Tomatoes, blueberries, and eggplants are among the plants that require buzz pollination to set fruit. Bumblebees are champion buzz pollinators. If you are interested in learning more about bumblebees, there are excellent resources.

The Xerces Society gave a 4-hour webinar on the topic of the PNW Bumblebee Atlas -- a citizen scientist program designed to increase our understanding of where particular species of bees live and of their hibernation sites and nest sites. The webinar was divided into 4 modules that are posted on the Xerces YouTube channel. I found the entire webinar interesting but you can select individual modules to watch. For example, module 2 focuses on the ecology and conservation of bumblebees and module 4 on identifying bumblebees. Here is the link to the site:

The following link will take you to the Xerces Society blog that contains information about the life cycle of bumblebees. If you scroll down the page, you will find a link to a video of a bumblebee engaged in buzz pollination, titled Vibrating Bumblebee Unlocks a Flower's Hidden Treasure.

The SJ County Master Gardener Workshop 2020 will go virtual this year and will offer eight (8) one hour presentations as webinars through Zoom. Webinars begin on Saturday, October 17, and continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of the month. 

Topics to be covered in presentations include Hummingbird Habitat Gardens, Cut Flowers from the Garden, Bee Best!, Using Plant “Logic,” Fruit Trees 101, Fruit Tree Pruning, Greenhouse Gardening, and Raised Bed Gardening. Visit the Master Gardener website for more detailed information at https://www.mgfsjc.org/gardenworkshop.html

REGISTER HERE by October 14th

Jan Jacobson is currently the Secretary of the OIGC and has been a member of the Club since about 2011 after moving to Orcas full time in 2010. Soon after joining, she was recruited to be the AV and publicity person, although she wasn't sure that AV was her strength. She was grateful when Cindi joined the club and took over those duties. Jan has served on the Board in a variety of positions over the last 9 years.

Jan's interest in gardening began at her grandparents' dairy farm where she stayed as a child during summer and school holidays. She especially loved the cows, and of course her Grandma had a large garden. As a young mother herself, Jan started her own garden, and though her lot was too rocky for it to be a big success, Jan didn't give up. Over the years, she has always had some plants to care for wherever she lived.

Jan's Orcas garden is fenced and is half veggies and half flowers and shrubs. She enjoys growing both. The veggie side is sunnier and has 2 apple trees. As the climate is cooler here and shadier, she finds that what grows well varies from year to year.

Jan loves hydrangeas (also tulips and dahlias). She planted the tall white hydrangea first -- possibly called Limelight. The blooms start out white with a hint of green and by season's end there are pink and lavender highlights. The dark blue hydrangea was given to her by a friend and when it was almost taken over by the white one, Jan took part of it and moved it a few feet away. Last year was the first year the lavender bloom came -- just one. This year it had about 5 blooms, which have gotten darker as the season has gone on.

Our thanks to Jan for her dedication to the OIGC and for sharing her story with us.