Carmel Valley Garden Club Welcomes You To Our Club

The CVGC is a nonprofit organization that promotes gardening and education about gardening in our area.  We organize various projects in our community throughout the year and make donations to local nonprofits from our Annual Garden Show proceeds to help beautify the community.

Our regular monthly meetings, which are both educational and social,  are held on the 2nd Thursday each month (usually at 6:45 p.m. at the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center at 25 Ford Road).  Our membership and meetings are open to everyone with an interest in gardening. Join us!

It was an incredible 54th Garden Show!

APRIL CLUB MEETING - 2025 GARDEN SHOW PREP

Our monthly meeting on Thursday April 10th at 6:30PM will be held in our usual venue, the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center at 25 Ford Rd in Carmel Valley Village.  This month the meeting focus will be on preparations for our 54th Annual Garden Show, and all the numerous details that entail putting this spectacular event on each year.

Your Garden Club board and all Garden Show committee chairs met on Tuesday, April 1 in the theater at Hidden Valley to review the status of the show at a detailed level.  It was a productive session, and we are well on our way to success May 3 and 4.  Take a look at the team at work:

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING WITH THE GARDEN CLUB?

January 2025 Club Meeting Recap - By Mary Gale

WOW!  On January 9th David Gubernick stunned the assembled Garden Clubbers with an amazing display of photographs that blew their minds—kind of like watching him surf Mavericks except not so scary and even more magical. Including but not limited to flowers, his photos explored California outdoors from Mono Lake (east of the Sierra) to Point Lobos (east of the Pacific) and many beautiful places in between.

He began with a shape that resembled a clam—or was it a curled up blossom? Then an amazing lightning strike, three jagged fingers of white in an ebony sky so dark that I wondered how he managed to set his camera settings. But he knows his camera! The audience throughout the program kept up a running commentary and question session, and freely expressed amazement at this and many more incredible shots.

One that caught my fancy was from Point Lobos—a tree with bright red-orange branches. This coloration is technically known as Trentepohlia, a genus of filamentous chlorophyte green algae. When I tell 4th graders that it’s green algae they wonder about my eyesight—but we get that straightened out.
 

It would be impossible to name a favorite among all the scenes, flowers, geometric patterns, light/dark contrasts, and so many more sights as we happily surfed through Central California. Club members were so entranced with the show that when it ended and the lights came on, they didn’t even remember that the next step involves folding and stacking the chairs. Instead they swarmed David with questions, and studied the photos on display along the wall. But eventually our enchanted evening came to a close—and the chairs got back in the closet. Many hanks to David for sharing his visions with us!

2024 ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY - A GRAND SUCCESS!

November 7 Club Meeting - Landscaping with Plant Communities

Let’s Go Native! - By Mary Gale

Meeting on the first Thursday in November to make way for Tatum’s playground occupation of the premises on the second Thursday, the Garden Clubbers settled in to enjoy a talk by Alan Wheat. Both a native of Carmel Valley and a horticulturist, he is eminently qualified to suggest local plants to enhance our gardens, and to give advice about their care.

“The truest measure of a garden’s beauty is the wildlife it supports,” Alan tells us, and suggests looking at the plants growing in the wild, such as along Garland Ranch trails. You’ll probably reject the poison oak, primo habitat for birds, but other hardy, drought-resistant plants flourishing there are well-suited to local gardens. Be sure to notice their immediate habitat, such as pine or redwood forest, oak woodland, chaparral or dunes, to match your own garden. To find more information on native plants, find the Calscape website, created by the California Native Plant Society.

Alan next described two projects he has recently completed. On a mission to make Carmel the most bio-diverse city on the west coast, he installed new gardens in two public places: Ocean Avenue median strips and the Forest Theater. The latter project was installed at the upper area behind the seats, with the help of MPC students.

For Ocean Avenue medians, new but not too-rich soil was brought in, and a watering system installed. In the wild, plants survive without regular watering, (or go dormant till the rain comes) but the middle of a street is like a container. The plants were selected with an eye to their height—they mustn’t grow too tall to obscure the view from one side of Ocean to the shop signs across the street. This concern will most likely not affect your own garden, but it does remind us to be aware of the potential size of a seedling and to place it accordingly.

