May 2024 garden clippings

May Speaker – Heather Stoven

Heather Stoven is the Community Horticulturalist and Small Farms agent for the Oregon State University serving Yamhill County. She is also the daughter-in-law of Janice Stoven, of the Garden Club.

Heather coordinates the Master Garden Program, community horticulture and small farms. She has a Master of Science degree in integrated pest management from UC Davis and her strengths include pest management, greenhouse growing and nursery crops.

President’s Corner – Elaine Pollak

In between the April showers the McMinnville Garden Club rolled up its sleeves and accomplished a lot.

The Sustainability and Recycling Committee was busy collecting plastic. We are all still learning what kind of plastic goes where but the Club has responded favorably and several bags have already been filled. They will continue to collect CLEAN plastic at every meeting.

The concrete has been poured at the Serenity Garden. The wood for the gazebo is being stained and will soon be erected. We received a grant from the National Garden Clubs for the purchase of more shrubs and plants. There will be a work party on May 21 at the Garden.

Our Scholarship Committee was wrestling with the difficult choices presented by 11 applicants when we only award three scholarships. At the April meeting the Club did give money for two more scholarships. It will still be a difficult choice.

We continued our traditional cleanup of Third Street. The ivy trying to strangle the trees is stubborn. Every year, we rip it out and we will continue to do so. We are also stubborn.

Six members joined with the Executive Committee to go over the budget. Some items were adjusted, some were added, and some were removed. The budget will be presented at the May meeting and will be voted on at the June meeting.

We finally have some logos! There are some logistics to be worked out but there will be a vote soon.

The Garden Tour and Faire just has a few minor details left. We are ready. Hopefully the weather will be spectacular again this year.

Pat Johnson, the Pioneer District Director, visited our Club’s April meeting and was very impressed with all of our various projects. We could not accomplish anything without all our members who take on leadership roles in the various committees and the dedicated members who assist them. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

May Birthdays

• May 05 Pam
• May 06: Linda H.
• May 16: Starla
• May 19: Ruth
• May 30: Betty & Sharalie

Arts and Crafts | Kirsten and Colleen

MAY 6th: Flower Pounding – Botanical Imprints

We will be creating stunning botanical prints on fabric and on paper. Previously
cancelled due to SNOW…

This past summer Colleen and I took a class at The Chehalem Art Center called Botanical Imprints (or Flower Pounding) with the idea of sharing what we learned with you. In this class will learn the art of Flower Pounding, how to preserve cloth pieces, and even learn a bit about its therapeutic benefits. We look forward to seeing you!

• Here are the details:
• What: Flower Pounding
• When: Monday, May 6th Time: 10:00-12ish
• Where: Colleen’s workshop, 5548 NW Orchard View Road (carpooling is encouraged)
• Cost: $8

*All supplies are included. Coffee and tea available
*Optional to bring: Mug, earplugs, flowers/leaves from your garden, scissors, white silk, linen,
or cotton item (napkins, a dish towel), a treat to share.

*Sign up at our April meeting or Contact: Kirsten

Good Eats by Betty Ballentine

Seafood Pasta

• 1 lb. Scallops
• 1/2 C. diced onion
• 2 cloves diced garlic
• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 jar sun dried tomatoes
• 2 C. baby spinach
• 1/2 C. white wine
• 1/2 C. chicken stock
• 1 C. heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• 8 oz spaghetti

Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat pan with butter and olive oil. Brown scallops 2 to 3 minutes per side and remove. Add onion and garlic, sauté until soft. Deglaze pan with wine, reduce. Add broth, cream, tomatoes and spinach. Add scallops to heat thru. Toss with cooked spaghetti and serve with fresh grated cheese.

2024 Garden Tour: Sunday – June 9, 2024 (Linda H. & Colleen M.)

Mark your Calendars:
Sunday – June 9, 2024

We are very excited to be celebrating the 23rd Annual Garden Tour and Faire on Sunday, June 9th.

GARDEN TOUR TICKETS ARE FOR SALE

Club Members are the most important and best persons to promote and sell tickets to the Garden Tour and Faire. For tickets please send a note to our Ticket Sales Leader: Lori Anderson. May 1st – the tickets are for sale at Incahoots and Kraemers. We have sold approximately 100 tickets to date.

