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Marcie Katz

Aug 31

The President’s Corner — Summertime Blues

By Beet 2023 09 September

I find it ironic how we can’t wait for winter to be gone. Away with the cold weather! We are ready to put sweats, socks, and sweaters into storage and get outside to do anything that brings the sunshine to our pale faces and color back into our world.  We envision our gardens growing and bountiful, our decks and yards amass with annual and perennial color, our time spent outdoors shared with friends and family.

And then it’s summer; usually an instantaneous happening here in the Rogue Valley, as we go from a cold spring with late frosts, to 80- and 90-degree days. No transitional, gradual warming, nope! It comes in like a bang, and we are thankful that it is here. Yay! We can plant gardens, visit nurseries and eat outdoors.

And suddenly it is too hot to stay outside for very long, even though slathered in sunscreen. Now days are spent indoors again, slipping outside only at dawn and dusk to water the many plots and containers we were so excited about planting just two months ago! Then, just when we figure out watering schedules, activities, and what we won’t be planting next year – the dreaded wildfire smoke comes into our lives. It’s summer in the Rogue Valley!

Living in a beautiful area with an abundance of nature also means that the health of our forests plays a dominant role in our lives. Forest fires in the PNW used to occur every 5–10 years; now they happen yearly. Where there is fire there is smoke. In 2018 we averaged 37 days of unhealthy air pollution; in 2020 it was 41 days (particulate matter in the air was over 100 on the Air Quality Index). There goes the tail end of summer.

Life is not how we dictate it should be, it is what it is. We need to adjust to the new kind of “summer” whether we want to or not. Here’s hoping the fires will soon be contained and the smoke will clear. We can enjoy the merging into fall; delighting in the cooler weather and sunny afternoons, as we clear the gardens for next season’s crops. Goodbye Summertime Blues!

Jul 28

The President’s Corner — Who and What is the Garden Enhancement Committee?

By Beet 2023 08 August

 

 

As President, I am involved in the many aspects of the JCMGA business. Before I became President, I gradually involved myself in several committees to get a feel for the things that we as an organization do and the people who do them.  I then graduated to being a part of several working groups. Some groups are mostly “business”, and some are about activity-related business. I enjoy all of them, and as I can’t seem to stay out of anything, especially if it involves an event, I am there!

There is one committee that I am especially fond of, and I have been a member since I was a student. It is a “get it done” group that is not afraid to get their hands dirty (or face or clothes, LOL). Most of the members don’t hold any other positions – we are all the same hardworking people who enjoy each other’s company. The Garden Enhancement Committee – affectionately known as the GEC – is a committee in the Gardens Working Group. Our fearless leader is Janine Salvatti and members include Kari Gies, Marcie Katz, Candie Steely, Lyn Boening and Gail Ropel. We meet every Monday from 9 AM to 12 PM.

We tackle many projects. All the pathways that connect the gardens are our domain. We keep them intact and weed-free by using vinegar, Preen weed preventer, hard work and lots of decomposed granite! We also maintain all the signage for the Demonstration Gardens. All those signs with the info boxes in each garden are put in place by us. The brochure boxes are put up each spring and taken down in the fall. The face pages in the boxes are written (with input from the GEMS) and designed by our graphic designer, with the same verbiage that is on each garden’s webpage. This year we revamped and updated them to include a QR code which takes you right to the JCMGA webpage. The directional arrows on the signpost and throughout the gardens are placed by us as well. As there have been many changes in the gardens in the last few years, it has been challenging to keep up!

Our little group has also taken on a few areas of our own to develop. The driveway entry sign used to have grass and weeds around it until we planted native plants with the help of Sherri Morgan and Lynn Kunstman several years ago. Since there is no irrigation out there, we manually water every week and keep it maintained.

Many of you are familiar with the “Gathering Place”, that peaceful area under the beautiful old oak. That area used to be a part of the Kitchen Garden, which was decommissioned due to placement of the storage pods. We decided to make it a meeting/lunch/quiet spot. We spray painted the patio tables and chairs, then transformed the remaining raised beds into a cut flower garden for all to see and enjoy when entering the parking lot. Janine, our resident artist, made the mosaic butterfly on the “Gather” post and turned us on to making “glass panel mosaics.” We had a workday where we made the glass panels you see hanging in several of the gardens. They are quite a hit! So much so, the Fundraising Committee has scheduled a workshop on September 15 for anyone who wants to make some! Bring materials (frame with glass, vase marbles, colored glass saucers, cups, etc.) and create a masterpiece of your own!

