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News from the Kimberley Garden Club

Submitted by: Marilee Quist
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If you started paperwhites earlier this fall, they will be blooming now.

Submitted by: Marilee Quist

The time since I wrote my last article for the Kimberley Garden Club has simply evaporated, or so it seems, as I sit here thinking how did it get to be the middle of December so quickly? This year it sure seems like the weather has been strange; my better half and I have lived in Kimberley nearly 20 years, and I certainly don’t remember a fall and early winter like this one. At least with exposed lawn grass here in Marysville, the deer are eating grass rather than half dead perennials and hibernating shrubs.

At our November meeting, our program was making wreaths out of old picture frames that were minus the glass parts. Some of us chose to observe, while others made very interesting square and rectangular wreaths mounted on the wood picture frames they had brought. Greenery in the form of cedar, spruce and Oregon Grape was wired to the frames, then decorative elements such as dried flowers, dried berries on stems, and ribbons were added. For another year, I might just try this.

We had our annual Christmas social in early December and everyone had a good time socializing, members and spouses alike. The food – finger food appetizers and desserts were, as usual, very good. It’s interesting that in all the years we have been doing this, there have never (or rarely) been any duplication in the pot luck dishes people brought. It’s nice to be able to have gathering such as this at a member’s home – it’s much cosier and friendlier.

Our first Kimberley Garden Club meeting of 2018 will be on February 20th. We are having a local horticulturist come in to speak to us about the do’s and do not’s of pruning. It should be an interesting meeting. Some of are fairly well versed in pruning techniques and timing, others not so much so. I’m afraid I’m about in the middle and can always use more advice and learning!

The paperwhites I started in early November are blooming – one of the three bowls has bloomed and the flowers turned dry and scentless, the other two are blooming and the scent is filling our living and dining rooms. I love the smell. I noticed today that my (new) amaryllis are budding up – one bulb has two flower stalks, the other just one so far. The old bulbs from last year are growing leaves only, at least so far, and I must go back and re-read the article I printed off the internet to see what I need to do next – let the leaves die back or put them in a dark, cool place to suck the energy from the leaves back into the bulb.

I should check on the pots of hyacinths and narcissus I potted up and put in cold storage. With luck, they will be ready to come indoors early in January to bloom as an early sign of spring, whatever the weather outside is like!

The Garden Club has been meeting the third Tuesday of the month, however we will survey the membership in February 2018 and see if this needs to be changed. From October through May, we hold our meetings in the Library at Selkirk High School from 7-9 pm. We welcome anyone who would like to learn more about gardening in Kimberley whether you are new to gardening or new to the Kimberley area. For more information on our meetings, call Nola at 250-427-1948 or Marilee at 250-427-0527. We also have a website at http://www.kootenaygardening.com. Click on Garden Clubs, then Kimberley Garden Club.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!



Carolyn Grant

About the Author: Carolyn Grant

I have been with the Kimberley Bulletin since 2001 and have enjoyed every moment of it.
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