PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Welcome to our March newsletter! You'll find this issue is packed full of exciting news and articles, a reflection, perhaps, of our eagerness to launch into Spring and all things G-A-R-D-E-N !!! Our clocks have already sprung forward, jumping the gun to get to March 20th just a bit sooner for the official beginning of Spring.

Green seems to be the color of the month, so don't be surprised to find info about greens to eat, shamrock lore, seed starting, leprechauns and fairies, asparagus, ferns, and gorse. And just for something a little different, we throw in some yellow in the shape of lemons and daffodils!!!

Don't forget to join us on Wednesday, March 15th for Lindsey du Toit's program about Identifying and Preventing the Spread of Plant Diseases.

And look for the opening of Lorna's Driftwood Nursery this week. Now that's a sure sign that spring is upon us.

Happy St Patrick's Day! Happy Gardening!

Nita Couchman

OIGC President

MARCH 15 Garden Club Program

Please join us on Wednesday, March 15th at 10:00 am for the Orcas Island Garden Club Hybrid meeting featuring LINDSEY du TOIT. 

You may attend the presentation in person in the Madrona Room at Orcas Center OR click HERE to participate via Zoom. The meeting will be recorded and available for viewing on our website approximately one week after the program.

Lindsey will describe how to identify plant diseases and manage risks for spreading plant diseases within and between gardens or farms. If you enjoy having visitors to your garden or farm and enjoy sharing plants and produce with others, this presentation is for you.

Lindsey is the Alfred Christianson Distinguished Professor in Vegetable Seed Science and Extension Plant Pathologist at Washington State University Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center and the WSU Dept. of Plant Pathology.

Her research specialty and interests are the epidemiology and management of diseases affecting vegetable seed crops in the Pacific Northwest. She has responsibility for a state-wide research & extension program on diseases affecting high-value, small-seeded vegetable seed crops grown in the Pacific Northwest USA. These seed crops produce 50-100% of the US supply and up to 50% of the world supply of seed for more than 30 species of vegetables.

Prior to starting in her current position at the WSU Mount Vernon NWREC in 2000, Lindsey served as a plant diagnostician for the WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center from 1998-2000.

OIGC PROGRAMS -- 2022/2023

Sept. 21  Thor Hanson ~ Hurricane Lizards & Plastic Squid

Oct. 19   James Most ~ Growing Fruit & Nut Trees in the San Juan Islands

Nov. 9  Paul Spriggs ~ Cracks and Crevices: The Art of the Crevice Garden

Dec. 14   Cindy Morgan ~ Holiday Arrangements

Jan. 18   Jason Ontjes ~ How to Be a Noxious Weed Warrior

Feb. 15   Marisa Hendron ~ Seed Stewardship for Locally Adapted Plants

March 15   Lindsey du Toit ~ Identifying and Preventing the Spread of Plant Diseases

April 19 Lynn Johnson -- For the Love of Houseplants: Bringing the Wild Inside

May 17 Kevin Zobrist -- Caring for Native Trees in the San Juan Islands

June 14 -- Annual Members' Potluck/Picnic at the Yacht Club -- 11:30 - 1:00 p.m.

June 24 & 25 ~ No Garden Tour This Year

July 1 -- Community Parade

DOOR PRIZE & RAFFLE WINNERS

CURTIS WALKER

was the DOOR PRIZE WINNER

at the February 15th meeting.

He took home a lovely potted

Zebra Haworthia or Zebra plant

donated by

Lorna's Driftwood Nursery.

LYNN BAKER

has won the Raffle Spin

for the book

THE DEERHOLME

VEGETABLE COOKBOOK

donated by

Darvill's Bookstore

Names of new and renewing members are automatically added to the raffle list each month. If you haven't already done so, send in your renewal soon to get in on the fun!!!

https://www.orcasislandgardenclub.org/membership.html

APRIL 19th PROGRAM

LYNN JOHNSON will be our April 19th speaker



April 19th at 10:00 am

Lynn Johnson

For the Love of Houseplants:

Bringing the Wild Inside

Lynn will dive into all things houseplants, including plant selection, care, placement and propagation. She will demonstrate propagation methods such as cuttings and air layering to help you keep your plants healthy and grow your collection. Lynn loves to share her passion for cultivating indoor green spaces. Plant parenting offers us the chance to practice mindfulness and the satisfaction of caring for living things while bringing our indoor spaces alive and into alignment with our nature-craving selves.

