Weaving Our Community Together

by Laura Walker

Weaving is one of the oldest and most celebrated art forms in human history. Unique traditions and local materials were used by different communities all over the world over time. I’ve had the pleasure of participating in two of Maria Bullock’s classes where I created a market basket and several different types of brooms. Weaving appears easy but it takes work. It takes concentration to track the under and over passes to create shapes and patterns. It takes intention and resilience to keep going despite how tired your hands feel or if your reeds snap. It takes humility and I remember asking Maria several times to assist me when my project became distorted. 

I am pleased to say I finished though, and I was truly proud of what I had created. The textures and the colors were mesmerizing. And I’ll always have wonderful memories of the process I went through during the class and the enormous sense of gratitude to Maria for introducing me to her craft, sharing her homegrown materials and allowing me to learn a little about her art. I hope you all get a chance to listen and learn from the wealth of knowledge and experience that Maria has to offer our community in her talk on Cultivating Plants for Weaving this Wednesday.

A reed by itself blows in the wind but if woven with others, strength and structure begin to form. Weaving reminds me of the community we are building with the club. It’s interconnecting people, developing our education and giving back to ourselves and the community. With each new member, our basket becomes stronger, more diverse in color and character. 

Thank you for being a part of this beautiful piece of art!

Laura

Orcas Island Garden Club

presents

Maria Bullock

Willow Cultivation

and Crafting

at the Orcas Center

Microgreen Trays at Meeting

Be sure to stay after Wednesday's presentation for a special opportunity to take home a microgreen tray! Perfect for starting sprouts, but too small for what we had intended them for. Our loss, your gain!

Thank you to Treasurer and Garden Club member, Tony, for graciously donating the trays to members.

While supplies last.

Hey Project Blossom Growers:

Time to Check in!

The Orcas daffodils you received in October from the Orcas Island Garden Club are beginning to sprout and we need your help to document when they bloom for this citizen science project.

IT'S SO EASY! Please click the Submit Your Findings button below with the following answers: your name, the physical address and date they bloomed.

Then we can create our microclimate map of Orcas and help our island gardeners understand the growing differences unique to each neighborhood. BETTER YET SHOW US YOUR FLOWERS! Share a picture of your flowers in bloom. You'll be the first to receive the completed map of the daffodil blooms.

Thank you for supporting community citizen science!

Do you know of others? Let our community know.

Island Nursery News

Little Farm Stand will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday 11am-5pm through March. But anyone can reach out to Carol if they need a bouquet or potted bulbs or fabulous tallow based soaps and skincare. @littlefarmorcas messenger or call 360-776-9356 or email carol@littlefarm.life

The Market Garden is joining of forces between Spyhop Plantshop and Orcas Island Market. Please join Lisa on Thursday, March 20th, the first day of spring, for the grand opening of the Market Garden! Look for bareroot trees and shrubs, soil and more. Contact lisa@themarketgardenorcas.com or 360-721-1466 for more information.

Garden Friends: A Felting Workshop with Mandy Troxel of Bossy Feltworks

You'll get all you need to design and needle-felt a bee and/or ladybug, or the perfect garden bug of your imagination! There are endless possibilities for this open-ended project, which promises to be a lively exercise in creativity and offers tips of the trade for needle-felters of all levels — even those that have never tried it before.

March 30th, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Orcas Island Historical Museum (181 N Beach Rd, Eastsound)

Purchasing tickets ahead of time is required, as space is limited! The Garden Friends workshop is $40 per person, which includes materials. There will be an opportunity to buy additional felting supplies and wool at the workshop if desired.

Special thanks to the Orcas Island Garden Club for co-hosting the workshop, and for the Orcas Historical Museum for providing a space!

Seed Stewards

Are you a gardener or farmer interested in Seed Sovereignty? Do you want to work with other growers to save seed in the community?

A grant funded group that gathers locals who want to save seed for their community and a place for growers and members of the community to come together to learn and problem solve.

Discover the fundamentals of seed saving, and how to ensure quality seed.

Learn from one another’s garden successes and mistakes.

Share what varieties have been successful for us and your own garden tips. We’ll gather at the end of the season to clean/winnow seeds together!

Seeds will be shared with your fellow classmates, and the Orcas Island Seed Library, leaving you with a larger variety of locally adapted seed than you could've saved without community.