We have also been known to help out in Demonstration Gardens that don’t have a GEM. Currently we are working on the Fig Grove – weeding, cutting blackberries and eventually laying down wood chips. All in all, not bad for a group of aging women! Even our meetings are fun. We meet at each other’s homes once a month for lunch, take a tour of the gardens and talk shop!  If you are interested in joining our merry little band, come over on any Monday, or contact Janine Salvatti at lesandjanine@gmail.com 

Jul 27

The Lavender Trail Stops Here!

By Beet 2023 08 August

There’s a weekend every June when the lavender farms from all over the Rogue Valley are open to the public for the Lavender Festival Trail. Visitors can choose to visit them all or select a few favorites, and immerse themselves in the heavenly aroma of French and English lavender in full bloom.

This year, our site was somehow omitted from the official Lavender Trail brochure. However, the dates coincided with our scheduled native plant sale, so Margaret Clark and Irv Johnson, the GEMS of our beautiful Lavender Garden, didn’t give up. With the help of Master Gardener volunteers, they patiently planted themselves under canopies for the three days, hoping our signs along Hanley Road and on the SOREC billboard would catch the attention of lavender lovers.

 

“If you make it, they will come.” A stream of garden enthusiasts stopped by to wander among the 80 plus varieties in the Lavender Demonstration Garden; the only one in the PNW that is registered in the Herb Society of America. Margaret did an amazing job of providing shortbread cookies rolled in lavender sugar, lavender lemonade, samples of Lilli Belle lavender chocolate and Rogue Creamery’s “La La Lavender” Blue Cheese.  She beautifully decorated the tables with lavender tablecloths, décor and napkins.                                   

 

It was another “we are back” moment for the Association; 2019 being the last year in which we participated. All in all, it was a fun and successful weekend, and you can be sure we will be back on that list for next year! My thanks to Margaret and Irv and the wonderful volunteers; not only those who came out in the heat to work that weekend, but also those who worked for several days prior to the festival to help get it ready. It truly does take a village!

 

There will be a lavender harvest workday in August, where we will learn how to harvest, store and braid the lavender, which we will sell at our Fall Harvest Festival.  Also, Irv is looking for a replacement (he has been working in the garden for over 15 years), so if any of you want to be a Co-GEM (Garden Education Mentor) with Margaret or just a lavender helper, come out on Wednesdays from 9-12. Contact Marcie Katz for information about the Lavender Garden at marciek10@gmail.com

Jul 27

  GEMS, our Garden Custodians

By Beet 2023 08 August

                                               

You’ve heard me talk about the GEMS before. Formally known as the Garden Education Mentors, they are the garden caretakers and custodians of the beautiful Demonstration Gardens on the Extension grounds.

If you haven’t been out to experience the gardens, now is the perfect time, as they are in full bloom! This year, with the help of our Student Apprentices, the gardens look amazing. We have a great bunch of workers, and as they say, “many hands make light work.”  And it shows! I am excited to see that many of the students are dedicated to their selected gardens, are engaged in long-term garden planning and show up every week to carry on with the constant maintenance required.

If you are interested in becoming a GEM or co-GEM, we have two gardens in need of a GEM – the Entry Garden and the Lavender Garden. Or, if you simply want to come out and help, lend a hand to these two gardens. The Rose Garden needs additional help because its team of six workers has dwindled down to one. All those the roses require deadheading and that’s a lot to do by oneself every week!

Being a GEM is rewarding. You will share in the comradery of working on a group project, giving and receiving help from other gardeners, feeling pride in your garden, and having fun in teaching gardening practices. Sometimes the students are even the teachers!

If you are interested in becoming a GEM, please contact Marcie Katz at marciek10@gmail.com

Jun 29

The President’s Corner — Bring on the Red, White, and Blue!