Farmers Market: Please stop by to say “Hi” and support the Garden Tour & Faire booth on Thursdays, May 30th and June 6th.

Pre Tour – Mark Your Calendars: The Garden Tour member volunteers on the Day of Tour are invited to a Pre-Tour of the Gardens on Saturday, June 8th in the morning.

Garden Tour VOLUNTEER Opportunities:

• Day of Tour: Greeters and Hostesses: two shifts AM (9:30 – 12:30) and PM (12:15 – 3:15).
  a. Greeters: welcome visitors to the gardens, tally tickets, etc.
  b. Hostesses: partner with the home owner in the garden and answer questions
  To sign up please contact June Benson.

• Garden Tour Road Signs (May): volunteers place five (5) signs in designated local
  areas and retrieve after the Tour. Contact: Christine Pritt.
• Poster Distribution (May): volunteers distribute the Garden Tour and Faire poster at
  designated places on a route and retrieve after the Tour. Contact: Elaine Pollak

• Garden Tour Road Signs (May): volunteers place five (5) signs in designated local areas and retrieve after the Tour. Contact: Christine Pritt.
• Poster Distribution (May): volunteers distribute the Garden Tour and Faire poster at designated places on a route and retrieve after the Tour. Contact: Elaine Pollak
• Farmers Market (Thursdays, May 30th; June 6th ): volunteers promote the event and sell tickets. Two shifts available to sign up. Contact: Kirsten Browne
• Garden Tour: Members Yard Signs (April/May/June): volunteers place Garden Tour; Faire sign in their respective front yard. Contact: Betty Ballentine
• If you have any questions, please Contact Colleen Moxley or Linda Hansen

Mark your Calendars: Saturday, June 8 Pre-tour AM Tour/Faire Sunday – June 9

International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC)

The Garden Club has again been invited to support the IPNC team at the Grand Seminar Speakers Event on July 26th and 27th (8am – 1pm) this year.

We will ask for volunteers to sign up and support the greeting of visitors, setup and cleanup of the seminar three (3) rooms located at Linfield College. In exchange we will receive a $500 donation.

More information will be forthcoming from Linda Hansen.

Thank You Members for Cleaning Up Third Street!

2024 Yamhill County Area Plant Sales

It is time to buy more plants!! There is always room for one or two or three more!! We all have our favorite nurseries. As an alternative here are some plant sales for your consideration.

Ongoing throughout May:

• Dayton High School 10-4 Tuesdays through Fridays, 10-2 Saturdays
  Hanging baskets, flowers in wall hangers, flower and vegetable starts, fruit trees.
  801 Ferry Street, Dayton

May 3:

• Newberg High School 3:30-5:30
  Annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, herbs, veggies and more.
  2400 Douglas Avenue, Newberg

May 4:

• Newberg High School 10-5
• Yamhill County Master Gardeners 29th Annual Plant Sale 9-4
  Thousands of ornamental and vegetable plants on-sale grown by Master Gardeners.
  Yamhill County Fairgrounds Lewis Pavilion.

May 5:

• Yamhill County Master Gardeners
  Yamhill County Fairgrounds
  Leslie Lewis Pavilion
  2070 NE Lafayette Ave., McMinnville
  May 4, 9am – 4 pm & May 5 10am – 2 pm

May 10:

• Newberg High School 3:30-5:30

May 11:

• Newberg High School 10-5
• Edible Garden Festival 10-3: Seedling give away of 3000+ organic vegetable, fruit, herb, and edible flowers. Mother’s Day Market. The McMinnville Garden Club will have a booth there.
  Mac Market, 1132 NE Alpine Ave
• Tigard Garden Club 9-2
  Herbs, flowers, vegetables. All gently tended by our member gardeners.
  Bull Mountain Farmers Market 14389 SW Pacific Highway
• Beaverton Garden Club 8:30-2
  1500 plus perennials, shrubs, trees, veggie and herb starts. Creative containers, native plants and bouquets for Mother’s Day
  NEXUS CHURCH Parking Lot 12555 SW Hall Boulevard
• Cedar Mill Garden Club will have a booth at the Beaverton Garden Club plant sale selling garden related items.

