The Joyful and Kind Gardener

It’s that time of year when it’s easy to get carried away when surrounded by the beauty and variety of plants at a nursery. Guilty. I find it hard to resist the beautiful colors and textures. Just recently, I bought some uniquely beautiful annuals to add to my garden pallet. I am notorious for impulse buying of plants, and storing them outside my greenhouse door, indecisive about where to plant them. So, there they sit and wait patiently until I have time and feel brave enough to select a spot for them to live.

One day while pondering over where these plants should be located, I notice a fuzzy bodied bee fly, an awesome pollinator and predatory against aphids often confused for a bee, flitting from colorful blossom to blossom with nearly a temperament of irritation and dissatisfaction. I realized the colorful annuals that I was drawn to were for me, not the bee. Hmmm. Another learning moment!

Later the following week, a weary and darling little Bombus vosnesenskii or commonly known as a Yellowfaced Bumble Bee, trapped inside my greenhouse, bumped against the glass in frustration hoping to find an exit. I could tell it was tiring and it’s confidence fading. I always keep a couple of bee favorite perennials blooming outside my greenhouse door just for this occasion! I grabbed a stem with a fresh, open bloom with a nice landing platform and carefully targeted the little guy. Within a few moments, the creature took one wobbly step and then another and when most of his weight pitched onto the bloom and I carefully lift him to safety. I freed him into a space filled with lots of choices and I’m sure he was relieved. My heart sang a little.

And today, I noticed the graceful barn swallows, our acrobats as they swoop, dart and glide through the air. I always look forward to their return each year. I could tell they were intent on finding the ideal place to nest. Sadly, last year they attempted to put up a mud and twig nest on the side of our house with no support and their efforts were futile. This year, we put up a wooden nesting perch just inside the eave and to my delight, they’ve accepted it. It’s within view of an indoor window so we can stealthily enjoy their progress. I didn’t know that swallows actually prefer to nest near humans because they feel safe and protected from predators. It makes me so happy to know I’ve provided a spot where they can raise their hatchlings without fear.

And a pattern emerges. There are literal and subtle signs of kindness all over this island. Isn’t the “Be Kind” sign posted on the road a wonderful reminder to us all? It’s such a simple concept yet so powerful. It takes so little effort to help someone in need, smile at a stranger, cut a few flowers from your garden to give to your neighbor, offer advice on a painted rock and provide our wildlife a little help or a safe haven. 

Being kind is not only beneficial for others, but it's also a potent way to boost your own happiness and well-being. What do you plan to do to “Be Kind”? Enjoy this month's content theme of joy.

Come find me, reach out and tell me how you’ve been being kind lately!



Laura

Orcas Island Garden Club

presents

Margaret Payne

The Joyful Gardener

at the Orcas Center

Important Notes:

You may purchase tickets for the annual Garden Tour event at the Wednesday meeting (we accept Cash, Check, or by Credit Card using the QR code provided).

And the Master Gardeners will have plants to sell at ONLY $2 per plant!

We hope to see you there!

Citizen Science 'Project Blossom' Learnings Revealed!

by Curtis Walker

Other than being a fun way to engage the greater Orcas community in an activity that broadened the awareness and interest in the garden club, we learned a great deal about our growing environments on Orcas Island. With nearly 90 responses from our volunteer growers, we had a broad range of results covering the majority of growing climates on the island.

First, we confirmed what many long-term gardeners have suspected. We are one island but have many microclimates that impact the growing time and success of individual gardens. Between the first bloom of February 25 to the last bloom of April 5th we covered a blossom span of 39 days. The growing duration time was from 128 days to 167 days. The average growing time was 148 days.  

Second, growing duration is generally shortest near Eastsound, lower elevations and areas closer to the coastline. Inner island, particularly West Sound, and higher elevations have generally longer growing times. 

Finally, even within neighborhoods, there were significant variations of growing times.  

Differences in bloom times are caused by variations of sunlight, soil quality, water and temperature. The primary drivers between general areas on the island are soil temperature, soil quality and sunlight. The primary drivers within neighborhoods are sunlight and soil quality.

Just like our children, some bloom early, some late but all can bring joy and beauty into our lives.

OIGC Awards Two Grants to Local Non-Profit Groups

by Laura Walker and Perri Gibbons

The Orcas Island Garden Club awards grants to anyone with projects which support the mission of our club: to stimulate knowledge and love of gardening, cooperate in the protection and conservation of nature, and assist in the beautification of the community. The grant application process opens January 1st through March 1st. This year we are pleased to award $500 each to The Odd Fellows and Indralaya!