By Beet 2023 07 July

 

 

 

 

It’s fireworks time once again! While our nation celebrates Independence Day, and the night sky fills with beautiful colors of red, white, and blue, we as home gardeners can celebrate our gardens and the freedom of being able to grow whatever type of garden we desire. Whether it is a shade, waterwise, vegetable, rose, native, perennial, cottage or succulent rock garden, you can find plants that have red, white or blue flowers!

Does your vegetable garden have companion plant borage with its beautiful blue flowers or do you grow native asters? How about your shade garden with its bright red begonias and impatiens, or succulents with red flowers, such as kalanchoe and portulaca. Night gardens of all white flowers are fragrant and luminous, like moon flowers and star jasmine. Of course, there are hundreds of perennials and annuals that offer up all three colors. Yes, there are even   hybrid blue roses, though they are incredibly rare. So, if you are in the mood for creating a patriotic garden, or you just want to know because it is July, here is a list of red, white, and blue flowers that bloom this month in our area. Summer is here so sit back and eat a burger while you enjoy the view and smell the flowers! Happy Independence Day!

Red Flowers – Hollyhocks, Impatiens, Day Lily, Cardinal Flower, Salvia, Celosia, Dianthus, Echinacea, Verbena, Montbretia, Geranium, Hibiscus, Kniphofia, Lantana, Nemesia, Oriental Poppy, Petunia, Phlox, Spirea, Begonia, Weigela, Yarrow, Rose, Kalanchoe, Portulaca, and lilies.

White Flowers – Foxglove, Candytuft, Lupin, Rose, Statice, Calla Lily, Larkspur (Delphinium), Lavender, Dahlia, Clematis, Hydrangea, Agapanthus, Star Jasmine, Shasta Daisy, Sneezewort, Swamp Milkweed, Japanese Anemone, lilies, Moonflowers and Morning Glories.

Blue Flowers – Delphinium, Cornflower, Clematis, Balloon Flower, Hydrangea, Morning Glory, Pincushion Flower, Lobelia, Love-in-a-Mist, Salvia, Gentian, Globe Thistle, Aster, Blue Daisy, Blue Hibiscus, Bluecrown Passionflower, Lungwort, Lupin, Monkshood, Poorman’s Weather Glass, Poppy Anemone, Sea Holly, Veronica, and Borage.

 

 

May 31

The President’s Corner — “We Put the Spring in Spring Fair”

By Beet 2023 06 June

By the time you read this it will be June. The sixth month suggests many things – we’re halfway through the year, kids get out of school on summer vacation, the summer solstice gives us the longest day of the year – and it’s gardening time!

All around the valley gardeners are out tending their newly planted tomatoes, squash, cukes, eggplants, melons and peppers, thanks in part to our Spring Garden Fair held May 6th on the OSU Extension campus. It was an incredible feat, considering it had been 4 years since the last SGF was held at the Expo. The Jackson County Master Gardener Association took a leap of faith that the community would remember us, even though the fair was smaller and only open for one day. Our motto was “If we grow the plants, they will come!” Of course, a large part of the picture was having a full class of 55 students enrolled in the Master Gardener Program and a Practicum that ran eight sessions a week, including weekends to accommodate everyone’s schedule!

This Practicum was very different this year as we lost our old classroom due to asbestos. Everything that had been packed up and placed in storage now had to be found and unpacked. Supplies were given a home in greenhouse 1, which served as our new “classroom”. Mentors came back – but at half the numbers – yet still we persevered with Jane Moyer and Lynn Kunstman as our valiant leaders. There was much to do, but the students and mentors did the work. The results were two greenhouses of beautiful, lush vegetables, herbs, ornamentals, and of course native plants in the Native Plant Nursery.

But that wasn’t the only setback. We were on uncharted ground, literally, as the SGF would be on the SOU Extension grounds. How many vendors could we accommodate? Where do we put them and where do we park all the cars?  Thanks to the partnership with SOREC, Alec Levin, our new director, granted us the use of a 20-acre field for parking. Surprise – it required driving over a one lane bridge to get in and out!  Sandy Hammond, Chair of the SGF Committee, arranged for volunteer traffic controllers and event signs from ODOT. They did an amazing job parking over 3000 cars successfully!

Sandy Hansen contacted the vendors and brought in some of our very favorites. With the help of Lucy Pylkki, they organized the site and volunteers, the use of two-way radios and how to run Square for credit cards at the cashiers’ stations. Janine Salvatti’s Garden and Grounds people did an incredible job tidying up the grounds and several of the gardens too, so the place shined.

