Meet Fred, my greenhouse frog. For the past few months, he greets me as I begin watering. He stays safely in the hose reel until the hose pressurizes with water. A signal to pop out and see what’s going on. He’s become my little buddy. I have been told that frogs are a sign of a healthy environment, a nurturing safe place for growth.

Last year was a remarkable year of growth for the club, both in the number of experiences we offered to members and the significant increase in volunteer involvement. Our club continues to thrive and evolve, an indication of health. But as with all relationships, they take diligent work!

We treasure the positive comments we’ve heard about the value of our newsletter and our efforts to welcome people. We provided an incredibly successful garden tour this year, our only fundraiser, making it possible to award grants to community organizations. We were particularly proud to be able to award $1,500 in garden related projects this year. For the first time in years, the club participated in the July 4th parade. We received rave reviews about our stunning and beautifully decorated float while bringing about awareness of our club on Orcas as well as our pledge to save pollinators. We wrapped up our season with a nice gathering at the Yacht Club for our annual picnic and adorned ourselves in floral crowns.

How incredibly fortunate we are to have volunteers that go above and beyond to support activities like these. Your kindness, generosity, and skills have made a real difference, and for that, I cannot thank you enough. We continue to look for members willing to get more involved in both small ways, big ways, and flexible ways like participating virtually or even sharing roles.

It’s time to come out of the hose reel and say hi! We need your ideas, passion and helping hands to continue the success of our club.

Meet you in the garden,

Laura

Orcas Island Garden Club

presents

Karla Lortz

Heaths and Heathers: Less pruning, more color

Wednesday, September 18

10 am at the Madrona Room

• Friday, September 27: Noxious Weed Talk with Jason Ontjes - at Public Works Building at 10 am
• Saturday, October 5: Mason Bee Cocoon Harvesting Workshop - at Orcas Public Library at 2:30 pm
• Wednesday, October 16: Understanding Fertilizer Use for Garden Soils - at Orcas Center at 10 am
• Thursday, October 17: Far Reaches Conservatory Field Trip to Port Townsend - meet at Orcas Ferry Landing no later than 6:15 am, driver's needed, all day event

You can find additional information on these and other events through our Constant Contact mailings.

Seed to Sprout at Turtleback Farm

Vala Ross, Orcas Island Garden Club member and Master Gardener intern recently shared her involvement in the Seed to Sprout program at Turtleback Farm. Learn more and read her recent article published in the Orcasonian!

2024 Fall Native Wildflower Sale

The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank hosts this yearly opportunity to buy plants native to San Juan County. Reserve your plants online September 15 – 20, and pick them up on Saturday, October 5 at designated locations on San Juan, Lopez, Orcas, Waldron, and Shaw Islands. Plants are produced by the Salish Seeds Project, a joint program of the Land Bank and the San Juan Preservation Trust. Plants come in plant-able, fully biodegradable CowPots. This year’s sale also includes a new offering – Pollinator Garden Kits – an economical way to create a 100 square foot native flower garden with pre-selected plants, seeds, and instructions.

San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners

Gardening Workshop Series

Thank You!

by Sally Hodson

As we begin our new Garden Club year, let’s take a moment to celebrate our successful 2024 Garden Tour.

We all enjoyed sharing five lovely gardens, lots of fun activities and wonderful weather with our dedicated volunteers and a great turnout of guests. Throughout the coming year, the proceeds from our garden tour will be used to help fund the educational programs presented by gardening experts each month at our garden club meetings.

Project Blossom

by Laura Walker

For all of us avid gardeners on beautiful Orcas Island, we face one of the most diverse sets of growing microclimates in the Pacific Northwest. We want to put some science to the art of gardening and have some fun growing and learning together. 

We are excited to announce that the garden club is sponsoring a citizen science project called Project Blossom for gardens on Orcas Island. Garden club members and the greater Orcas community can volunteer to plant daffodils in their home gardens.

This project also supports our mission, “to cooperate in the protection and conservation of nature.” All the daffodils will be planted on a specific day in the fall and participants will observe and report the date that their daffodils bloomed. No previous knowledge or experience is required. We are here to answer questions and help. 

Leaders for this project are Lilian Bergsma and Laura Walker. We are proud to be working closely with the Orcas Master Gardeners in this community outreach opportunity. The club has a long history of giving back to the community and recently I learned of our involvement in the study of microclimates on Orcas.

Kate Yturri, former president of Orcas Island Garden Club and current Master Gardener Foundation president of San Juan County, shared this story of how it all began.

Trauma Drama

by Helen Huber

Recently, I made the worst decision of my life (to date) and am now normalizing my life in rehab. Saturday started normally. I’d baked an especially beautiful summer cake with a mosaic of organic peaches, blueberries and raspberries artfully arranged over a single layer of a rich vanilla cake. While it cooled on the counter, I decided I needed a rarely used cake plate for a dinner party that evening.

The Songs of My Garden

by Carol Ann

I waken to the grand song the cool earth sings every morning, and to the wild, unharnessed quality of nature here atop our mountain.

My daily walk takes me around our deck, neither rain nor snow preventing me from talking to my garden; thanking the mint for allowing me to snip a few leaves for my morning tea. I slowly stroll, Charlie cat following, at times digging a finger into the dirt around the base of a plant, checking the need for water.

