The Village Garden Club of La Jolla
Thank you for visiting The Village Garden Club of La Jolla website, our online home to help keep members informed of current events of the club. Check back often to see what is happening each month, to learn of special garden tours and to see new photos.
This Month’s Program
March 28, 2024
(OPEN TO GUESTS)
LOCATION: Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, 4321 Eastgate Mall, La Jolla
9:30 a.m.--Hospitality Hour
10:30 a.m.--Meeting and Speaker
“James Hubbell -- Inspiration from Nature”
Speaker: Marianne Gerdes
LANDSCAPE
In nearby Julian, California, the one-of-a-kind, historically designated home and studio of James Hubbell appear to have grown organically from the landscape. In fact, everything the artist creates can be described this way. Recognized worldwide as a sculptor, painter, mosaic artist and building designer, Hubbell’s work is so unique he is considered one of San Diego’s living treasures and is compared to Modernist Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi.
Marianne Gerdes, Executive Director of Hubbell’s Ilan-Lael Foundation since 2006, will present visually provocative images of the fantastic 33-acre compound along with many other “Hubbellesque” creations around the globe.
A springtime, limited, members-only tour of Hubbell’s home and studio in Julian will be announced at the meeting and sign-ups will begin.
VGCLJ Events
2024-2025 Membership Applications
mEMBERSHIP rENEWAL INFORMATION AND LINK
NEW MEMBER APPLICATION INFORMATION AND LINK
*Deadline to Renew or Apply for Membership is May 1, 2024*
2024 Member’s Garden Tour
To sign up for the Members' Garden Tour click here.
50th Anniversary Memories
By the mid-1980s the Village Garden Club of La Jolla had grown to 117 members. Women's Lib was still nascent. In programs and directories, members were identified by their husband's names--e.g., it was Mrs. William Green, not Adrienne Green. Members enjoyed planting flowers at a halfway house for neglected children, improving the landscaping in public parks, and joining garden tours, courses in floral arrangements and field trips. Sound familiar? You'll also recognize some of these people...
Left: Internationally-themed dinner parties and fundraisers were in vogue. Rene van Rems gave a demonstration on floral arrangements for a dinner combining the food and flowers from his homeland, Holland. Center: Jananne Kennedy, Adrienne Green and Skipper Cope, three of the founders of VGCLJ, chatted (the fourth founder, Jo Westheim, was not pictured). Right: The Club planted a Jacaranda at Mt. Soledad Memorial Park.
Destinations for field trips included the Santa Barbara Orchid Estates and the Huntington, as well as the Crystal Cathedral, Descanso Gardens and the Filoli Garden.
Tours of members' gardens were always a hit.
50th Anniversary Celebration
To sign up for the 50th Anniversary luncheon, click here.
An Exciting Opportunity!
Sterling Garden Tours invites you to join them for a wonderful trip to…
Chelsea and Gardens of the Cotswolds, Sussex, and Kent
May 12-23, 2024
VGCLJ Committee Updates
THE COMMEMORATIVE TREE PLANTING PROGRAM
Kathy and I give a big thank you to members who have become regular donors of trees.
Last year there were 118 donations for trees, with many members donating several times. We also had many donations from non-Club members, who appreciated the opportunity to remember someone in this way. This year's tree donations have already added $6,000 to our existing funds!
It was particularly gratifying to hear Marta McDowell, our February speaker, mention the many trees that past Presidents and First Ladies have ceremoniously planted in The White House gardens--whether it was honoring a groundskeeper's 50 years of service, a French president making a diplomatic gesture of friendship, or a First Lady marking Arbor Day or other occasions. The planting of a commemorative tree is a time-honored tradition, and our Club is in excellent company!
Our committee is set to plant more trees in a community park in South San Diego, working with the San Diego Parks Foundation. They had expected to plant this spring, but the rainstorm damage has paused the planting. We may have to wait until the fall.
However, we will hold our Dedication Ceremony on May 10. We now hold the event every two years. This year Elaine Butz has graciously opened her garden for the ceremony, and we are most grateful to her. Donors and relatives from the last two years will receive an invitation to the event. April 1 is the cut-off date for inclusion in this year's ceremony, so there is still time to donate a tree should you want to be included!
Kathy McKee & Penelope West, Co-Chairs
Bouquet of Thanks
For Memorial Day, our Club provided 150 patients of the La Jolla VA Medical Center and PTSD program a flowering kalanchoe. All nursing stations received a flowering tulip.
The Bouquet of Thanks Committee is honored to continue this most worthy project. Our next event is for Memorial Day. We are looking for a creative offering for the nurses' stations. Please contact me if you have any ideas. It would be much appreciated!
Glee Logsdon
Master Gardeners
Well, you can't, of course. Grow gorgeous gourds, that is. The gorgeous part comes from the artist within you. This month there will be a workshop to create gorgeous gourds.
Gourds can be grown easily in our area. Cucurbitacae are annual vines that require full sun and regular watering. Growing 10-15' in length, they can be grown in a large pot on the terrace or balcony but will require a deft handling of the vine and its fruits to hang it safely from hooks. In a garden, a trellis can work. The hope is to keep the gourds above the ground to prevent rotting.
Transplants are available in specialty nurseries and should be planted now. Seeds are available through most catalogues but need to be put into the ground quickly. The vines need heat to produce the flowers that will become the fruit that will become the gourds.
Varieties will vary dramatically in size, from 3" to 3'. Small ones can be used for tabletop display but if you are hoping to create a birdhouse, you’ll want the 1–2' varieties. Lagenaria siceraria (L. vulgaris) is white-flowered but, more importantly, produces fruit in a wide variety of shapes.
The longer the fruit is left on the vine, the stronger the gourd will be. Most gardeners wait until the tendrils near the stem are shriveled. Be sure to cut the gourd with 2-4” of stem so it can be hung in a cool, dry place where it will continue to harden. When it is thoroughly dry, it can be carefully cut open (for bird entry), cleaned (as you would a pumpkin), and painted. That’s the gorgeous part.
Master Gardeners sell gourd birdhouses year-round to support school gardens, wellness activities for seniors, and other charitable endeavors. Call our hotline Monday through Friday, (858) 822-6910. You may be able to have a gourd customized.
BJ Boland, Heather Hazen, Karen White, Co-Chair