Past Programs

From Our 2022-23 Programs

February 27 -- Orchid roots: You talking to me? -- Karen Wofford. Karen is president of the Sonoma County Orchid Society since 2013. She shared her passion and understanding of Orchids focusing on healthy roots.

January 23 -- Medicinal Herbs for the Garden -- Barbara Jean (BJ) Avery spoke about Medicinal Herbs that promote Diversity, Community Building, and Health for the People and Planet. BJ is the Director of the Sonoma County Herb Exchange. She works with local growers to bring sustainability and responsibility cultivated herbs to our communities of medicinal makers, kitchen witches, tea formula tours and herbal companies.

December 19 -- Holiday Floral Design -- Members of the Floral Arranging Guild created decorative arrangements.

November 28 -- Gardening for the Pollinators -- Susan Kegley and her husband, Geoff, are the owners of Bees N Blooms Farm, an 11-acre organic farm in Santa Rosa. Started in 2016, the farm has a half acre lavender labyrinth ( the largest in California). She discussed their farming techniques to attract pollinators. Susan is a PhD chemist and founder of Pesticide Research Institute as well as a member of the SCBA.

October 24 -- Gardening with the Wild in Mind -- Michael Presley and Alice Duvernell -- Plant propagation and cultivation highlighted organic, permacultural land biodynamic practices. Michael talked about the soil with a photo tour of various compost-making techniques scalable to any size. Michael studied atmospheric sciences at UCLA and did graduate work on Ocean Weather for JPL/NASA. He currently works for DaVero Farms and Winery in Healdsburg as “Soil Keeper” in gardens,vineyards, and olive orchards. Alice brought the herbology home into our kitchens through a diverse array of botanical extraction techniques. Aromatherapy, skincare, and nutrition are central themes of Alice’s work.

September 26 -- The Happy Dahlia Farm -- Meagan and Tony Major are the owners of the Happy Dahlia Farm in Petaluma. Meagan is a former make-up artist and had visions of owning property for a "healing center." She didn't realize that it would manifest itself in the form of a flower farm. The Happy Dahlia Farm is an acre of dahlias. They plant around 8,000 plants each year and are open from late July to October.

From Our 2021 - 2022 Programs

March 2022 Ann Lowings reminded us to appreciate all the insects in your garden. Anne went over common garden pests and the beneficial insects that help to control them. She has been a Master Gardener since 2005 and is a member of the Integrated Pest Management Specialist Team.

January 2022 event on history of Luther Burbank cancelled due to covid restrictions.

December 2021, The Flower Arrangers Guild brought in the holiday spirit. Our own club member, Cheryl Feuerborn, along with several members of the Guild created wonderful decorative arrangements.

November 2021, Suzanne Clarke, Plight of the Monarch Butterfly -- What happens when you have a technical glitch and can't show the program planned? Our top-notch speaker, Suzanne Clarke didn't miss a beat -- she spoke instead on a subject she is infinitely familiar with -- the plight of the Monarch butterfly. Walking around showing images from her laptop, we learned about the drastic decline of the species and how individuals in their gardens can help prevent this beautiful butterfly from disappearing altogether.

October 2021, The Honeybee, A Canary in the Ecosystem -- Encompassing the 130 million years of existence in the life of the honeybee, Thea Vierling emphasized some of the changes bees have gone through in that time. She will illustrate the co-evolution between flowering plants and bees and their dependence on each other and human dependence on their relationship continuing for our own existence. Moving on to the recent changes that are happening with the honeybees, information gave us hope that bees will survive…as survive they must.

From Our 2020 - 2021 Programs

In March 2020 we suspended programs due to the Coronavirus. Programs began again September 2021.

At the February 2020 meeting, we learned from Jennifer Dornbush how to have a thriving and bountiful food garden when growing food in small spaces as in a raised bed or containers. Special consideration for soil, irrigation and variety selection was discussed along with techniques to get the most out of your small garden

In January 2020, Master Gardener Dave Gould used scientific research to dispel many gardening "myths" we have all come to know regarding various gardening techniques. Does chewing gum really work to repel gophers? What is the best material to use in the bottom of a potted plant...rocks? Pottery shards? Sand? Nothing? Is using a 10% bleach solution really the best way to sterilize your pruning clippers? Dave helped us think about the value of using scientific research in tending your garden.

