ELWD MEMBERS: Here’s information about the Vision of Beauty Calendars (order by 6/21/2020) , some club news and garden items that may interest you. If you have things you’d like to share in a future email, please let me know. Lana did the Director’s Message which includes updates on happenings at the National, Regional and State levels of garden clubs.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Joyce Voldal, ELWD Mailout Chairman and VOB order taker (please respond soon)
ELWD ECHO EXTRA – June 7, 2020
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Dear Club Members,
East Lake Washington District of Garden Clubs has been unable to meet for a long time now and your Director Team hopes that you and your family are well. Some of the things our clubs have done during this time are in this Echo Extra. One thing many members are doing is sharing photos of their garden. We can take virtual tours or space visitors ten minutes apart or whatever works. With the mostly nice weather, meeting outside can be done with safe spacing of people. And of course virtual meetings via Zoom or whatever means you share, can be effective and grow your groups feeling of being connected.
Even though we cannot meet in person, there are other ways to maintain contact. Friendship is the cornerstone of our clubs as is sharing knowledge and plants. During this Pandemic Pause, we are learning how to cope and support each other. Lets share ideas that work.
Our ELWD website is filled with things to explore and anchor you during this difficult time. National Garden Clubs postponed the National Convention but NGC is having a Virtual Flower Show in mid June. Pictures will be posted on the NGC website. The rules for the NGC show are posted on the ELWD website.
The Pacific Region Convention has been postponed to August 2021 at the Oregon Garden. The WSFGC Convention was moved from June to late September assuming gatherings are allowed by then. It will be held in Ellensburg WA. For more information on these events, see our ELWD website or call Lana at 425-747-5742.
The state WSFGC magazine and the National magazine are going to be distributed via email from now on. The region has been distributing its WACONIAH magazine electronically for several years now.
I have a perennial garden. If you want free plants, come dig. I always have plants I can share. I can be reached at 425-7475742 and I live in Bellevue at 1414 179th Ave. NE, Bellevue 98008 near Crossroads.
Wishing you all the best on behalf of the ELWD Director Team: Marti Bolcer (Terra Tillers), Elaine Fowler (West Sammamish) and Lana Finegold (Sherwood Forest).
If you need help, do let us know.
Lana Finegold
Vision of Beauty Calendars
ACTION NEEDED by June 21 (Club Presidents – Please note ordering change from what you were sent earlier)
Vision of Beauty Calendars: It’s time again to order the National Garden Club Vision of Beauty Calendars; they are spiral bound 6″ x 8 1/2″ desk calendars. The cost is $5 and in an age of electronic calendars, you’ll still find these are useful for floral design inspiration or just to enjoy the talents of those who submitted things. Debbie Spiller, former Hilltoppers Garden Club member, now living in Olympia has her design on the cover. VOB has beautiful photos and identified plant materials. Many members save their collection of these calendars.
Note from June Ann Hassebroek re Vision of Beauty Calendars: (in case you don’t know June Ann, she is our lead cheerleader for all things garden club)
These lovely calendars make great Public Relations items. The story inside the cover about the purpose of our organization, the lovely emotion inducing designs and gardens should inspire anyone to want to learn what our organization shares. Clubs could consider buying to give to the people that come to give club programs. Maybe give them to leaders in other garden or design or environmental groups. This calendar is an amazing buy and a great keepsake, I probably have about 30 I’ve saved over the years.
To order a calendar, please email Joyce Voldal, javoldal@hotmail.com (if you receive the ECHO EXTRA directly from Joyce all you have to do is “reply” with how many you would like. You don’t have to prepay, money will be collected prior to distribution which usually happens after the Fall State Board Meeting. Please respond by June 21.
CLUB NEWS
Woodinville Garden Club – Online Plant Sale Success (report by Hazel Beatty)
The Woodinville Garden Club recently presented Hopelink a check for $ 16,244.00, made possible by overwhelming public support for their recent online plant sale The club donated 100% of the revenue from the sale to Hopelink’s Greatest Need Fund Covid-19. The plants that were nurtured from seedings and starts by club members in early spring were nearly all sold out in less than a day. Then, the plants were personally delivered to local Woodinville zip codes or safely picked up “curbside” by the shoppers. Leftover tomato seedlings were shared with the Woodinville Food Bank, the Maltby Food Bank and the Bothell Senior Center Food Pantry.
The Woodinville Garden Club would like to express heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful supporters without whom our sale and donation would not have been possible. The location where the planting and growing takes place is thanks to the overwhelming generosity of a Woodinville family who for many years have welcomed the garden club to use their beautiful greenhouse. This year, order fulfillment for over 170 plant orders took place at the greenhouse as well. Many thanks also to The Wooden Cross Church in Woodinville who graciously approved curbside pickup to take place in their parking lot.
A sincere and appreciative thank you goes to all who shopped the online sale that resulted in the club’s donation to Hopelink’s Greatest Need Fund Covid-19. The plants are now growing in gardens in Woodinville, Bothell, Renton, Everett, Bellevue, Monroe and Seattle. For the past 35 years, the Woodinville Garden Club has made contributions to our community and globally because of this remarkable support. We look forward to seeing you next year when the plant sale will return to beautiful Chateau Ste. Michele in May and the Tour of Gardens in July.
Terra Tillers Garden Club
During the time our club hasn’t been able to meet we have been circulating a friendship letter for members.
Pine Lake Garden Club
Our club has managed to tour some of our gardens by following social distancing and wearing facemasks.
Avant Designers Guild
We shared photos of designs we created and gave information about plant material that we used.
WEBSITES
East Lake Washington District of Garden Clubs: www.elwd.org
Pacific Region: https://pacificregiongardenclubs.org
National Garden Club Inc: http://www.gardenclub.org
Bellevue Botanical Garden: https://bellevuebotanical.org
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST TO GARDENERS
Bellevue Demonstration Garden Speakers – online
Some of you may have attended the excellent garden speakers on Saturday mornings at the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden in Bellevue. These talks are now online. I attended the one last Saturday Sasha Shaw talking about Noxious Weeds – it was great. The Zoom link below should work fine. If it doesn’t; I suggest you copy and paste the link into your browser. Or, you can enter the meeting ID and password into your own Zoom app on your device. Or, call the phone number listed.
Join Zoom Meeting for Bellevue Demonstration Garden Speakers
https://zoom.us/j/98357808723
Meeting ID 983 5780 8723 password 060052
Call in +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID 983 5780 8723
Password 060052
- June 13 Sharon Collman, WSU Snohomish County Extension “Good and Bad Bugs in the Vegetable Garden”
- June 20 Emily Bishton, Sustainable Garden Educator “Rain Garden Design”
- June 27 Jules Arvin, Tilth Alliance “Composting at Home”Master Gardeners – no public clinics this season
Online Clinic: Talk to a Master Gardener live and online. Share your questions and images of problems or concerns in your garden. If you are trying to identify the plants in your yard, this is a good opportunity to do that as well. The Online Clinics operate every Wednesday and Saturday from 11 am to 1pm through the 2020 gardening season.
Email Clinic: The “Ask a Master Gardener” Email clinic is also available daily. Send your questions and photos to Ask-A-MasterGardener@live.com, or use the form you’ll find online at http://www.mgfkc.org/ask-a-mg