Lynn Johnson is a plant enthusiast and earned her Master Gardener certification in Iowa in 2014. You can often find her behind the desk at the Library, where she’s lucky enough to work with both books and plants, two of her favorite things. She’s parent to three boys and, according to her kids’ latest count, about 150 houseplants.

GARDEN TOUR 2023 POSTPONED

The Garden Tour team has made the difficult decision to postpone the 2023 Garden Tour. We just weren't able to find enough garden owners whose gardens would be ready by June to be on the Tour. 

Yes, we're disappointed too, but the good news is that garden owners were delighted to be asked to be on our Tour and many have joined an exciting lineup of potential gardens for our 2024 Tour. So now we'll begin putting our energy into making the 2024 Tour one you definitely won't want to miss.

MEMBERS ONLY EVENTS

Since we won't have Garden Tour to feed our souls this June, we are planning some wonderful "Members Only" events -- one more excellent benefit of being an OIGC member!!! 

If you are not a current Garden Club member and want to participate in these activities, please become a member NOW! It's easy to join or renew from our website: CLICK HERE

We hope you'll take advantage of some or all of these opportunities to have fun and learn more about gardening with your fellow club members.

BECOME A MEMBER NOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE EVENTS !!!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR !!!!

[aaa-choo!]

IN THE NEWS . . .

Washington State Becomes First To Adopt A Statewide Strategy To Protect Bumble Bees

Read more about this HERE.

https://sanjuanmakersguild.com/eday23/

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.

The word “shamrock” means “little clover” in Gaelic. Early literature in the 1500s indicated that shamrocks were eaten; “Shamrotes, watercress, rootes, and other herbes they feed upon.” There is no documentation to support that anyone ate clover, although wood sorrel was eaten and like the shamrock, has three leaves.

As the legend of St. Patrick and the shamrock spread, it became popular to wear a shamrock at the Feast of St. Patrick in the 17 th century. Shamrocks were also used as emblems for local militia fighting off outside threats to Ireland. The shamrock was so important to the Irish that it became an official national symbol in the 1800s.

Botanically, shamrocks are one species of clover, most commonly white clover, or lesser clover, although there is ongoing debate as to which, if either, are true shamrocks. Oxalis or wood sorrel are often sold as shamrock plants, although both biologists and most Irish do not consider them true shamrocks.

People commonly think of a shamrock as a four-leaf clover. Occasionally, a genetic mutation results in a fourth leaf on a sprig of clover. While the three leaves represent faith, hope, and love, the fourth leaf is said to represent luck. The chance of finding a four-leaf clover in the wild is 1 in 10,000 clover sprigs. That brings new meaning to “the luck of the Irish.”

MASTER GARDENERS SEED STARTING WORKSHOP

Preparing for the Spring Sale

By Laura Walker

The Orcas Master Gardeners gathered for a seed starting workshop in preparation for the WSU San Juan County Master Gardeners Spring Plant sale in May.  Ten volunteers paired up during a chilly but sunny Thursday afternoon to sow tomato varieties of Sungold, Svetlana Red, Fruit Punch, Green Zebra, Jaune Flamme and Genovese Sweet basil seeds.  Early March is a great time to start these heat-loving plants that need a long warm growing period to grow successfully.  We needed to give the plants a critical head start by germinating and growing seedlings in the warm indoors in early spring. 

The Spring Plant Sale is an eagerly-anticipated island institution, offering thousands of unique vegetable starts and landscape perennials every May, just in time for Mother’s Day. We were unable to hold the sale in 2022 due to the challenges of the pandemic but will hold the sale in person in 2023.  We will have a variety of tomato, pepper, and herb starts as well as perennials.