We will meet 6 to 7 times over the season (April - November 2025) on Orcas.

Tuition is free thanks to the Farm Fund grant. By signing up, you are committing to saving a seed crop of your choice at your home or wherever you grow AND regularly meet with your fellow seed stewards.

For questions or to become a seed steward: wickstaja@gmail.com

APRIL - So Many Ways to Participate in Earth Day Activities

Did you know that the Orcas Island Garden Club's mission is to 'Cooperate in the Protection and Conservation of Nature and Assist in the Beautification of the Community' so here's your chance to get involved and make a difference. The Great Islands Clean Up is one way to show the earth and the island you care!

DIG IN Member Experience:

The Orcas Island Garden Club Joins the Great Island Clean Up

by Ginger Moore

The Great Island Clean Up (GICU) is a county-wide effort organized to clean our roads and beaches twice a year, in Spring and Fall. On Orcas Island, this initiative is administered by The Exchange. Volunteers will be provided with long grabbers, a plastic bag, and an orange vest, and can choose which section of road they would like to clean. As a thank you, The Exchange hosts all volunteers at Island Hoppin’ Brewery for a free beer or cider starting at 4:00 pm on April 26th.

The community spirit doesn't end there. There are FOUR areas to choose from to get more involved. Sign-up sheets will be available at upcoming program meetings. Please consider joining us!

THE EXCHANGE - The original event tied to the whole county effort focused on Eastsound. Sign up below or to get more information, email nschaferlmt@msn.com.

WEST SOUND POSSE - Did you know that the community of West Sound has also formed their own cleanup group? Ten years ago, this small community joined forces with The Exchange to clean up the roads and beaches on the entire west side of Orcas Island. Today, their group has grown to over 40 members! If you live anywhere from Spring Point to White Beach to Eastsound and wish to join this dedicated team, now is your chance. Sign up below or to get more information, email ginger@orcasonline.com.

HIGHLAND HIKERS - But wait, there's more! Another group, known as the Highland Hikers, focuses on cleaning up the area from the Country Corner intersection to the west entrance of Moran State Park. They are eager to expand their group to include all the surrounding neighborhoods. Sign up below or to get more information, email davidgeri@rockisland.com.

OLGA GARBAGE GARDENERS - From the east entrance of Moran State Park to Eagle Lake, a new and very fun cleanup group is forming, led by Karen Miksch and Laura Walker. Come share your love for Olga! Sign up below or to get more information, email oigc376@gmail.com.

Together, these dedicated groups and the Orcas Island Garden Club are making a significant impact in keeping our beautiful island clean and preserving its natural beauty for future generations. Join us in this noble cause and help make Orcas Island a cleaner, greener place to live!

Annual Garden Club Members Only Picnic (June 11th)

The ANNUAL GARDEN CLUB MEMBERS ONLY PICNIC is booked! All we need is for YOU to attend! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 11th at 11:30 am. Special thanks goes out to member Judy Winer for helping us yet again secure our favorite venue ~ the Orcas Island Yacht Club picnic area with beautiful views of the water.

You won't want to miss this!

Share your favorite sweet or savory dish and share it with your club friends. This year: Make your favorite recipe, write it down on a card and tell us a little story about it. Rumor has it that an Orcas Island Garden Club cookbook might be in the works!

Good food, fun crafts, and friendly conversations. We hope you can make it!

Annual Orcas Island Garden Club 2025 Garden Tour

Saturday, June 28th and Sunday, June 29th (11 am to 5 pm)

This year's properties offer a vast diversity of unique characteristics, perhaps more diverse than ever before with interactive and educational opportunites at each location.

Wander through an apple orchard, experience a sensory trail, visit a garden that produces food for some of our finest island restaurants, interact with some friendly sheep, learn about a community cooperative vegetable farm, buy a bouquet or perennial plant, and experience a sanctuary of natural beauty.

Please bring your friends, families and visitors to enjoy these island treasures and learn more about growing perennials and other plants.

We couldn't do the Garden Tour without your help!

We also need lots of volunteers at each garden to welcome guests, help with special events and parking, and to share information about the gardens’ plants. We encourage you to volunteer!

To show our thanks, each volunteer will receive a free Garden Tour ticket. We’ll also schedule a mini pre-tour for each team just before the tour weekend to help docents and captains learn about their garden and meet their team.

