May 2-3 Carmel Valley Garden Show Cancelled
Everyone stay safe, and we'll post information
about future events as soon as we can
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 at 6:45 p.m. at the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center on Ford Road. Our membership and meetings are open to everyone with an interest in gardening. We issue a monthly e-newsletter with timely tips for your gardening plus information on upcoming events.
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 12 -Grafting, a hands-on talk, Greg Hyde
Greg Hyde, local instructor at the Pacific Grove Adult School, will present on the art of plant grafting. See you there.
February 22 - Rosie's Garden Spring Cleanup
Leap into Rosie’s Garden!
Did you know that we have FIVE Saturdays in February this year??!! That’s so exciting—you can spend the usual four in your own garden, and the extra one at Rosie’s. Our garden club has adopted this small oasis of calm down past the bridge on Esquiline Road, and annually spends a Saturday morning sprucing it up after the winter storms. This year we will work on Saturday, February 22, from 9 to ll am.
Since we already pruned extensively back in November, we have less pruning to tackle. Instead, our leader Dianne will direct us in raking leaves and clearing around the plants to give them space to grow. She has a few rakes and other tools to share, but we bring our own gloves and favorite tools, ideally marked with our names if they look like everybody else’s.
So check your February calendar and mark that 4th Saturday, the 22nd, as a day to Leap into Rosie’s Garden!
February 13 - Valentine Potluck
Our annual Valentine’s, February 13th meeting starts @ 6:00 pm at the Community Center. Don’t miss it. The evening program is enjoying friends, socializing and good food.
Important Point: We can accommodate 70 members so you must sign up ahead.
The pot luck is a full course dinner with appetizers, salads, entrees, side dishes and casseroles ending with desserts. All of this is thanks to our members. Also, your Club will provide an entree to add to the feast!
As usual, wine, water and soft drinks will be provided with appetizers. For dinner at your table please bring wine or other drink you prefer.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Please sign up by February 9th by emailing Karolyn at dkrancho@sbcglobal.net or call her 831.277.8661.
- Tell us what you want to bring.Substituting a beverage for food is fine.
- Thanks for helping us have a good balanced meal to enjoy.
Think of this meeting as a festival to celebrate your garden, romantic love, friendship and admiration --- Gophers not welcome!
January 9 - The Joys of Growing Succulents
SECOND THURSDAY MEETING
Steve and Judy Show Returns! Can you believe that it’s already time to check your calendar to discover that our first meeting of 2020 is NEXT THURSDAY?!! Yes, January 9 is the second Thursday. Who knew? We have a repeat treat in store — some of you may recall that a few months ago Steve Hoch and Judy Tschirgi very helpfully stepped into the breach when a scheduled speaker became ill. Now they’re back to enlighten us further on the joys of growing succulents. So gather up your contribution for the raffle, the shared cuttings table, and tune up your ears (hearing aids?) to be sure to get all the good news of the New Year
As always, social hour begins at 6:45 pm, regular meeting starts at 7:30 pm.
See you there.
CVGC
December 12 - Holiday Party
CVGC CHRISTMAS PARTY
When gardeners gather to greet the Christmas season, they do it in style! Many festive red and/or green outfits and a Santa hat or two helped to set the mood for a jolly happy hour and dinner at the Garden Club party at Del Mesa in December. Highlights of the dinner were delicious prime rib and salmon, along with salad, sides, and a choice of desserts so good that some party-goers were spotted taking one of each!
President Dianne Woods thanked Karolyn Stone for making the arrangements, and the assembled attendees agreed: a wonderful time was had by all! - Mary Gale
Photos available in
2019 Holiday Party
This year's Holiday Party will be held on December 12 at Del Mesa, Carmel. Click here to register.
October 12 - Fall Rosie's Garden Clean-up
Fall Rosie’s Garden Clean-up
When: Saturday, October 12
Time: 9:00 a.m – 12 noon
Where: Rosie’s Garden, Esquiline Road, Carmel Valley
Group 1: Pruning Tree Limbs – Volunteers WITH SOME MUSCLE and NOT AFRAID OF HEIGHTS needed –
Contact: Bob Byrne: bob8679@att.net or 831-582-7316
Group 2: General Clean-up
Contact: Dianne Woods: vinca27@comcast.net or 831-659-2737
Refreshments from Wild Goose Café!!!
Bring Gloves and tools such as pruners, rakes and loppers.
October 10 - Monthly Meeting
Topic: Falconry in Carmel Valley
Speaker: Paul Bird
Where: Carmel Valley Community Youth Center, 25 Ford Road
Time: 6:45 p.m. Social Hour, 7:30 p.m. Presentation
No raffle this month. It will return in November.
Bring your clippings to share!
WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING WITH THE GARDEN CLUB?
February 22, Rosie's Garden Cleanup!
A Few Hands Do Mighty Work!
A small but stalwart band of weeders and rakers tackled the ubiquitous sycamore debris at Rosie’s Garden last Saturday — and emerged victorious!