From Our 2018 - 2019 Programs

The May meeting was the club’s last activity together before the summer break. After a pot luck luncheon, members visited with friends new and old. Former SRGC Presidents were honored, and the outgoing officers were thanked for their service. The new officers for the upcoming year were installed.

In April, Jani Weaver addressed the need for drought tolerance with the desire for a landscape leaning toward lush. She gave examples of plants that can work in such an environment, and showed how different combinations of these plants produce texture and color play.

At the March meeting, Lea Goode-Harris, spoke about “Labyrinths in the Garden.” She talked about the history of labyrinths and showed us photos of her installations of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth, the SNOOPY™ Labyrinth at the Charles M. Schultz Museum. She showed us many beautiful labyrinths built with a wide variety of construction techniques and natural materials.

Also at the March meeting, we celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the Santa Rosa Garden Club with hats and cake!

In February, we heard about "Bugs in Our Gardens". The talk focused on the typical insects we find in Sonoma County and what they mean to our gardens. Some are pests, some are beneficials, and some are just doing their jobs in the environment, neither helping nor hurting our gardening efforts. Some are pests at one life stage and beautiful additions to gardens in another. The talk was given by Diane Kenworthy, with input from Anne Lowings, Laura Southworth, and Kathleen Fitzgerald-Orr. These ladies are all Master Gardeners with advanced training in Integrated Pest Management. They are also insect experts.

In January, Sandy Metzger showed us how, with a little sanding, paint, glue and screws, you can turn a found item into a unique piece of art for your garden. Her PowerPoint presentation showed a whole host of different types of second hand items and their wonderful transformations.

For our December Holiday Party, the Bethlehem Tower Choir under the direction of Gloriann Lindberg performed for us as we enjoyed our lunch from Chloe's Cafe and snacked on the wonderful gingerbread and rice crispy men and women. Members brought samples of their beautiful crafts for display. Wonderful centerpiece houses were auctioned off, and many wonderful prizes were given out at the raffle. It was a festive day to celebrate the holiday season with friends.

For the November meeting, floral designer Melinda Wolcott showed the Santa Rosa Garden Club how to make holiday floral arrangements using basic design principles and readily available materials. She built five beautiful examples of different types of arrangements while we watched.

Suzanne Clarke brought her passion for Monarch bufferflies, along with a number of caterpillars, to our October meeting. She explained what the home gardener can do to help their survival. Additional information can be found on Suzanne’s Facebook page, “Sonoma County Butterfly Alliance”.

For the September meeting, Fred Frey of Vintage Tree Care kicked off the new year of programs with an informative talk on pruning fruit trees for maintenance, tree health, and to maximize fruit production.

From Our 2017 - 2018 Programs

In April, Jani Weaver, of Garden Weaver Design, a manager of The Nursery at Emerisa Gardens, and a Sonoma County Master Gardener, spoke to us about conifers and their use in our gardens. She literally brought a truckload of plants with her as examples, and showed us how to pair up the conifers with other plants in the garden. It was a new look at conifers for all of us.

For our March program, Mary Frost, a past president of the Santa Rosa Garden Club, presented tips to keep container gardens healthy and thriving. Additional information can be found on her web site: www.thegardeningtutor.net

In February, Sue Lovelace discussed design elements and the selection and preparation of materials as she created a series of beautiful arrangements of foliage and flowers.

At our January 2018 meeting, Curtis Short discussed how a well designed garden uses its own architectural language to tell us exactly where to go, how to move, and where to rest.

Our December Holiday Mixer featured a delicious catered lunch, holiday music by the Bethlehem Tower Choir, artwork created by our members, and a wonderful raffle, along with a lot of fun and an opportunity to meeting new friends and spend some time with old friends.

The November presentation was a talk by Diane Kenworthy and Kathleen Fitzgerald-Orr on Healthy Gardens, and focused on the best sustainable practices for home gardeners to prevent and solve garden problems.

Our October meeting gave us a chance to catch up with each other, wrap our arms around each other, and practice the fellowship of gardening after the horrific events of the prior several weeks.

For our September meeting, Veronica Bowers, Director of California Native Songbird Care & Conservation (NSCC), presented a slide show on songbirds and garden choices which allow them to thrive. With careful native plant choices, our gardens can be a haven for native birds too as well as a recharge station for migratory birds and a nesting area for overwintering birds. For more information on her organization, visit nativesongbirdcare.org