Many attendees told us they were so happy our fair was back and that they loved seeing all the gardens and experiencing the Extension for the first time. Without our many volunteers we could not have made this happen – especially our student volunteers who really stepped up to the plate. We are so lucky to have such a great bunch!

So let summer begin! We are off to a terrific start! We can sit back and enjoy our gardens, listen to the birds and bees, and think about next year’s Spring Garden Fair!

Apr 30

The President’s Corner — Why Does the Earth get Only One Day?

By Beet 2023 05 May

May Day! It’s finally here, the month of May, the turning point, an end to frost and snow (hopefully) and time to get those tomatoes, peppers and other tender veggies in the ground. As we all know that “Mother’s Day” signals the coast is clear! But is it? Recent weather in the last few years has changed those old predictors, making us stop and re-evaluate. Super cold springs, scorching hot summers, global warming is real, the Earth is telling us to wake up and time to take notice!

I was recently at a local Earth Day Celebration. Everyone there was concerned about the environment, the future of bees, and the importance of native plants in our home gardens. That made me contemplate why we only celebrate the Earth for ONE day! I remember the very first Earth Day in 1970! I was a senior in high school, and very involved in ecology and zero population control. My school had a big outdoor assembly and invited guest speaker Eddie Albert (you may remember him from Green Acres), who was an ecology activist. I belonged to the Ecology Club, and we went to UC Berkeley to attend the burying of a car! What enthusiasm I had at age 17! How naïve! I rode my bicycle to work and back, mostly out of necessity because my car blew up, and being a poor student, I certainly wasn’t leaving a big carbon footprint. Then the years went by, and life happened. Although I moved to Oregon where life was slower and more in tune with the land, my only contribution to the earth was limiting my use of paper towels and plastics. We recycled, we composted, I got the Rodale Press book of “Organic Gardening”, I even made bread (for a while). Then I turned into a consumer, I had two kids and all that came with them, disposable diapers (the real ones lasted one whole week!). Baby wipes, plastic bottles, binkies, and sippy cups. My gardening time was replaced with two jobs – my career as a full time X-Ray Tech and then as a single mother. Earth Day was no longer on my radar; I was in survival mode!

Fast forward to the 2000s – the kids were bigger; I had a new spouse to share the daily chores with and I had garden time again. That’s when I started paying attention to the weather, and things, well, they were a-changing! We had hailstorms in July that dented cars, a month-long freeze that broke pipes, late snows that intermixed with 80-degree days in March, shorter springs and longer, hotter summers with less frequent mid-summer rainfalls. Now people were starting to take notice, as every year major weather events of floods, forest fires, tornados, and hurricanes were in the news.

But why has it taken 50 years? Why didn’t we listen to the predictions, and WHY does the Earth only have one day a year to be commemorated? If you are like me, you try to do your part – we don’t litter, we recycle, go to Goodwill and other thrift stores to buy gently used rather than new if possible, and fix things that are broken instead of throwing away. My old mantra is the “new” three R’s – repair, recycle, repurpose! I also joined the Master Gardeners upon my retirement and that opened my eyes to native plants. I went from a deer in the headlights, “duh, what’s a native”, to being an advocate who tells everyone who will listen to plant them. I watch Dr. Tallamy’s videos and read his books. I want to help the baby birds have lots of yummy caterpillars to eat and have habitat for the wildlife!

We need to celebrate the Earth EVERYDAY! You can do it too, by contributing to agencies that save the whales, clean up ocean plastics or stop the rainforests from being burned, and by planting native plants in your home garden.  This planet is not just for us. Every living thing has a function and part in this amazingly complex design of ecosystems and food webs, and we as humans have successfully turned it upside down. We can’t wait another 50 years. It will be too late; we may be the last generations to know of how the Earth used to be.

Mar 31

The Presidents Corner — Spring has Sprung!

By Beet 2023 04 April

 

A time for re-birth, the first day of spring signals the promise of the end of winter. Week by week, little flowers poke their colorful heads up to welcome the sun – crocus, snowbells and hellebore, oh my! We all look forward to seeing the bright, happy bunches of narcissus and daffodils that follow. Undaunted, even in snow, their sturdy stems standing strong, holding up the cups of sunshine yellow.

