Attention: Readers, authors, teachers, librarians, and book lovers! Put your favorite book on display with your recommendation to others. We will have sign-ups for 10 members to present garden-related books. Sign up during the social time before the meeting. Do you have a favorite mystery or history book? Is there a series or author you follow? Are there audio, kindle or other kinds of books that have you hooked? If you need a recommendation to get reading or listening to books again, come enjoy a program of members sharing.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President and Program Chair

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 or come to our monthly meetings.

• Scroll Time: 11:30

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Scroll Time: 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

Our program this month is a stroll through a mixed media display of GLA members' artistic pursuits. Over 20 artists will have works on display. You'll be surprised at the variety, creativity and techniques. You are welcome to stroll starting at 11:30 am before the general 12:30 meeting and after the meeting during our usual program time. Maybe you'll even get to bring something special home with you.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President and Program Chair

• Social Time: 12 noon

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program / Speaker: 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

The club meeting in June will be a hands-on gardening day. Rita Norby will lead a short demonstration. Then, we will break into small groups to do our own hands-on propagating. There will be a GCLA helper assigned to each table. All materials will be provided, but please bring your own scissors, if possible.

We will work with rex and rhizomatous begonias. There are also cane and terrarium types. But the propagation process is different for those and would require another session.

Karen Kusanovich, GCLA VP and Program Director

• Social Time: 12 noon

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program / Speaker: 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

We gardeners know the many benefits of actively gardening as well as simply being in a garden. Those of you who have toured our members’ gardens know that learning and observing skills are piqued when we leave our own garden to visit a new one. Dilafruz will share her unique stories and photos from school gardens she has been inspired by: Canadian indigenous murals, wall gardens in Australia, rooftop gardens in India, boat-bed gardens in Austria, and more. She is uniquely poised to show how the integration of art & culture, plants & soil, teach and inspire kids and adults to become stewards of the Earth.

Our new GCLA board member Dilafruz is a former professor of Leadership for Sustainability Education at Portland State University. Check out her website at

https://sites.google.com/pdx.edu/dilafruz

She has also been a Consultant with the Growing Gardensschools’ program in Santa Clara County, and a world traveler and international presenter on environmental and educational gardening programs.

Karen Kusanovich, GCLA VP Program Director

Plant Drop Off: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Plant Sale Begins: 11:00 AM

General Meeting: 12:30 PM

Program / Speaker: 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

In honor of Earth Day, we welcome Amos White, an award-winning environmentalist and executive who advances urban forestry and community greening as climate solutions. Also a public official, Amos advises on policy as a CAL FIRE Urban Forestry Advisory Committee Member, and on the Alameda County Agricultural Advisory Committee as Urban Ag, Social & Environmental Justice Subcommittee Chair. In Urban Forestry, Amos works at the intersection of climate, environment, technology, equity and health. He leads 100K Trees for Humanity in the San Francisco Bay Area of California-- an urban reforestation nonprofit planting trees in California cities for climate, for equity, and for public health. For more information, check out: https://about.me/amoswhite.

Karen Kusanovich, GCLA VP Program Director

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 or come to our monthly meetings.

March is a special meeting: It’s the “Salad Luncheon”; new officers will be installed.

SALAD DROP OFF: 11:30 AM

LUNCHEON BEGINS: 11:45 AM

GENERAL MEETING: 12:30 PM

SPEAKER/PROGRAM: 1:30 PM

Olha Savchenko is an award-winning floral designer and founder of Dragonfly Floristic, a floral art and design studio in Los Altos, California. Originally from Ukraine, she transitioned from a corporate career to floristry in 2017, pursuing professional education, mentorship, and competitive design opportunities that shaped her contemporary artistic style.

Olha is a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) and passed the AIFD Professional Floral Designers Evaluation in Chicago in 2023. She is a five-time exhibitor at Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum and Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco and a two-time participant in the international Fleurs de Villes floral show. In 2025, she was named a winner of the California State Floral Association’s Top Ten Designs Competition, in addition to recognition in the Bay Area Professional Floral Designer competition in 2023. Alongside her studio practice, she teaches workshops and shares her passion for floral art with the community.

In the “Blooming Beyond the Vase” presentation, Olha will demonstrate sculptural floral designs using hand-made structures originally created for exhibitions and competitions. Her work explores line, movement, and balance while using sustainable techniques to design flowers. She hopes to inspire viewers to see flowers beyond traditional arrangements — as expressive, contemporary works of living art.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President & Program Chair

DONATION DROP OFF: 1030 - 11 AM

SALE BEGINS: 11:30 - 12:30 PM

GENERAL MEETING: 12:30 PM

PLANNED PROGRAM: 1:30 PM

After you finish reading this newsletter, please send a favorite picture from your home, garden, or a place you have visited. I will include each photo, along with a description and the member's name, in a slideshow. Please submit your photos of favorite plants, trees, flowers, or garden views by February 20th. Additionally, we are looking for "treasures" - items big or small that you are willing to show and tell, but never sell. We have expanded the definition of garden treasures to simply "Treasured" items for our closing program. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another better. We have time for approximately 10 people to present in person, so please let me know if you would like to share your story out loud. If you prefer to display an item (such as artwork, linens, or jewelry) without speaking to the group, please inform me ahead of time so I can provide a safe space for your treasure at the front of the room.