Alan’s talk led to many interesting and informative question/answer exchanges, and a lovely time was had by all. Go Native!

October 10 Club Meeting - Organic Farming

The Big O - By Mary Gale

The October Garden Club meeting featured the usual announcements (Big Garden Show is first weekend in May—plan now to do your bit to make it a success!) and one very timely one: NOVEMBER MEETING IS THE FIRST THURSDAY, November 7 because Tatum’s playground is going to have so many worker bees building it that they need the entire building to feed all those do-gooders!

Our speaker, Brise Tencer, discovered before she even began her talk that we operate in mysterious ways. Seeing an empty chair under the projection screen, she went to pull it around the table so she could sit to operate her slide show. She discovered that untying the chair from a rope hanging below the screen led to the screen’s rolling itself up up and away! Whoops! So the screen was recaptured and another chair provided for her. This lively lead-in to her talk was enjoyed by all.

Brise  began by saying that in the past, when we heard the word ‘organic' we probably associated it with Chemistry, the class that you’d better pass if you hoped to get into Med School or follow a related career.

Brise introduced us to OFRF, or the Organic Gardening Research Foundation. Because ‘organic” is defined by countless rules and regulations, it is difficult to give a simple definition, but we generally agree that it means farming practices that use “natural” products, not synthetic ones, to grow food. Like composted animal poop instead of a bottle you buy at Home Depot.

Her organization provide grants to farmers to help them research solutions to the challenges of organic farming. Wondering what sort of projects they support, I looked online.  Examples of grants and their results are featured on their website www.ofrf.org.

I found the story of Tiffany in Tennessee, who raises chickens along with many food plants, and wanted to see whether her chicken’s waste could fully replace the commercial fertilizer she’d been using. The outcome is not yet determined, but in a photo, Tiffany looks very happy.

After a successful research project, OFRF then educates other farmers by promoting science-based solutions and practices that prove to be of value. Sustainability is key; for instance, the creation and maintenance of healthy soil means that less is lost to erosion and high winds (think Dust Bowl—NOT!). And healthy soils grow healthy foods for us to eat.

The group also advocates at the federal level for policies that foster organic growth and climate resilience. The USDA used to focus more on Big Ag, but perhaps this group is making headway in promoting alternative farming practices.

A lively Q & A followed Brise’s talk.  Many well-informed club members chimed in with their takes on organic gardening and eating. One exchange referred to the often higher costs of organic produce or meat in the market. The cause there is primarily the higher labor cost associated with sustainable practices. Many seemed to think that the results are worth the price, but one Doubting Thomas from a flyover state where the fields of corn and wheat stretch from horizon to horizon was heard to say that we’ll never feed all of America and the rest of the world by farming organically.

Hmmm… Well, I’m going to follow Candide’s advice and cultivate my own garden, one way or another.

September 12 Club Meeting - About Our Club

Ye Olde Nostalgia (and New Friends too!) Night - By Marry Gale

Welcome to autumn and a new year of Carmel Valley Garden Club camaraderie and good work! Long-time and brand-new members gathered on Thursday, September 10, for a light supper, delicious desserts (think Ed M’s cheese cake!!) and a varied program.
 

Patti Burrows introduced herself as our new president, and thanked Dianne Woods for her long tenure (2011-14 and 2019-24) as president, who took us from pre- to post-Covid times in good shape. Much cheering ensued, not only for the presidents, but for Dean Hatfield and Bart Burrows (past/future Garden Show Chairs), June Dawson and Cassi Mendonca (past/future vice-presidents), and Ed Morrow and Margaret Johnson (past/future and forever treasurer and secretary).

Two committee chairs also expressed delight at finding good folks to take their places. Marilyn Kajs-Wylle will assume the duties of membership chair Suzanne Laurens, and Grace  Serpa will tackle on the silent auction, to Janet Brocco’s great relief. Many thanks to these brave souls--long may they thrive!!!

After a short presentation about the Club website by webmaster Alex Gray and the value of logging on and how do do so.

After that we moved on to the feature attraction of the night:  a quick run through of our Garden Club history. Wendy Hursey, club historian, told of being given a huge plastic box by Penny Woods, who had accumulated a treasure trove of garden club directories, posters, pamphlets and photos relating to annual shows and other special events of the past six decades. Wendy's dining room table became her challenge (and at times-nemesis), the sorting spot as she tried to bring some order from this chaos.   If you missed the meeting you can view her Club history presentation HERE.

