Home&Real Estate
OPEN HOME GUIDE 52
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Home Front TREE WALK ... Arborist Ellyn Shea will lead a tree walk through the University South neighborhood on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at the Palo Alto Civic Center Plaza, 250 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. Information: 650-9646110, ext. 2, info@canopy.org or www.canopy.org CASTRO ST EXTRAVAGANZA ... The 40th annual Mountain View Art & Wine Festival takes place Saturday, Sept. 10 and Sunday, Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Castro Street between El Camino Real and Evelyn Avenue in downtown Mountain View. About 600 arts and crafts folks will display works in glass, ceramics, metal, wood, jewelry and more, plus there’ll be live music, food and alcoholic beverages, and kids’ activities. Information: 650-968-8378 or www.miramarevents.com FALL GARDENING ... Drew Harwell, manager of Jesse Cool’s Seeds of Change garden and former Common Ground garden manager, will teach a class on how to “Start Your Fall Garden” on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Common Ground Education Center, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto. Topics include year-round harvest, growing veggies in containers, coordinating the garden and kitchen and veggies that will grow in the shade. Cost is $35. Information: 650493-6072 or www.commongroundinpaloalto.org REPLACE THIRSTY LAWNS ... Bart O’Brien, special projects director at Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden in Santa Ana, Calif., will talk about “Reimagining the California Lawn” at the Western Horticultural Society meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m. The group meets at Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos. O’Brien is the co-author of three books on gardening with California native plants, including his new “Reimagining the California Lawn: Waterconserving Plants, Practices and Design.” Information: http:// westernhort.org IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME! ... Classes this fall offered through Palo Alto Adult School include: Upholstering, Tuesdays, Sept. 13-Nov. 15, or Thursdays, Sept. 15-Nov. 17, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., $195; Floral Design with Ikebana, Tuesdays, Sept. 13-Nov. 15, 1-4 p.m., $70; Garden Design for Homeowners, Tuesdays, Sept. 13-Oct. 25, 6-8 p.m., $72; Woodwork(continued on page 39)
Victoria Thoits, left, and Garden Club of Palo Alto co-chair Heidi Schwenk admire the variety of flowers growing at Gamble Garden, which club members use for flower arrangements.
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R^UQZP_TU\_ Ninety years later, the Garden Club of Palo Alto keeps giving back to the community by Janelle Eastman photos by Veronica Weber
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t was in October 1921 when a mutual love for gardening and community service inspired Mrs. Frederick Wheeler, along with 11 other women, to volunteer their time and establish the Garden Club of Palo Alto. The goal of the Garden Club was quite unequivocal — to actively provide leadership and educate the community about gardening by serving local organizations. With the dedication emanating from the club’s eight executive board chairs and 250 volunteers, the goal of the original 12 women is as clear today as it was nine decades ago. “I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the quality of life within the community,” Lonnie Zarem said as she arranged a bouquet of decorative dahlias under the large oak tree at Gamble Garden in Palo Alto. Since becoming a member in 2005, Zarem volunteers her time as co-chair of the Community Outreach Committee, one of 22 Garden
Club committees. The Community Outreach Committee meets between July and September (peak gardening season) at Gamble Garden. There, roughly five to eight women pick flowers, courtesy of the Gamble Garden, and arrange them to later be distributed among 90 organizations and community centers including local schools, hospitals and firehouses. “Volunteering for the Garden Club of Palo Alto is more of a relaxed volunteerism; it is up to each volunteer on the amount of time they wish to input,” Zarem said. Becoming a member takes time, patience and dedication. “Anyone interested in volunteering needs a recommendation by a current member who can later represent them as a sponsor to shadow for five committee meetings throughout the year,” Nancy Wong, president of the Garden Club of Palo Alto, said. After attending five committee meetings, an application is filled with an attached report on any horticultural subject of her — or his — choice. Although women are the dominant ma-
Victoria Thoits arranges a flower basket, which will be delivered to Palo Alto schools, during a meeting of the Garden Club of Palo Alto. jority of volunteers, men are welcome to apply for membership. Once accepted as a member, the person can join whichever committee appeals. “It depends on what you do and what you want to do with your time,” Zarem said. “All volunteer hours are appreciated.” Once Janelle Foder, a Garden Club member for six years, finished raising her children, she (continued on page 39)
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