• Food Drop Off : 11:15 AM

• Social Hour + Silent Auction : 11:30 - 12:30PM

• General Meeting : 12:30 PM

For members only. Non members please pay $10 to attend as a guest, or $40 annual dues to become a member.

Nyna grew up in an extended family of gardeners and hostesses, with flowers abundant in her home. As a young mom, she decided to make her hobby official by attending the “Career Floral Design Institute” and receiving a certificate in floral design in 1989. This certificate allowed her to join the Filoli House Flower Arrangers when she moved to her husband’s hometown of Los Altos in 1993. She volunteered at Filoli serving as the chair of flower arrangers and on the Filoli Governing Board for 25 years. Wedding and event flowers for family and friends have taken her all over the country.

Nyna has been a presenter for many groups, including “CA Women’s Retreat” in Danville, Menlo Church Mothers Together group, and garden clubs and churches throughout the Bay Area. She has participated three times in Bouquets o Art, including the 2024 show.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President/ Program Chair

• Social Time: 12:00PM

• General Meeting: 12:30PM

• Program Begins: 1:30PM

For members only. Non members please pay $10 to attend as a guest, or $40 annual dues to become a member. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.
Why do we garden? Is it only for beauty and to enhance the curb appeal of our homes? Or does the garden also play a role in the local ecology? More and more people are coming to realize that our yards can provide sustenance to wildlife, from butterflies to birds and more, without sacrificing aesthetics. A yard landscaped with well-chosen native plants can not only look good but also provide unparalleled habitat value. Come to this talk to learn the basics of habitat gardening and which native plants in our area are particularly suited for attracting birds and butterflies. A plant list will be available.

A software engineer by training, Arvind Kumar has been growing native plants in his home garden in San Jose for 22 years. He coordinates volunteer workdays at the 2-acre Native Garden in Lake Cunningham Park in San Jose. He is a board member and former president of California Native Plant Society (Santa Clara Valley Chapter). Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

• Social Time: 12:00PM

• General Meeting: 12:30PM

• Program Begins: 1:30PM

For members only. Non members please pay $10 to attend as a guest, or $40 annual dues to become a member. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

At our last meeting in June, we tuned up our ears with the wonderful sounds of a live jazz orchestra. This month, I will facilitate a sharing activity to tune our visual senses. I‘m inviting members to bring a small object related to or found in gardens. We’ll place them under a camera and project it onto the big screen so everyone can see. Consider items that fit in your hand; approximately 1” to 6” would be ideal. Some ideas include: a beautiful bloom, a bud and bloom, roots and fungi, pods or bark, a comparison or contrast of similar small things, fittings for hose or drip system, soil or compost samples in a clear dish, a figurine or decoration, 3 different (oak, maple, lettuce, etc.) leaves or seeds, preserved bug or butterfly boards, etcetera. If it’s a thing of beauty or wonder or invention, please bring it with you to share!

Karen Stoneham, Vice President & Program Chair

• Social Time: 12:00 PM

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program Begins: 1:30 PM

For members only. Non members please pay $10 to attend as a guest, or $40 annual dues to become a member. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Come and enjoy a unique hour of music that will fire off memories from the past and send you off with a smile. Organizers say the orchestra “conjures our efforts to deter squirrels, chase cats away from bird feeders, and calmly deal with the circle of life at play in our gardens.”

For more information about this special orchestra please see:

The Village Foundation

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

• Social Time: 12:00 PM

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program Begins: 1:30 PM

For members only. Non members please pay $10 to attend as a guest, or $40 annual dues to become a member. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Marcia Reed is the owner/farmer of CharMarron Peony Nursery www.4peonies.com in the eastern hills of San Jose.

She will share tips on planting peonies, and answer all your questions about growing peonies. She grows over 240 varieties of Herbaceous and Itoh varieties. Please view her website to get an idea of the scope of her selection.

Charmaine Turbow is the owner/florist of Turbow Farms www.turbowfarms.com a cut-flower grower and florist in the Los Altos foothills. She farms a hillside of romantic, fresh flowers for custom orders and uses them in designs for special events.