The dates are:

Mullis Center in Friday Harbor on Saturday May 6, 9 am until noon

Eastsound Fire Station on

Saturday May 13, 10 am until noon

https://www.mgfsjc.org/eventsnew.html

JUST A BIT OF LAND, PART THREE:

A Declaration of War

By Suzette Lamb

Join Garden Club members, Suzette Lamb and Brett Lensing, as they share their garden project progress through this mini series

My husband and I agreed to live in our new home for one year without making any big changes to the house or the land; the plan was to watch and learn about the seasons in our microclimate first. That agreement lasted about a week. We were so eager to really start living here that we couldn’t help ourselves. But outside our western gate, a challenge so large awaited that we sought advice on how to even begin. The gorse forest. Thousands of square feet of mature, dense, thorny gorse -- most of them taller than us -- had claimed the whole hillside and shoreline for hundreds of feet so thick that not even grasses grew between the shrubs. For those unfamiliar, gorse is a noxious shrub (noxious is putting it lightly) that the King County website describes as “an exotic invader from Europe ..... dense and stiff, forming impenetrable thickets.” It's a deep-rooting fire hazard, resistant to all forms of eradication, and we had a mountain of it (a big hillside anyway). 

We were against using herbicide broadly and burning was out. This war, we decided, needed to be fought in the trenches, in hand-to-hand single combat, until every gorse 'soldier' was cut from the earth and its roots dug out of the rocky ground. We consulted with our permaculturist and also the county’s noxious weed expert. We talked to our neighbor whose land borders ours and who also has the gorse blight. Everyone told us it would take years to clear the space and we were unlikely to eradicate it. We took that as a challenge and suited up in our thickest pants, coats and gloves. War had been declared. Armed with lopping shears, a chainsaw and a miner's pick, we marched

against an enemy with a reputation for wounding and thwarting anything challenging its claim. We soon learned why it was so prolific: with thorns that could pierce heavy clothing and root systems that are a wonder of the natural world, it dominated with ease. But we were undeterred and so it began…

TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR EPISODE 4 . . .

REFLECTIONS & RECIPES :: Lemon Joy

by Helen Huber

There are a dozen lemons on the counter and two little boys in the kitchen. Tim is 8 months old and sitting safely in his walker. Jesse is four and has figured out how to use the walker like a scooter. Together they ricochet from vertical surface to surface, banging into appliances, cabinets, and furniture. 

The walker has three levels of sturdy plastic “donuts” with Tim firmly planted in the middle. Even when there is direct impact, the walker bounces off the surface and both boys shriek with delight. It is loud and entertaining and surprisingly safe. 

In the midst of this, we are making a lemon cake. The “we” is mostly me, as only Jesse can stand on a chair and add ingredients I’ve measured. He wields the rubber spatula and mixes with gusto as I firmly hold the bowl and dodge Tim careening into my lower half. He may not be walking yet, but that child can scoot! 

Jesse takes a break from mixing, and I take advantage of his absence to juice a dozen lemons. Apparently, a dozen lemons are not enough to make the required cup of lemon juice called for in my recipe. I pack the boys up and we’re off to the market to buy more lemons. 

Back home, the scooting/banging continues while I finish juicing enough lemons for the recipe. I’m so happy this task is complete! The sun is shining directly on the lemon juice and I hold the cup over the bowl, admiring the gleam of sunlight that bounces off the measuring cup.  

This is the moment when the boys/scooter collide with me and the juice. This is the moment when the juice spills over the counter, the floor, Tim’s walker. This is the moment when I resist having a tantrum, manage not to cry, and give up on the idea of making a lemon cake. 

Jesse is stomping lemon juice puddles. Tim is scooting his walker through, thoroughly coating the walker wheels. He’s heading towards what is left of the rug after two months of walker/scooter “fun.” I never made the cake. It was the very first time I put a video on, planted the boys in front of it, cleaned up and hoped that someday, there could be a lemon cake in my future. 

And that future is my current life where lemon cakes are on regular rotation. Different weeks give me an opportunity to try making different cakes, most of which I give away. It’s all part of my baking delight, lemon fun, and it’s a joy for me that I’m happy to share with you. Each of these recipes uses varying amounts of lemon juice. Squish up something delicious. And be mindful as you admire your efforts. Surprises are often just around the bend. 

