Annual Plant Sale

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

“Pruning and Pruning Tools”

Joyce Latta of Walnut Hill Rose Farm

“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/

Valentine Potluck and Movie - Greenfingers, Starring Helen Mirren

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

The River Valley Garden Club will start the new year with their first meeting on Tuesday, February 18, at Harbert Community Church, 6444 Harbert Road, Sawyer MI. The meeting will start at noon with a Valentine potluck and then continue with a showing of the movie, Greenfingers, starring Helen Mirren.

NOTE: Show Time 8:00 - 4:00 (CHIGAO TIME)

19th Annual Gardening Show Highlights:

• Seed & Bulb - a great opportunity to collect, save and trade seeds and bulbs from our gardens and communities.

• Presentations by regional and local gardening speakers.

• Demonstrations - hands on "how to" topics on basic gardening skills.

• The Happening Place in Building 3 where there are lots of things TO DO!

• More than 100 Exhibitor and Vendor Booths with products and services for and about gardens and gardening.

• Garden Photography Contest.

• Recycled Yard and Garden Tools and Decor.

• Gently used Gardening Books and Magazines. Bargains begin at $0.25 each.

• Children's Corner educational activities

• Catered Dining service

• The chance to win one of Five $100 Cash Door Prizes

• Discounted Hotel Rate for overnight guests

Please go to this page in the link below for more information as details develop.

https://www.pcgarden.info/gardening-show/

Porter County Master Gardeners Associations Facebook Page Link

https://www.facebook.com/pcgardeners/

Happy New Year!

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

Merry Christmas!

Today is our Annual Christmas Luncheon and Make and Give for Shut-ins. (Members Only)

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

Lunch – soup, salad, sandwiches, dessert catered by Classic Catering paid by club.

Make and Give – We make approximately 120 mini arrangements in Christmas mugs for shut ins.

Bring live greens which have been soaked for 24 hours, decorations,  ribbons, small ornaments, clippers, scissors and boxes for transporting.

Annual monetary donation (suggested $5) for Harbor Country Food Pantry & Neighbor by Neighbor

“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/

Michigan Garden Clubs District 3B Fall Meeting

Fall, Friends and Flowers

Thursday, October 24, 2024 11:30am-3:30pm

St. Joseph River Yacht Club

1 Lighthouse Lane, St. Joseph, MI

Registration includes hot lunch, special presentation by floral designer Lynn Bingham, CF and a floral arrangement you will make and take with you.

>> Registration for the meeting will be handled through your club. If you have any questions, please contact Peg Cullen 3B District Director: pcullen@migardenclubs.org

Like Us On - Michigan Garden Clubs Inc. District 3B Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554258604346

“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/

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.

Annual Picnic

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

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/

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.

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/

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

Bring your seeds, seedlings, plants, and gently used gardening equipment to share or exchange for something new to you.

FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Anything left after the exchange is over will be donated to our local group, the River Valley Garden Club.

For more information please visit www.friendsofnewtroy.org.

Birds of the Dunes

Birding expert, Lynea Hinchman, will present on the birds specific to our area.

Herbs for Your Garden

Karen Edwards will present herbs to be grown in our gardens which can be used for cooking and to enhance our health.

Valentine Potluck and Good Bugs, Bad Bugs

Our Valentine Potluck is always a fun time to catch up after the holidays. Then our member, Curtis Alvarez, will enlighten us on “Good Bugs and Bad Bugs” in garden.

Happy New Year!

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