Spring brings with it optimism, waking us from slumber to reignite our passions. For some that may mean a thorough spring cleaning of the house, tackling overstuffed closets, garages, and attics. For others, it might be gardening! Avid gardeners have been preparing for this moment for months already, poring over seed catalogs, placing orders, re-evaluating garden layouts and beds. Some may have already started tomato and pepper seeds indoors, planted onions and garlic and have lettuce and kale growing. They have prepared their soil by adding amendments and checked irrigation systems, for the growing season to come.

I always find this time of year a tug-o-war struggle between staying inside and getting household (and computer) things taken care of, and being pulled to the outdoors, if just to sit with my face to the sun listening to the birdsong. I’m also a sucker for browsing the nurseries and garden centers this time of year, seeing what’s new in garden décor and the variety of plants that come in.  Sadly, I have been influenced by a pretty face during these reconnaissance visits, with plants that just seem to appear in my basket by magic! Surely I had a plan for where to put them in the back of my mind, right?

An organized person would have a set plan and schedule, committed to spending time daily or weekly (depending on the size of the garden), getting it ready, and checking off jobs.  I find it’s hard to plan an outdoor schedule since the weather in our area can change from day to day or even hour to hour. After all it is Oregon, and I must admit, I am a fair-weather gardener! Little by little, the things that need to be done eventually get done, and the things that don’t are put on the back burner for another day, or month or season. I don’t chastise myself for not finishing everything on my list – I want to take the time to watch the plants grow and smell the flowers! True, no one knows what the future holds, and we should live each day to its fullest, but that also means relaxing and going with the flow. We could all take a lesson from our gardens; every season brings about change, things grow, fade and die, and after the dark of winter, if they survive, they  emerge triumphant, ready to face life’s challenges all over again. Plants, like us, can encounter disease, pestilence or other conditions that makes them sick and weak. They either make a recovery, or they don’t. The point is they don’t know their future, they just keep on going, from the moment that little seed or bulb gets warmed up and sprouts until its last flower is spent, they don’t give up, for there is always hope for one more spring with all it brings!

However you do spring, busy with indoor or outdoor garden projects, make it enjoyable. Spread out the workload to minimize dreaded tasks. Pace yourself and be sure to stop and enjoy the beauty of life and nature around you.

Happy spring!

 

Feb 28

The President’s Corner

By Beet 2023 03 March

GEMs of the Demonstration Gardens

When you think of a GEM, a sparkly, shiny jewel comes to mind. One may think that GEMS of the Demonstration Gardens would be an exceptionally beautiful flower, a blooming tree or specimen shrub. In this case though, when we refer to GEMs, it is an acronym for Garden Education Mentor(s). These are the Head Gardeners of the 15 Demonstration Gardens that are located throughout the extension grounds. These dedicated Master Gardeners choose to work in their extension gardens for the love of gardening and an interest in what that specific garden offers. Many of them have home gardens as well, and so coming out once a week (or more) from March through October to tend another garden is truly an act of love and devotion.

Each year they sign a contract that entails: weekly workday attendance on Wednesdays, maintaining their gardens within the parameter of its theme, keeping records of plantings, products used, irrigation and other issues, attending monthly GEMs meetings, and most importantly, TEACHING! They teach basic garden skills to apprentices, as well as training them about the unique requirements that their specific garden needs. Since the Demonstration Gardens are open to the public, GEMs are often asked questions from interested visitors. All Master Gardeners can apply to be a GEM if they complete a minimum of 10 educational hours and 20 volunteer hours annually to be Certified, a requirement by OSU for Master Gardeners that teach.

The last few years have been challenging for our gardens, as for much of 2020 and part of 2021 we were not allowed onto the extension grounds during Covid 19. And oh boy, did our gardens suffer! Weeds reigned supreme, some growing to heights of five and six feet tall! Pathways were obscured and the beautiful resident plants had to fight to stay alive. It is still an ongoing battle, as weed seeds can remain in the soil for years but we are finally getting ahead of them! Then in 2022 the well went dry, and many plants suffered and died as the warm weather lasted into fall. If all that wasn’t bad enough, during those years many of our volunteers, to be safe, remained at home and for varied reasons retired from Master Gardeners. Because the care and preservation of the gardens is a primary issue, hard decisions were made during these times and so, unfortunately, several of our gardens have been decommissioned or their theme changed due to several factors.

