April 2025 garden clippings

Our club is part of the Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs. The state is divided into districts. We belong to the Pioneer District consisting of Columbia, Washington, and Yamhill Counties. The entire district has a meeting and luncheon every spring and fall.

“Spring into Spring” will be April 12 at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Beaverton.

• Social time is from 9-10:00
• The business meeting is from 10-11:00
• Iwasaki Brothers will have a presentation from 11-12:00 about their family’s story and their 109 years old nursery.
• At noon we will have the luncheon.
• The business meeting will resume at 12:45 (If necessary)

This is an excellent opportunity to meet members of other clubs and learn about their activities. The cost is $25. Make your checks out to McMinnville Garden Club and please get them to Charlene before April 1.

Spring into Spring Luncheon with Yummy Food provided by Kam and Kam Catering

• Coffee and treats
• Fresh-baked rolls
• Garden salad
• Parmesan chicken
• Barbecue pork
• Vegetarian Mac & cheese
• Roasted corn
• Grilled vegetables
• Cheesecakes and berries

Stephanie Frease and Sydney Wasserman!

On April 30th we are going to the Jenkins Estate. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The structures and gardens reflect the lifestyle of genteel society of the early twentieth century. The rhododendrons will be in bloom. There are several other gardens designed by the gardener of the prime minister of Canada. After exploring the grounds, we will have lunch at McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove and maybe stop by Farmington Gardens to shop.

We will meet at Baker Creek Community Church at 9:15 to form carpools. Let Elaine know if you want to participate.

Kay is slowly improving. PEO did meals in February and we did March. In April we are reducing meal delivery from every other day to twice a week: Wednesday and Friday. PEO is taking the first half of the month. We are responsible for the 18th, 23rd, 25th, and the 30th. Please let Elaine know which day you will take.
Remember low salt and potassium, low sugar, minimal cheese, and not too spicy.

Hello wonderful members! I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for the warm welcome at your recent meeting. I thoroughly enjoyed discussing our sustainability initiatives and was thrilled with the interest and engagement from all of you.

Here’s a special invitation just for you!
We’re excited to offer you a unique opportunity to trial frass, an eco-friendly soil amendment we produce, in your own gardens. Here’s what we have planned:

Event Details:

• Date: April 8
• Time: 10 am
• Location: Chapul Farms Innovation Center
• RSVP: Please fill out the Google Form to express your interest, and I will share the address and detailed directions.

What’s Happening? During your visit, enjoy a tour of our facility and receive free frass to take home for your garden! We’re eager to see how it helps your plants thrive. We’d Love Your Feedback:

• Describe your trial: Send us a brief description of your use of frass.
• Results: Summarize the observed outcomes.
• Photos: Share a few snaps of your garden (and you in your garden if you want to!)

Your feedback is invaluable and helps us understand how our products perform in diverse garden settings.

Sign Up to Participate: Please use the(above) Google Form link to sign up for the event. If you have difficulty with Google Forms or receive this message through mail, email me directly at [email protected] to arrange your participation.

Thank you once again for your enthusiastic participation and warm reception. We can’t wait to see many of you at the Innovation Center and hear about your experiences with frass!

Warm regards,

Sayla Grom
Director of Project Development, Chapul Farms
[email protected]

We have a fifth garden!!! Many, many thanks to both Dorothea and Patty for their un-tiring diligence in finding these gardens!! Ya-hoo! 🙂

Sharalie has volunteered to be in charge of ticket sales…thank you!!

Things are really coming together. It takes a lot of people to orchestrate such a big project. BIG THANK YOU’S to everyone stepping up to help.

Editor’s Note: Here’s another Nearby Garden Tour: 24th Annual Albany Garden Tour

A Rally Cry for New Leadership

Our centennial arrives in the coming year A time to celebrate our longevity with cheer! A new president we need to lead our crew It could be you! It could be you!

One last appeal to fill those shoes Or June could be our final rendezvous! Recognize you’ve got what it takes To lead us on, please don’t hesitate!

Garden Club members,

I hope you read this cheeky poem and will give serious consideration to stepping into the role of president, a time-honored position that has been filled by many amazing
members over the past one hundred years! With gratitude we honor our lineage of leaders, but with enthusiasm we look forward to new ideas and innovation as we
‘plough’ beyond this significant milestone and continue to make McMinnville shine; from our town’s beautiful streets and gardens to providing college scholarships through
our successful annual fund-raising event!

At this time, we have all new officer nominees lined up for 2026 save for president, but without a new president to lead us, our Garden Club will hang in limbo, most likely
resulting in delayed or canceled meetings and an end to our illustrious garden tour & faire.

With one final plea, please contact Betty, Lori, or Cozette for details about what the position of club president entails if you feel called to ensure that our 99th year won’t be
our last!

Thank-you from the top of our ‘sunflowers’ to the bottom of our ‘bleeding hearts’!

Betty Ballentine, Nominations Committee Chair

Mark your calendars for our April Mosaic Rocks Craft Event

When: April 7, 10:00-12:00
What to Bring: If you have a rock that you would like use, bring it. BYOCM: Bring your own coffee mug. Treats for everyone are always welcomed.
Where: Colleen Moxley’s workshop.

Since this event is full, please consider carpooling so everyone can find a parking spot.* Note: We will no longer publish member’s home addresses online; therefore, consult your Membership Directory for addresses.

Please contact Colleen if you won’t be at the meeting.

Photos From the March Crafting Event Scent-sational Botanical Candles

REFUSE is the second “R” in our recycling goal, and Peter elaborated on ways we can adhere to our commitment of plastic reduction. Several suggestions were: refuse straws, ask for butcher paper instead of Styrofoam & plastic wrap when purchasing meat or fish, and refuse Styrofoam for take-out. We shouldn’t get caught up in the fact that we are not going to be able to completely eliminate plastic use in our daily lives. Instead, continue working on reducing and refusing.

At our last club meeting, Adele mentioned SB551 which recently passed in the Oregon Senate. It will be going to the Oregon House soon, and is expected to pass. SB551 expands the state’s ban on single use plastic items including plastic utensils, condiments, hotel toiletries, and prohibits reusable plastic checkout bags.

Club members, thank you. With all of us, we will keep moving forward on this important project!

~ Serenity Garden | Patty Sorensen

Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 20 at 9:30 to come help us do some plantings and cleanup.

We are excited to add more color and watch the garden develop over the summer. More info in the May newsletter.

The gravel path up the hill to our plate art display has been installed. Once the grass is mowed this Spring, the plates will be added.

Check it out. YEAH!

April’s Yard of the Month is a daffodil plethora! Our local News Register will surely reveal the interesting, comic story behind the owner’s hard work and ongoing competitions with his brother. Be sure to send good vibes when you drive by: It is located at 720 SW Arthur St.

FYI: The Yard of the Month Committee serves from April through September. Thank you to Cozette Caster who has been leading this committee for the past several years. Christine Pritts is now on board and would like to remind you that suggestions for Yard of the Month should come from our Mac Garden Club members. Look for interesting gardens that are primarily owner-designed and maintained, simply because we want to honor and encourage our neighbors who are beautifying our community with their efforts. If you see a garden that fits this description, please send the info. to Christine Pritts

Sowing seeds or planting seedlings at the wrong time/temp will bring on gardener’s heartache. You already knew this, right? OSU’s Extension Service offers the following link for discovering how soil temperatures need to align with your gardening plans so you can achieve success by planting when the temps are right. Check out the full guide here.

While you’re waiting for soil temps to warm up, consider growing microgreens. You can start now because they grow indoors.

Read the entire article about Microgreens here!