May 18:

• The Five Oaks Garden Club Plant Sale 9-4
  Perennials, lilacs and house plants plus a garage sale
  Westside Bible Fellowship Church 526 SE 9th Avenue, Hillsboro

Serenity Garden Update | Patty Sorensen

It FINALLY happened! The rain stopped long enough to get the sidewalk and gazebo pad installed at the Serenity Garden. SO THRILLED!

Thanks to Highley and Son Concrete for their perseverance. We were selected by Mac Leadership to accept the challenge of constructing our gazebo on the large concrete pad in the picture.

Our fingers are crossed that it will be done in time for the Tour/Faire!

MAY 21 9:30 AM We need a BIG team of club members to help prepare the Serenity Garden for the Garden Tour in June. Bring your shovels, buckets, trimmers, gloves, water, etc. PLEASE PUT THIS ON YOUR CALENDAR.

Conservation & Sustainability Project | Beth Frischmuth and Adele O’Neal Co-Chairs

Please NOTE our name change: Conservation & Sustainability Project (Formerly the Plastic Project).

Thank you to the members who brought their plastic recycling to the April meeting! We collected quite a bit in anticipation of the June 15 collection event at the First Baptist Church. We will be collecting clean, project appropriate, and sorted plastic at each Garden Club meeting.

The committee is still learning how best to do this, but the goal is to help our members understand what plastics we are collecting for Zero Waste McMinnville and how to clean, sort and bring them to each Garden Club meeting. At the April meeting, examples were shown about how clean items need to be, what types of plastics are being collected and how to sort them. We have been handing out the flyer at the club meetings that shows what we are collecting. The list is also on the Zero Waste McMinnville website.

The committee is here to assist members with their questions. If you have questions before the May meeting, please contact either Beth Frischmuth or Adele O’Neal, co-chairs of the committee. If you wish to collect and submit the plastics on your own, that is fine – we just want our members to understand and participate in this important project!

We also received $49 in donations at the April meeting toward the collection fee of $4.00 per grocery bag of plastic to be recycled – Thank you to those who donated! We are excited to see how much plastic our club will be taking to the event on June 15, all due to our members’ support of this project. Thank you for participating!

Chamber of Commerce Greeters Meetings 8:00-9:00 am Fridays

We are looking for club members to represent the club by attending these 8 – 9 AM meetings. Many months, there is no one from Garden Club there! Bring $1 and a business card for the door prize drawings. Garden Club has business cards. It is important that we support our chamber and its members! Please check with Elaine.

• May 03: T-Mobile, 1281 N. HWY 99W
• May 10: J&W Carstar, 1100 NE Lafayette Ave
• May 17: Juliette’s House, 1075 SW Cedarwood Avenue
• May 24: KeyBank, 342 NE 3rd Street
• May 31: Rock of Ages Valley View, 15600 SW Rock of Ages Road

Remember, all meetings begin promptly at 8 am.

Horticultural Hints – Christine Pritt

Keeping Soil and Plants Healthy with No-Till Gardening

During April, I had the pleasure of breaking up a long car trip at the halfway point in Roseville, Oregon to experience the wonders of the Douglas County Master Gardener’s Discovery Garden. This beautifully maintained, multi-acre demonstration garden, is divided into several focuses. Plants are labeled and information is available on the plants and various gardening techniques. If you are driving South, this is worthwhile stopping point.

Aside from the extensive, lovely perennial gardens, the focus that caught my interest was the large, no-till demonstration garden for vegetables.

Read the full article in Our Blog – No-Till Gardening

Websites to Explore | Patty Sorensen

• National Garden Club
• Pacific Region National Garden Club
• Pioneer District Website
• Oregon State Garden Club
• Yamhill County Master Gardeners
• McMinnville Community Garden
• Serenity Garden
• Native Plant Society
• Nursery Guide for Finding Plants
• Keeping pH (potential of Hydrogen) in the right range is essential
• Plants for Birds
• How to Clean Composite Decking
• McMinnville Parks, Rec and Open Spaces Draft Plan – Check out the display at the Sr. Ctr.

Quotable

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.”

~ Alfred Austin