PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Laura Walker

Hello everyone! Fall is definitely here as our gardens breathe a sigh of relief with cooler temperatures and the return of rain. Leaves are changing colors, the moss is turning beautiful shades of green, and the morning dew is rehydrating the plants.

We have another grand newsletter to share with you brimming with themes of fall and valuable information. So, find yourself a warm beverage and a cozy robe as you dive into this month’s articles. Wrap yourself with hope and connection as you enjoy what the team has pulled together to share with you. And dear rock garden enthusiasts, I hope you will join us for our program this month on rock and crevice gardening. It’s bound to be informative and inspiring!

Rock - this earthly substance has such timeless quality. All of the great historic structures that have survived for the millenniums have all been made of stone. Rocky outcrops can be found everywhere throughout my Orcas garden and I am sure many of you can relate. Rock exhibits character revealing grain and texture, and often covered in moss, ferns, and lichen. I especially enjoy their inviting little crevices that create habitat, supporting little animals and plants.

I haven’t always felt this appreciation. I used to be frustrated with my land. Comprised mostly of large areas of rock protruding from the ground, I often have little to no soil to work with, but now I am learning to accept it and view it as a puzzle to be solved. I had a talk with myself one day as I wandered through my garden paths, feeling quite overwhelmed at all the work set before me. “Try to resist the urge to manage and control your garden, and self, I hope you are listening. Instead, take advantage of the natural hardscape gifted to you. Strive to form a symbiotic relationship with your garden where you give as much as you take.”  

Rather than see rocks as obstacles to create garden spaces, I began to see them as opportunities. I embraced the fact that plants requiring deep roots wouldn’t be happy in my environment, so I began choosing and planting things that were satisfied with shallow soil. I adopted the Master Gardener mantra ‘Right Plant; Right Place’ and now I am on a path to having a deeper connection with my garden space. Pictured here is one of my shallow little garden beds stuffed with a diverse collection of succulents!

Laura Walker

Your OIGC President

OCTOBER 18: NEXT GARDEN CLUB PROGRAM

Orcas Island Garden Club presents . . .

SUE MILLIKIN

and KELLY DODSON

The Crevice Garden and Plant

Conservation at Far Reaches

Botanical Conservancy

Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 10:00 am



Madrona Room at Orcas Center

or via ZOOM

Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 10:00 a.m., when we welcome Sue Milliken and Kelly Dodson to present The Crevice Garden and Plant Conservation at Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy. Sue and Kelly will be presenting remotely from Port Townsend. 

Crevice gardens are just about the most fun you can have in a small space - at least in public. Creating specific growing situations for some of the world's most challenging plants within a cohesive sculptural matrix is immensely satisfying. The FRBC crevice garden is proving to be an effective tool for growing plants of conservation concern, including our own Olympic Mountain alpine flora which we will see on some hiking vignettes. 

Sue and Kelly will speak on their crevice garden, which Paul Spriggs helped build, and speak to various plants, cultural needs, and availability as well as seeing what some of these plants look like in their native habitat. 

The live Zoom presentation will begin at 10 am at the Orcas Center and will be followed by social time. The Zoom presentation will also be available to watch from your home. For a link to the live Zoom presentation, go to the Orcas Island Garden Club website and click the link below the list of presentations. The presentation will be recorded and available to view for four weeks after it is posted. To watch the recorded presentation, go to the link ‘Recorded Presentations’ under resources on the Club website. 

For more about Kelly and Sue and the Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy go to: https://farreachesbotanicalconservancy.org/

Garden Club presentations are free and open to the public.

SOCIAL HOUR IS BACK !!!

We had a great turnout for our September meeting. Not only did Eliza Habegger give us a wealth of great information, we were able to visit and enjoy goodies afterwards. PLEASE JOIN US on OCTOBER 18th for our next meeting!!!!

ELIZA HABEGGER'S PRESENTATION IS AVAILABLE ONLINE

If you'd like to watch Eliza's presentation again -- or if you weren't able to attend the program -- you can watch it now online. CLICK HERE for the recording as well as her Powerpoint slides.

MEMBERSHIP DRIVE -- THERE'S STILL TIME TO RENEW OR JOIN

Our annual membership drive is in full swing. Thanks to those of you who have already renewed or recently joined. Your support makes it possible for the Garden Club to continue offering great speaker programs, the annual Garden Tour, monthly newsletters, and special member events.

If you haven't joined or renewed yet, there's still time!

Names of new and renewing members are automatically added to the raffle list each month. Members are also eligible to attend special Member Events throughout the year. So if you haven't already done so, send in your renewal soon to get in on the fun!!!

