Coordinator’s Column

Hello Gardeners,

Have you noticed more intense heat waves the past few decades? Increased Douglas fir die back? Or maybe you have needed to change the way you water your garden? Maybe you haven’t seen any changes in your area! The Statewide Master Gardener Program is working on addressing all of these changes and similar questions.  We received a grant to develop a new initiative: our Garden Future project. https://extension.oregonstate.edu/garden-future

Garden Future focuses on creating resilient gardens across Oregon that are better prepared for the curveballs nature throws at us. There are many ways to accomplish this goal. The first step is to gather input from our local gardeners on what changes they see in their gardens.

Please take the anonymous survey found on the website cited above to share your observations and join the email list to keep in the loop!  Data on what you see (or don’t see) changing in your gardens helps us prepare useful information for Jackson County residents.

We hope to get information from local gardeners who have been here for varying lengths of time. Whether you grew up here, moved here when you were young, or transplanted to the area later in life, your input is valuable. The survey asks what county you are in, so it helps us develop a more precise focus.

At the statewide level, results from the survey will be shared with our volunteers and local gardeners in a variety of ways. For example, we will educate Master Gardeners by developing an online learning module for volunteers to learn about local changes observed in our weather patterns. Each area of Oregon is unique and has its own set of challenges in gardening. Did you know that in the past few decades gardeners have noticed it has been getting windier in central Oregon?

Beyond training ourselves, the Garden Future project focuses on our communities. A set of tabling supplies will help gardeners to think about adaptations to better prepare gardens for drought, fires, and other struggles gardeners face. The Garden Future volunteer guide has tips on using all these materials and starting conversations to engage residents in this conversation. Our new tabling materials include…

• A large Garden Future banner to catch attention
• Paper surveys and a QR code to an online version of the survey
• Posters, stickers, and pins explaining how to take the survey
• Firewise garden publications, regional specific waterwise plant list, pollinator plants for west of the Cascades, and any other items we think would be good to add!
• A spin wheel question game focused on native plants and waterwise techniques
• Last but not least, a garden design activity with sample plants for folks to imagine a redesign of their yards.

As you can see, there are a lot of parts to this project and a variety of tabling materials. Earth Day at Blue Heron Park would be a good time to promote the survey and offer an activity. The Spring Garden Fair would be another fruitful event to share resources. If you missed the March launch of this project – don’t worry. The statewide MG program will develop a video on using these items.

The survey and the Garden Future project will help us better serve our Jackson County residents as we adapt to local changes in weather and environment.

Happy Gardening,

Grace Florjancic