Special Opportunity: We are nearing the last week of peony plant blooming. If you want to visit CharMarron PeonyNursery, you should go this week. If you want to forgo the 40 minute drive to the farm, shop online for a new favorite peony and Marcia will bring your plant to the May meeting. Especially view the magnificent Itoh varieties includingMagical Mystery Tour, Hillary, and Command Performance. Plant them now and enjoy a show next spring! Marcia and Charmaine are looking forward to sharing their “dog and peony” show with us.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

Please see “Plant and Bake Sale” before program begins, under “Community Events”

• Social Time: 12:00 PM

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program Begins: 1:30 PM

For members only. For membership inquiries, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.
Lanette is the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) manager of Hidden Villa's organic farm where she has worked for the past 12 years. She and her team manage 7 acres of regenerative mixed vegetable, fruit and flower production for a community subscription program, a local food bank and for use in events and programs at Hidden Villa. As well as being a productive farm, Hidden Villa serves as a model for locally adapted, regenerative growing techniques, working with young aspiring farmers to teach them the methods and skills needed for this vital trade. And a fun BONUS: As a special plant give-way, Lanette will be gifting a CSA basket of produce & a flower bouquet at the conclusion of her talk.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

ARRIVAL & SEATING: 11:30 AM

TEA BEGINS: 11:45 AM

GENERAL MEETING: 1:00 PM

PROGRAM BEGINS: 1:30

This special meeting is for members who pre-registered to attend only. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Katie Chirgotis, a practicing florist, student of Nature and seeker of deeper knowing based on the Central Coast of California. Raised in the marshes of Virginia, her love for the land in relation to body, observation of the tides in relation to breath, and appreciation of the seasons in relation to spirit continues to inform the woman and artist she is becoming today.

As our collective society tilts into a time and experience unlike any other, it is her deep belief that we must look to Earth-based practices and ancestral teachings from those far wiser to call back our humanity, and return to center. Katie is owner of EOTHEN, a Santa Cruz floral studio and gift shop located at 402 Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz.

She will have some bouquets available for sale at the conclusion of the program. Take home a floral memory of our special March Tea in the form of a floral conversation piece. More info. on her website at: www.eothenflorals.com and find her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/eothen/

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

• 10:30-11:00AM : Donation Drop Off for Treasure Sale

• 11:30AM-12:30PM : Garden Treasure Sale

• 12:30 PM : General Meeting

• 1:30 PM : Program begins

For members only. Non members please pay $5 to attend as a guest, or $40 annual dues to become a member and attend two months for free. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Mike Boss, owner and steward of Hidden Forest Botanical Reserve, will share the riveting story of his journey from horticulturist and landscaper to steward of 7.5 acres of multilayered forest canopy and nursery.

Mike is the founder of Rock & Rose, his former landscape company in San Francisco. But, he always wanted to own a nursery property. Although the Hidden Forest was originally just a cow pasture with blackberry brambles, through human hands and nature’s work, it evolved to an azalea and rhododendron nursery, Sonoma Horticultural Nursery, and over time, an epic natural garden for flora and fauna on a quiet Azalea Lane in Sebastopol, CA. Mike will share views of this botanical paradise and impart the harrowing tale of trying to save it for the public’s benefit.

For more information please visit: https:// hiddenforestnursery.com/.

Samples of beautiful and unusual understory plants will be on display and for sale at the meeting.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

• Social Time: 12:00 PM

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program Begins: 1:30 PM

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

We welcome Alan Hackler, landscape designer and owner of Bay Maples as our first speaker in 2024. Alan created Bay Maples Wild California Gardens to address the divide between California’s ongoing water needs and the human desire to live in harmony with a well maintained and beautiful landscape. Bay Maples creates low-impact, water-saving gardens through the use of native plants, recycled or repurposed materials and irrigation strategies involving greywater and rainwater catchment. Learn more about Alan’s business at www.baymaples.com.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