RECIPES:

• SIMPLE TAHINI-LEMON SAUCE
• TIM'S LEMON COOKIES
• SILVER PALATE LEMON CHICKEN

ART OF GARDENING

by Cindy Burman-Woods

"Mary, Mary quite contrary / how does your garden grow?” is one of several garden-themed nursery rhyme images created by the extraordinary artist illustrator Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966). Late 19th and early 20th century American illustrators were highly valued for their skill and talent and were sought out for commercial as well as aesthetic abilities. 

Between 1910-1920 D. M. Ferry Seed Company, of Detroit, Michigan, commissioned Maxfield Parrish to create numerous seed catalog covers. “The company had a tradition of printing botanical images in its advertising and catalogs.” Parrish “had established a reputation as an unparalleled illustrator of garden themes.” For example, Steadfast Gardener, commissioned by Collier Weekly Magazine in 1906, is still popular today.

We find ourselves busy getting dirt under fingernails, planning gardens, visioning the harvest. We are influenced by the beauty and bounty, anticipating color, texture and flavor, all a part of the art of gardening. Seasons come and go, each with its own influence on our gardens.

Steadfast Gardener, Parrish (right)

Spring arrives and gardeners kick into gear, planting seeds and watching them burst from the soil, soaking up sunlight and giving newfound energy. Parrish had this relationship with nature and expressed it through his ability to make it come alive in brilliant colors and characters. Printing these works of art into catalogs was through use of the lithograph, an arduous process considering the ease of more modern printing processes and digital capabilities.

Spring Gardening, Parrish (left)

The April 1951 issue of Life Magazine reviewed two generations of the “colorful cover art of Ferry Seed catalogs.” Today we peruse photographs in colorful catalogs, both hard copy and online, to find new seeds to plant. Many gardeners gather seeds from last year’s harvest to begin anew, planting, nurturing, anticipating, and finally the harvest. 

Orcas Island Master Gardeners have been gathering starts and growing several varieties from seeds for the May 2023 perennial plant sale. Local gardeners are donating their starts and seeds to support the project. Photographers and illustrators are welcome to document the bounty. 

Source: Libguides.nybg.org 

Images: NY Botanical Garden Mertz Library Collection (public domain images pre-1923)

"I'm not much of an eater, but I get a certain amount of nourishment out of a seed catalogue on a winter's evening."

E. B. White

(of Charlotte's Web fame)

SEED STARTING: PART TWO

Sowing and Caring for Seedlings

by Laura Walker

Important - please note that the following information is one of many approaches that can be used. Please do your own research before committing to planting.

PLAN

You’ve decided which plants to grow and now it’s time to make a plan. I recommend building a spreadsheet that includes details on all the seeds you are growing. This should include the information found on the seed packet and key details such as when to plant and whether to begin the seeds indoors or out. Most perennials will appreciate a head start in a greenhouse or inside your house under grow lights. Most gardeners plant a combination of seeds and transplants.  

SOW 

2 ½ “ pots are generally a great size to start seeds and requires less mix to fill than larger pots. A good rule of thumb is to plant your seeds twice as deep as they are wide. I prefer watering from below and allowing the soil to absorb the water, but you can also top water carefully and avoid dislodging the seed.  Once sown, place your pots on a warm heating mat approximately 70 degrees, left on all the time. Some seeds require heat for germination. Cover with clear domes for increased humidity. Once there is a sign of life, remove the dome and provide proper light usually set just a few inches above the plants. Move the light up as the plants grow.

MONITOR

Check in on your seeds every day to ensure your soil is adequately moist. Seedlings are unforgiving and if they dry out, it will be time to start over. Be on the lookout for any bugs. Identify them and address them quickly. White flies, for instance, will attack small seedlings and kill them. Are your seedlings growing upright or are they leaning toward the light? Be sure to position your plants close enough to the light so the plants don’t strain unnecessarily and become leggy. Watch with delight as the little ones grow each day!