The Odd Fellows plan to use the grant to help beautify the Eastsound village and Odd Fellows Community Hall with vibrant plants. Led by Robin Kucklick, volunteers will put in planters, spring flowers, annuals, and perennials along with soil amendments. Learn more about Odd Fellows Hall and Organization

Pictured: Didier, Hall Manager of Odd Fellows, accepts the $500 grant award

Pictured: Didier shows the landscaping improvements he plans to make 

The Indralaya Theosophical Center project goal is a vegetable restoration project. They plan to incorporate various strategies to rodent-proof their raised garden beds. The food produced will serve program participants with any surplus donated to the Orcas Island Food Bank. Learn more about Indralaya Theosophical Center

Pictured: Sharon James, Garden Steward, and Alec Grae, Camp Manager, accepts the $500 grant award

Pictured: Sharon explains non-lethal strategies to deter rats and voles

The Pesticide Footprint on Orcas Island

When someone sprays an over-the-counter pesticide such as a Raid or Ortho product to control, ants, aphids, wasps or mosquitoes, what else is affected? How far do residues travel in the air, on leaves, in soil or water? This depends a lot on the nature of the local ecosystem, so we will sample Orcas bees, bats, birds, frogs, other non-target insects and animals that eat insects to measure the actual extent of the current pesticide “footprint” on the island.

Help out the study by sharing household pesticide checklist

Aerosol spray contacts flower pollen, affecting bees; and coats leaves, affecting herbivorous insects... and insects such as ladybugs that eat herbivorous insects.

Insects contacted but not killed by pesticide are eaten by insectivorous animals such as frogs, bats and birds. How much pesticide do they accumulate?

An Evening with

Thor Hanson

Close to Home: Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door

Wednesday, May 21st at 6pm

Darvill's Bookstore

Salish Seeds Project:

Nursery Work Party (May 22nd)



Due to scheduling conflicts, Eliza and Margo are switching to the fourth Thursday for May's nursery work party.

Please save the date for Thursday, May 22nd for volunteering at the nursery. A reminder will be sent closer to the date with "day of" work details.

If you can't make it, we look forward to seeing you at our regular Third Thursday in June. If you have questions, please email Tanja at tanjaw@sjclandbank.org

Volunteers-in-the-Garden Party!



The Orcas Island Library is hosting a Volunteers-in-the-Garden Party on Sunday, June 1st. Drop in between 11am - 3pm to help restore and beautify the Library's extensive landscape. Volunteers will be helping with plant and landscape care to include weeding, pruning and planting. Light snacks and beverages will be available and volunteers will receive a special surprise gift! Bring your own garden gloves and a digging tool if possible; we will have extras on hand. 

Come check out the garden that OIGC has adopted too!

Hardy Fern Foundation:

Fern Fest (June 7th)



A great selection of rare and favorite ferns from the Hardy Fern Foundation’s propagation program will be available for purchase.

Joined by Far Reaches, Growing Girls, Keeping it Green, Lim Gardens, Shayne Chandler, and Sundquist nurseries, there will be an exciting collection of rare and unusual ferns and their shade loving perennial companions available!

Orcas Senior Center Fundraiser:

Let's Brunch! (June 29th)



If you’re reading this newsletter you probably already love plants. But do you love brunch? Or games? How about winning prizes and raising money for local non-profits? You can do ALL of that at the Orcas Senior Center’s upcoming Let’s Brunch fundraiser on June 29th from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. There’s a fun Botanical Boogie plant walk, hat decorating contest, yummy brunch and libations and more! You can see all the details and buy tickets by clicking the button below. Hope to see you there!

Annual Event: 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!

AND...come learn from special guest, Christian Oldham from Kwiaht, about the sharp-tailed snake likely to be found in our gardens. As tiny snakes, their favorite food seems to be slugs, making them (typically unseen) natural allies for gardeners! He will share about a Kwiaht citizen-science project and how you can get involved in helping find them!

Annual Orcas Island Garden Club 2025 Garden Tour

Saturday, June 28th and Sunday, June 29th

'Orcas Beauty, Bounty & Sanctuary'

The Orcas Island Garden Club’s annual Garden Tour will be held Saturday, June 28h and Sunday, June 29th from 11 am to 5 pm each day.

We will be showcasing five gardens that we hope will represent the true Orcas Island Experience. Wander through apple orchards and walk on sensory trails. Learn from dedicated friends and neighbors how to manage vegetable gardens on an island with varied multi climates. Meet the friendly sheep and learn how they can help your garden weather the winter. And of course, stop and marvel at the explosion of colorful flowers that bloom on our beautiful island.

