With the “great pause” we are currently experiencing, it is quite possible that you’re spending even more time in the garden this year. Since the Garden Club can’t meet as a group right now, here are a few gardening-related websites you might be interested in: Cottage Grove Garden Club Facebook page: “Like” us on Facebook and stay virtually connected. https://www.facebook.com/cottagegrovegardenclub/ Gardening with Native Plants and the OregonFlora Project: This 2020 webinar is part of the Advanced Training Webinars for Master Gardeners sponsored by Oregon State University Extension. https ..read more

The April meeting of Cottage Grove Garden Club has been cancelled.... but gardening has not! Enjoy your plants and garden as we all practice a little social distancing the next couple of weeks. (And if you need gardening inspiration, check out the GardenTherapy.ca website ..read more

A hedgerow is a beautiful, functional and biologically diverse component of our landscapes. In both rural and urban environments, these multi-tiered groups of trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines, grasses, flowers and herbs can border fields, waterways, or city lots. Hedgerows can be used to provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, reduce soil erosion, and create borders and privacy screens. On Tuesday, March 3, Jude Hobbs will present "A Guide to Multifunctional Hedgerows" at Cottage Grove Garden Club. Jude is an internationally recognized permaculturist with 35 years of experience i ..read more

Alice Doyle of Log House Plants. Photo by Shawn Linehan Photography www.shawnlinehan.com Located just east of Cottage Grove, Log House Plants is a wholesale grower of annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, and specialty edibles. Over the past 40 years, Log House Plants has become known for innovation, including introducing grafted vegetables in the United States, such as the Mighty ‘Mato and Ketchup ‘n’ Fries. On February 4, Alice Doyle, co-­founder of Log House Plants, will join us at Garden Club to introduce this year’s new offerings. We'll get a sampling of some of the nearly 250 new in ..read more

Happy New Year! It's that exciting time of year for gardeners, with the garden catalogs arriving in the mail, new garden tools ready to be used, and hopes of spring peaking around the corner.... we're dreaming and planning this summer's garden. New plants! New designs! New goals! At the Cottage Grove Garden Club, we are also dreaming and planning for the coming year... new board members, new committee heads, new programs, new ideas! Please join us at Garden Club this coming Tuesday, January 7. We'll start the evening with our regular business meeting and electing new officers. Afterward ..read more

Our local pollinators are under stress from habitat loss, pesticides, and the spread of new diseases.  What can we, as gardeners, to do help the bees and pollinators in our environment? On November 5, at Cottage Grove Garden Club, we will learn how we can create pollinator habitats in our gardens. Together we will watch Never Doubt How a Small, Thoughtful, and Committed Pollinator Habitat Can Change the World which is part of the Oregon Master Gardener Advanced Training series. This webinar will explore how the damaging effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticide exposure, and disea ..read more

A cover crop is a crop of plants grown primarily to benefit the soil rather than yield a crop. They are often used in the off-season, after harvesting, and may grow over the winter. Cover crops can help increase your soil fertility and can bring many improvements to the health of your garden. Crimson CloverOn October 1st, Christina Bixel with the OSU Extension Master Gardeners will join the Cottage Grove Garden Club to talk about cover crops. In this program, Christina will discuss how a small investment in a cover crop can bring a myriad of benefits to your soil. She will also discuss the be ..read more

When gardeners maximize carbon storage without making too much global-warming pollution in the process, we slow the pace of climate change. Here are some ideas: Protect your soil and keep it healthy • Cover exposed ground to decrease water use, curb erosion, and protect soil microbes. Try using mulch, leaving plants after they’ve died back, growing ground covers, strategically allowing weeds, or planting winter vegetables. • Read instructions on fertilizers. Improper use can damage beneficial soil. Plant trees • Trees can absorb/store as much as a ton of atmospheric carbon pollution. • Shade ..read more

We all have questions about gardening, whether we are new to gardening or have been gardening for decades we all have questions. We all, also, have answers and experiences to share. Back by popular demand, on Tuesday September 3, Cottage Grove Garden Club will be hosting a Gardening Forum. After a summer of gardening, you probably have some questions on your mind, so bring them to garden club as well as your ideas, experiences, and answers, because at this round-table discussion we will be answering each-others gardening questions. We'll also be hosting an informal succulent exchange, if you ..read more

For gardeners, spring brings the excitement of preparing for another season of fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers. With the warming of the soil and longer daylight hours, seeds and bulbs sprout and trees bud into bloom. Gardeners around Cottage Grove envision an abundant harvest as we shop, till, and plant. Soon we will be easing into summer, and our goal will shift to keeping our gardens healthy and sustainable. We want the maximum yield possible from the fruits of our labors -- large and vigorous vegetables to fill our tummies and bright flowers to gaze upon. On Tuesday, June 4, Cottag ..read more