Bring Your Treats : 11:30 AM

Tea Party Begins: 11:45 AM

General Meeting : 12:30 PM

Program Begins : 1:30 PM

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

GCLA member and floral artist, Connie Oakson, has spent a wonderful career designing with flowers, branches and decor for all occasions of life. Her most recent work, before moving into her private practice, was designing for Flora and the art lovers who visit the shop at Allied Arts in Palo Alto. She has a focus on sustainability and a natural flair. Connie will be bringing her fall, floral theme to our meeting and we’ll have the fun of a drawing for the designs she creates.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

• 12:30PM : General Meeting

• 1:30 PM : Program Begins

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.
Please welcome Gary Hedden, our program speaker for this month. Since retiring from his profession as a chemist, Gary has been contributing, educating, engaging youth, and working on community teams to organize efforts around sustainable growth and combat the climate crisis. He does this on his bicycle, on his feet, and like most avid gardeners, on his knees. He inspires others to have fun in the process. Those efforts have been recognized!! In 2016 he received a Los Altos/Los Altos Hills joint community Volunteer Service Award; in 2021 GreenTown named him Environmental Hero; in 2022 the Los Altos Town Crier honored him with Los Altan of the Year.

Gary will focus his presentation on his volunteer efforts since retiring in 2009, primarily the roles and projects working with the Los Altos History Museum and GreenTown Los Altos.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

• Social Time: 12:00 PM

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program Speaker : 1:30 PM

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Michelle Kusanovich has 20 years of experience in architectural design and construction and specializes in residential, landscape, and large scale community sites. She is fresh off the AIA home tour where one of her homes was featured for her peers and the community. Her excellent feel for spatial qualities, keen sense for the siting of buildings, understanding the landscape and natural environment, and the use of meaningful material palettes allows for the creation of spaces that are thoughtfully planned, beautiful, poetic, and highly functional.

Michelle’s commitment to environmentally conscious design is a lifelong pursuit, as is her ongoing education on such topics as water reclamation and sustainability. When not in the office or with her family, she can be found at groundbreaking seminars looking at different ways to design and build to reduce the global carbon footprint on our planet. So strong is her commitment in this area, early in her career, Michelle declined a job with famed architect Frank Gehry to work on the now famous organic modern estate by Ken Kellogg in Joshua Tree, California.

Through pictures and commentary, Michelle with share how she works with clients to beautify the landscape, make smart decisions about water and energy, and how she encourages plant selections that amplify healthy, happy lifestyles. Look forward to a nice Q&A with this personable and relatable architect.

Michelle has a Master of Architecture degree from SCI-Arc, Los Angeles and an undergraduate degree in Economics from UCSC. She is a member of AIA (American Institute of Architects), the US Green Building Council, and the IFMA (International Facilities Management Association). She is a welder, wood-worker, and a formidable modern, west coast swing, and ballroom dancer.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

• Social Time: 12:00 PM

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program Speaker : 1:30 PM

Christy Ross, founder of Planted Places, used to design living, planted walls for her clients. She migrated to planting edible greens and herbs and designed a vertical system for growing food while optimizing water usage. Her vertical system eliminated a lot of fail points that many people have when trying to grow their own food. Christy learned about nutrition and became inspired to help people get the most nutritious food into their bodies. She will share her expertise on how to grow organic, nutrient-dense, leafy greens and herbs in living soil in small containers year-round. Christy will also touch on the microbial process and what makes soil alive. You’ll be linked in to ideas for healthy food/drinks for entertaining in your own garden.

In many different ways, her company supports optimizing health through growing your own food, cooking classes and yoga for mindfulness. We welcome our fellow gardener, Christy, who believes, “Gardening is about having patience, having healthy habits and rituals, and being appreciative of what is happening in your environment.”

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

• 12:00 : Social Time

• 12:30 : General Meeting

• 1:30 : Program Begins

We will hear from Elisabeth Ward, Executive Director of the Los Altos History Museum, about the exciting new permanent exhibit: Making Connections, Stories from the Land. This exhibit delivers an immersive, interactive multimedia experience of our local history and the events that transformed the landscape and the people who shaped this area. She will also fill us in on all the exciting happenings at the museum.