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 Dana who painted rocks at Little Farm during the garden tour!

Dana's Painted Rocks

Inspiration of rock painting began when I was about 10 years old. A neighbor would paint on the top of the local kids hands. Yeah he soon found out we would go home and wash our hands and ask for another painting. Then he started to paint on rocks and put our names on them. That was 1976. I still have the same painted rock that looks like a car.

Later about 15 years, the same neighbor married my mom, and when he retired, he started face painting. I joined along to help pay for college in the summer months at festivals around the Northwest. 

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!

September in the Kitchen Garden

by Ken Wood

Welcome to The Kitchen Garden! With this new monthly column, I’d like to share with you my thoughts, plans, philosophy, ruminations, challenges, trials (and errors!) in creating and tending a kailyaird on our beloved island. As with any gardening adventure, tending a jardin potager is a lifelong learning process and I will attempt to address myself both to those just beginning to get their hands dirty and to those who have been growing produce for the family table for many decades.

Welcome to our brand new 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.

Seeking out Leprechauns in Irish Gardens

by Evangeline O'Sullivan

Contributing editors Terry and Allison O'Sullivan

The Emerald Isle with its lush green rolling hills, farms, national parks and breathtaking

coastlines is a perfect place for a leprechaun hunt and garden adventures. The population of Ireland is just over 7 million people and an undisclosed number of leprechauns. The climate is very much like the Pacific Northwest and the best time to visit for garden adventures is mid March to April for the flowers, and September to October for fall color. Try to avoid Easter week because of crowds and because the leprechauns are very busy during holidays.

Importing Seeds into the United States

by Tony Suruda

While browsing the web back several years ago, I found a great selection at Plant World Seeds in England. There was an amaryllis named Red Giant listed as "Recipient of the Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society" so I ordered those seeds along with some dahlias. The seeds arrived in two weeks in an envelope marked "horticultural supplies."

Sherwin and Robin

Sherwin and her husband, Robert, have been married 42 years and have two daughters, Manda and Sara. They have been traveling to Orcas since the late 80’s and never dreamed they would get to live there. They found a home in West Sound in 2014 that allows them to enjoy kayaking, hiking, sailing, visiting and relaxing with friends and family.

The Results Are In!

by Suzette Lamb of East-est Orcas

I have no doubt that all summer you were wondering anxiously how my lasagna container garden experiment went. Well, the results are in.

But even before I share them, here are a few things I learned...

Parade Float Pictures

For those of you who missed it — here are some pictures that captured the fun at this year’s July 4th Parade Float, featuring a few members of the Orcas Island Garden Club!

Flower Garden for Pollinators

Author Rachel de Thame

In this practical and beautiful guide, expert horticulturist and regular Gardener’s World presenter Rachel de Thame shows you how to create a garden that provides an abundant resource of plants rich in nectar and pollen.

Arranged by season and illustrated with exquisite hand-painted watercolors and glorious photography, this book provides a captivating look at supporting nature.

Congratulations to Dolly Prince for winning the raffle!

This one was drawn from last year's members, but subsequent draws will be drawn from a pool of names of members who have renewed or are NEW members — a benefit of membership in the Orcas Island Garden Club!

Thank you to Darvill’s Bookstore for donating the book, "Flower Garden for Pollinators" by Rachel de Thame!

Members! We've already begun our planning for our annual holiday tea in December.

This year, we're planning to do something a little special and we could use your help!

Please help us by collecting clear glass containers large enough to place your hand in for our creative project — Terarriums! If you find them with lids it would be even better.

We want everyone to be able to take one home so please reach out to Laura with any glass containers you find.

Also be on the lookout for any small trickets for decoration (painted rocks, glass objects, small figures, maybe a gnome!) Have fun and please share.

Look at all the fun we had at the recent flower pressing workshop!

Workshop attendees in action!

Evangeline focused on a masterpiece

We love Laughing Donkey Farm!

Patricia hard at work

Beautiful pressed art

Tony teaching the workshop

"Thank you for offering and teaching the flower pressing class and for providing the materials!" -Workshop attendee

Do you enjoy reading the monthly newsletter?

How can we make it better?

We'd love your feedback, comments and suggestions.

THANK YOU!

Communication Channels and Connection

There are so many ways to connect with us and stay on top of what’s going on.

We have a newly refreshed website with a simpler streamlined format that features our current club leadership, upcoming events, projects and how to easily renew your membership. Kudos to Dray Longdon, our webmaster, for organizing and beautifying!

We also have a brand new Facebook and Instagram! Be on the lookout for new content, ideas and events you won’t want to miss. Follow us and post your garden pictures. Another kudos to Abby Deskins, Communications leader, who created these two pages!

Check it out! We’re spreading hap-pea-ness!

National Indoor Plant Week (3rd Week of September)

by Abby Deskins

Several indoor and outdoor plants are known for their ability to raise and boost productivity and creativity, lower stress hormones, decrease mental fatigue, purify the air around you, and increase happiness among several other benefits.

Here are some popular indoor plants if you ever find yourself in the market or if you just want to see if those houseplants really do what they are known to do!

Pothos

Rubber Trees

Monstera Deliciosa

Philodendron

Spider Plant

Snake Plant

Aloe Vera

Peace Lily

Boston Fern

2024-2025 Membership to date: 178