those beautiful white fuzzy buds.
I’ve set two goals for this coming growing season.
First, I’m trying to go at it slowly so
I don’t find myself overexerting those muscles that I haven’t been using this
winter. I don’t know about you, but once I get started working
outside, I lose all track of time. I did start moving plants and trees in
late February. I’m going to have to put more muscle into it early in
March though. I’m behind on getting my roses cut back!
Second, I’m promising myself to
start a garden journal. I know I need to spend more time enjoying my
garden. What a perfect way to force me to stop and smell the roses!
Making notes about when things bloom, what colors pop, what plants are
performing well, which ones I fertilized when and with what, ones I need to
move and why, etc. may be fun. I know Mary Jo has been faithfully
journaling her gardens for dozens of years! How about you? Sounds like “journal” is a great secret word. Now,
would someone remind me to ask for it at the meeting? Teehee
Patty
A fun time was had by all at the kite building day!
Wildlife Habitat
June Benson
Follow-up Stories
Anna’s Hummingbird Steve Berliner, an award winning wildlife photographer in Portland,
intended to wash and refill his hummingbird feeder, but one Anna’s Hummingbird
wanted a sip and wouldn’t wait. Steve returned with his camera, and the
hummingbird repeated her performance. One amazing picture!
After
Pacific Tree Frogs were
featured, Nancy Richards shared some
amusing frog stories that I think you will enjoy too.
She and her husband built their home
in McMinnville five years ago. Their main floor bathroom has two windows that
meet in one corner. Soon after moving in, they realized a tiny green tree frog
was jumping in through the windows and assuming a perch on the inside sill.
Every spring the frog returns to its corner of the bathroom. When
Last year the Richards were
surprised one day to find two new tree frogs in their bathroom: a larger, brown
spotted frog and a smaller one. The smaller one only visited that single day.
However, the larger one enjoyed the bathroom and laid claim to a new spot--the
overflow hole in the bathroom sink. When the Richards used the sink to brush
their teeth, the startled frog would jump out. Finally they had enough and
Nancy says there is a quarry
behind their McMinnville house that collects water during the winter. Beginning
in January the noise from the many croaking frogs is quite deafening.
Meet
Rosemary
Interviewed
by Rosemary Vertregt :-)
Grandma loved
flowers, and belonged to the local Bellevue Garden Club, several members being
relatives of hers, or at least “shirt-tail” relatives of hers. She always had
flowers and a thriving vegetable garden and fruit trees. She canned, pickled,
and otherwise preserved everything she could, teaching
and encouraging the next generations.
Well, it worked ! During WWII, my mom had a
“Victory Garden”, and when we moved to Portland, Mom joined Alameda Garden
Club. Then she joined the Fuchsia Society, and later, the Orchid
Society--{notice a pattern here?} To
take this to another level, my father joined the “Anti-Alameda Garden Club”,
along with other husbands of members of the original version. (details upon request) He also tended his own rose garden and
belonged to the “Royal Rosarians”.
After OSC
(then), I married, had three children, and joined a garden club. (surprised?) We moved
to Santa Clara, CA, to Michigan, then to the Pasadena area, and my role was the
“home mom and
volunteer” routine--room mother, PTA, Brownie and Girl Scout
leader, semi-official neighborhood collector of charitable donations, etc. When
my kids were all in school, I got some therapy, a divorce, and a real job
teaching elementary school.
After a few
years, I met, dated, and fell for Robert, who was working at JPL for Ford
Aerospace. He was soon to be transferred to North Yorkshire, England for six
months, so there was a quick wedding, broken teaching contract, and deployment
of children: one to college, one to Dad, and one to my best friend. Off we went on what
was pretty much a six month honeymoon, but with him working 10-hour days. It was a fascinating, exciting, and
educational time for both of us in the peaceful area of All Creatures Great
and Small, by James Herriot. Our next stop was the San Francisco Bay area,
where we lived for
the next ten years, while Robert continued to make extended trips to
England. Since I was tutoring at home, I
was often able to join him. We
absolutely loved the ability to travel and learn in Great Britain, and to spend
time in Germany, Belgium, and especially in The Netherlands, since Robert is
totally Dutch! In l996, we moved to McMinnville, and it feels like HOME. But we do love Hawaii this time of year!
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
Winter Issue of Pioneer Press Online
http://oregongardenclubs.org/pioneer/images/documents/Winter%20-%20Jan%202011%20online.pdf
March Garden Tasks: http://blog.oregonlive.com/homesandgardens/2011/03/march_garden_planner_2.html
Slug Prevention: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/244047_organic-slug-prevention-methods-slug-fencing-slug-pubs
Spring Lawn Care: http://ezinearticles.com/?Jump-Into-Spring-Lawn-Care-With-March-Lawn-Tips!&id=1072457
Starting Seeds Indoors tips from P. Allen Smith http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH48HCm8mP0
