Bouquet of Thanks

The holidays are here and what better way to share our blessings than to donate poinsettias to the veterans and staff at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. These poinsettias brighten our veterans’ bedside tables as well as the nursing stations and the areas used by visitors and guests.

The Poinsettia Committee will be setting up tables at the entrance to our December 12 meeting for you to easily drop off your plants. Poinsettia plants in 6” and 8” pots which are placed in nursing stations and the public spaces would be most appreciated, but all sizes are welcome.

The plants will include a lovely gift card from our Club, designed by Alice Harmon. Please check that the plant has been watered and is healthy since we do not have access to water before delivering.

Thanks to Sue Kalish, Nansea Wolff and the Card Group of Clairemont for the beautiful holiday cards that were personalized by our Club members. About 120 warmly personalized cards and 150 bedside poinsettias will be delivered to the VA Medical Center the first week of December.

Thank you for your support.
Glee Logsdon

Holiday Pantry and Bake Sale  

Bring some sweet or savory holiday treats to our pantry and bake sale at our December meeting. Items that are decoratively packaged and priced are the best sellers!

Need some suggestions on creative packaging?  Pinterest is filled with good ideas--search for terms like "gift packaging for bake sales." YouTube also has many tutorials with great ideas.  Look for channels focused on baking or DIY crafts.

Your support makes this event easy for gift-giving to friends, neighbors and hostesses, and helps our Club bring quality programs to you throughout the year.

Robin Vandever, Linda Morse, Cindy Lococo

Field Trips

The Botanical Garden and Buildings in Balboa Park

On Wednesday, March 12, we will be treated to a presentation and private tour of the biggest new “Garden Story” in San Diego in many years–the Botanical Building and Gardens–the most photographed area of Balboa Park! 

Our field trip is timely because the two-year restoration of the Botanical Building, the original building of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, is now completed and will reopen to the public in November. This restoration has been a long journey over the past 110 years, and we will explore the gorgeous results of the restoration and how the gardens have been updated. More will be shared about this exciting field trip in the months ahead.  
 
On October 7 the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Katy McDonald will be the new President and CEO of Forever Balboa Park, the organization that has spearheaded the restoration of the Botanical Building and Gardens. Katy is a San Diego native who will hit the ground running in mid-November. Katy has done a spectacular job at the San Diego Symphony and at the San Diego Museum of Art.  
 
What: Guided Tour of the Botanical Building and Gardens in Balboa Park
Where: The patio fountain inside of the House of Hospitality, Balboa Park
When:  Wednesday, March 12 at 10:30 a.m.
Fee: $20

The presentation and tour will be led by Katy McDonald and Jacqueline Higgins, Landscape Architect, Forever Balboa Park’s VP and liaison to the City of San Diego. At about noon, we will enjoy an optional no-host luncheon at Artifact, the extraordinary dining experience inside the Mingei Museum. Please join us.
 
We will have sign-ups at our meetings in the months ahead. 

Christy Wilson, Jody Oliphant and Alyce Ashcraft

Commemorative Tree Program

Uncovering the Secrets of Oak Trees 
Fascinating Facts You May Not Know

 As the year progresses, it feels as though time is speeding up. One day we’re surrounded by Halloween’s spooky witches and ghosts, and the next, stores and ads are already adorned with Christmas trees, menorahs, and New Year’s decorations. Amid all this excitement, it’s easy to overlook the meaningful traditions that truly enrich our lives.

  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we’d like to pause and express our heartfelt gratitude to those who have chosen to honor or memorialize loved ones through the donation of trees. Your generosity has made a lasting impact, and our hearts are full.

Some of you have donated multiple trees, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support. Your contributions help us create a greener, more beautiful community that will be cherished for generations to come.

To honor or memorialize someone, use this link to donate a commemorative tree in their name. To donate via mail, send a $75 check and a completed form (found on page 46 of the yearbook or online at VGCLJ.com) to Village Garden Club of La Jolla; 1140 Wall Street, #783; La Jolla, CA 92038-7003.

Devonna Hall and Libby Levine
Co-Chairs, Commemorative Trees

DOnate here

SCHOOLYARD GARDEN GRANTS

Schoolyard Garden Grant Committee members met last month to review 25 applications representing 35 area schools. They distributed $13,085 which had been generously donated by Club members or provided by special events and from table sales. We allocate with an eye to need and to our local schools. This year the majority of our schools are Title 1 and Promise Zone schools where students face significant economic hardships. Nearly 73% of our funds went to 24 Title 1 schools and three schools with a preponderance of military families or students with special needs. 