From the Northwest Flower & Garden Show

Float for 4th of July Parade

by Cindy Burman-Woods

The Orcas Island Garden Club will be entering in the July 4th parade in Eastsound this year, and we need your help! Learn more by clicking the Read More button below.

If you think you might be interested in either of these positions, please contact Laura by the end of March. We'd love to talk with you and describe in detail the scope and time requirements.

Program Committee Co-Chair:

Works as a partner to lead the Program Committee, which plans and arranges relevant topics and speakers for the months of September through May based on member ideas.

Secretary:

Keeps track of our discussions and decisions with minimal time commitment.

Both positions offer flexibility in virtual participation and help guide club activities.

Weaving Our Way

by Helen Huber

Lattice-top pies are made with pliable strips of dough attractively woven atop the filling. This is not only beautiful but functional because the strips allow steam to escape. Making one involves planning and knowledge about the variables that create the lattice. A little dough-based experience and skill make the desired outcome achievable. Knowing when to chill and when to begin weaving are critical to lattice success. Of course, this is true in life as well. Which is how we now find ourselves eight years into Orcas Island living making plans to return to California and the things we hold most dear.

When we moved to Orcas in August 2016, our two sons were grown, working, and forging their own lives and relationships in California. LinkedIn bought the company where Paul was working, and they paid him nicely to go away. And so, after 29 years in San Francisco, we did—heading toward the Pacific Northwest for the next chapter.

Gorse Yoga and Other Extreme Gardening Adventures

by Suzette Lamb

It’s hard to believe it was more than four years ago that we waged and won the gorse war! Time sure flies when you’re eradicating noxious and invasive species. We were pleasantly surprised to not see regrowth for a while but eventually the tenacious gorse started showing up here and there.

Beetles - Our Garden Jewels

by Kate Yturri

The soil in your garden is still wet and cold but you are probably ready to get your hands in it. Once you do you may find some pale to dark brown or black bullet shaped structures in the soil. These are often pupating beetles which will emerge in late spring. Most are beneficials but some are not. Since you can’t be sure whether they are pests like cut worms or predators like stag beetles move them. Find a part of your garden nearby where their emergence won’t harm your plants and leave them alone.

"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."

Richard P. Feynman

Seed Starting Workshop Outline

Few gardening tasks are as rewarding as growing a plant from a tiny seed. A gardener that grows from seed increases their knowledge and independence but devote more planning time, dedicate attention to daily care and proper hardening off processes before transplanting to avoid plant loss.

Welcome to our nature studio where each month, the Orcas Island Garden Club will feature a different artist who has created diverse, beautiful artwork.

This month, we are featuring Alexis Terry Bouchard!

Painting Florals

Plants and flowers tend to have the most interesting shapes and as they are living they contain a capturable energy much like a portrait. Flowers in a vase have grown to symbolize the expression of life energy and the vase or vessel symbolizes the body. I love the positive and negative space created in floral still lifes. I generally begin my work with a plant that has meaning or inspires me. It can be a seasonal expression, an ikebana I’ve created, a gift of flowers or a beautiful image in a book or magazine. So the first step is I have to be moved. I have to feel something. That feeling is what stirs a desire to capture the essence or moment. It seems important; worth painting. It has something to tell me, teach me or is an opportunity to connect with nature.

Blue with Tulips

Dusty Miller Ikebana

Flowers in Brown Jar

The next step is usually a quick charcoal drawing. After that I like to apply ink with a larger brush. I usually choose india ink, walnut ink or indigo. This helps define space, shape and line. Next comes the color. I use a combination of Acrylic Gouache and fixable inks. As both these mediums are fixed when dry, I can layer with ease. I tend to work my colors using many layers, building story and meaning until I feel a very strong stop. Sometimes I like harmony and other times I choose a funky off color combination or leave a mistake. I like the idea of discord in a painting because art is a reflection of life and it is not all perfect and harmonious. I try to get out of my head and let the painting evolve without a ton of mental thought processing. I want the painting to reveal something to me,not the other way around. I often find myself painting in low lighting without my glasses and sometimes with my non-dominant hand. All of these choices help facilitate a unique expression of that plant, myself and that moment. It is a dance between what is seen and what is felt. 

Do you want to showcase your creative side? Is there someone in your life who has expressed great passion with art, nature, or gardening? We would love to showcase these talents in our newsletter!