Come join us in Experiencing Orcas Island!

Helen's Orcas A—Z

by Helen Huber

I’ve always been a curly-headed enthusiastic girl with stories to tell. This will, most likely, be my last entry written on Orcas as our Bromley Drive house is on the market. I expect I'll continue writing and sharing recipes when we move to California, closer to family and my three-year-old grandson. This reading teacher/librarian was inspired to create an A-Z offering of things I love on Orcas Island.

With gratitude,

Helen

Mites and Spider and Slugs, Oh My!

by Kate Yturri

Spiders and mites may be the most important creatures in the class Arachnida. Spiders are voracious predators and contrary to urban lore rarely bite humans! Spiders provide great pest control with over 800 species of all sizes in Washington and usually 25 in your average pesticide free garden. 

Beekeeping is an Adventure

by Tony Suruda

OIGC member and Treasurer, Tony, shared a glimpse into his world of beekeeping.

"One of my hives swarmed yesterday" Tony said, "Here's a photo of me trying to figure out how to capture the swarm."

These are Carniolan European honeybees — thankfully, a strain that are not particularly aggressive. Amazingly, Tony was not stung during his wrangling!

He estimated that he's caring for nearly 30,000 bees currently.

At the peak of what beekeepers call “Flow” which is the availability of pollen and nectar it is not unusual to have 20,000 or more bees in one hive depending on how many nesting boxes make up the hive. In this area, peak flow is typically when the Himalayan blackberries are in blossom.

Best Ever Participation

by Laura Walker

This year, the Great Island Clean-up in April had a record 105 volunteers, many of which were garden club members! As you can see from the pictures, we all had a great time taking care of small communities all over Orcas. It really was a satisfying experience to hunt for trash, some items even buried for years and leave the space a beautiful natural spot. A heartfelt and gigantic thank you goes out to members Nancy Schafer, Ginger Moore, David & Geri Turnoy and Karen Miksch for their leadership, past experience sharing, enthusiasm and magical organization to pull off a fun and engaging day! This picture is SO NANCY! Also, special thanks to Lynn and Steve Emmes who were so generous to offer up the Olga Community Center for the newest group, The ‘Olga Garbage Gardeners’ to meet, be trained and get partnered up.  

This is event represents our garden club mission at work ~ beautification of our community. I was proud and honored to be a part of this in celebration of Earth Day where we all came together and made a big difference! 

This is event represents our garden club mission at work ~ beautification of our community. I was proud and honored to be a part of this in celebration of Earth Day where we all came together and made a big difference! 

"Like the musician, the painter, the poet and the rest, the true lover of flowers is born, not made. And (S)He is born to happiness in this vale of tears, to a certain amount of the purest joy that earth can give her children, joy that is tranquil, innocent, uplifting, unfailing".



Celia Thaxter

Orcas Island Garden Club Adopts a Garden at the Library

by Robin Sullivan

We are thrilled to announce that OIGC is adopting a garden at our local library, and we need your help to bring it to life! We are looking for creative, passionate volunteers to join us in designing and working on this exciting project. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener, a landscape design enthusiast, or simply someone who loves to get their hands in the soil, we welcome you to be part of this community initiative.

Our goal is to take one small section of the library’s outdoor space and create a beautiful, welcoming garden that reflects the spirit of our community while providing a tranquil spot for reading, relaxing, and playing. You may know the spot too! There is already a beautiful wooden instrument installed in the area and there may be a second one that we can highlight with our plantings. The library has also agreed to share a forged steel garden trellis and we are imaging some sort of flowering vines growing gracefully up it. This is an opportunity to express our creativity in a public way and we need volunteers for all stages of the project — from planning and design to planting, watering, and ongoing maintenance. No one person will have too much to do since we will all be working together!

By participating in this project, we will be fulfilling the mission of the Orcas Island Garden Club; to beautify the community and educate its members about the transformative power of gardening. Join us as we brainstorm ideas, select plants, and map out a garden that will be both visually stunning and ecologically friendly. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills, meet fellow garden lovers, and make a positive impact in our community.

Interested in joining us on this adventure?

Send Robin an email at robinsullivan60@gmail.com to join in the fun and tell your friends! Let’s grow something beautiful together!

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 Linda Vorobik from Lopez Island!

