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.
NOVEMBER PROGRAM
BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPED GARDENS
OF RANCHO LA PUERTA
speaker: barry shingle
Where: Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, 4321 Eastgate Mall, La Jolla
When: Thursday, October 23
9:30 a.m.--Check in and Hospitality Hour; 10:30 a.m.--General Meeting and Presentation
Registration: All members must check in, with a name tag.
Guests: $30.00
Barry Shingle is the Director of Guest Experience at Rancho La Puerta, having started his career there in 1999. Over the years he has taught classes, hosted evening events, and now hosts the bi-monthly podcast called Resonate: Conversations and Life Lessons from Rancho La Puerta.
Rancho La Puerta encompasses part of the natural world, rather than the other way around. The Ranch's landscaped gardens are an abstraction of nature, with a tapestry of plants that thrives in the chaparral landscape.
Just one hour south of San Diego in Tecate, many of us have not had the opportunity to experience the healthy lifestyle that The Ranch promotes--feeding our bodies, our minds, and our spiritual beings with nourishing and positive experiences.
A collection of beautiful slides of Rancho La Puerta will accompany Barry's talk so you will be visually transported to the very special places at the Ranch.
Chris Andrews and Nancy Cunningham
Club News and Updates
VGCLJ Committee Updates
Holiday Luncheon
Our Holiday Luncheon is one of the most popular events of the year, and we hope you can come.
Date/Time: Thursday, December 11
Place: Good Samaritan Episcopal Church
Cost: $50; members only
Room capacity is limited to 120, so it's first-come/first-served. You can reserve your seat by mailing a check for $50 to Sue Kalish. Checks must be received by December 5.
Holiday Pantry Sale
It's time to think about the Holiday Pantry Sale at our December meeting. Here, for your creative inspiration, is what we have heard people are looking for:
Homemade holiday gifts for friends and neighbors. They are, in fact, "homemade," but who's telling whose home?? Some ideas: a bottle of olive oil infused with herbs; roasted and spiced nuts; your favorite holiday cookies or brownies.
Hostess gifts for parties or casual get-togethers. Think about homemade sauces, salsa or chutney; some gourmet tea bags in a holiday mug; or hand-crafted ornaments from pine cones.
Something that is the quintessential "You!" What specialties do your friends and family always ask for? How about a gift made fresh from your garden? Doesn't everyone like strawberry or fig jam; a selection of dried herbs; or lemon curd?
Something that makes entertaining easy and stress-free! Always a big hit: peppermint bark, holiday cookies, gourmet popcorn or a selection of crackers and dried meats or dried fruits for a charcuterie board. Or just package some ingredients for an appetizer, along with a recipe card.
Small gifts that take the stress out of the holidays. Some simple ideas--baked goods that can be served to your family, a loaf of challah bread, spice blends (Italian, barbecue, etc.), mini jars of local honey or homemade hot cocoa mix.
Thanks so much for being part of our Holiday Pantry Sale.
Robin Vandever
Commemorative Tree Program
The Commemorative Tree Committee is evaluating tree planting projects to which VGCLJ can contribute. One possibility is the recently renovated Memorial Senior Center in Logan Heights. The Senior Center will feature outdoor gardens and spaces for intergenerational activities. There are currently no shade trees in their planned outdoor areas. Shade trees would greatly improve the enjoyment of the outdoor spaces.
Your donations make these projects possible! Please contact us if you would like to recommend another project.
Susan Alleshouse and Ana Canto; Co-Chairs
Master Gardeners
Cacti for Indoor Bloom
Part of the succulent family, cacti come from both the Brazilian tropics and American desert. The Americans are siblings with areoles, those cushions from which spines protrude. They are nonpoisonous though still scary. Many have beautiful flowers to lure you close. There are varieties that grow tree height in the desert and small varieties perfect for pot culture.
Easy to grow and care for, a dish of desert cacti can live indoors and out. Choose a container with a drainage hole and use a succulent mix, often a combination of potting soil and pumice. Small pots with a single plant look adorable on windowsills and make fun gifts. If you are using a large platter, you can create a miniature desert landscape using pebbles for boulders. A large bowl makes a wonderful centerpiece.
Good choices for potting include: button (Echinocactus); powder-puff, golden star, thimble (Mammillaria); pincushion (Opuntia), or red crown (Rebutia) cacti. They need full sun except during the heat of summer and regular watering from spring through fall. Lack of winter watering forces blooming.
The growth cycle of cacti in pots is winter focused but feeding begins in July at one-to-two-month intervals. Use commercial food or diluted fish emulsion (1 T/1 gal. water.) Stop feeding after flowering. Watering can be inconsistent depending upon the environment. Stick your finger or a hydrometer down one inch and water whenever necessary, allowing plants to dry out a bit between waterings, especially in winter. Water should quickly flow through and away from the container.
The popular Echinopsis, which comes in a range of colored flowers, are prolific bloomers from spring to fall and require almost no winter watering. These require full sun.
Take care when planting or transplanting desert cacti regardless of size because they have very sharp spines that can penetrate even leather gloves. Pat Welsh recommended using tongs and newspaper wrap to hold the plant and a chopstick to firm it into its container. (If you are stung by a spine, remove it quickly, before it can cause dermatitis or worse. Rather than a tweezer, place some Elmer’s glue over the area, let dry, stick masking or electrician’s tape over the mix and pull quickly.)
Covering the soil with decorative gravel or volcanic rock creates a finished project. Water thoroughly and keep it in shade until it is established.
Tropical orchid cacti have been grown as indoor plants for generations. These Epiphyllum grow on tree branches in the wild, similar to orchids, hence their name. They need quick-draining soil but prefer peat moss or ground bark to hold in some moisture. Cuttings can be taken from April to August. Let the cutting dry out for a day or two and then pot it up. They require a low nitrogen fertilizer before and after spring bloom.
Cousins to the orchid cacti are Rhipsalidopsi, also known as Easter cacti. Requiring partial shade, similar soil and regular watering, they bloom in spring and again in early fall.
Another cousin is the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera). These bloom in late December if given cooler night temperatures and 12 hours of darkness in November. Placing them outdoors each evening is an easy solution. Flowering in whites, pinks, reds, oranges and purples, these smaller cacti can make any table, inside or out, pop with color.
BJ Boland
Wreaths Across America
We're Well On Our Way--With One Big Change!
This December, we’ll once again join thousands of volunteers across the country in honoring our veterans through Wreaths Across America. Your generosity during our January campaign and membership renewals was amazing. To make things smoother for the national Wreaths Across America team (a small but mighty staff who manage sponsorships for over 2,500 locations nationwide!) we’re tweaking our process this year:
Sponsorship checks ($17 per wreath) will only be accepted at the September meeting or by mail to Kate Engler, postmarked by September 30. This change ensures your donations are credited properly and avoids some of the delays we experienced last year.
Online sponsorships will remain open until November 28. This is the easiest option — and donations are processed/posted almost instantly! You can make a donation through our WAA/VGCLJ website by clicking here.
We will have a table at our September, October, and November meetings to answer questions or help walk you through the online form. Our goal is to make it simple and stress-free for everyone who wants to support this meaningful tradition. For every wreath sponsored through our Club, we receive $5 back to support our ongoing efforts, so your donation makes double the impact!
Important Dates:
Sponsorship Deadline: November 28
Wreath Placement: December 13
Thank you again for your incredible support — together, we can help ensure every hero is honored. Have questions or need a hand navigating the website? Contact Kate Engler. Donations are tax-deductible.