leadership
2025 Garden Club Board
activities
Dates to Remember
Date | Description |
---|---|
Fridays at 8:am | Chamber of Commerce Greeters. Click for their Calendar of upcoming Events |
February 3, 10am - Noon | Pretty Pressed Flower Lanterns. Kirsten’s |
February 5 | Field Trip: Aurora Museum and Aurora Mill Sal |
February 8 | Zero Waste McMinnville collection event |
February 10 | Board meeting. |
February 17 | Garden Club Meeting at the First Presbyterian Church Agenda: Garden Tour and Faire Preparation * 9:30-10:00 Social time * 10:00 Meeting and Activities * 11:00-12:00 This will be a planning session for the June Garden Tour & Faire. * 12:00 Close Meeting |
March 10 | Board Meeting TBD |
March 17 | Garden Club Meeting |
April 19 | Annual Native Plant Sale: More info. under the “Horticulture” heading below. |
June 8 2025 | It's happening! Garden Tour & Faire!! |
February Meeting
The February meeting will provide everyone the opportunity to volunteer on one or more of the many committees it takes to make both a fun and profitable Garden Tour and Faire. There will be a short committee chair meeting following our regular meeting.
Presidents Corner

Elaine Pollak
McMinnville Garden Club PresidentI have often felt, contrary to the calendar, that February was the longest month of the year. The excitement and memories of the holidays are fading, and there are still weeks before one can seriously anticipate spring.
Valentine’s Day does fall in the middle of the month. I used to work in a grocery store. For years I worked the overnight shift. The shift ran from 11 PM to 7 AM. Every year frantic desperate men would come rushing in when it was almost over or already the 15th. We were often out of cards, boxes of candy, and there was no one in the floral department to wrap the few blooms that remained. It was a source of amusement and always made me wonder how they could be so forgetful if their significant other was going to be that upset.
In years past, big glossy seed catalogs used to arrive in the mail. One could look at the beautiful pictures, read the descriptions, and make plans. What old reliables and what new varieties will I try this year? Now almost everything is digital, and it’s just not the same.
Still, we can make our plans. On President’s Day we trim our roses. Every year I intend to start seeds indoors. Almost every year, I end up buying plants at the Master Gardeners Plant Sale. By the end of the month there will be some crocuses and daffodils blooming with many more getting ready to. March is not that far away. After all, February is the shortest month of the year.
happy happy
Birthdays!
congratulations!
February members celebrating this month are:: Sharon G, Patty, Sandra S, Norma Jean, Dorothea, Barbara T, Lorene, Stephanie, Ann W.

Good Eats!
- 4 slices of thick cut bacon
- 1 lb. hot Italian sausage
- 1 box (4 cups) chicken broth
- 4 potatoes diced
- 3 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 2 Cup kale or spinach
- 1 onion diced
- 2 diced carrots
- 1 Cup heavy cream, or you can use half & half
- salt & pepper to taste