Team BB (Bob Byrne and Bart Burrows) took on the challenge of fitting a huge pile of fallen branches and twigs into two green bins loaned by Rosie’s neighbors in Robles del Rio. Cutting them to fit, they packed the bins so full that the giant machines which lift the bins to unload them may meet their weight limit—whatever that may be!
Meanwhile an equally valiant Warrior squad (Dianne Woods, June Dawson, Eileen Vogt and Mary Gale) went after the leaves embedded in and under the shrubbery. Fortunately, their disposal will not strain the WM machinery—the leaves became mulch along the fence above the river, to keep the weeds down and eventually become compost.
The buyer of healthy sustenance (cold water and yummy donuts!) for this energetic crew was worried that a mere six workers might not be able to do justice to the abundant feast provided by the Club, but not so! They rose to the occasion and polished off the cake donuts, the glazed raised donuts, and even the chocolate with sprinkles donuts! Well done, you mighty few! Rosie is smiling down on you!! - Mary Gale
February 13, Valentine's Potluck Dinner
A Valentine Feast!
Entering the youth center on Thursday the 13th, an enthusiastic crowd “oohed” and “ahhed” their admiration for the lovely decorations that turned the space into a visual feast of red and white. Their delight continued as they were gradually coaxed/coerced away from the abundant tables of wines and appetizers to sit down and try to hush so that raffle numbers could be heard. A mighty cheer went up as each lucky winner claimed a prize.
Next—the feast itself, highlighted by Jerome’s delicious short ribs and veggie enchiladas. The assembled multitude made short work of those and all the delicious sides brought by the attendees, and soon even the dessert table looked as though the locusts had swarmed over it. The babble and laughter of many conversations gave evidence of another wonderful party enjoyed by all. Karolyn Stone and her helpers had done it again! Karolyn wants to thank many people and especially Debbie Langley for her decorations, Wendy Hursey for prepping the hall, Greg and Cheryl Thompson, Janet and John Brocco and Dean for set up, decorating and much more, and Stephanie Byrne for her extreme help with kitchen clean-up.
- Mary Gale and Karolyn Stone
2020 Valentine's Potluck Dinner Photo Album
To view more pictures from the Valentine's Potluck dinner, click on the link above.
September 12 - Ground Squirrels
click photo to enlarge
The speaker for our first monthly meeting of 2019-20 was Rebecca Dmytryk and her husband DeWayne of Humane Wildlife Control who provided a very informative slide presentation on "Ground Squirrel Life Cycle and Control" (who knew there were 7 types of ground squirrels and 8 sub-species of California ones). In addition, it included a short presentation and discussion on the different rats living in Carmel Valley. The presenters discussed how to trap ground squirrels; explained "integrated pest management" with the holistic approach of 'biodynamics' to create harmonious living with humans; emphasized the negative consquences of using commercial poison, and the benefits of carbon monoxide via P.E.R.C. (Pressurized Exhaust Rodent Controller).
Our garden show raffle continues to be successful. Witness a couple of our happy winners - Rene Wagner and new member Gerry Montgomery.
June 9 Final Meeting - Potluck Picnic BBQ
click photo to enlarge
With the Best Weather Yet for the final event of the year, 70 members gathered at the Carmel Valley Community Youth Center for a great end of year party. First we welcomed our new Board members, Carolyn Rice, June Dawson, Dianne Woods and Ed Morrow (above left). Then we gave out grants to 8 local nonprofits: Carmel Valley Community Youth Center, Friends of Carmel Valley Historical Society, Carmel Valley Boy Scout Troop #127, Carmel Valley Village Improvement Committee, Rosie's Garden, Hidden Valley Music Seminars and Tularcitos Parent Teacher Organization. Next we feasted on member provided potluck items and club provided entrees (John Brocco and Elaine Kramer on grill duty).
Many thanks to Karolyn Stone and her team for all the hard work arranging this great event.
More Photos available in the
2019 June BBQ Photo Album.
WHAT A SPECTACULAR GARDEN SHOW!!!!!!
What a wonderful "50 Years of Flower Power" 2019 Carmel Valley Garden Show!! Thank you Sponsors, Donors, Volunteers, Vendors, and all the Attendees from around the area who came and made it a special weekend for all of us.
And here are photos from the 2019 Garden Show Enjoy!
April 25 - Wildflower Hike with Santa Lucia Conservancy
click photo to enlarge
On April 25, 22 "adventuresome" members of the club had an amazing wildflower hike down and then up Black Mountain trail in the Santa Lucia Preserve. Following our wonderful guide, Christy Fischer, Executive Director of the Santa Lucia Conservancy, we hiked down through fields of Lupine, and numerous other flowers such as Rose Clover, Johnny Jump-up, and Clarkia, and then through more wooded area with larkspur, Chinese Houses, cut-leaved geranium, Scarlet Pimpernel, Shooting Stars, and many many more. We couldn't have had more perfect weather, and photographers in the group had ample opportunity to get great shots to enter into the Photography contest at the Garden Show. More photos in this
2019 April Wildflower Walk album.
Kudos to Ed Dickson for arranging such a great hike.
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