Chapter Chat - April 2025
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Note from the editor:
If you've been authorized to and have purchased something for the WCMGA, please use the new 2025 Re-Imbursement form posted on the Member Portal page of our website.
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Tuesday, April 1, 2025
7:00 - 8:00 PM PDT - Free Webinar, Open to All
Registration Required
8:00-9:00 PM PDT - Members Meeting
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Join the Washington County Master Gardener Association and Erin Forrester, from the OSU Extension Service Oregon Naturalist Program, to learn about dragonflies and damselflies. Topics will include taxonomy and history, Oregon species and portraits, life cycle, habitat and diet, amazing attributes and how to invite odonates to your garden. Helpful resources will be provided.
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Erin Forrester is a certified Oregon Naturalist with a passion for dragonflies and gardening for wildlife. A citizen odonatologist and member of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas, she travels Oregon with her husband, Ron, striving to photograph every species in the state and share the findings with the Odonata community. You can view her portrait photography on Instagram at @oregonodonata. She’s looking forward to sharing the wonder of dragonflies with you!
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Day by day it’s hard to tell whether we’re in spring or summer. My Indian plum and cherry plum are in bloom and the weigela and azaleas are showing fat buds. Our MG activities are also quickening – Gardenfest, Grow 1 Give 1, Intern workshops and In the Garden Series are all underway.
We had a very successful Gathering Gardeners meet-up and look forward to more. And nearly 50 Interns expressed an interest in volunteering with us at the Intern Volunteer Fair March 16.
See more on all these activities below.
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The 5th Annual Earth Week Give event is being held this year April 15 - 26.
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All Blue BottleDrop bags with the WCMGA label returned during that time will earn our Association an extra 20% matching from BottleDrop. More information is available on their website. If you want some blue bags please reach out to Lisa Barnhart.
Thank you for supporting WCMGA.
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Late winter blooms on Parrotia persica
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Winter Pruning Gives Way to Spring Planning
Members of the Ed Garden pruning committee targeted the garden priorities in the waning days of winter. Armed with the list of suggestions from the Maryann Lewis Pruning Consultation in February, the Parrotia persica and various conifers underwent pruning for shape, to decongest, and to maintain health.
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Elizabeth Price and Lisa Hansen employed aesthetic pruning techniques to the Spaan's Dwarf Shore Pine (left background)
The comprehensive Garden Task List was a topic of discussion this month as the Education Garden Team identified plants slated for pruning, relocating, or removing. The list identifies best practices by season for ornamental and native plants throughout the garden. We have checked off most of the winter tasks and are moving on to the spring column.
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Lisa Barnhart and Stephanie Engle place new plant signs in the Waterwise Garden
The Task List is undergoing further refinement in preparation for two important events this month. First, students from the PCC RC Landscape and Technology (LAT) Department will join the Ed Garden team for two 2-hour work parties in early April. Ed Garden MGs will work alongside LAT students to prune perennials, shear or comb grasses, remove plants, and relocate a conifer that has outgrown its space.
April 12th is the date for the Spring Cleaning in the Garden IGS. MGs Susan Albright, Lisa Hansen, Elizabeth Price, and Sue Ryburn will demonstrate spring pruning techniques and care for perennials, grasses and shrubs in the Ed Garden. Opportunities for some hands-on practice will be offered.
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L - R - Sue Ryburn, Intern Badri Kashyap, Larina Hoffbeck, and Stephanie Engle
Welcome New Interns!
A satisfyingly long list of MG interns signed up to express interest in volunteering at the Education Garden during the MG Intern Volunteer Resource Fair last month. MG Intern Badri Kashyap received his Ed Garden orientation and looks forward to becoming a regular at the Wednesday work parties.
Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom’s (OAITC) Waking Up the Garden
MGs Lisa Hansen and Sue Ryburn teamed up with OAITC Washington County Programs Coordinator, Anita Spaeth, to offer a session on spring preparation of garden beds and planning for a school year vegetable garden. Four schoolteachers and one school volunteer attended the presentation along with hands on use of weeding tools in a demonstration garden bed. OAITC provides garden-related lesson plans, activity kits, and a library of garden and ecology related books for schoolchildren of various ages.
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Native Plant IGS presented by Robin Carpenter on 3/22/25 drew 50 attendees
In the Garden Series 2025 continues to offer popular topics. Getting Waterwise with Drip Irrigation had 28 attendees and Gardening with Pacific Northwest Native Plants hosted 50 attendees. Native plants and preserving habitat for creatures of all sizes in our gardens, continues to be a very popular topic.
2025 MG Intern Workshops will commence this month with Native Plants in Urban Gardening: Benefits, Challenges, and Best Practices, presented by MG Eric Butler on April 19.
