Annual Plant Sale

It’s the highlight of spring and the beginning of gardening season. Dig up those plants early and often.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harbert%20Community%20Park/118147411571178/

Plant Sale Labels - Printable

Books and Plants, Heaven on Earth

Jocylene Tuszynski, owner of Flourish Books and Plants, will tell us about her inspiration to begin this traveling business and share her current favorite books and plants.

About Us: Flourish Books & Plants began in the late summer of 2020, as a mobile bookstore inside of a six by ten foot utility trailer (decked out and super cute). We spent three years traveling to Craft Fairs, Artisan Markets, Wineries, Festivals, and the like, and decided in fall of 2023 it was time to grow -- our brand-new brick and mortar shop is located at 17649 US 12, in New Buffalo, MI.

https://www.flourishbooksandplants.com/

https://www.facebook.com/FlourishBooksAndPlants/

Hands on propagation workshop at the home of Susan Stevens - (This is an additional gathering, not a regular meeting.)

14364 Lakeshore Rd, corner of Lakeshore and Stevens Lane

Propagate your own plants from cuttings.  Your own garden is a wealth of potential new plants!  You will learn how to identify the plants that are easiest to propagate as well as eventually plant the plants you create.  You can watch them take root and grow all summer.  They make wonderful gifts, additions to your own garden; or you can donate them to the River Valley Garden Club’s auction or plant sale. Everyone will go home with 2 new plants.

 Prepare to get a little dirty.  Bring:

            2 small pots

            Enough soil to fill the pots

            An old pie pan or flat dish.

Nice to have:

            Small pruning shears

            Gloves

            Small trowel/hand shovel

Cuttings from Hydrangea, Forsythia, Pachysandra, or anything else you want to propagate.  Note: Not all plants will propagate from cuttings.  This process is a little bit of an experiment.

Susan will provide cuttings from Cheyenne Privets and Golden Ninebark, rooting medium, water, and instructions.  We can take a tour of the Stevens’ garden—which has been created mostly from cuttings and donations from the gardens of friends.

St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Service Center – Tour of trails and gardens

HANES FAMILY WILD FLOWER TRAIL

Jerry Hanes graciously made a donation in December 2021 for us to purchase the 6.9 acres of land adjacent to our Walking Trail. We are very excited to announce the purchase was made a reality and the Board approved funds for its development. With a great deal of hard work by our amazing volunteers this Trail has become a beautiful, winding 8 foot wide trail approximately 1/3 of a mile in length. It will be very low maintenance and consist of many wildflowers. Thank you so much to Jerry Hanes for once again donating funds to our Center for an extensive project, we appreciate it, as we know all of the people who use the Trail will. We recommend for your safety, no wheelchairs or walkers. Bikes and strollers are not permitted.

https://sjlsc.org/

https://www.facebook.com/sjlsc

TRAILSIDE BLOOMS

Presentation by the owners of Trailside Blooms - They are a mother-daughter team working hard to grow beautiful cut flowers from seed to bloom in order to bring beauty and color to your home.

https://www.facebook.com/trailsideblooms/

Annual Picnic

Bring a dish to share and your own plates and utensils. The club will provide beverages and chicken. Spouses and guests welcome.

Plant Auction - Members Only

Be sure to dig up those plants to bring. The earlier the better to give plants a chance to recover and set roots.  

You can also bring garden art and tools.

“The Life and Art of Beatrix Potter” - Fernwood Botanical Gardens

Beatrix Potter may be best known for her classic book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, but her studies and talents extend far beyond her success as an author and illustrator of children’s books. A brilliant observational artist from youth, many are not aware that as an adult Potter used her skills to document her obsession with fungi and lichen, producing more than 350 scientific illustrations on the subject and making innovative discoveries about spore reproduction. At times, adversity and loss stood in the way of her success, but she always persevered and continued to follow her passion for observing and sharing her love for nature with others. Join us as we examine the evolution of her art practice and dive deeper into the incredible life of Beatrix Potter.

Fernwood Organization:

A favorite of all who love nature—flora and fauna, Fernwood Botanical Garden is situated on the St. Joseph River in Niles, Michigan, near Buchanan in picturesque Berrien County. Fernwood is only minutes from South Bend, Indiana, and Southwestern Michigan’s famous wine country and shore communities. Fernwood comprises 105 acres and protects at least 10 ecosystems and is a birder’s paradise. Visitors may enjoy natural areas with miles of walking and hiking trails, a reconstructed prairie, an arboretum, and cultivated public gardens that include an herb garden, Japanese garden, perennial border, rain garden, railway garden, nature adventure garden, hardy fern collection, and other special collections and gardens.

https://www.fernwoodbotanical.org/

https://www.facebook.com/fernwoodbotanical/

“Backyard Winter Habitats” - Chikaming Open Lands

Guest Speaker; Dan Engel

About Us: Chikaming Open Lands (COL) is the local land conservancy dedicated to preserving the open spaces and natural rural character of southern Berrien County. We protect and restore native plant and animal habitat, improve water quality in our lakes, streams, and rivers, and permanently preserve ecologically significant forests, prairies, and wetlands, as well as farmland and other open spaces in our community. 

https://www.chikamingopenlands.org/

https://www.facebook.com/ChikamingOpenLands/

Merry Christmas!

Today is our Annual Christmas Luncheon and Make and Give for Shut-ins.

Come start the holidays with friends as we enjoy a catered lunch and make our holiday arrangements for shut-ins.

Happy New Year!

We do not meet in the month of January. See you in February.

Valentine Potluck and “Five Minute Garden Talks”

Our Valentine Potluck is always a fun time to catch up after the holidays.

“Landscaping with Natives”

Laura Kalk of Beachside Gardens

BEACHSIDE GARDENS is celebrating over 40 years of service for the Northwest Indiana and SW Michigan area. The Gardens specialize in the natural Dunes Landscape.

Here at Beachside we produce many of our own bedding plants, hanging baskets, containers, and one of the largest selection of perennials in the area. If you're looking for water garden supplies, Beachside has a selection of pumps, fountains, and assorted water garden plants as well as pond treatment products. We offer only the hardiest Michigan Grown Rhododendrons and Azaleas. These and many other select plants can be a real addition to any local Garden.

https://www.beachsidegardens.com/

https://www.facebook.com/beachsidegardens/

Annual Plant Sale

It’s the highlight of spring and the beginning of gardening season. Dig up those plants early and often.