THE ISLAND GARDENER

January ~ 2026

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

President's Message
Garden Club Program & Seed Sharing!
Upcoming Events
Cultivating Friendships
Beyond the Trowel - Hand Pruners
Rainy Day Reads
Embrace the Seasonal Rhythm
Garden Creatures and Where to Find Them
Danish Reflections and Recipes
Extreme Seeds!
Crafty Dirt on Our Roots
Member Raffle and Meeting Door Prize
Exciting Upcoming Programs
Veggies Made You Smile
Membership Update - Here we Grow!

President's Message - Synchronized Starlings!

Have you seen the Starlings lately? There is something so magical and mesmerizing about their beautiful aerial displays. The term for this behavior is murmuration, when huge groups of birds gather, swirl and swoop together. They move in one large fluid-like mass across the sky usually in the winter around night fall or very early in the morning. It’s said that they do this for predator protection, information sharing and warmth but to me, it looks like they are enjoying their feathered friends and having some fun.

Experts aren’t sure but presume that a murmuration forms when one starling copies the behavior of its neighbors, and then those nearby starlings copy each of their neighbors, and so on until the entire group moves as one. Success depends on their trust and unity. Just like those starlings, our club has grown into a highly supportive flock who share similar values with the power to impact the direction of the club. I am observing this change, and it warms my heart. It takes all of us to create this phenomenon - so step forward and participate this year. We’ll fly together, have some fun too and learn along the way.

I am genuinely excited for what lies ahead in this shared growth as we continue building the Orcas Island Garden Club's legacy together, filled with passion, purpose, and stronger connections. With that evolution, we’re excited to announce our new mission statement, designed to guide our purpose and future.

Our mission is to cultivate a love of gardening through education and hands-on experiences, to inspire and empower our community to create beautiful and sustainable gardens, and to protect as well as conserve the land as entrusted stewards.

Special thanks to Lene Symes, for her dedication and achievements over the years. She deserves credit for creating the draft and to all of our members who have shared their ideas and goals with us to create this heartfelt and meaningful mission statement.

It is more than just words on paper; it's a commitment to make a real difference, together. It’s about channeling our collective creativity, skills, and energy into something truly impactful for our community. We felt that this enhanced version gets at the heart of our club. As this new year begins, I'm filled with immense gratitude for each of you.

Laura

"Never underestimate the ability of a small group of dedicated people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has"

~ Margaret Mead

Garden Club Program ~ January 21st

Orcas Island Garden Club

presents

Carol Miles

Growing Vegetables

at the Orcas Center and via zoom

NEW! Join us for coffee and social time at 9:30 before the program starts at 10:00 am ~ and remember to bring things for the sharing table!

JOIN VIRTUALLY

MANUAL: Home Vegetable Gardening

MANUAL: Market Vegetable Gardening

JANUARY’S SHARING TABLE IS A SEED SWAP ACTIVITY!

Join us early for a seed exchange before our vegetable growing presentation. Bring your extra seeds to share, labeled with the variety. Small envelopes and pens will be on hand to divide up larger amounts of seeds. Seeds can be locally saved or commercially purchased. FREE - you do not need to bring seeds to take home seeds. As with all seed swaps, these are shared freely with no warranty of germination or performance. Participate, have fun and take home something new to try!

Thank you, Holiday Tea Party guests!

Thank you to all who attended our Holiday Tea Party! We were delighted to spotlight the English Tea tradition with a special program on the Language of Flowers in the Victorian era. Click the button below to view pictures of some of the fun at the event!

VIEW THE PHOTO ALBUM

Make it easier for people to remember your name and make connections at the garden club gatherings. We'll even keep them for you so you won't have to remember them! The cost is just $15 per name tag.

ORDER YOUR NAME TAG HERE

Upcoming Events

SJC Master Gardeners Native Plant Sale

The eagerly awaited 2026 Native Plant Sale officially launches online at 8:00 AM on January 24, offering island residents a wide array of locally native plants in the form of bare-root plants, seedlings and plugs. These plants beautify landscapes while supporting healthy ecosystems. Orders will be available for pickup on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at convenient locations on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands.