Botantical Illustrations

Interviewed by Laura Walker

Linda Ann Vorobik, botanist, editor, and illustrator of numerous botanical publications, cherishes all three west coast states as home. She holds a PhD in Biology from the University of Oregon, conducts field research and teaches in the Siskiyou Mountains and at other sites. She has lived on Lopez Island since 1993, and is affiliated with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and the herbarium collections at UC Berkeley and UW Seattle.

Linda has over 25 years of illustration and college level teaching experience, and is principal illustrator of, for example, The Flora of Santa Cruz Island, The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, and has contributed many illustrations to the Flora of Oregon, North American Flora, and Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Most recently she finished 251 illustration plates for the California Channel Islands flora by Matt Guilliams and Steve Junak, et al, out of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. For more information, see her Resume. For a complete list of her work experience and publications, see her Curriculum Vitae.

“Many know me as an artist, but my deepest passion is botany, beginning with my childhood summers and weekends spent in the wilds of Lopez Island. There is nothing more stimulating to young minds than the great diversity of nature. And in college, as my world expanded, I encountered more and more plant species, not just plants from the garden or from coastal habitats, but those of from the mountains, all the way to the alpine! By then I was hooked into botany. But still the artist me within wanted to spend, as I like to say, ‘long dates with plants,’ and thus my career as a scientific illustrator began.

After college, I was fortunate to get a job with The Nature Conservancy, and then a Fellowship in Botany for my PhD at the University of Oregon, Eugene. With that experience and training, I discovered yet another passion: teaching!”

As well as executing precise and accurate botanical illustrations for books and journals, Linda sells her color work as originals, prints, and cards, and teaches botany and botanical illustration workshops. For more information and her online story, see www.VorobikBotanicalArt.com.

Linda’s botanical art and hand-painted silks are currently on display at the Lopez Island Library through May 29th. Look for her at the Lopez Island Farmer's Market (on summer Saturdays), or for a show of art (flora of the Sierra Nevada) at the Mono Lake Interpretive Center and Bookstore from August 1st through the end of January 2026.

You can also find Linda and her artwork for sale at the NW Flower and Garden Show. She is happy to offer a pass to the show in trade for booth breaks; you can contact her at vorobik@gmail.com for more information.

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 Washington DC with Jen!

Blissful Formal Gardens

by Jen Krajicek

Dumbarton Oaks Gardens

In 1920, Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss purchased a fifty-three-acre property, described as an old-fashioned house standing in rather neglected grounds, at the highest point of Georgetown. They hired landscape gardener Beatrix Farrand to design the garden. The upper sixteen acres were transferred to Harvard University in 1940 to establish a research institute for Byzantine Studies, Pre-Columbian Studies, and Garden and Landscape Studies.

The Pebble Garden is a rectangular area enclosed by wisteria-draped walls which were in full bloom in April. The pebbles were imported from Mexico. The curved limestone edgings enclose beds of thyme and sedum. At the southern end of the garden are carved limetone cornucopias flanking the central pebble pattern of a wheat sheaf. Set in stone below is the Bliss family motto: “Quod Severis Metes” (As ye sow, so shall ye reap).

The Arbor Terrace was originally designed as a sunny herb garden with shady seats beneath the wisteria-covered arbor. 

Mount Vernon

Located in Mount Vernon, Virginia, George Washington’s estate features four separate gardens. 

The Upper Garden was intended as a formal garden for the enjoyment of the Washingtons guests. The garden is symmetrical and is divided into six planting beds with wide pathways of gravel and packed clay. At the center of each large planting bed, Washington planted rows of vegetables and fruit trees for household use. The focal point of the upper garden is the Greenhouse. In this heated space, he cultivated delicate tropical plants that could not withstand cold Virginia winters. When George Washington began planning the building in 1784, there were very few greenhouses in North America and none were near Mount Vernon. 

The Lower Garden was the kitchen garden and was overseen by Martha Washington, allowing her to keep fruits and vegetables on the table year-round. Since the 1760s, Mount Vernon’s kitchen garden has been continuously cultivated for the production of vegetables. 

Monticello

Thomas Jefferson designed and redesigned and built and rebuilt his home for more than forty years. Its gardens were a botanic showpiece, a source of food, and an experimental laboratory of ornamental and useful plants from around the world. 

The Vegetable Garden is a 1,000-foot-long garden terrace where Jefferson grew 330 vegetable varieties. At the halfway point of the garden, is the garden pavilion that was used by Jefferson as a quiet retreat where he could read in the evening. It overlooks an eight-acre orchard of 300 trees, a vineyard, and Monticello’s berry squares, which are plots of figs, currants, gooseberries, and raspberries. The main part of the two-acre garden is divided into twenty-four “squares” or growing plots and in 1812, the squares were arranged according to which part of the plant was being harvested: fruits (tomatoes, beans), roots (beets, carrots), or leaves (lettuce, cabbage). 