After years of toiling at the table, Wendy has produced a huge green binder for each decade, and slides of some memorable times in the club. We saw reproductions of beautifully hand-drawn and lettered items. Kathy Wittpenn, member of longest standing in the club at present, recalled that Rosemary Roberts was often the artist. Kathy spent hours helping to color those and others by hand.

One especially charming item depicted a small boy and girl in the Garden of Eden, with a huge snake offering the little girl an apple. Danger in the garden!! No such doings ever in Buzzy’s Garden. (BTW—we’ve lost our Buzzy Garden organizer—who will step up to the plate? Or should we say opportunity?)

Kathy also helped to identify some of the past people and events depicted in photos. Past president Gordon Dill (2008-11 and 2017-2019) chimed in with additional recollections. One memorable event was the trip to Filoli, a beautiful estate somewhere up yonder off Highway 280

Wendy summed it all up by rejoicing that at last she has reclaimed her dining room table.

Hurrah for uncluttered dining room tables and good old Garden Club days.  May we all enjoy many more!

CVGC at the Carmel Valley Fiesta 2024 

GARDEN CLUB PICNIC ENJOYED BY ALL!

Photos from the 2024 Garden Show

April 11th Club Meeting - Show Preparation

February 8th Valentine's Pot-luck Dinner

January 11, 2024 Club Meeting

Promiscuous Plants and Liquid Smoke with Lucy Ferneybough - By Mary Gale

A lively crowd ventured out on a cold Thursday night to enjoy the first Garden Club meeting of 2024.  Happy New Year greetings warmed the air and delicious treats were washed down with good spirits. President Dianne and Garden Show Head Dean reminded us that we need to be rooting plants for the  Plant Corral - they must appeal to buyers just a few months from now! Those unable to tend plants can send their check for $50.00 to the club treasurer; the money provides materials needed for the show in May.

Ed Morrow, our tomato guru, treasurer, and program chair assured us that the club is “Still Solvent” (his favorite words!) because of last year’s successful show, and with all members pitching in, we can do it again in 2024.

Ed next put on his program hat and introduced our speaker:  Lucy Ferneyhough directs the Native Plant Program at the UCSC Arboretum, and also oversees the perennial landscape and fruit and vegetable gardens. Lucy is a 2008 UCSC grad who stayed on in a job that takes her all over California to collect seeds of native plants for the arboretum’s seed bank. This collection helps to insure that catastrophes such as wildfires will not eradicate our state’s natural legacy; after any disaster we’ll draw from the bank the means to renew our natural landscapes.

But it’s not as simple as it sounds. You can’t just wander about cutting flowers and tossing them in a box labeled “seeds for the future”.  You have to record where every plant was found, under what growing conditions, “maternal lineage”, genetic depth and breadth (is it new in the area? Rare?  Etc.?), and so forth.

Back at the arboretum, the seeds require “herbariaum vouchers” which seems to mean you must actually grow a few specimens of each type of seed to prove that it’s fertile and get more seeds for the bank. Ideally you’d have gathered at least 300 seeds from 50 maternal plants, dried them carefully within 3 to 5 days, documented where they were found, and processed them according to protocol.

Huh?  Protocol? Is this the state department or a garden? Well, hmmm…. a seed aspirator (machine, not human) blows the chaff off the seeds, and then an app counts them, saving wear and tear on human eyes which can barely see some of the tiniest seeds. Only viable seeds (they must look fat and happy) are then soaked in liquid smoke to aid in germination, and the lucky ones are planted to grow flowers to get more seeds.

Then half the seeds go to a bank in Denver as a back-up if UCSC were to suddenly disappear from the face of the earth, and the rest are put in labeled foil packets in a freezer on campus.  Whew!! You’ve just read the short version of what goes on to create and maintain a seed bank. Who knew?
 

But wait! That’s not all Lucy and her team do!  Thanks to state and federal grants, they’ve been able to undertake vegetation mapping in far-flung areas around California. With the help of agencies such as CA Fish and Wildlife and the CNPS, they work to create a “family tree”, a map of what flora grow where in the golden state. One such trip took them to the “Internal central coast range) east of Bakersfield and similar to the Carizzo Plain.