Welcome to our series of garden travels. Each month we will feature a garden visit shared by our garden club members. Walk with them as they discover hidden gems and get inspired to visit these treasured places.

This month, we are visiting the Northwest Flower and Garden Show!

Spring Dreamin' and Inspiring Display Gardens

by Laura Walker

The Northwest Flower & Garden Show is an annual exhibition of horticulture and gardening held at the Seattle Convention Center each year around mid February. The show offers display gardens, educational and entertaining seminars, and a garden marketplace exclusively for plants, gardening supplies, and botanical art. 

I had to make a stop at the Vorobik Botanical Art booth; my Lopez island friend and botanical artist, Linda Vorobik, was there selling her beautiful hand painted silk scarves. We talked about how cool it would be to offer one of her botanical art classes on Orcas to our garden club.

I also ventured over to the WSU Master Gardener booth to shake hands with Jennifer Marquis, the Statewide Program Leader for Washington State. She was eagerly sharing the program priorities with guests visiting the booth to convey that everyone has a role to play in creating and sustaining healthy and resilient communities. 

I found myself taking many pictures and finding inspiration in what I try to incorporate at home. The event was full of inspiring ideas for companion planting, which is the practice of selecting plants that play well together in terms of color, texture, height, and growth habits, to create an aesthetically pleasing combination in your garden or planter. 

I got caught up in the bulbs, tubers, corms and seeds for sale. Beautiful varieties were available that I could just imagine growing in my own garden. And lots of helpful advice from vendors many of which were Washington based. 

Next year ~ Bring a friend or 2, it’s much more fun!

We asked you to send your favorite pictures from the show. 

Here’s a sampling ~ Enjoy!

Garden Members Learn Pruning Skills

The pruning workshop led by Marguerite Greening was a huge success. Twenty one garden club members and Master Gardeners came together to learn how to sharpen our tools, the various tools that can be used for pruning, and basic pruning techniques for various trees. We learned about desired tree shape, how to identify a bud swell, how to increase airflow by thinning and how to look for a leader branch.  

Then we had the opportunity to put what we had learned into practice by pruning on the plants within the garden. We pruned hardy kiwi, apple, chestnut, medlar, peach, almond and hazel. The sun even came out for us that day! Everyone seemed to feel it was a very valuable experience.

A Treasured Community Collaboration

by the Orcas Island Library

The Orcas Island Garden Club (OIGC) and Library have been longtime collaborators. The Garden Club has been a meaningful part of our community for as many decades or more than the Orcas Island Public Library, depending on how you count. The OIGC was formally established in 1958, but it is mentioned in the Journal of the San Juan Islands at least as far back as May 13, 1931.

The Greenhouse

by Helen Huber

Around 2007, when our house and outbuildings were being constructed, the original owner found various quality doors and windows and arranged to have her buildings constructed around them. This is especially true and evident in our greenhouse, built by Tom Meadows, a local OI building genius/craftsman. The 10 x 20-foot greenhouse, situated just southeast of the raised beds, rests securely on a sturdy cinder-block foundation. Eight-foot-tall wood-framed glass doors are transformed into massive windows to light the wood-framed structure. Flagstones are set into the rustic floor, and clear polycarbonate panels make up the translucent roof, 12 feet at its peak. A vented exhaust fan keeps the temperature in check on overly warm days (this feature would come to haunt us later.) A small, elevated deck just out the back door is attached in the rear. 

Beautiful But Deadly

by Tony Suruda, Orcas Master Gardener

Italian arum was originally planted as a lovely ornamental but it is a toxic, invasive plant first documented on San Juan Island in 2002. It's now a threat in the San Juan Islands and other parts of Washington state. It is a perennial plant with spade-shaped leaves that can be variegated with hood-like flowers that bloom in April and May. It spreads by seed and tubers. All parts of the plant are highly toxic to humans and animals. Generally the best way to eradicate Italian arum is by manually digging out the tubers and roots but it is challenging to thoroughly remove all the small parts.

If anyone has Italian Arum on their property, pick and dispose of the berries so that birds can't spread this invasive plant.

Applying single herbicides such as glyphosate gives only foliar control. This WSU article mentions that glyphosate plus sulfometuron gave complete control with no regrowth. The study was only one year in duration. I don't know if "no regrowth" refers to foliage only or to no regrowth the next year.