REPOT

Depending on the size of container you used when sowing, you may need to repot your seedlings before planting them in the ground. It is important to give seedling roots ample room to grow so they stay healthy. When repotting, use a potting soil mixture that provides more nutrients. Begin fertilizing once the seedlings have one or two sets of true leaves. Use a balanced fertilizer at half strength every other week.  

PINCH

Some plants do better when pinched back to encourage branching. It makes for a bushier, stronger plant and prevents leggy growth. Some plants that benefit from pinching are tomatoes, basil, tarragon, thyme, sage, scented geraniums, marigolds and sweet peas. Once plants are four to six inches tall, pinch off the tops of new growth just above a node.

ACCLIMATE

‘Hardening off' means to acclimate your seedlings to the conditions in the garden by exposing them slowly over the course of a week or two. Keep a schedule and use a timer. First move the plants to a shady location during the day for an hour or two. Over the course of a week or two, gradually expose the seedlings to direct sun for longer periods of time. Cold frames are great for this process and finding protective spaces in your yard will be less risky to the plant.  Toughen up your seedlings by running your hands over the tops of the little plants.  This brushing or stroking will help ready the seedlings for the harsh outdoors.  Electric fans will simulate the wind and help strengthen the plants in the same way.

https://www.finegardening.com/article/get-those-seedlings-in-the-ground

DAFFODILS

Daffodowndilly

by A. A. Milne

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,

She wore her greenest gown;

She turned to the south wind

And curtsied up and down.

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbour:

"Winter is dead."

FOREST FAIRIES

by Cindy Burman-Woods

FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE :: Eat Greens

Reviewed by Perri Gibbons

Eat Greens:

Seasonal Recipes to Enjoy in Abundance

By: Barbara Scott-Goodman & Liz Trovato

Even though I grow a lot of vegetables, I lack some initiative in preparing and eating them. True, there’s nothing as satisfying on a summer day as digging into a bowl of fresh picked salad greens, tossed with green onion and sweet peppers, and topped with sun-warmed tomatoes. But, reading this book has inspired me to expand my focus from salads to soups, main courses and beyond.

The authors arrange the book alphabetically from Asparagus to Zucchini with an introduction for each vegetable including nutritional inserts, health attributes and storage tips. The directions and the ingredients are not overwhelming, so I dived right in. I tried “A Bitter Greens Pizza with Shallots and Havarti Cheese” to which my husband gave two thumbs up.

Readers are encouraged to experiment and substitute ingredients and since I don’t care for Swiss Chard, I substituted kale and spinach for a happy new recipe discovery. Kale is something that’s available almost year round in my garden, so I’m eyeing the “Kale, Sweet Potato, and Orzo Soup" to try next, and "Crispy Kale Chips" sound like a healthy substitute for potato chips.

With spring around the corner, March is a great time to plan how to boost your garden’s nutritional yield. Check out Eat Greens to find new and delicious ways to eat them.

Personally, I know a "Chilled Cucumber Soup with Yogurt and Dill" is in my future!

Borrowed from the OIGC Library

TIME TO INVITE WEE FOLK INTO YOUR GARDEN

by Laura Walker

Signs of spring are everywhere. My mossy outcroppings are starting to turn a vibrant green, a few frogs are finding their voice and the songbirds are returning. They seem as eager as I am for warmer weather. The garden and its creatures are waking from their winter slumber. It’s also an excellent time to don your green gardening boots and bring out your inner child this St. Patrick’s Day by searching and inviting wee folk into your garden. You may find a leprechaun or even a fairy!

These magical beings may possess supernatural powers to give you good luck and a little bit of help. Fairy folklore has a rich and centuries long tradition throughout the world. 

