Gala Garden Show 2010 • 1
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Gala Garden Show 2010
We do it every time we plant a seed, a bulb, a start, an idea. There will be lots of these at the 12th Annual Soroptimist Gala Garden Show, March 20-21. The gala event will be at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club, 400 N. Fir St. It’s been a mild winter and your garden already may be beckoning you. The growth of what you plant depends on many things — the soil, water, sun, wind, nutrients, etc. How do you know the right combination? And how do you compensate when Mother Nature has a say in it? You’re sure to find plenty of answers at the Soroptimist Garden Show. One way to garner advice is through the Speakers’ Series. This year it is being organized by the Master Gardeners, so you know the lessons will be chock full of techniques to ensure the success of all your planted possibilities. Some of the topics include Gardening for Your Health; Keeping Your Pond Healthy; Sherlock Holmes for Plants — to name a few. A full list of the speakers and topics can be found at www.sequimgardenshow. com. Vegetables are an important element of good health. The Speakers’ Series has a wealth of healthful information. You can learn everything about vegetables — from how to plan your vegetable garden, to preparing vegetables and grains in the seasonal kitchen. As a special feature, the Master Gardeners are sponsoring Ed Hume, this year’s keynote speaker. Many people recognize him from his weekly television show “Gardening in America,” from his weekly radio show or from reading one of his books. His newest one, “Gardening with Ed Hume, Northwest Gardening Made Easy,” will be available for purchase at the show. Through his accomplishments and energetic activities, Hume has made major contributions to the field of horticulture locally, regionally and nationally. Hume will be speaking about “Vegetable Gardening Start to Finish” on Saturday at 1 p.m. The venue will be the Helen Haller Elementary gym. Admission to his presentation is free to those who attend the Garden Show. Just show your wristband when entering the gym. Questions and answers will follow. The gardening guru then will return to the Boys & Girls Club where he will be available for more questions — not just about vegetables, as well as a book signing. This is something you don’t want to miss.
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Admission to the show is $5 for one day. You are greeted by smiling Soroptimist members and receive a wristband which is good for that entire day. For Saturday, it includes admittance to the special keynote speaker presentation. This year there will be a nature walk designed and created by Good Earth Plantings. This is one of the first things you will see once you step beyond the front lobby. It will transport you to a realm where planting possibilities takes over. Plants need nourishment to grow, and in the big picture, money is the nourishment that allows Soroptimist International of Sequim to do its work. A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the annual Gala Garden Show is its main fundraiser of the year. The mission of Soroptimist is to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world. The money Soroptimist International of Sequim raises funds local awards such as the Women’s Opportunity Award, Violet Richardson Award (honors young women between the ages of 14-17 who volunteer in the community. The award is named after the first president of the first Soroptimist club), 11 scholarships, plus donations to First Teacher, Rose House (shelter for victims of domestic violence), Sequim Community Aid and Boys & Girls Club, just to name a few. They also contribute to the Mujeres de Maiz Foundation, an organization helping women in Chiapas, Mexico, which was started by several Sequim women. The Women’s Opportunity Award program is Soroptimist’s major project. Through this program, clubs in 19 countries and territories assist women who provide the primary source of financial support for their families by giving them the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects. Two local signature projects are the WIN (Women in Networks) program and the Medical Loan Closet. You can learn more by visiting www.sisequim.com. Back by popular demand will be hand-painted Adirondack chairs for raffle. Each chair has a unique design and energy. They are multi-purpose — providing comfortable seating and visual pleasure. Another means to finding answers to your gardening concerns is talking to the exhibitors at the Garden Show. Several nurseries will be represented and will be happy to share their knowledge and expertise. More than 60 vendors will provide items to
Phone: (360) 683-3311 • FAX: (360) 683-6670 e-mail: patc@sequimgazette.com Publisher: Sue Ellen Riesau Design: Mary Field Managing Editor: James Casey Special Sections Editor: General Manager: Steve Perry Patricia Morrison Coate
fulfill any gardener’s dream. From nurseries and local farms, to landscaping professionals and garden tools, to garden art and garden furniture, you’ll discover more than you thought possible. You’ll see some new vendors such as Galloping Goats Farm, The Desert Northwest and The Red Rooster Grocery — which also is a sponsor. Something else new this year is attendees to the Garden Show will be able to vote for their favorite vendor booth. This encourages exhibitors to present an attractive display and it allows the visitors to interact and be part of the whole Garden Show experience. The Garden Café will be in the same place as last year — the room just to the east (your right) once you enter beyond the lobby. It will be offering some new menu items. A complimentary area for informational/ educational booths also will be in that room. And music by harpist David Michael once again will soothe you as you eat a relaxing meal. The theme of this year’s Garden Show is Planting Possibilities. It is a carryover from the 2009-2010 club theme designated by Rose Jaeger, co-owner of Henery’s Garden Center, and this year’s president of Soroptimist of Sequim. So bring your questions, your curiosity and your open mind and let the Soroptimist Annual Gala Garden Show plant possibilities for you to take home. As you absorb and utilize the information you’ve gathered from the show, the seeds of your contributions will be planting possibilities for the women and girls Soroptimist supports. — Kathy Purcell
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Gala cover artist lives, breathes them
The works Mix has made for her show in June. Below, a selfportrait done in pastels.