Brown bacon and sausage in a soup pot, remove with slotted spoon and save some of the fat. Sauté the onion, carrot and garlic. Add the potatoes and broth, and cook until the potatoes are soft. Add the cooked meats, beans, greens, and seasonings. Last, add the cream. Very satisfying!
Newsletter Submissions
Please send your articles to her from her profile page HERE by the 25th of each month.
February Fun Challenge
Start Changing the Planet One Container at a Time. How? Visit a local business that is using Forever Ware (see above) and “borrow” one of their containers. Take a picture with you and your “borrowed” container. Send it to [email protected]., so we can brag on your “conservation conversion” in the March Newsletter.
February Arts and Crafts
February Craft: Pretty Pressed Flower Lanterns–These pressed flower lanterns are SO PRETTY and so easy to make!
- When: Monday, February 3
- Where: Kirsten’s house 905 NW Birch St
- Time: 10-12
- Cost: $5/10/15– make up to 3 lanterns if you like!
This is a cozy indoor event, with seating at tables, limited to 18. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces.
*** Register and prepay for classes at the monthly meetings at the sign-up table.
If unable to make the meeting just send one of us a note. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces. Contact Kirsten or Colleen for more information.
**BRING: You will want smooth straight sided glass jars (without ridges) with a wide enough opening to place votive candles or tea lights. Optional to bring: mug, a treat to share.
Note: This summer when flowers were in full bloom, they were cut, pressed, and dried in preparation for this project.
March Arts and Crafts
Join us for a morning of candle-making in Sheila’s Event Space/Studio at Flora and Fauna Farm! You will come away with a decorated little candle made from scratch with your own selected botanical scents.
*Sorry: Not for those with sensitivities to scents.
- When: Monday, March 3
- Where: 7591 NE Mineral Springs Rd, Carlton
- Time: 10-12
- Cost: $10 pre-pay at meeting. Space is limited.
Other info: Bring a mug: coffee and tea will be available. Optional: bring a treat to share.
Field Trips
There will be a field trip on February 5th to Aurora.
We will be visiting the Old Aurora Colony Museum. The Aurora Colony was settled in the 1850s by German and Swiss immigrants seeking religious freedom. There are several of the original buildings remaining. There was also a quilt exhibition in the summer and several of the quilts are still on display. Admission is $6 for seniors. They are trying to find a volunteer to give a guided tour. If they do and you wish to participate the cost is $4 more.
We will have lunch at Filbert’s Farmhouse Kitchen. Then we will visit the Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage which carries everything from doorknobs to furniture and mantelpieces.
Let Elaine know if you wish to join us. We will meet at 9 AM at the Baker Creek Community Church parking lot by Elm Street to form car pools.
Conservation & Sustainability Committee
Thank you to the club members for continuing to bring in your plastic to be recycled at the Zero Waste McMinnville collection events. Everyone is getting better at cleaning and sorting the plastic, making it easier to get it ready to take it to the collection event!
We are excited to announce that the McMinnville collection event is now occurring every three months! The events for 2025 will take place on February 8th, May 3rd, August 2nd and November 1st at the First Baptist Church in McMinnville.
As a reminder, Recology Western Oregon takes plastic bottles, tubs and jugs in your curbside barrel. NOTE: In Recology’s Customer Service & Recycling Guide mailed out a couple of weeks ago, it showed that plastic utensils and straws go in the garbage which is incorrect.
UPDATE (2025): Now you can take these items: plastic utensils and straws, along with bottle caps and bread clips to Recology (not in curb side recycling) or bring them to the Garden Club meetings and these items will be recycled at the collection events.
Forever Ware
Alchemist’s Jam and Local Flow, the two local establishments using Forever Ware for take-out orders, have reported that their customers are very happy with the product, and both establishments are on their second order of these reusable food containers.” Use the link below for a short and very interesting video (just over 1 minute) that shows how Forever Ware actually works when you are the customer
Garden Tour & Faire Updates
**ONE MORE SPECTACULAR GARDEN NEEDED FOR TOUR TO BE COMPLETE*
We are lucky to have so many people working to make our 2025 Garden Tour/Faire successful. Thankfully lots of folks have agreed to help on the committee they operated last year. In addition, Shelly Hickox will be in charge of PR/Marketing, Colleen Moxley will take over Garden Totes and Jennifer Oronoa will write Garden Ticket Descriptions. However, we still need someone to help with Ticket Sales and Distribution, please consider stepping into that committee.
At this time Dorthea Lee is looking hard for a showcase garden. We had five gardens, but two had to drop out for health reasons. One garden has been found; however, we need one
more beautiful garden to round out the tour. Please contact Dorthea if you know of one.
Horticulture
The schedule above shows a cornucopia of free webinar leaning opportunities. February’s topic sessions look very interesting!
For more information on each webinar and to register for any of the webinars use this link.
2025 Yamhill Native Plant Sale
The upcoming Annual Native Plant Sale is April 19!
This sale offers a wide variety of native trees, shrubs, understory, and more. Here’s the link for presale information: 2025 Yamill Native Plant Sale.
Online Preorders: start on January 1, 2025. NOTE: The 2025 sale will be pre-order only, with a smaller day-of sale to take place at the Miller Woods Earth Day event on April 19, 2025.
Pickup Dates: Time, Thursday, February 27 from 12-5, Friday, February 28 from 9-5
Saturday, March 1 from 9-3
NEW LOCATION: Yamhill County Fairgrounds, Lucas Barn, 2070 NE Lafayette Ave.
Serenity Garden
Help NEEDED: The Serenity Garden team desperately needs someone to help us with publicity and fundraising. If you have any of these skills and would like to help finish the garden’s design, please let us know!
- Strong communication skills, both in writing and verbally.
- Creative and problem-solving aptitude. (Useful to be able to think outside the box and think of something that hasn’t been tried yet is a big plus.)
- Strong organizational skills and attention to details.
- Awareness of how to create fundraising efforts and handle marketing aspects.
- Ability to create and build positive relationships with the media and the public.
- Comfortable with social media.
Resources
Quotable

Soup is like a warm blanket on a cold winter's day.