Guest fee: $10.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President

Social Time: 12 noon

General Meeting: 12:30 PM

Program / Speaker: 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

Andy began his horticultural journey as a sophomore in high school. In college, he took courses in horticulture, botany and plant biology and achieved certification in those subjects. He began working at Wegmans Nursery when he was in college and has been there for 25 years. Horticulture is his life and passion. 

Andy will bring plants to show, share his advice and answer questions. He has helped and taught customers about plant care and we are lucky to have him come to us to share reminders and new learnings about plants and plant care. 

Wegman’s Nursery is a family-owned garden center in Redwood City and has been a local tradition for over 60 years. They are known for the wide selection of plants, knowledgeable staff and educational commitment through their seminars and workshops. 

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President & Program Chair

Food Drop-off: 11:30 AM

Time To Eat: 11:45 AM

General Meeting: 12:30 PM

Program / Speaker: 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

We welcome back professional floral designers, Coni and Cheryl who bring their no-nonsense but highly informed floral finesse to share with us. Their work is grounded in sustainability and they capture beauty and inspiration from their gardens and their travels. A few of their designs will be given away at the conclusion of the presentation. 

Coni and Cheryl have been floral artists for over 30 years. They have designed for Bouquets to Art at DeYoung Museum for over 20 years, and owned Flora, a Floral Art Shoppe for 10 years at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park.

Coni has a Masters Degree in Art Education from University of Kansas and studied floristry at the College of San Mateo and City College of San Francisco. She earned certifications from AIFD American Institute of Floral Designers and EMC European Master Certification. She is a member of FAB, Floral Artists of the Bay Area and has studied with Hitomi Gilliam, Gregor Lersch and Per Benjamin.

Cheryl is the designer-owner of FLAIR-Floral Art, a design studio in Portola Valley focusing on events and one of a kind designs for residential and commercial clients. She has won awards locally and on the national level. She is certified AIFD, American Institute of Floral Designers. She believes strongly in continuing education and lifelong learning, and sharing her knowledge with others. She continues to study with several international designers.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President & Program Chair

• Plant Drop-off: 9:30 AM

• Plant Sale Begins: 11:00 AM

• General Meeting: 12:30 PM

• Program / Speaker: 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

Alexa deSanctis, Community Engagement Operations Manager, at POST will address the mission, vision. and history of POST’s work, program areas and methodology, and how you can get involved. POST has created a network of protected lands where people and nature connect and thrive. These lands are preserved forever so that present and future generations benefit from the careful balance of rural and urban landscapes that make our region extraordinary. Since their founding in 1977, POST has protected more than 93,000 acres of permanent open space, farms and parkland in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

Alexa grew up hiking and skiing in Denver, Colorado. Then she made a leap to the Bay Area to pursue her studies at Santa Clara University, graduating with a degree in Psychology and Child Studies. She spent two years in corporate sustainability, facilitating conferences and workshops with Fortune 500 companies before joining POST. Managing the POST volunteer program and planning events from walks and workdays to film festivals and raptor events allows Alexa to spend plenty of time in nature.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President & Program Chair

• Social Time: Noon

• General Meeting: 12:30PM

• 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

Horticulturist, nurseryman, teacher, and cultivar of unusual plants, Bob has been in the center of California’s plant world his whole life. A multi-generational Californian, he was born and raised in Antioch and Concord and traces his Hupa (Hoopa) ancestors back thousands of years.

At UC Berkeley, he studied in the landscape department and the dramatic arts. When he came to Sonoma county, he studied at Santa Rosa Junior college and before long was teaching in the Ag Department there and in other colleges round the North Bay. He has a number of cultivars of his own that you may enjoy looking up: Phormium ‘Ed Carman’ and ‘Toney Tiger’; Salvia under ‘Costa Rican Blue’ called ‘Omaha Gold’.

Bob has worked in almost every nursery and plant store in Sonoma. He even had his own plant store called “The Greenery” in the old schoolhouse in Bodega; same schoolhouse in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie The Birds. He was the first docent for the Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa and designed some of the first displays for the public. His own nursery, Muchas Grasses, was the first and only all-grass nursery in Northern California.