Catherine Mix is this year’s featured artist and her rendition of hellebores blossoms graces the program’s cover. She was the child who could draw at school. She enjoyed it and was good at it. But she didn’t do anything in the way of art until she was laid off from Boeing in 1995. Mix tried a watercolor class and was off on a new career. She reallyenjoyed painting and taking workshops to increase herskill herskills. However, she was frustrated with th the watercolor medium because the colors d did not stay bright. “Wh “When it dries, it dies,” she remarks. And Mi Mix likes colors. She looked around at a va variety of pictures and techniques until she sh found that she most liked those with pastels. She took classes in done w working with them and found that she workin the results. liked th Paste Pastels are sticks of pure pigment. They hard for making fine lines or soft can be h making large lines and blending. for mak Mix has 96 boxes of pastels aarranged by color or hue, light to dark, dar rk, and varying from bright to muted or less intense. These colors are made by adding white, black or another color to the col basic color. She had found a medium that let her reproduce bright bas and varying colors of the flowers she loves to grow. She still was looking for a way to have the vivid colors she loves with the muted colors of the Northwest when she tried using the wit pastels over watercolor. Mix puts blocks of color on the paper with pas watercolors and then adds details with the pastels. The resulting wa works have a depth and color that is lacking with either medium wo alone. However, Mix finds that she has to have two studios because alo pastels are very dusty and that dust can interfere with watercolors. pas Once she starts a painting, she works all day on it for several days On until it is finished. She does not like to leave a painting until it is un nished the way she wants it. fin “If I’m excited enough about something to paint it, I work fulltime until it is done.” tim Mix has one picture that led her to workshops and a new teacher. She paints from photos she takes. There was one picture tea she painted 12 times and still the sky did not look the way it looked in tthe photo. She looked online to find the clouds she wanted then
Catherine Mix with one of her paintings. Photos by Dana Casey
contacted the painter about lessons. She attended a workshop on Whidbey Island to learn how to paint the clouds just right. The hangs iin th the ffarmhouse she and finall picture it h h h rents t ffor weddings ddi d meetings. One of Mix’s favorite subjects are the flowers from her enterprise The Cutting Garden. She has a one-acre garden full of flowers all summer long that the public can come cut. She asks customers to bring their own clean bucket. She provides clean, cool water, cutting tools and a hydrating solution to keep the flowers looking fresh for several days. The Cutting Garden is open June-October. She also uses the flowers for her other occupation as a wedding organizer. She rents the farmhouse to groups for a variety of purposes year-round and the garden for summer, outdoor weddings. The garden setting for weddings is a four-acre perennial garden around the farmhouse, not the same garden that is used for cutting. Until last summer, Mix did all the flower arranging herself but found one weekend that she had three large weddings to provide flowers for. That was too much work for one person and she advertised for help. Kindryn Domning answered the ad and has been doing flower arrangements for weddings with Mix since then. Mix will have an ARTfusion show June 4-6 with potter Dianne Johnston and watercolorist Pat Starr. She is making a series of flower paintings for the show and will sell the pictures, prints and cards made from the prints. The show will be at the farmhouse, 303 Dahlia Llama Lane off Woodcock Road, Sequim. She also sells prints and cards online or at The Cutting Garden in the summer. For more information about Mix and her gardens, see www. cuttinggarden.com. — Dana Casey
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Gala Garden Show 2010
Janine Reed “Clallam County’s Onsite Septic System Program” Janine will discuss the county’s Onsite Septic System Program and the new state regulations that required the program. She will discuss the major do’s and don’ts of homeowner septic system maintenance.