Click here for the plant sale details

SJC Agricultural Summit

Early bird pricing available now through January 26th and offers 20% off.

The San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit is a cornerstone gathering for farmers, food producers, land stewards, and community members working together to build a resilient local food system.

In 2026, we return to San Juan Island with the theme “Growing Resilience” — a call to deepen our collective response to climate, land, and economic challenges, and to celebrate what’s possible when island communities come together.

Click here for details and registration

OIGC Presents: Gardening Planning Seminar with Hilary Willis

January 31st at the Orcas Library Community Room 2 - 4 pm

Unleash your inner garden designer! Join us for an engaging seminar on Do-It-Yourself Garden Design, where you'll learn the essential principles and techniques to create your dream garden. This comprehensive session is perfect for garden enthusiasts of all levels—from novices seeking inspiration to seasoned gardeners eager to refine their design skills.

Learn Design Principles: Understand the foundational elements of garden design and how these principles work together to create visually appealing spaces. We will discuss designing with the human experience in mind for a garden that feels as good as it looks, and explore various garden aesthetics to find the style that resonates with your vision.

Understand Site Survey Essentials: Master the art of evaluating your garden site and equip yourself to make informed decisions based on your unique environment.

Create a Plan: Dive into the practical aspects by drawing your own garden plan! We will learn how to translate your garden wishlist into a working site plan. Attendees will get in-person guidance as they begin drafting a design for their own space.

By the end of this seminar, you’ll have the tools to develop a realistic plan tailored to your space. Whether you envision a tranquil retreat or a vibrant flower garden, this seminar will empower you to design a garden that reflects your personality and lifestyle.

RSVP Laura Walker by January 27th to reserve your spot for this fantastic seminar!

SJC Landbank Planting Party

January 31st Crescent Beach from 10 am - 2 pm

Join your island neighbors and Land Bank staff for guaranteed fun as we install thousands of plants following the recent completion of forest thinning at Crescent Beach Preserve!

Plants will include native violets and goldenrods, as well as bareroot trees and shrubs such as Douglas maple, flowering dogwood, mock orange, gooseberry, red flowering currant and many more.

Click here for more details

OIGC Presents: Great Backyard Bird Count Walkabout

February 13th at the Frank Richardson Waterfowl Preserve 10 - 11 am

Join your fellow bird enthusiasts as we participate together in citizen science for the global GBBC. We'll try and spot as many birds as we can in one hour.

This 13-acre preserve provides a perfect place from which to observe the amazing variety of wildlife that teems in the adjacent fresh-water marsh near Deer Harbor. It is named in honor of Dr. Frank Richardson, the curator of birds at the Burke Museum and a professor of zoology at the University of Washington.

Click here for more details

OIGC Presents: Flower & Leaf Pressing Workshop with Tony Suruda

February 14th at the Orcas Library Community Room 12 - 2 pm

Make a heartfelt, handmade pressed botanical gift for someone special this Valentines Day! Participants will use specialized flower presses heated in microwave ovens to press and dry flowers and leaves ready to mount in a few minutes. The dried materials will be used to prepare bookmarks, drinks coasters, and note cards.

This is a special event for Garden Club Members, at no charge, limited to the first 12 participants who register for the workshop. Garden Club members are encouraged to bring a guest and work together as a team. Garden Club members who attend will be entered into a raffle to win a flower press to take home.

Orcas Seed Swap

March 7th at the Orcas Library Community Room 12 - 4 pm

Calling all Seed Keepers, Gardeners and anyone wanting to learn, grow and save seed! Come join your community and turn a handful of seeds into hundreds this growing season. Tell your friends and come even if you don't have seeds to share. Bring cleaned seed to share and swap. Check out the Orcas Island Seed Library while you're there.