DOOR PRIZE and RAFFLE WINNERS

We are grateful for support from local businesses.



Books for our monthly raffle prizes and plants for door prizes at our meetings are generously donated to the Garden Club by Darvill's Bookstore and Lorna's Driftwood Nursery. THANK YOU!!!

Big leaf maple leaves

Water colored green to gold

Have yet to fall

Nancy Reas



UPCOMING EVENTS

Master Gardener Training 2024

Are you a gardener in San Juan County? Do you enjoy learning and sharing your knowledge with others? Have you just moved to the islands and want to get involved in the community and learn about gardening in our unique ecosystem? The WSU Extension San Juan County Master Gardener Volunteer program may be just what you are looking for!

November 30: Deadline for Applications

January 23: Classes begin

Lopez Island Garden Club

November 9 -- Laura Renninger ~ Garry Oak Ecosystems

NEXT MONTH'S GARDEN CLUB PROGRAM -- November 8 ~ 10:00 a.m.

LISA WASKO DeVETTER

Berry Delicious!

Learn Best Practices for Growing

Tasty Strawberries & Blueberries

in Your Own Backyard

CLICK HERE to READ MORE about Lisa

and her upcoming Presentation

END-OF-SEASON SALE -- LORNA'S DRIFTWOOD NURSERY

Lorna's Driftwood Nursery is having a big End-of-Season Sale this week before closing for the season on Saturday, Oct. 21. Hurry down and get some great deals.

I have been younger in October

than in all the months of spring...

~W.S. Merwin (1927–2019), "The Love of October"



TO BED or NOT TO BED: Thoughts from an Orcas Gardener

Submitted by Helen Huber

While many gardeners “put their gardens to bed” come fall, there are many reasons to do this deliberately and not clean up everything with abandon. Below are tips about deciding what to remove, what to do with what you remove, what to keep in place, and what can be done for a productive planting in the spring and/or early summer. 

At the end of the growing seasons, gardeners must decide what they will remove to ready their gardens for cold weather. Diseases can be prevented from returning to next year’s garden by removing any diseased plant material. Certain common garden plants are more likely to harbor diseases. It is recommended that all vegetation be removed from tomatoes, potatoes, raspberry canes, and any plants with evidence of powdery mildew.

Once these plants are removed, it is recommended they are disposed of by burning when burn bans are not in place. Alternatively, these plants can be placed in the trash. Diseased plants should not be placed in compost.

There are plenty of plants that are beneficial to keep in place for the duration of the winter. Many of these plants become the winter refuge of beneficial insects. Leaving most perennial foliage and flower stalks in place provides winter interest, food, and habitat for wildlife, is a natural mulch, and provides insulation for garden beds.

Ode to the Chicory Flower

by Nancy Reas

Oh, periwinkle blue sunbursts!

You dot the roadside,

bouncing the sky back to itself.

Germinating only in hard packed dirt,

you call out hope to all who pass by.

In late September sun you still survive.

You don't belong in a vase in my living room

though I long to put you there.

You bring joy to my walk

and teach me that patience

is rewarded.

Beauty blooms

even when it is not fed.

COMMON GROUND: MOVIE REVIEW

Submitted by Helen Huber

Common Ground is the sequel to the documentary, Kiss the Ground, which was seen by over 1 billion people globally.  Because of Kiss the Ground and its message, the United States Department of Agriculture allocated $20 billion toward soil health. The movie offers personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, and unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our national broken food system. The film focuses on how white, black, and indigenous farmers are using alternative “regenerative” models of agriculture that can balance the climate, save our health, and stabilize America’s economy.

The biggest take-away is that soil health and practices such as not tilling, using cover crops, avoiding chemical fertilizers and insecticides allow for a greater yield of crops, keep soil from turning into dust, and enrich and maintain the soil for future planting and generations.

The film features a number of big stars and activists promoting the film’s message including Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Woody Harrelson, Ian Somerhalder, Donald Glover, Rosario Dawson and a number of other celebrity activists. You don't need to be a farmer or a gardener to find great value in this film. The message is universal. We humans and the creatures around us need food and healthy soil. Simple yet so complex. (105 minutes)

FARM TOUR 2023 -- ORCAS ISLAND

Submitted by Perri Gibbons & Nita Couchman

If you missed this year's Farm Tour, we thought we'd give you a little teaser about what you missed to inspire you to put this event on your calendar for next fall. After days of rain and clouds, Saturday and Sunday blessed us with glorious sunshine and lovely weather for exploring our island's farms. Here are a few of the highlights:

Warm Valley Orchard

Warm Valley Orchard, where sheep provide wool for dying, spinning and weaving.