Another goal is to monitor recovery from wild fire. They needn’t travel far to see a devastated landscape, as both private properties and public lands have burned repeatedly in the past few years. Photos show good recovery in amazingly short time, and suggest the wisdom of prescribed burns to help prevent the recurrence of catastrophic fire.

Ed tells us that an outing to visit the UCSC Arboretum may be in the offing. Let’s do it! And don’t forget your liquid smoke—might lead to fertility—or perhaps a good BBQ. 

Our Club Has A New Shed!

December 14 - Holiday Party A Delightful Success!

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See more photos here: Holiday Party 2023 Photo Album HO HO the Holidaze! By Mary Gale! Dazed and delighted by the lovely venue (thanks to Alex and Pat Gray), a spruced-up crowd of smiling gardeners in holiday garb admired the festive decor, greeted friends old and new, enjoyed a wonderful (but too brief) flute concert and devoured delectable food and drink: the Garden Club celebrated the holidays in style! Thanks to Patti Burrows and her marvelous planning, all proceeded smoothly, with a lovely selection of wines (helped by Debbie Langley’s fine stock!) and various stuffed peppers circulated on huge trays by adorable children disguised as waiters. Among those enjoying them, this writer noticed a somehow familiar face whose owner wore dress jacket and pants, without his usual John Deere hat to hide his head—who could that have been? Our tomato guru? Hmm….perhaps if this writer had not had a full glass of wine poured out by her chauffeur for the evening, we might have certainty on this I.D. As tempting gourmet meats and sides began to appear on the buffet table, two well-managed maneuvers prevented a mad stampede by the energetic would-be diners. First, our party planner announced that only one table at a time would approach the groaning board. Second, a charming young flautist stepped up to soothe the savage beasts with his talented performance of two solo pieces. Charmed into good behavior by the lovely music of the Korstanjes’ grandson Kasen (who had traveled all the way from Michigan for our listening pleasure), the ravenous crowd submitted meekly to Patti’s rules. Her enforcer, Bart, efficiently monitored the “one table at al time” regime so that no long lines could dampen our lively spirits. If that were not enough, leftovers were generously shared with members in available plastic clamshells.  The cheerful goodbyes as the room emptied out, left no room for doubt: the 2023 Holiday Party was a roaring success! Our gratitude and congratulations to Patti and her crew for a fabulous event. Happy holidays, one and all!

October 12 Club Meeting - Wild Flowers of Monterey County

September 14 Club Meeting

One Week (Seven Days!) after enjoying David Laws’ slide show and talk about Monterey’s Historic Gardens, I was asked to produce an account of what he said.  WHAT!?! Don’t these people know that I’m an octogenarian who can’t even remember by the next day what I did on the second Thursday of the month???

But duty calls, and I must answer. Here’s what I do recall: David Laws was very tall and told us about many historic gardens of Monterey, most of which I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. I don’t recall in what order he discussed them; so forgive me if I forget some and perhaps add others that he didn’t mention.

One of my favorite historic gardens grows near some very nice (and somewhat modern) public restrooms, not mentioned by David but important to people on walking tours of Monterey. Near the corner of Pacific and Scott, downhill from First Theater, this small garden features a bed of many herbs, presumably known to and loved by the Spanish and Mexican colonists of the nineteenth century.  When last I saw it, the plants were labeled so that one might see how these delightful flavors look in growing mode.

Close by is Pacific House with a huge garden of trees and shrubs, often used for barbecues and other events. A huge wall surrounds it, but it is open to the public most of the time and one can wander at will. At the front of this garden, a path leads one out to Custom House Plaza. It’s not a garden, but the bocce ball courts have a bit of greenery, and closer to the wharf are some nice succulents.

Inland from these attractions, up along Pacific Street, we find more old adobes; many of these had abalone shells outlining the paths and margins of the beds. Colton Hall sits in a ginormous garden, though its huge lawn is not typical of old Spanish gardens, which usually had graveled paths around bare dirt with beds of flowers as well as shrubs and trees and hen houses and sheds. However, the grass is great for picnics, and hosts a grizzly bear which would be very historic if it were alive!  Of course, such a phenomenon would render the lawn a bit less enjoyable for picnicking. 