Elisabeth became the Executive Director of the Los Altos History Museum in 2017. Growing up in Southern California she spent her summers with family in Iceland. She holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology with a concentration in Museum Studies, and a PhD in Scandinavian Languages and Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. Before coming to Los Altos History Museum, she worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s Natural History Museum and at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President and Program Chair

• 12:00 : Social Time

• 12:30 : General Meeting

• 1:30 : Program Begins

Carol Dahout, president and show chair of the Clara B. Rees Iris Society in San Jose will be our speaker of the month. We will hear about irises and local iris breeder, Clara B. Rees, who made iris history with her iris hybrid "Snow Flurry" -- the world's first ruffled iris. The big ruffled white was a sensation when it bloomed. More important still, it is the world's greatest parent of fine ruffled, tetraploid, tall bearded iris. "Snow Flurry" earned Clara many awards and international honors. It was on the list of 100 favorite iris for 30 years. 

Carol’s passion for all things iris developed after attending an iris show and joining CBRIS.  Needing new challenges after her daughter went off to college, Carol became interested in gardening.  She was spurred on after picking up some discarded iris rhizomes that then actually bloomed and were beautiful!  The Clara B. Rees Iris Society was founded in 1929 and named after world renowned hybridizer, Clara B. Rees of Willow Glen.  Carol is looking forward to telling us Clara’s story.

For members only. Non members please bring $5 to attend.

Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair (2022-2023)

• 11:00 : Salad Drop Off

• 11:30 : Luncheon

• 12:30 : General Meeting

• 1:30 : Program Speaker

Our March meeting will feature two Filoli staff members, Hayley and Aimee, making several flower arrangements and speaking about floral arts at Filoli.

Haley O'Connor is the formal garden manager at Filoli. She has been caring for private estates for the last 15 years.Before falling in love with all things garden, she owned an art gallery where she made outrageous arrangements for opening nights.

Aimee Saunders joined Filoli in January 2023 as the Floral Workshop Instructor. She has been a professional floral designer since 2014; leading floral workshops covering a variety of topics through her company, Two Birds Artistry. A Bay Area native, her love of flowers bloomed in her family's Pacifica garden and in childhood visits to Filoli and other majestic gardens. She believes beauty comes in many forms and sharing it with others through the art of floral design is a deeply rewarding experience.

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

10:30 AM - Treasure Sale Drop off

11:30 AM - Treasure Sale

12:30 PM - General Meeting

1:30 PM - Program Speaker

We welcome Molly Eaton, the co-founder of Northern Roots Bee Co., to give us an introduction to the fascinating life of honey bees. We'll discuss the roles and contributions of the thousands of individual honey bees that make up the super-organism that is the bee colony. You'll come to understand their importance to our environment and the many benefits of keeping bees in your garden. You'll also have an opportunity to learn how and why bees make honey and to try fresh honeycomb from our hardworking hives in Santa Cruz.

Molly Eaton is the co-founder of Northern Roots Bee Co., a honey bee management, education, and events business based in Santa Cruz. She graduated from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in International Security & Conflict Resolution and an emphasis in Environmental Security. Her studies centered around sustainable food production which ultimately introduced her to her greatest passion in life - honey bees. She is enrolled in the Master Beekeeper Program at the University of California, Davis, and is currently in pursuit of her Master Level certificate within the program. She also holds a Sensory Evaluation of Honey certificate from the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and the American Honey Tasting Society. Molly loves learning about bees and is especially interested in honey bee biology and pheromone communication. You can learn more about her company and the work she's doing at www.northernrootsbeeco.com or follow her on Instagram at @northernrootsbeeco

Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

• 12:00 : Social Time

• 12:30 : General Meeting

• 1:30 : Program Begins

Carla Evans will be presenting her demonstration of an elegant arrangement for your dining room table using foods found in your grocery store’s produce department. She will also be showing a Valentine’s Day arrangement. Carla was born and raised on a farm in North Dakota and moved to California when she was 14 years of age, living in the San Jose area for many years. Carla took an interest in floral and plant arrangements while watching her creative mother do the same. She has taken courses with Citti’s Florist and Ikebana classes and enjoys creating her own designs. Her professional career includes working for an executive search firm followed by working as Vice President of a small computercompany in the 1980’s. After managing a dental practice for over thirty years, she retired and is enjoying her many hobbies including piano, embroidery machine sewing, cooking, decorating and of course flowers and plants.

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

• 11:00 AM: Salad Drop Off

• 11:30AM -12:30PM: Salad Luncheon

• 12:45 PM - General Meeting

• 1:30 PM - Speaker Program Begins

We welcome Teresa Sabankaya, author of The Posy Book: Garden Inspired Bouquets That Tell A Story, as our speaker this month. Teresa will demonstrate how to create "floral poems" and inspire us to craft our own posies filled with personal meaning. In 1999, Teresa was a pioneer in the Slow Flowers movement, and her floral studio, formerly known as Bonny Doon Garden Company, has been the heart and soul of locally grown flowers. Based in Santa Cruz, her exquisite Signature Posies -garden inspired bouquets of flowers and herbs that tell a story- have been featured in numerous publications and are shipped nationwide. Her website: www.teresabankaya.com, has information on workshops and events. The Posy Book has an extensive floral dictionary; you can also access the on-line version of the dictionary at https://newlanguageofflowers.com

Guest fee is $5 per person.

IMPORTANT NOTE: we must strictly adhere to Covid protocol ----> a mask will be required as you go through the buffet line; you may remove it at other times. Remember to wear your name tag.

Bobbie Davis, Hospitality Chairperson

Grace Tang, Vice President & Program Chair

• 12:15 PM : Social Time

• 12:45 PM : General Meeting

• 1:30 PM : Program Begins

Learn how to grow native plants successfully, how to capture rain water to help natives survive through the summer, and how to include wildflowers that will come back each year bringing beneficial insects to your garden.

Radhika Thekkath, is a retired computer scientist who worked in the tech industry for many years. She has been an active board member of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society for several years and is currently the Board President. Her interests encompass medicinal plants, sustainable buildings, and permaculture-based regenerative living. She is passionate about preserving the remaining Bay Area flora and fauna for future generations to enjoy and is also an advisory Board member for the Committee for Green Foothills.

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

• 12:15 PM : Social Time

• 12:45 PM : General Meeting

• 1:30 PM : Program Begins

Valley Water, our county water district, will be presenting at our next meeting. They will cover our water supply issues, the current drought situation, water conservation tips, and current Valley Water projects and initiatives.

For members only. Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Arranged by Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

10:45 AM - Treasure sale drop off

11:45 AM - Treasure Sale

12:45 PM - General Meeting

1:30 PM - Program Speaker

The Sempervirens Fund’s mission is to help redwood forests thrive in the Santa Cruz mountain range by establishing a large, interconnected, and protected network of healthy trees and streams, stretching across public and private lands. Melisa’s interest in nature began with helping her grandpa plant trees in her family’s home state of Michoacan, Mexico. Graduating college in Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, she spent summers at home leading volunteer programs with Friends of the Chicago River before moving to California. Since then, she has worked in rehabilitation, land stewardship and environmental education at Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Grassroots Ecology, and Arastradero Preserve.

Melisa joined Sempervirens Fund in 2021 and is currently an M.S. candidate at the University of San Francisco for Environmental Management. She is an avid backpacker and lover of sunsets, and plans hiking adventures throughout the west coast in her free time.

For members only.

Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Arranged By Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

12:15PM - Social Time

12:45PM - General Meeting Begins

1:30PM - Program Begins

We are thrilled to have Gordon Deeg to present growing bonsai. He will bring several blooming azaleas and talk about the care and feeding of azaleas as bonsai. He will also take questions about bonsai from the floor. Deeg is very well-known to bonsai practitioners in the Bay Area. He is a member of Kusamura (Palo Alto), Sei Boku (San Mateo) and Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai. He is also a key player at the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. Deeg is a long-time teacher of bonsai and has an impressive collection at his home in Palo Alto. For more information, see https://www.kusamurabonsai.org/articles/

For members only.

Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Arranged By Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

• 12:45PM : General Meeting

• 1:30PM : Program Begins

  We are pleased to have a presentation by farmer David Winsberg of Happy Quail Farms in East Palo Alto at the April in-person meeting. The farm has been in continuous operation since 1984 when it started with a quail coop and direct-to-restaurant delivery. Around 1990, Happy Quail shifted its focus to bell peppers and eggplant.

  “The Pimiento de Padrón is what first put us on the map of the country’s restaurants, which were increasingly interested in locally sourced produce. As the first people to grow the Padrón pepper in the U.S., we began to distribute the pepper nation-wide and build out a market for this new specialty Spanish pepper. We’ve never been a one pepper farm, quite the opposite! Over the years we’ve grown hundreds of different varieties and we’re always ready to try something new. Beyond peppers, we’re also the top producer of wild strawberries in the U.S. (Fraise de Bois), grow water cress, tarragon, and have experimented with producing everything from wasabi to tobacco”.

  Happy Quail Farms

  For members only.

  Non members: Please bring $5 to attend as a guest. For membership details, please email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

  Arranged By Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

Zoom meeting. Open to members only. For information on how to become a member, please send email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Steven Brown, floral design instructor in the Department of Horticulture at City College of San Francisco, will present arrangements based on current seasonal garden materials, including some pruned for upkeep. Steven is a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers and Master Florists Association, and is a CA Certified Florist and Floral Designer as well as founding co-president of the Organization of Floral Art Designers.

Arranged by Grace Tsang, VP & Program Chair

Online Zoom meeting. Open to members only. For information on how to become a member, please send email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Our February talk will be on permaculture, which can be described as a profoundly thoughtful way of sustainable gardening, and encompasses the care of ourselves, other people and the environment.

Our speaker, Jessi Bloom, introduces herself as an ecological landscape designer, author and teacher: "As a single mother and lover of the earth and everything it provides, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue finding the ways that we can give to the earth, and it will give right back to us naturally. I started NW Bloom EcoLogical Landscapes, based in Woodinville WA, in 2000 to innovate and emphasize awareness of permaculture, sustainable landscape design, construction and land management."

Jessi is the author of numerous books including: Creating Sanctuary: Sacred Garden Spaces, Plant Based Medicine and Daily Practices to Achieve Happiness and Well-Being; Practical Permaculture: for Home Landscapes, Your Community, and the Whole Earth ("fabulous book!" says your program chair) and Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard.

If you’d like more information about permaculture before the meeting, take a look on-online:

https://www.jessibloom.com/what-is-permaculture/ and https://www.instagram.com/jessi.bloom/

Grace Tsang, Vice President & Program Chair

Online Zoom meeting. Open to members only. For information on how to become a member, please send email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

We are excited to welcome Melinda Nakagawa at our Jan. Zoom meeting to give us a glimpse into and instruction on Nature Journaling: bridging nature, science, art and heart to open our eyes to wonder!

This will be an interactive session and Melinda will share simple strategies to record what you see onto paper. Nature Journaling is a practice that helps you develop skills of observation and awareness, cultivates wonder and curiosity, and creates a lasting memory of your nature experience.

Please have with you at the Zoom meeting:

• sketchbook/journal or paper

• pen/pencil

• colors optional (colored pencils, watercolor pencils or paint and brush)

• a couple of leaves, or a houseplant, or greens from the fridge (kale, lettuce, chard, etc).

Melinda is a biologist, naturalist, and educator with a passion and skill for connecting people to nature. She guides participants to cultivate a deeper relationship with the natural world, slowing down to nature’s pace and seeing rather than just looking at the world.