Perennial MGs have stepped up to volunteer for the 2025 Education Garden Open Garden: Invertebrates and Vertebrates, June 14th (10am-1pm). We hope to add a cadre of this year’s MG Interns to the volunteer list. Interested in volunteering to help with this fun educational event? --- Contact Susan Albright albright.becker@gmail.com or Sue Ryburn sueryburn@comcast.net
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Other Happenings
- Soil School 2025: Saturday April 5, 2025, 8:30 am – 3 pm sponsored by Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District and West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, PCC Rock Creek. MG Volunteers-Susan Albright & Lisa Barnhart presenting “Lawn Be Gone. MG Volunteers Susan Albright, Lisa Barnhart, Sue Ryburn, Jack Shorr will provide Education Garden tours with emphasis on sustainable gardening and protecting the soil.
- In the Garden Series: Saturday April 12, 2025, 10 am – 12 noon. Spring Cleaning in the Garden, WCMGA Education Garden. Presented by Master Gardeners Susan Albright, Lisa Hansen, Elizabeth Price, and Sue Ryburn
- In the Garden Series: April 26, 2025, 10 am – 12 noon. Veggie Delight: Learn About Vegetables Not Typically Grown Here, PCC Rock Creek Building 4, Room 103. Presented by Master Gardener Lakshmi Srinivasan
- The monthly Education Team Meeting will be held April 16th from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. Watch your email for the agenda and Zoom link.
- If you would like to be added to our Education Garden email list, contact Susan Albright or Sue Ryburn.
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March brought the 2025 Intern cohort three exciting and enriching workshops, hosted in the Learning Garden. The interns dived into hands-on learning alongside the knowledgeable Master Gardeners, gaining invaluable insights and practical skills.
A special thanks goes to Tamara Newton-Baker, Cindy Muir, and Annette Bell for leading the way with the first workshop on Ornamental Pruning, after being snowed out in February. With great support from Lorill Hirschberger, Terri Rottman, Jean Ratalsky, and James Galbreath, their expertise and dedication made the session an inspiring kickoff!
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From left to right: Cindy Muir, Annette Bell, and Tamara Newton-Baker leading Ornamental Pruning workshop; 2025 Interns learning pruning techniques; Tamara preparing to demonstrate pruning of a paniculata hydrangea. Photos courtesy of Anna Stubbs.
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Special appreciation goes to Dennis Brown from Multnomah County for spearheading the Apple Tree Pruning workshop, with assistance from co-instructors Jean Ratalsky and Mary Hewitt. The interns had the fantastic opportunity to work on a diverse range of trees and soak up a wealth of practical knowledge. A heartfelt thank-you also goes to the support team, Annette Bell, Cindy Muir, Steve Kister, and James Galbreath —whose efforts helped make the workshop a smooth and successful experience!"
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From left to right: Dennis Brown demonstrating how to sharpen tools; 2025 Interns with Jean Ratalsky and Mary Hewitt (two rightmost) by table with pruning equipment, Dennis explaining how to choose what to prune on espalier apple tree. Photos courtesy of Anna Stubbs.
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A huge thank-you to Michael Donoghue, Allyn Kirnak, and Bill Klug for delivering an insightful workshop on Climbing Rose Care and Pruning. Starting in the cozy warmth of the greenhouse, the group dove into expert tips and techniques. Then, as if on cue, the rain relented, allowing everyone to step outside and get hands-on experience pruning the various roses in the Pioneer Herb Garden. Thanks to Sue McCullough, Steve Kister, and Anna Stubbs for their support, and to Karen Andersen for thoughtfully arranging the plants in the greenhouse, making the indoor kickoff inviting and productive!
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From left to right: Michael Donoghue explaining objectives of pruning climbing rose over an arch; Bill Klug shared his expertise with the group; Allyn Kirnak pruning laterals along canes over top of an arbor. Ladder spotted by Steve Kister. Photos courtesy of Anna Stubbs.
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Thursday work parties have been buzzing with activity as volunteers tackle the joys of spring pruning and planting throughout the garden. The vegetable garden team displayed their demolition and carpentry skills by creating space and constructing a new keyhole raised bed. In another corner, a tenacious group installed another section of metal fencing, taking one more step in the battle to keep hungry bunnies at bay. Meanwhile, a fearless crew faced relentless rain and mud to remove the stubborn stump of the olive tree that succumbed to 2023’s harsh winter cold—a true testament to their grit and determination!
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Bob Campbell, Mary Hewitt, and Jennifer Legault removing the olive tree stump. Photo courtesy of Kari Woyak who also helped with the removal.
Regular work parties are on Thursday mornings. Come volunteer at a time that is convenient for you between 9 am and 1 pm. For more information contact Steve Kister kansammy@yahoo.com or Robin Burnham robin.e.burnham@aol.com.