Warm Valley Farm

Warm Valley Farm has a lot going on. The gardens are part of the OCPA project; free samples of freshly pressed cider were perfect for the sunny day;

local vendors were offering a variety of things for sale; the owners have a little vintage consignment shop and produce stand. So much fun!

Lum Farm

Things at the Lum Farm were hopping. Sunday afternoon featured sheep shearing demonstrations, self-guided strolls around the farm, SJ Conservation Trust booth, plus samples of goat cheese and gelato. Yum!!! The little store there sells eggs, meat, preserves, sheepskins, wool and more.

The little goat in the photos below seemed endearingly friendly, even following our friend out to the gate. Only later did she realize the apples in her tote bag were the attraction.

Doe Bay Garden

Doe Bay Gardens had gorgeous flowers, luscious veggies, berries, fruit trees, chickens, plant starts . . . with a Children's Garden and picnic tables and a little family play area smack dab in the middle of it all.

OCPA @ Fir Peace Farm

One of the newer OCPA farms, Fir Peace Farm offers rich soil, lots of sunshine, and opportunities to join a community of like-minded folks and broaden your experience growing your own food.

Orcas Farm

The Orcas Farm is way out the road past Doe Bay, but it's worth the drive to visit this lovely farm. George Orser was on hand to guide visitors around the grounds, explaining things and answering questions. A special brief appearance by a red-tailed hawk topped off the visit.

Rising Oak Farm

Pressed cider so fresh the apples were still squealing.

Wheat seed winnowing demonstration -- the chaff was flying!

If you weren't able to get out and explore Farm Tour this year, we hope this journey with photos will inspire you to get out next year and experience our local farms for yourselves. It's well worth it.

FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE

Reviewed by Perri Gibbons

GARDEN SPELLS by Sarah Addison Allen

In a big cauldron, mix contemporary fiction, a dash of magical realism, and whiff of romance. When you’re not looking, the garden tree will probably toss in some apples for added intrigue. The perfect recipe for a bewitching story!

The Waverley sisters are part of a curious family, endowed with peculiar talents that make them outsiders in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.

Magical family, small town vibes, some cooking and gardening… sounds a bit like Orcas! OK, so it’s not great literature, but sometimes folks are just in the mood for some enchanting escapist fare. My recommendation? Put on a cozy sweater, light a few candles, pour a big mug of pumpkin spice latte and let this story ease you into fall.

Available with OI Library Overdrive, and I have a copy I’d be happy to pass along.

REFLECTIONS & RECIPES

by Helen Huber

Tomatoes make memories.

Planting, harvesting, and cooking tomatoes bring memories of time spent in the sun, in the kitchen, and around the table eating the flavors and recipes of childhood.  

My family, along with others in our neighborhood, had plants, not gardens. Not so with my high school boyfriend’s dad, Emil. Born in Brooklyn to Italian parents, his backyard grew things needed for a proper “gravy”—tomatoes, peppers, and onions. 

In late spring, Emil would hobble out to the backyard and ready his planting patch. He’d kneel on folded newspapers. Did they keep his knees dry from the morning dew? Provide cushioning from the ground? I didn’t ask, and he never told. Somehow opera music would be blaring from speakers set outside. Then Emil would get to work. 

He liked to work alone. If Gerry and I wandered out to help or chat, he’d tell us to leave him the “h-e-double hockey sticks alone” with his plants and music or he would offer us a chore. We would retreat. Emil would weed and spread something that looked like dirt. Years later I would realize it was compost he made himself in the corner of the yard.

Some early summer morning, Emil would begin readying the patch for planting. Wooden stakes would be pounded into the ground. Holes would be dug for a dozen or so tomato plants. More compost would be added to the tomato holes. Eventually, he’d delicately place the tomato on its side in the hole, stem up! This made no sense to me and would make me laugh as I peeked around the drapes in the living room because I didn’t want to be seen or given a chore. Years later I would learn that placing the tomato on its side allows the plant to grow roots from the stem, strengthening the plant.

QUICK-COOK SAUCE

NO-COOK SAUCE

ALL-DAY SAUCE

October, the extravagant sister, has ordered an immense amount of the most gorgeous forest tapestry for her grand reception. 

~Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894)

GO AHEAD AND SMILE . . .

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

2023-2024 Membership to date : 106

BOARD MEMBERS 2023-2024