Jeanette Stehr-Green “Gardening and Your Health: How to be a Happier and Healthier Gardener!” Gardening is healthy for you! Research shows that gardening is an ideal form of exercise, reduces the risk of many diseases and can help you cope with stress. However, gardening is not risk free. Gardeners must take certain precautions to avoid injuries and health problems that can result from bad gardening practices. All gardeners must consider proper use of equipment, protective clothing, techniques to prevent back injury and safe pesticide use. Because of physical limitations, some gardeners need to use different approaches to gardening. This session will focus on 10 things that you can do to be a happier and healthier gardener.
Joe Holtrop “Sustainable Gardening with Native Plants” Basic permaculture design principles are utilized to explain how to develop a site-specific landscape design intended to meet the needs of both people and the environment. A naturalistic landscape style will be emphasized.
Rita Dinger “Planning Your Vegetable Garden for Success Year After Year” Crop rotation and planning are two keys to a successful vegetable garden. Learn to plan a three-year crop rotation system and how to keep useful records for garden layout, planting, fertilization and harvest.
Brian Burke “Keeping Your Pond Healthy Yearround” Brian will discuss various aspects of pond maintenance for each of the seasons: Spring — Plantings and pond preparation for the warm weather; Summer — Algae control and fish care; Fall — Clean up and plant care; and Winter — Freeze preparation and winterizing your pond.
Bob Cain “ Intensive Vegetable Gardening for Small Spaces” The presentation will cover the basics of raised-bed construction, preparation of growing soil, using containers as an alternative to raised beds, planting and watering options for high density planting and crop rotation. Modifications to assist senior and physically challenged gardeners also will be included. All scenarios will be illustrated using local examples from Washington and Oregon.
Ed Hume “Vegetable Gardening Start to Finish” This is an extremely popular program that draws standing-room-only crowds. Ed points out the importance of soil preparation and shows some of the ways the vegetable garden soil can be improved. He feels the success of any garden starts with quality soil and the yield is a direct result of how well the soil was prepared. Ed also discusses the advances of growing vegetables in raised beds. He points out warmer soil temperatures and better drainage are major factors in successfully growing vegetables in a Northwest marine climate. Have you ever tried growing vegetables in a wide-row? Ed points out the advantages of increasing your yield in a limited space. He also discusses the importance of vegetable garden layout in order to provide better light exposure and air circulation. Plus, he discusses types of vegetables, fertilization and possible problems and how to solve them in an environmentally friendly way.
Bill Wrobel “Sherlock Holmes for Plants” “What’s wrong with my plant? Elementary, my dear Watson, here’s how to tell what’s wrong and how to fix it.” By following a systematic approach, you too can become a plant detective and solve the mystery. Bill will show you two analysis methods. Find out how to define the problem and determine causes of the problem(s), plus you will receive a flow chart for plant diagnosis. Bill also will review a hot new reference book on plant problems and solutions!
Shara Truett “Prepping Vegetables and Grains for Success in the Seasonal Kitchen” Join culinary intern Shara Truett of Nash’s Organic Produce for an up-close and personal look at the ins and outs of handling veggies and grains for meal preparation. Shara will be sharing quick meal ideas, suggestions for success with seasonal foods and will be handing out recipe cards and samples. If you’ve ever been intimidated or bewildered by roots, greens and grains, or if you’re just looking for some fresh ideas to spice up your life, this is the class for you!
Saturday 10 a.m. Rita Dinger: How to Plan Your Vegetable Garden for Success Year After Year, Clallam County Master Gardener 11 a.m. Janine Reed: Clallam County’s Onsite Septic System Program, Clallam County Environmental Health Services 1 p.m. Ed Hume: Vegetable Gardening Start to Finish, Renowned garden speaker, author, radio and television personality. Keynote speaker. 3 p.m. Bob Cain: Intensive Vegetable Gardening for Small Spaces, Clallam County Master Gardener 4 p.m. Jeanette Stehr-Green: Gardening and Your Health: How to Be a Happier and Healthier Gardener!, Clallam County Master Gardener Sunday 11 a.m.
12 p.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m.
Shara Truett: Prepping Vegetables and Grains for Success in the Seasonal Kitchen, Culinary Intern, Nash’s Organic Produce Bill Wrobel: Sherlock Holmes for Plants, Clallam County Master Gardener Joe Holtrop: Sustainable Gardening with Native Plants, Clallam Conservation District Brian Burke: Keeping Your Pond Healthy Yearround, Full Spectrum Landscape Co.