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After many months of planning, our 2025 Gardenfest Plant Sale is Saturday, May 3rd and nearly 80 of our perennial members and new 2025 interns have volunteered to help. Thank you!
If you filled in the online Gardenfest volunteer form before March 20th but have not received confirmation, please check your spam folder. Everyone who submitted the form by that date should have received a confirmation email from hoffbeck@frontier.com within a week or two of submission.
If you haven’t signed up yet we could still use your help! The volunteer form is here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFzzsmwDFhxrEXnA92rn0c6UrgYB-ilOMd8esRNQLi-xRujw/viewform
We could also use a few more canopies as well as wagons or carts to be loaned for the sale. Customers use the wagons or carts to get larger orders to their cars with the help of our volunteers. There’s a button on the volunteer form if you can loan a canopy as well as one for wagons or carts.
Those of you who have signed up to help during the sale or with takedown will be receiving an email with maps, phone numbers, schedules, and orientation information. If you haven’t received it by April 28, please check your spam folder.
There will also be an email sent to everyone who signed up to help with setup on May 2nd containing the rough schedule of the day and other information. We greatly appreciate your patience as estimated times for different tasks will change depending on how many helpers we have and how quickly we finish each task before moving on to the next.
We will be having an approximately 30-minute “Test Run” at the end of Gardenfest Setup on May 2nd to make sure everything runs smoothly. Expect that to happen around 1:30pm to 3pm, depending on what time we finish setting up.
Any Master Gardener volunteer who helps with Setup and/or is signed up to help during the Sale or with Takedown is welcome to buy plants during the Test Run. We hope to have a list of plants we’re planning on offering on the Gardenfest page of the WCMGA website soon.
If you have any questions please contact Larina Hoffbeck at hoffbeck@frontier.com .
And, finally, don’t forget to invite your friends and neighbors to the sale! It’s open to the public for shopping from 9am to 1pm on May 3rd at PCC’s Rock Creek Campus with free parking and free admission. And, we're able to set up the majority of plants in a large pole barn structure, so rain or shine, you will be dry while browsing through the huge plant selection!
Thank you for volunteering, and don’t forget to spread the word! We have a public Gardenfest page with more details here:
https://washingtoncountymastergardeners.org/gardenfest-plant-sale/
And to help you spread the word, you will find a copy of our flyer (as shown below) and a shareable social media post you can download and distribute! Thank you so much to all our wonderful Gardenfest volunteers!
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This outside demonstration and hands-on workshop will take place in the WCMGA Education Garden at PCC Rock Creek. It will include: the when, what and how of spring pruning, thinning, and transplanting; how to determine if your trees, shrubs and plants are still living; tools that make the work easier; tool sharpening and cleaning; and more! Bring your pruning shears, gloves, and dress for the weather (and for some gardening!) This is a rain or shine event.
The class will be led by OSU Extension MG Volunteers:
Susan Albright, Lisa Hansen, Elizabeth Price and Sue Ryburn
No registration needed. Free parking.
For more information:
https://washingtoncountymastergardeners.org/event/spring-cleaning-in-the-garden/
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Learn how to make more of the plants you love using samples we'll take from selected plants in our Learning Garden. OSU Extension MG Volunteers Karen Anderson and Cindy Muir will show you some of the basics of plant propagation. During this hands-on session, you'll make new plants and get to take them home. We'll provide the necessary supplies, but you can bring your favorite small pruners and gloves if you'd like.
No registration needed. Free parking.
For more information:
https://washingtoncountymastergardeners.org/event/basics-of-plant-propagation/
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You can grow an assortment of vegetables that make great conversation pieces and provide you with nutritious meals! Learn about some vegetables that are typically not grown in the PNW - bottle gourd, lemongrass, taro root, black chickpeas and more. Learn tips and tricks on how to start veggies from seed using a simple, homemade set up.
Learn how to cook them and take home some recipes!
The class will be led by OSU Extension MG Volunteer Lakshmi Srinivasan
No registration needed. Free parking.
For more information:
https://washingtoncountymastergardeners.org/event/veggie-delight/
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Community Volunteers Recognition by WCMGA
National Volunteer Month is an extension of National Volunteer Week first held in Canada in 1943. At that time it was a tribute to the unwavering contributions of women during World War II who collected supplies and helped wounded soldiers. In the early 1970s there was a resurgence in volunteerism and National Volunteer Month was designated worldwide in 1990. Americans volunteer 8.8 billion hours annually.
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Bob Simmons and Wayne Rifer (not shown) are recognized as two of WCMGA’s community volunteers. Bob has volunteered hours to support our Chapter as tool salesman extraordinaire at Gardenfest, cashiering at the plant clearance sale and the house plant sale, and providing Square training sessions for other cashiers. Wayne spends his volunteer hours in the Native Plants section of the Learning Garden. After arriving and becoming a regular with the MG team, Wayne has taken charge of the ferns area with in the Native Plants section.