A Beautiful Space

by Jenny Pederson

My husband Chis built our greenhouse in 2020 after spending a year walking our property to find the perfect spot. The greenhouse is 12x30 acclimated north to south and made out of recycled cedar decking and glass. It has a gravel floor, minimal heat, fans and windows that open at both ends. We plant in galvanized tubs and change the soil completely every 2-3 years and add compost yearly. We start seeds in the winter/spring and grow the plants on until outdoor planting or the melons, peppers and some tomatoes stay in the greenhouse. This fall/winter I grew salad greens that provided enough for daily salads. Chris has taken a keen interest in hot sauce, so he grows 4-6 varieties of hot peppers every year. Plus, lots of shishito peppers! And the melons are a special treat- the scent in the summer as they ripen is delightful.

It has also become our weekend lunch spot-bundled up in the winter and fans on in the summer heat. Our trips to England to visit Chris’ family always include trips to gardens and especially to glass houses as he is always looking for ideas for his next project. I love being in my greenhouse- starting seeds, carefully repotting, listening to podcasts (BBC Gardening World and Cultivating Space are my favorites) and sometimes just reading with a cup of coffee. It is a beautiful space, and I am very fortunate to have it.

Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” — John Harrigan

Says the greenhouse resident frog, "It's pretty cozy hanging out here. Can I just stay for a bit under your growing lights and appreciate the seedlings? It's pretty comfortable here...

Ergonomics and Safety

by Cindy Burman-Woods

Lately

have connected with people who have been working on strength training and balance, (me too), in group classes or with personal trainers. Instructors emphasized safety and proper posture during activities such as TRX, weights, stability balls, in Tai Chi, Yoga, and walking. The instructors called attention to spinal alignment and muscular structure, the importance of stretching before and after exercise, and properly positioning your body. 

Key Tasks for May

Planning, maintaining, monitoring, and more are just a few key garden tasks you should consider adding to your task list for the month of May! Read on to learn more!

Congratulations to Sally Hodson for winning the door prize raffle which was a lovely Autumn Fern which will add color to her shade Garden! Special thanks to the Market Garden located a new addition to Island Market for the generous donation!

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

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.

Thank you to Darvill’s Bookstore for the generous donation of the book, "Backyard Bird Chronicles", by Amy Tan. Our May Presenter, Margaret Payne, has chosen this exquisite book for our Member –Only raffle. She says, “The last section of my presentation emphasizes inviting people and other creatures into one’s garden. This Amy Tan book is perfect for that”.

Congratulations to Teresa & Michael Gerringer for winning the raffle!

Find your next great read at Darvill's Bookstore

Thank you to Sue Lamb, our own local artist and longtime garden club member, for her generous donation of her beautiful cards featuring prints of her paintings over the years. Sue says she has always learned a lot about gardening and made a lot of dear friends though the Garden Club. Thanks Sue!

Lucky member, Kerry Boyte, was the winner of these cards. Congratulations!

Thanks to the Orcas Island Library for taking care of our bees!

Do you have a favorite garden book? One of those well-loved, ear marked, tea-stained books that you just seem to regularly visit? Sara Farish, the new owner of Darvill’s has asked us for your suggestions. She’s hoping that you’ll let her know of your favorite garden books to develop her garden section into an oasis of blissful knowledge and creativity, a space that gardeners are pinning for.

Let us know!

Meet your Newsletter Contributor: Abby

Interviewed 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 Abby!

The Market Garden: Lisa and Jacob

by Helen Huber

The Market Garden opened on March 20th of this year on the same half-acre parcel where Driftwood Nursery had served the community for over 30 years. When Lorna Vester closed Driftwood in 2023, she left a huge void, both literally and figuratively. Orcas Islander Lisa Mirkovich saw this void and jumped at the opportunity to fill it.

caringly submitted by Carol Owens

The mutual dilemma..

The cooperation, with a little help from the gardener

"Joy is finding a surprise in your own backyard!"

Perri

Just approaching Mother's Day, OIGC member, Perri, discovered a beautiful family of Robin Fledglings, nestled under her son's old Jeep that were about to leave the nest.

2024-2025 Membership to date: 187

Please contact oigcnewsletter@gmail.com if you encounter any technical issues regarding accessing the newsletter. Thank you!