We hold free lectures on the 2nd Monday of each month (except July and August) at the Milwaukie Center (5540 SE Kellogg Creek Drive in Milwaukie).
Lectures are open to the public and start at 7 p.m. Each lecture features an expert presentation about an interesting gardening topic.
January 9, 2012
Birds of Prey - Native Birds of Prey for Sustainable Gardening, Oregon Zoo
Mandy McGuire of the Oregon Zoo will bring a feathered friend from the Oregon Zoo for her program on native raptors in our landscapes. Native raptors provide natural pest controls, and she will show us how to encourage them to our gardens. Knowing the hunting styles of different raptors helps a homeowner adapt his landscape to make the birds feel welcome. She will also talk about nesting boxes for the raptors – where to put them, how high they should be and out of what materials.
February 13, 2012
Fat, Spiny and Weird Plants - Getting Succulent Plants to Thrive, Luther Sturevant
Want to know how to keep a succulent plant happy and alive? Do you need to live in the desert? Come listen to Luther give you the keys to successfully growing cactus and succulent plants – both indoors and outdoors.
March 12, 2012
Dwarf Conifers in the Garden, Sandy Ditmar, Iseli Nursery
Sandy will talk about the natural suitability of dwarf and slow growing conifers for today’s gardens and lifestyles. Conifers are perfectly suited for the size of our urban lots, and their low maintenance requirements are suited to our busy lifestyles, leaving us with a year-round colorful garden and plenty of time to enjoy it. The array of colors and seasonal changes are a beautiful complement to the natural landscape of the Pacific Northwest.
April 9, 2012
Getting the Respect from your Vegetable Garden! Marc Boucher-Colbert, Urban Agriculture Solutions LLC, Garden Specialist at Franciscan Montessori Earth School in Portland, OR
You can have a great year-round veggie garden even with a minimum time investment as long as you garden smart. Cut down on back-breaking labor. Win the battle over difficult soil. Squeeze out as much produce as possible from small spaces. Enjoy fresh food year-round. Come take back ownership of your vegetable garden and tell it what YOU want it to do.
May 14, 2012
Garden Fragrance Throughout the Year, Nadine Black, Joy Creek Nursery
Spark your imagination and widen your experience in the garden by including a variety of plants that offer you fragrance throughout the year.
June 11, 2012
Ikebana - Creative Flower Art, Diantha Knott
Using basic Ikebana design principles, Diantha Knott will demonstrate the creative use of flowers, foliage, and other garden materials to produce unique arrangements. Diantha will show how to select and properly prepare materials to compliment their container.
September 10, 2012
Grape Expectations, Ray Ethell, Broadacres Nursery
Contrary to common belief, you can grow Seedless Table Grapes in Portland. Broadacres Nursery has been growing 35 varieties of seedless table grapes in Hubbard, Oregon for 5 years. The collection has come primarily from New York, Arkansas, and California. Most ripen in September. They even have a cookbook and trellising guide, “The Taste Of Grapes”. Ray will bring grapes for tasting, and will also have plants to sell before the meeting and during break. The grapes are available for tasting at their nursery open house in September.
October 8, 2012
Behind the Scenes at the Oregon Zoo, Rick Hanes, Supervisor of Hortculture, Oregon Zoo
Learn how the zoo habitats are designed and maintained to provide a beautiful, yet healthy and natural environment for the animals that live there. Also hear about the Zoo Browse program, the unique gardens throughout the zoo property, egress concerns, the propagation area, and more. You'll never see the zoo in quite the same way again.
November 12, 2012
My Very Favorite Tools, Bob Denman, Red Pig Tools
www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
Back by popular demand, the entertaining and informative Bob Denman will talk to us about his favorite tools. He'll also discuss tool care and maintenance. Bob is the only blacksmith in the United States specializing in hand forged garden tools for home gardeners, nurserymen, landscapers and farmers. If you have tool questions, he will have the answers.
Before the meeting and during break, Bob will be selling some of his Red Pig tools, so bring your holiday wish list!
December 12, 2012
"Remember Me" Rose Garden, Rebecca Ives, www.remember-me-rose.org/
The "Remember Me" Rose Gardens will stand as a living tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, dedicated to honor those whose lives were lost and all who honor freedom.
last updated on January 9, 2012