OIGC March Member's Bookclub Meeting

March 13th at the Orcas Library Community Room 2:30 - 4 pm

Join us for the March OIGC Members’ Book Club meeting where Suzette Lamb will be leading us in a discussion of Page Dickey’s book “Uprooted”.

Having spent over 30 years creating a renowned and well-documented garden at Duck Hill in New York state, Page’s move to 17 acres in Connecticut provides both new opportunities as a gardener as well as a chance to reflect on transitions and new horizons.

The book will be available at the library by mid-January, or request it at Darvill’s.

If you have questions about the Book Club please reach out directly to Adrienne.

Cultivating Friendships

Meet Kristin Tolle

Interviewed by Robin Sullivan

We are delighted to extend a warm welcome to Kristin, who has recently joined our community and has graciously stepped into the role of Communications Leader! Read on to learn more about Kristin and the experience she brings to our community.

WANTED: Talented Garden Club Members for the Garden Tour

This year, as part of the 2026 Garden Tour, we invite garden club members to showcase their talents during this fun-filled community outreach event.

Musicians of all styles are welcome to perform in gardens along the tour. Artists, crafters, and bakers are encouraged to share garden-inspired work—through live demonstrations, items for sale, or both—as we celebrate flowers and vegetables and their many culinary and practical uses. Grab a friend or fellow gardener and join us in welcoming the community to experience the wide range of interests and creativity within our club.

If you’d like to participate, please contact Robin Sullivan at oigc376@gmail.com. Let’s fill the 2026 Garden Tour with creativity, connection, and the unique talents of the Orcas Island Garden Club!

CONTACT ROBIN

Beyond the Trowel

The Hand Pruner

Having a quality pruner gets the job done with less work and more pleasure in a clean and easy cut. Before selecting a pruner, consider how you’ll use it. Here are three quality hand pruners to consider that I think is worth the investment if you’re willing to take good care of it.

Felco is well known, quality pruner with replaceable parts and available in various types for right- or left-handed gardeners as well as my favorite, a smaller handed version. One style that is ergonomically designed to reduce hand stress, with an angled blade and curved handle.

Bahco pruners are a favorite for professionals and maybe worth some research. It has special coating on the blade and a strong metal forge. They are ergonomically designed and highly customizable for various hands with regards to blade size, handle size, and left or right-handed options.

Corona pruners are less expensive, however a great functional option. These also comes with replaceable parts and now offers an adjustable pruner option which allows you to adjust how far the pruner can open with and offers a comfortable grip.

The Spruce pruner product reviews

FELCO

CORONA

BAHCO

Rainy Day Reads

"Sweet in Tooth and Claw" ~ A Book Review

Reviewed by Adrienne Walker

OIGC member Adrienne presents a thoughtful and engaging review of "Sweet in Tooth and Claw" by acclaimed author Kristin Ohlson. In this review, Adrienne reflects on the book’s key themes, insights, and overall impact, offering readers a clear sense of what makes this work both compelling and worthwhile. Continue reading to explore Adrienne’s perspective and takeaways after carefully engaging with the book.

For those interested in learning more about the book or in joining the book club, Adrienne welcomes inquiries and is happy to provide additional information directly.

CONTACT ADRIENNE

Embrace the Seasonal Rhythm

Things Are Not Quite Right

by Suzette Lamb

This is only our fifth winter but it feels different. The air is warmer than it should be, the ground softer. We brace for a frost that never quite arrives which usually cues the garden to slumber. Instead, the plants on our land seem uncertain. We have daffodils nosing up early. Our hellebores are already setting buds. The lavender and rosemary still have bright green and tender growth.

In the garden (and in life), this lack of true transition from one season to another can feel unsettling. We rely on clear signals—cold means stop, warmth means grow. When those cues blur, plants hesitate. But our Orcas gardens are full of experienced teachers. These plants have lived through false springs, late freezes, salt winds, and long gray winters. What looks like confusion is often caution. Plants slow down. They protect their roots. They conserve energy. They wait.

What if we take their lead? When conditions are uncertain, we don’t have to rush. We can adjust, adapt, and stay grounded. We can trust that resilience is always present just below the surface - ours and that of the land.