Downhill and across from Trader Joe’s we can access the garden behind Stevenson House, a location that seems to elude lots of people, even a few Monterey natives. I always tell them that if they were to drive through Federico’s shoe repair drop-off from Abrego to Houston St., Stevenson House would be to their right, though they’d have to turn left, as Houston is one way. At any rate, the garden is large, and has benches for the weary or contemplative. It’s a lovely oasis in the heart of town.

Back at T Joe’s, we are right next door to Cooper Molera, a wonderful combination of historic house, barns, orchard (small), gardens, and a yummy bakery. Here one can enjoy a pastry while admiring the gardens, so beautifully designed and tended, in part at least by a CVGC member whose expertise in preparing flowers for the garden show is known to members who attend the April meeting each year.  Of this David made no mention, perhaps because her contribution is widely known. But we can all be very proud of her! The gardens are always lovely here, just over the wall from frustrated drivers endlessly circling to find a parking space. If you are such a person, take a moment to recuperate by going into the garden and admiring her work.

Nearby, up on Larkin Street is the Larkin House, where the US trade consul lived back then. Mr. Larkin was much esteemed by the local folks. When the Americans arrived to take charge Monterey during the Mexican War of the 1840’s, Mr. Larkin (and William Hartnell) reassured them that the Americans would not kill them all, but would eclipse them and educate their children. The old folks would cling to their culture, but the newcomers would win over their descendants. And so they did. Whether Mr. Larkin’s garden was as desirable as his advice I have no idea.

So —having no more to add about gardens, I’ll close by urging us all to venture out of the valley and into town to traipse about the historic gardens with never a fear of ticks (they’re all out at Garland Ranch) or pickery stickery weeds (ditto). Have a civilized walk, free of dust and full of delights.

2023 Garden Show Recap

May 13-14 52nd Annual Garden Show A Huge Success

Mother nature cooperated to deliver two days of spectacular weather which contributed to an excellent attendance and great enjoyment of all the Garden Show had to offer.  Parking $1 fees suggested that well over 1000 visitors arrived, not to mention many more who walked or elected to park elsewhere.

Strong attendance and related fund raising will ensure that the Carmel Valley Garden Club can continue its decades-long support for other local Carmel Valley non-profits.  Many thanks to all our valued community guests who attended.

And for a great selection of photos from this wonderful event just click on Garden Show 2023!

Rosie's Garden Spring Clean-Up - Saturday, March 18

Spring Clean Up Success!

    
            

In a lucky break from this winter's frequent rain, Club members gathered on a sunny Saturday morning for spring clean-up of Rosie's garden.  With a stormy and windy winter, many twigs and branches had fallen, and even though most had already been collected, there were even more to recover.  Not to mention leaves, cutting back frost damaged plants, and the spring garden curse: WEEDS!  We had a good turn out and an energetic crew.  And the garden does look great, once again!  Please think about volunteering this fall to keep Rosie's in good shape!

Valentine's Pot-Luck Party - February 9

And A Good Time Had By All!

Just a few days shy of the actual Valentine's Day, more than sixty Carmel Garden Club members gathered for this popular annual pot-luck party.  The party was especially welcome after the pandemic era cancellations in 2021 and 2022!

Club member's cooking skills and generosity were on full display with a lavish array of appetizers, salads and sides, entrees, and desserts of all kinds.  It was great to see members - both new and old mingling during the happy hour and enjoying a wonderful meal together.

January 12 Club Meeting - "It Starts With The Soil"

  Click here to register.

Rosie's Garden Fall Clean-Up - Saturday, October 15

FIESTA Roundup - August 6-7, 2022

51st ANNUAL GARDEN SHOW A HUGE SUCCESS!

Garden Gala, Saturday, April 30

The Carmel Valley Garden Club's 51st annual Garden Show was held with great results the weekend of April 30 to May 1. Due to the pandemic the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 so it was wonderful to host the 2022 event with an enthusiastic response from sponsors, vendors, and the surrounding community.

Check back soon for a more detailed update but meanwhile Garden Show 2022 is an album of outstanding photographs documenting every aspect of the show!