Have no fear though, the current gardens are our pride and joy and are very beautiful.  This year we have great expectations of highlighting their glory with Garden Tours from local Garden Clubs and visitors. To top it off, we have a full class of eager Master Gardener Apprentices that will be a huge help for the GEMs, as many hands make light work and there is much to be learned in the varied gardens!

I hope you all take the time to visit the gardens, walk the paths, and talk to the gardeners working in them. Visit often, as they change from week to week, with different plants blooming from March through October in a rainbow of colors. We are currently looking for a GEM for the Culinary Herb Garden, and apprentice(s) to eventually become GEMs of the Lavender Garden and the Vineyard. If you are interested in becoming a GEM or helping to work in any of the Demonstration Gardens, please contact Marcie Katz at marciek10@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

Jan 31

The President’s Corner — What is a Master Gardener?

By Beet 2023 02 February

I am sure after reading the title of this article, that a word or idea comes directly to mind about what a Master Gardener is to you. To many, it refers to a knowledge of gardening, the how and why of being a successful gardener, forever learning. To others it invokes pouring over seed catalogs, looking for just the right seeds to raise that special heritage tomato or long-forgotten bean. Then there are those who look to improve their environment and the planet by planting natives in their home landscape to benefit the local wildlife and insects, and to support their food chain.

Or maybe it is just about joining a group of like-minded people, working side-by-side in the Demonstration Gardens, greenhouses or on special projects. We are a community. We come from different walks of life, different careers and sometimes different states or countries! Gardening is what brings us together, and whether we are novices or licensed pros, we enjoy each other’s company in doing what we love.

Gardening is something we can do our whole life. Whether a sunny windowsill full of house plants, a big yard, or a small patio, it is someplace to get our hands dirty and grow things. Gardens, like life, will wax and wane according to our responsibilities and constraints put upon us. When we are young and energetic, there are so many demands of running a home and career. As we age, we have the time, but physicality sometimes puts limits on us. We find ourselves in new roles as our needs and abilities change.

For many, taking the Master Gardener Program comes later in life; lucky are the ones who can be a part of it in their youth! For those of us that have some free time on our hands, however, there are other ways to be involved that don’t require heavy lifting or a strict schedule – you can be a Master Gardener Volunteer! Volunteering is the heart of our organization; it is what keeps the program going and serves the public by teaching the art and science of gardening for future generations.

In our Jackson County Master Gardener Association there are lots of ways to volunteer! Of course, not everyone wants to be the President or on the Board of Directors, but that is a great way to know what the organization is doing and have a say in its future.

If you don’t want anything quite that formal, join a Working Group that only meets once a month! There is a variety to choose from; find one that fits your interests or skills:

  • Gardens WG (Native Nursery, Practicum, Demonstration Gardens, grounds maintenance, garden enhancement)
  • Marketing and Technology WG (Garden Beet, Facebook, Mailchimps, YouTube, the JCMGA website, advertising, photography and videography)
  • Member Services (Directory, Member registration, condolences)
  • Community Outreach WG (Garden/School Grants, Scholarships, Speakers Bureau, Community Gardens, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion)
  • Fundraising WG (special events, incoming grants)
  • Practicum (mentors, Garden Buddies)

Last but not least, the Plant Clinic is where your help would be much appreciated. In addition to all that fun we aways need extra bodies for the once-a-year events such as Spring Garden Fair (yes, it’s back!), Fall Festival (new, coming this fall!) and Winter Dreams, Summer Gardens (held virtually, virtual host volunteers needed). Or, how about just coming out to help for a few hours at the Picnic, Graduation, or on Wednesdays, March through October in the Demonstration Gardens?

YOU, the JCMGA members, are the Master Gardener Body and your volunteerism is its life blood! Please come and donate some of your free time, be around people who share the same interests and have fun. It’s good for you and benefits the community. No matter your level of involvement – whether online in zoom meetings making decisions, on committees, or out on the grounds getting dirty – we need and appreciate all of you!

 

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