With an approach that bridges nature, art, and heart, she welcomes all people regardless of their skill level or background. Through her gentle guidance, hundreds of participants have awakened their spark of curiosity, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural world.

Melinda has partnered with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to lead educator training on nature journaling. She leads the Monterey Bay Nature Journal Club’s free online Sunday sessions, teaches nature journaling courses and workshops for youth and adults, including one-on-one mentoring. With an M.S. degree in Marine Science, she has worked as a naturalist guide, seabird researcher, floral designer, and wildlife rehabilitator. For the past two decades Melinda has kept nature journals and continues to learn more from nature with each journal she fills.

You can learn more about Melinda, resources, and classes on nature journaling here: http://sparkinnature.com/

Grace Tsang, VP & Program Chair

Online Zoom meeting. Open to members only. For information on how to become a member, please send email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

An early curiosity about fruits and flowers turned Rizaniño “Riz” Reyes, originally from the Philippines, into an award-winning garden designer and avid plantsman in the Pacific Northwest. This led him to start a small specialty nursery, get involved with various horticultural organizations around the country and then obtain a Bachelor of Science in environmental horticulture from the University of Washington, where he worked at the Botanic Garden’s Center for Urban Horticulture. On the side, he supports and collaborates with local cut flower growers for his unique floral designs for special occasions and seasonal events. He is also a regular speaker and writer for various local and national organizations and publications. “Horticulture is a collaboration of science and art,” says Riz Reyes, silhouetted in the verdant twilight of his greenhouse workshop. As founder and sole employee of RHR Horticulture, his landscape and floral design company, Reyes is one of Seattle’s busiest green thumbs—and one of its most expressive. He’s operated out of this glorified terrarium in the Roosevelt neighborhood for six years; the owners live across the alley and donate the space, which would otherwise go unused. At roughly 225 square feet, it’s a jungle-dense menagerie with representatives from around the world: red banana tree, flowering maple, princess flower, pincushion flower, sheflera, angel’s trumpet, hellebore (Reyes’ personal favorite). He continues: “I’ve always liked art”—he was a dance minor at the University of Washington, the complement to his degree in environmental horticulture and urban forestry—”and the science kicked in because of my curiosity about how plants grow and function. To have the two come together is incredible.”

Grace Tsang, VP & Program Chair

Online Zoom meeting. Open to members only. For information on how to become a member, please send email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Tama Matsuoka Wong, owner of Meadows & More, located on 28 acres in New Jersey will be our speaker.  Tama sells "weeds" from her meadow - such as wild chervil, cattail shoots, sumac and chickweed - to New York City's top restaurants.  Wong's meadow today sports over 255 plant species, none of it hand sown.  She says there are two categories of plants in a meadow:  Ancestral (native) plants and non-ancestral (non-native) plants.  The non-ancestral are the primary plants sold to markets and restaurants.  Some native plants are robust enough to be harvested and some are harvested very selectively.

Wong is a Harvard educated attorney who practiced law in Hong Kong for over two decades before moving to the United States and settling in New Jersey. She began Meadows and More in 2009.  She is also the co-author (with Eddy Leroux) of "Foraged Flavor" - a cookbook for finding fabulous ingredients in your backyard or farmer's market.

Grace Tsang, VP & Program Chair

Online Zoom meeting. Open to members only. For information on how to become a member, please send email to GCLAmembership@gmail.com.

Elaine Salinger is a retired veterinarian and native plant gardener, living in San Mateo, host of many native plant garden tours over the last few years. Lately, she has been mentoring high school students and giving presentations on climate change action. As the problem becomes more urgent, she is doing more outreach and volunteers over 40 hours/week. Salinger's presentation will include: What is the most effective solution to climate change? Why IS it the most effective solution? How can the United States enact this solution in a way that encourages the rest of the world to do the same? AND what can you do in less than two minutes a day to help?

Also at this month’s meeting, the Horticulture segment will cover Summer tree pruning.

Grace Tsang, VP & Program Chair