WCMGA Chapter in April, National Volunteer Month, especially recognizes and expresses gratitude for the contributions of its community and member volunteers.
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And, OSU extends their appreciation to all of the WCMGA member volunteers. Save the date and stop by the office:
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Our Thanks…
Washington County Master Gardeners are fortunate to be greeted at the Extension Office with the winning smile and helpful hands of Jenifer Halter. She knows all the ins and outs of the office and is thorough, diligent, and conscientious with the many tasks she accomplishes. Whatever the question, task or need, she always does her best to facilitate a successful resolution. Thank you, Jenifer, for all you do for all of us.
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A recent Friday’s volunteer session at the PCC-RC greenhouse.
Our Volunteers Are Unbeleafable!
I like puns and I won’t understate that we have fun working with plants. And I am so grateful for the work and enthusiasm of our merry band of volunteers. Welcome to our interns from the class of 2025!
With one month until Gardenfest (GF)—EGADS!—we, the plant propagation volunteers, still have much to do.
Many of our propagated plants will visit “the spa” where they will be up-potted, de-mossed, and trimmed.
As dormant plants wake-up with more sun and warmth (yay!), they will get fertilized and their own spa treatments.
We check to make sure the plants are labeled (thanks to Helen Dorbolo) and continue to stage like-plants together (for example all shrubs) to help ensure a smooth set-up for the sale.
Outside of the greenhouse, we’re managing the purchase of plants from wholesale nurseries. These nurseries can grow plants to “retail ready” by May 3rd, sale day, whereas we don’t have the facility or staffing to do so. Kudos to Pat Simmons and her team for their dedicated work in plant procurement—the art of working with the nurseries through ordering, figuring out price points, setting up deliveries, and much more.
Over the past few months, we've shared our plant lists with an amazing plant signage team headed by Fran Beebe. Using newer technologies, they have been researching plant bios while refining the production of digital cards. These cards will be printed, assembled and at set-up, stuck into the potted plants.
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Here is a sample sign which gives useful information to our shoppers.
If you are interested in helping Fran with sign assembly and organization, please, email her: fran.j.beebe@gmail.com
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Two to three weeks before the sale (coming up soon!), we’ll be adding colored price sticks, the finalize the sale list to be published on our website, and no doubt a few late bloomers will still be headed to “the spa.”
Behind the scenes, the GF steering committee works to communicate the sale, figure out the logistics of set-up, align volunteers and supportive equipment, and much much more! We couldn’t do the sale without them, the leadership throughout the chapter and the amazing support of all of our volunteers.
Gardenfest is our chapter’s big fundraiser of the year. When people ask where does the money go, you can tell them proceeds support the many, many activities sponsored by our chapter throughout the year
If you haven’t signed up to volunteer at Gardenfest, there are still many opportunities to help:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFzzsmwDFhxrEXnA92rn0c6UrgYB-ilOMd8esRNQLi-xRujw/viewform
Interested in helping with the plant propagation team? Contact me, Karen Anderson, worthog42@gmail.com
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In Person - Wednesday, April 16th 6-7:30PM
Online – Wednesday, May 14th 6-7:30PM
Please join us for a FREE Weed Watcher Workshop and learn how to help prevent the spread of invasive species! This workshop will cover:
🌱 An intro to the Tualatin Watershed Invasive Species Team (TWIST)
🌿 A deep dive into priority invasive weeds
🔍 How you can take part in early detection efforts.
An in-person workshop will be Wednesday, April 16th 6-7:30pm in Hillsboro at the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District Office and a virtual workshop will be Wednesday, May 14th 6-7:30pm. Register at https://tualatinswcd.org/get-involved
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Ben Goldfarb’s comprehensive and engaging narrative gives us a nuanced depiction of the importance of these “ecological and hydrological Swiss Army knives.” His book gives these environmental superheroes well-deserved credit for how they can improve biodiversity and help with landscape recovery. Their busy work constructing dams creates wetland habitats, mitigates drought and flooding, improves water quality, improves salmon and other species populations, and can change our perception of their impact on the environment.
There are “Beaver Believers” from Nevada to Scotland. These groups of scientists, ranchers and citizens work to reestablish beaver populations, restore damaged ecosystems and Goldfarb uses their personal stories to show how they have overcome local resistance. He also tells the sad history of humans ill-advised near destruction of the beaver population and the consequences.
Outside of the book, an illustration of the impact and potential importance of the work of beavers comes from Czech Republic. The bureaucracy spent seven years planning for a dam to restore an ecologically damaged area. One morning they realized that eight beavers had constructed their own version of a dam without any permits, saving millions of dollars. The humans involved have seen a pond and wetlands emerge, rare species have returned, and natural beauty has been restored!
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