Things may not feel quite right this winter—but the garden reminds us that surviving and thriving doesn’t require perfect conditions. It requires patience, presence, and knowing what will return when the time is right. In the words of one of my mentors, “Wishing you ease as we wait beautifully.”

2026 OIGC GRANTS OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE NOW!

The Orcas Island Garden Club annually funds projects within the community that represent the core values of the club including inspiring beauty in nature, educating our community and ourselves through expert speakers and hands-on learning, and inspiring us to care for the land that we hold so preciously in our hearts. Grant proposals for 2026 will be accepted from January 1, 2026 through February 28, 2026 and recipients will be notified in late April 2026.

Previous recipients include:

● Odd Fellows Hall

● Indralaya

● Orcas Historic Museum

● OPAL Community Land Trust

● Orcas Island Public Library

Each year, the Orcas Island Garden Club provides funding for community initiatives that align with the organization’s guiding principles. These initiatives promote appreciation for the natural world, encourage learning through educational programs and experiential opportunities, and cultivate stewardship of the land that is central to our shared values.

OIGC Grant Information and Application

Garden Creatures and Where to Find Them

Moths in Winter? You Betcha!

by Christian Oldham

Throughout the winter months in the islands, especially during periods of relatively mild temperatures, like we’ve had thus far this winter, observers may notice that a surprisingly wide range of flying insects remains present and active during these long nights – particularly if a porch light is left on! Amongst these hardy entomological specimens are a handful of moths; a keen observer may even pick out some of the more cryptic moths that readily disappear against wood paneling or tree bark. Two particular groups of moths can be frequent fliers on clear nights and will even brave some of the winter precipitation that we enjoy; members of the Geometrid and Noctuid Families.

Geometrid moths comprise one of the largest moth Families and, in warmer months, can often be found in gardens and other vegetation in their larval form: the classic inchworm (also sometimes referred to as “loopers”). These mid-size moths will often go through two generations per annum, with many species overwintering as pupae or eggs. Often, flight-capable adults within this group will be found perched on vertical surfaces with wings laid flat, as they rely on crypsis, or camouflage, to avoid predation. Some adult females of particular species within this Family, however, are flightless; they have greatly reduced wings, which keeps them grounded.

One winter-active species in this group present in the region even has the rather on-the-nose moniker of “Winter Moth” (Operophtera brumata) – an invasive species from Eurasia and, unfortunately, quite difficult to distinguish from a native Geometrid named the “Bruce spanworm” (Operophtera bruceata). Within the moth Family Noctuidae is a particular Tribe of mid-size moths named the Xylenini (Subfamily Noctuinae). Species within this group tend to emerge during the fall and winter, overwintering as adults; taking flight on some of our warmer, calmer evenings.

These two groups of winter moths represent an extraordinarily valuable resource for insectivores during a season when the pickings can become quite slim: native bats, in particular, likely rely greatly on the energy they provide to sustain themselves during months of above-freezing temperatures. Past research has indicated that local bat activity patterns match quite well with winter moth activity.

Photos: Operophtera sp. with fore - and hindwings on display. Unidentified winter moth.

A Kwiaht-led citizen science research effort to identify winter moths in the islands and to investigate their activity patterns is currently underway. Interested folks can read more about this project (and how easy it is to participate) at kwiaht.org/moth_hunters.pdf.

Reflections and Recipes

A Little Flour, a Little Cardamom, and Some Friends

by Nancy Reas

Every family, it seems, has a traditional food that shows up at certain times of the year. The recipe gets handed down from parent to child, and you can always be sure that the dish will make an appearance at least once a year. In my family, it’s aebleskiver, a round, sweet, but not too sweet, Danish dessert.

Extreme Seeds! Who Knew?

Seeds are amazing potential plants with a packed lunch (stored food) and a coat, capable of staying dormant for centuries or dispersing in incredible ways, from floating coconuts to wind-borne dandelion puffs. Some seeds, like a 2,000-year-old date palm seed, have been found viable after centuries in dormancy. Test your knowledge of seeds this month and choose the answer that goes with the question.