Michelle McCann, author of the book Finding Fairies, describes how to identify certain types and where they may be residing:

• Kobito—These Japanese fairies live in small holes in the ground and are crazy for all kinds of human food. 
• Kappa—This water-dwelling imp is known for flooding rivers or streams. In Tokyo, people used to write the names of family members on cucumbers, Kappa’s favorite food, and toss them into rivers for protection.
• Djinn—These wish-granting Arabian fairies can be found in caves or wells. If you spot one, be ready for it to shapeshift into a cat, dog or bird. 
• Leprechaun—You’ll have more luck spotting this Irish elf if you are holding a four-leaf clover. Follow one and it might lead you to its treasure!
• Pixies—Another Irish fairy that likes to dance on your fireplace hearth while you’re sleeping. To make it more inviting, clean the hearth and decorate it with flowers. 
• Menehune—These Hawaiian fairies live inside volcanoes, but often hide inside hollow logs. You can lure them out with their favorite foods—bananas and fish. 
• Inktomi—This North America trickster spirit can disguise itself as a spider and travels around on the backs of coyotes and wolves. 
• Aires—Found mostly in Mexico, these water sprites live at the bottom of rivers, pools and waterfalls. If you see ripples across calm water, that’s a sign of Aires.
• Ekkekko—The popular Bolivian spirit of abundance even has his own holiday. During the last week of January, Bolivians decorate their Ekkekko statues with miniatures of things they are hoping to receive that year!
• Duendes—These forest guardians in Central and South American are invisible to adults, but kids can often see them. They can disguise themselves as anything—a shadow, spider, even a stick. 
• Asamanukpai—If you find a piece of quartz with a hole through it, it could be a sign of these African fairies. Leave them clean water for a bath and they might grant you a wish.
• Huldufolk—The people of Iceland are known for diverting roads and other building projects to avoid harming the invisible settlements of the Huldufolk which would bring bad luck.

As you can see, wee folk have many abilities. They can blow away bad dreams, take care of sick or hurt insects, collect teeth, grant wishes, and even help with garden tasks. It is believed that they are industrious and will help maintain the health of the garden. Let’s invite fairies into our gardens for a bit more fun and magic.

Fairies share the same habitat as hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.  They are secretive creatures, so choose a spot that’s slightly hidden and better yet, near a pond or stream. Plant native wildflowers, especially bell shaped, to attract local fairies. Clover, ferns, mushrooms, and thyme are their favorites too. Oak trees hold special powers for fairies and large leaf plants provide protection. Just like you might install a birdhouse to attract birds, give these wee creatures a cozy home. This would be a fun project for you and your child or grandkids.

Use natural materials like branches, driftwood, pinecones, and moss to create walls, furniture, and adornment. Rocks make the perfect path, and a large flat stone could provide a spot for sunbathing. A well-chosen shell could be used as a bathtub. Colored glass and shiny objects like gems and crystals are especially enticing.  

Surround your new fairy house with a fountain or bird bath and perhaps some garden art. Finally, designate a little basket to leave offerings for your fairy friends like flowers, herbs, pretty leaves, stones, or anything else you think they might like.

Once your house is complete, leave a note for the fairies. Tell them the house was built for them and you hope they will be pleased and will stay. If you see a ring of mushrooms or a ring of darker grass, then you’ll know that fairies have arrived. And if you notice more dragonflies than usual, they’re probably not all dragonflies. 

SOURCES:

Finding Fairies by Michelle McCann

'Looking for the Hidden Folk' by Nancy Marie Brown (Pegasus 2022).

https://www.fairyhomesandgardens.com

Plants For Fairy Gardens: What Flowers To Plant To Attract Fairies https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/spaces/attracting-fairies-in-the-garden.htm

How to Attract Fairies by Robin Daniels

https://gardenartistics.com/how-to-attract-fairies/

WHY ARE LEPRECHAUNS SUCH GOOD GARDENERS ?

BECAUSE THEY HAVE GREEN THUMBS !!!

It’s easy to join or renew! 

Click HERE to print a membership form. Fill in the form and mail it with your check to OIGC Membership, P. O. Box 452, Eastsound, WA 98245.

OR . . . you can go to our website and fill in the online form and pay your membership fees online as well.

As an added bonus, names of new and renewing members are automatically entered into our monthly raffle drawing.

159 Members as of March 14

Renewals ------------123

New Members ------- 22

Lifetime Members --- 8

Comp Members ------ 6

BOARD MEMBERS 2022-2023