In addition to the yearly grant review, members of this committee visit grantee schools in the spring, fund raise, facilitate liaisons and advocate for schoolyard garden programs. Gardening at grantee schools is not part of the committee’s service, but we are alerted to special community gardening events by programs like The Sage Garden Project, Barrio Botany or San Diego Co-Harvest.

Each school is required to have a Master Gardener consult on their project and this year Glee Logsdon worked with Ocean Beach Elementary. Thank you, Glee! Master Gardeners who volunteer at schools provide invaluable assistance to ensure the success of schoolyard garden projects and help schools tap into some of the non-profits that are significantly increasing the exposure of students to gardening and nutrition.  

Committee members who visited last year’s two new applicants were invigorated by the progress they saw. We were delighted they applied again this year with hopes to expand their programs. Not all of our grantee schools apply every year and it’s worth noting that applicants are usually very mindful in their requests and always immensely grateful.  A list of our grantee schools and their funding can be found here.

We are very grateful to Club members for their support of this vital civic project. The grant applications are testaments to the importance of schoolyard gardens. For some, the gardens are a hands-on space for students to connect with STEM curriculum. Teachers also describe the healing that gardens can provide for stressed students or as a place of quietude and reflection for others. With the evident need to address the obesity epidemic, schoolyard gardening is particularly well poised to inform the next generation about nutritional food choices. 

We hope you will follow some of the links in this article or stop by our table to be inspired by the impactful programs you support, and allied programs aligned with schoolyard gardening. 

Mary Lippman

Master Gardeners

December's "To Do" in the Garden

There is so much to do at this time of year that it is no surprise the garden can look a bit forsaken.  We are so busy that perhaps it is acceptable that we minimize this month’s outdoor tasks.  Let’s focus inside our homes.

Indoors we have Thanksgiving cyclamen whose watering is always tricky. They will begin to wilt when they're too dry or overwatered. Much of their delicate condition depends on their placement. They prefer bright light, cooler temperatures, and only moderate watering. Unfortunately, the porous soil in your nursery container can dry out and harden quickly in heated rooms. Be prepared to water whenever you see them lagging, but always let the water drain fully. They were prepped for many blooms and need a regular light fertilization for all the buds to bloom. After the holidays, they can be planted successfully in the garden in semi-shade or morning sun. They will often go dormant by February although their leaves may keep their position year-round, especially in full shade. Replacing or mixing their very porous container soil with compost will insure their perennial existence.

Your poinsettias need similar attention: bright light (but no direct sun), cooler temperatures, and a thorough watering when the top soil in the container is dry. Drainage is essential. They do not need any more fertilization. Unlike cyclamens, your potted plants were not hybridized for the outdoors. Send them to the compost pile when you are ready.

Keep your Thanksgiving or Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, S. bridgessi) in bloom by guaranteeing no light for 8-12 hours a day. Even turning on the overhead for a few minutes is very disrupting to their cycle and will interfere with budding and flowering. Water sparingly, making sure their succulent branches are thick.

Phalaenopsis orchids are being forced into bloom for holiday gifts and require little other than admiration. The occasional watering, never letting it sit in water, and fertilizing with a standard 20-10-20 mix is sufficient.  Pots of indoor Cymbidiums need to be fed now for strong blooms over the next two months.  Use fertilizer with a weak dose of nitrogen and a powerful dose of both potassium and potash(6-30-30).  But once they begin to bloom, and you might have bought them at this stage, stop feeding, place them in a container with good drainage and water often.

Amaryllis bought now came from the Netherlands where they were forced into bloom or South Africa where they bloom naturally this time of year. Before blooming, they can take a sunny window but be sure to rotate the pot to keep the stalk straight. Each stalk (or scape) will have 1- 4 flowers. Once the flower can be seen, place the pot in a cooler, shadier spot.

Cymbidiums and amaryllis can be grown in the garden.

Come by the Master Gardener table in January for advice.

Wishing you all a beautiful season of love, joy and beauty.

You can also use our two websites:  mg.ucanr.edu and mastergardenersd.org.

BJ Boland, Karen White and Heather Hazen