Cleverly submitted by Mary Nash

1. What is the largest seed in the world?

2. What is the smallest?

3. What seed has germinated the slowest?

4. The most quickly?

5. A pound of wild poppy seeds consists of approximately how many seeds?

6. What vegetable seed is purchased most by gardeners in the US?

7. What flower seed is purchased most?

A. Tomato

B. Epiphytic orchid

C. Double coconut or coco palm

D. Radish

E. Zinnia

F. Two to three million

G. Judean date palm

Be sure to check next month's newsletter for the answers!

Here are the answers to last month's challenge...

Red Columbine - Aquilegia formosa

Sea Pink - Armeria maritima

Goatsbeard - Aruncus dioicus

Nodding Onion - Allium cerium

Common Camas - Camassia quamash

Checker Lily - Fritillaria affinis

Blanket Flower - Gaillardia aristata

Broadleaf Lupine - Lupinus latifolius

Dirt on Our Roots

Orcas Island Garden...Crafts?

by Perri Gibbons

The popularity of recent craft activities such as terrariums, bath salts, and the upcoming pressed flower workshop (February 14th) reminds me that we may be heading back towards our crafty roots. Back in the day, the club had regular workshops, often with the intent to raise money. Sold at the Garden Faire, these were our main fundraisers before our annual garden tour. Past President and garden craft enthusiast extraordinaire, Yvonne Ashenhurst, shared with me “We put together a series of classes, everyone would pay a materials fee and you got to keep one item that you made. We had lots of participation and enthusiasm!”

The album’s first recorded craft workshop was making troughs. This picture features Hazel O’Brien, Heather O’Malley and Birgette Sofaer in 1991. The first Garden Faire was in 1993 and the first Garden Tour was in 2005. Those dozen years were the glory days for garden craft workshops. See how many active GC members you can find!

Other workshops not shown include painted gourds, buckwheat hull pillows, tiled mosaic trivets, shibori tie-dye scarves, pinch pots, rock painting and who knows how many other crafts not recorded in our albums. I do think there must be some connection between gardening and crafting, maybe related to creativity and hands-on engagement. It’s exciting to see the response to our recent workshop. Let's keep nurturing our garden crafty side and watch it grow!

Note: In December, we had a successful mini workshop/fundraiser making and selling Kokedama balls. If you are interested in an opportunity to create your own, contact Laura Walker for a spring workshop that's in the works.

Have some stories? photos? Share them with us! Contact: Perri Gibbons

"The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies, but grows to the enduring happiness that the love of gardening gives".

~ Gertrude Jekyl

Member Raffle and Meeting Door Prize

Our December lucky door prize winner was Jenny who won a beautiful vibrant pink cyclamen. All who attended the holiday meeting were treated to take home their own personally curated bath salts so we were all winners in December! Lucky us!

At each monthly meeting, all guests joining us in person are entered for a chance to to win a door prize!

Thank You Market Garden!

Our thanks goes out to the Market Garden for the plant donation!

Browse their beautiful plant selection, visit Market Garden across from the Island Market.

Congratulations Karen Miksch who won the book for January, Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long by Eliot Coleman. She was thrilled and exclaimed "I've never won anything before!"

Monthly Member-Only raffle winners are chosen at random from a list of current garden club members. Remember to renew or join the club to join in this fun contest! To see if you are an active member, contact Karen Hiller.

Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long, 2nd Edition

by Eliot Coleman

If you love the joys of eating home-garden vegetables but always thought those joys had to stop at the end of summer, this book is for you. This innovative vegetable gardening book includes new ideas from Coleman’s winter-vegetable pilgrimage to the kingdom of vegetable cuisine, the southern part of France, which lies on the 44th parallel, the same latitude as his farm in Maine. This story of sunshine, weather patterns, old limitations and expectations, and new realities will have you feasting on fresh produce from your garden all through the winter.