Commercial varieties of sulfometuron include Oust XP and Alligare SM 75. The information on Google about this herbiciide varies. One reference indicates that it it pre-emergent and post-emergent. This implies total control. Other references say post-emergent only.

Highway departments are interested in herbicide mixtures that give Total Vegetation Control (TVC) providing bare ground under guard rails and sign posts. This reference from Penn State University extension lists several herbicide combinations that do this. I suppose there are several so that highway departments can rotate mixtures to lessen herbicide resistance.

If you ask a licensed pesticide applicator if he/she has an herbicide combination that will kill Italian Arum and they don't, you can inquire about TVC. Going that way might delay planting something else for a few years.

Tony shares that when he lived in Colorado an organic gardener purchased manure from a horse operation that had used the herbicide Milestone to control thistle. The gardener was unable to grow any vegetables the next year. I discussed this with WSU professor Linda Chalker-Scott and she indicated that this effect on plant growth can last as much as three years after application of that herbicide.

Hailee, a new homeowner in Portland and a Garden Club member, has been conquering the Italian arums she recently discovered in her backyard!

"Now I am a professional noxious weed digger. Also, I believe women do this job best because it takes a very fragile hand to lift up the bulb, tubers and all without breaking! I was made for this."

Hailee

History of the Shamrock

by Helen Huber

Shamrocks have been an integral part of St. Patrick’s Day for generations. Legend has it that St. Patrick used a three-leafed plant called the shamrock to teach people about the holy trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit during the 4 th century when he was converting them to Christianity. The use of a familiar plant helped people remember this foundational teaching. The three leaves of the shamrock were traditionally thought to symbolize faith, hope, and love.

A Week in the Life of A Flower Farmer

by Carol Wetzel

When we started The Little Farm on Olga Road, our intention was to take a permaculture approach to growing fruit, berries, veg and perennial flowers. But then I took Floret’s online flower farming course. Utterly smitten with the idea, I pivoted hard towards farming flowers. We still employ permaculture principles such as capturing water and using that water to irrigate the farm and employing organic fertilizing and pest management practices. Three years later, our three-acre farm is shaping up and I am anticipating a warmer spring and a hot summer. Soil temps are already nearing 50 on our farm and as soon as the soil hits 60, the farm will explode with flowers. 

Congratulations to Kim, Josephine and Patty for winning the door prizes!



Join us in person at our monthly meetings for a chance to win a door prize!

Kim is happy to try out the nesting ball material for birds filled with Lum Farm Sheep's wool

Josephine and Patty are thrilled to win 2 tickets to the Seattle Flower and Garden show donated by Jane Heisinger and BJ Arnold

Congratulations to Vala and Dolly for winning the raffle!

Monthly Member-Only raffle winners are chosen at random from a list of current Garden Club members. To see if you are an active member, contact Karen Hiller.

Dolly Prince won the Flower Moon flora notecards. Wildly local bouquets, paintings and arrangements artfully crafted on Orcas Island.



Thank you to Darvill’s Bookstore for the generous donation of the book. We are excited to continue our partnership with Sara Farish, the new owner.

Find your next great read! Darvill's Bookstore

Dolly Prince won the Flower Moon flora notecards. Wildly local bouquets, paintings and arrangements artfully crafted on Orcas Island.

Flower Moon floral

Vala Ross won the beautiful book donated by Darvill's Ernst Haeckel's Art Forms in Nature

Ernst Haeckel's Art Forms in Nature

First published in 1904, under the German title Kunstformen der Natur, this unique collection of plates holds a lasting influence in both the art and science worlds. Ernst Haeckel's detailed illustrations serve as a visual encyclopaedia for his pioneering research and anatomical discoveries. Working in both pencil and watercolour paint, he preserved the complex forms, patterns, and structures of the organisms he discovered. Featuring intricate depictions of various land and sea life, this volume serves a scientific purpose while boasting exceptional aesthetic beauty.

Meet your Newsletter Contributor

by Cindy Burman-Woods

To recognize the efforts of the newsletter team we are highlighting one member in each of our monthly newsletters! Learn about our members, their answers to our questions, and other interests.

This month, we are highlighting newsletter team member Carol!

From the Northwest Flower & Garden Show

2024-2025 Membership to date: 177