He is a teacher, writer, cultivator, botanical guide and docent, and lifelong learner in the field of horticulture. For this meeting, he chose to share his current topic of interest: getting into the mind of deer. He’ll share vulnerable and invulnerable plants for dealing with these visitors in the garden, lawful reminders and suggestions to take with us. It promises to be a warm and entertaining presentation.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President & Program Chair

• Social Time: Noon

• General Meeting: 12:30PM

• 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

Kathryn Vast, grew up on the peninsula and has always had a love for plants and gardening. She attended Foothill College for several quarters where she studied horticulture, art and music. Then, she moved to Seattle working in food service until landing a job at the famed Swanson’s Nursery. When she met her musical husband, she moved to Sonoma County and found herself back at the cello growing a career in music with her string quartet. She continued taking jobs in nurseries, doing landscaping projects, formed a succulent design business, and pursued floristry through the Santa Rosa Junior College program. She worked part time work in a flower shop until her own freelance floral business got off the ground. She has used her 20+ years of music connections to build her flower business, primarily focusing on winery event work in Napa and Sonoma Counties. Her work with flowers is akin to landscape design using many of the same principles: color, form and balance. In working with color, Kathryn refers to her early art education in using the color wheel as a beginning basis for all design projects. She will bring the color wheel to life through pictures of plants and her own floral table designs. Join us to learn valuable tips to impact your use of color in the garden and on the dinner table.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President & Program Chair

• Social Time: Noon

• 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

Glenn Phillips, the executive director of the Golden Gate Bird Alliance, is a lifelong environmental educator and conservationist. Raised in the East Bay, he got his start in environmental education sharing his collection of reptiles and amphibians with local kindergarten classes when he was in second grade. Glenn has two master's degrees: in urban sustainability and science education. He is thrilled to return home to the East Bay after many years in NYC, where he was Executive Director of NYC Bird Alliance and Vice President for Education at Prospect Park. Glenn also worked in the education departments at the New York Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Glenn gardens with native and drought-tolerant plants in Lafayette.

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President & Program Chair

Plant Drop Off: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Plant Sale Begins: 11:00 AM

General Meeting: 12:30 PM

Program / Speaker: 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 or come to our monthly meetings.

GCLA member, Dr. Dilafruz Williams, serves as a consultant with the Growing Gardens program at Santa Clara County Office of Education. With ~180 school gardens Gardens program at Santa Clara County Office of Education. With ~180 school gardens across the county, she also co-facilitates a Community of Practice for educators and partners. She will take us on a photo journey of county school gardens portraying hands-on engagement of preschool to high school students, where classroom learning is connected with gardens and fosters relationships with the natural world.

Formerly, Dr. Dilafruz Williams was a professor of Leadership for Sustainability Education at Portland State University where she co-founded a number of programs including the Learning Gardens Laboratory. A prolific scholar, she has presented workshops and keynotes nationally and internationally. She has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University. Her coauthored book on Learning Gardens includes innumerable real-life examples of students’ writings and projects, teacher and administrator stories, and pedagogical framework for garden-based education. Dilafruz herself delights in garden wonders.

For more information on Dr. Dilafruz Williams’s work, please visit:

https://www.sccoe.org/isteam/science/gardens/Documents/SCCOE_Growing%20Gardens%20Report_Jan%2015%20%281%29.pdf

Karen Kusanovich, Vice President & Program Chair

WHEN:

SALAD DROP OFF: 11:30 AM

LUNCHEON BEGINS: 11:45 AM

GENERAL MEETING: 12:30 PM

SPEAKER PROGRAM ; 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.

Kren Rasmussen, Owner and Lead Floral Designer of Bloomster’s, has been bringing artistry and innovation to the floral industry since founding the business in 1987. His passion for floral design was nurtured from an early age, growing up in a creatively rich household. With a father who worked as a landscaper and a mother who was a skilled seamstress, Kren was immersed in the worlds of nature, design, and craftsmanship. This artistic foundation led him to develop a deep appreciation for floral artistry, inspiring him to merge beauty and expression through his work. 

Over the years, he has dedicated his career to creating breathtaking floral designs while continuously evolving with industry trends. Under his leadership, Bloomster’s has become a pillar of excellence in the community, earning numerous accolades this past year alone, including the City of San Jose Exemplary Business Award, 2024 San Jose Mercury News Best Florist in Silicon Valley, and top honors atFleurs De Villes—Best in Show, Florist Favorite, and Fan Favorite. Kren’s unwavering commitment to quality, creativity, and customer satisfaction has solidified Bloomster’s reputation as one of the premier florists in the region.

We are excited to welcome Kren back to design for us. We’ll have two give-aways at the conclusion of the program.

Bloomster's Floral Design is located at 5945 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA. Website: www.bloomsters.com

Karen Stoneham, Vice President / Program Chair

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.

DONATION DROP OFF: 10:30 -11:15 AM

GARDEN TREASURES SALE: Noon

GENERAL MEETING: 12:30 PM

SPEAKER/PROGRAM: 1:30 PM

Garden club member, Dr Jane Packard, will take us through the restoration process of the Los Altos heritage apricot orchard, deemed a historical landmark. In 2024, hundreds of young Blenheim apricot trees were planted in the city's 10- acre orchard and a new drip irrigation system was installed. The orchard is officially titled the Gilbert Smith Heritage Apricot Orchard, named after the orchardist who laid down roots in the area at the turn of the last century. The Smith family donated the property to the city.

Karen Stoneham, Vice President / Program Chair

• Social Time: Noon

• 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.

Alan will demystify water systems work through his pictures and live presentation. Bay Maples Wild Californian Gardens was created to address the divide between California’s ongoing water needsand the human desire to live in harmony with a well maintained and beautiful landscape. Bay Maples createslow- 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 / Program Chair

• 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