Bouquet of Thanks

Fall has arrived and with the change of the season we look forward to one of the most fun, purposeful and appreciated workshops! We will be sponsoring our annual Pumpkins for Patriots workshop on Friday, October 25. VGCLJ will provide all you need to create beautiful succulent pumpkins for the veterans, nurses' stations and lobby at the VA Medical Center in La Jolla.

               Subject:  Pumpkins for Patriots Workshop
               When:  Friday, October 25 from 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
               Where:  La Jolla Presbyterian Church,
7715 Draper Avenue

The following note was received last year from the Associate Director of the VA Medical Center.  She wanted us to know how much our efforts are appreciated.

Many thanks to the Village Garden Club of La Jolla for the beautifully decorated pumpkins! The veterans and staff look forward to these each year. The responses received as we’re delivering them is overwhelming. Everyone loves them! Such a wonderful gesture to brighten the environment with fall spirit.

If you haven’t signed up for the workshop and would like to help, please contact me. Space is limited. This is a great way to meet new friends in the Garden Club!

Glee Logsdon

Wreaths Across America

50th Anniversary Closeout Goal --
50% of Members Sponsoring a Wreath!

At last count 51 members have donated a wreath--will you join us in honoring our veterans?

The easiest way to sponsor a wreath(s) is right here from the club’s direct link. We'll also be available to you at the October and November meetings--contributions can be accepted by cash or check, made out to Wreaths Across America.

     *  $17 – price per wreath (you can sponsor as many as you like!!)
     *  November 29, 2024 – deadline for sponsoring wreaths.

For grave-specific wreaths, if you do not have the exact location of your loved one, you can look it up here. 

We appreciate your support to honor our veterans.  Thank you for all you do.

DONATE HERE
Kate Engler

Field Trips

We have some fun field trips planned for this year!  Here's a sneak preview!

January: Enjoy a private tour of the Balboa Park Botanical Building and Lily Pond. Date TBD.

March: Get a private tour of the San Diego Zoo and learn more about their conservation work. More information to come.

April 2-5: Relax, recenter and enjoy friends and gardens on a wonderful three day/two night trip to Filoli Garden in Woodside, Calfornia and the Gamble Garden in Palo Alto. It's first come-first served, so if you're interested, sign up for the trip. This is a really exceptional opportunity! More information to come.

The Filoli Estate is considered one of the finest remaining country estates of the 20th century, featuring a 54,000+ square foot Georgian revival-style mansion, and 16 acres of exquisite English Renaissance gardens.
 
The historic Gamble Garden in Old Palo Alto is situated on a two-and-a-half acre property that includes a rose garden, cutting garden, formal herb garden, demonstration bed, wisteria garden, and an allée. 

Plans for other local field trips are already in the works! Join one if not all!

Christy Wilson, Jody Oliphant and Alyce Ashcraft

Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial 

Village Garden Club of La Jolla  Given Special Recognition

Mark your calendar for Monday, November 11 to attend the annual Veterans Day event at Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial. It is always moving, free and open to the public. Be sure to check out the roses that our Club underwrote and maintain, aptly named "Honor" and "Veterans Honor."

We'll need some help deadheading those roses in January. Contact me if you can assist.

There's a new educational program for youth at the Memorial, with both onsite and in-class options. It allows a whole new generation to understand and appreciate the sacrifices these men and women have given to the United States. Their lives and heroism should never be forgotten! You can find more information about the program here.

Commemorative Tree Program

The mission of the Commemorative Tree Planting Committee is twofold:

1. Plant trees to beautify San Diego, provide shade, contribute to environmental sustainability, and create habitats for wildlife, making them a beautiful and lasting gift for future generations.

2. Provide a timeless and meaningful way to celebrate special occasions or memorialize a loved one. Trees are living symbols of growth, resilience, and longevity, making them fitting tributes for life's milestones or to honor someone who has passed away. Many find comfort knowing that the tree continues to thrive, much like the spirit of the person being remembered or honored.  

In 2020, during the pandemic, the Commemorative Tree Planting Program donated six Engelmann Oaks and two Western Redbuds to Paradise Hills Community Garden, which was the official "shovel to soil" beginning of the garden.  Now, just four years later, the redbuds are blooming profusely. The oaks are 30' tall and two of them are already producing acorns.  Oaks are usually older when they begin producing acorns, so this is an indication of their good health.  

Paradise Hills Native Garden was built on a landfill! Although a variety of plant species can be used on a landfill surface, native plants are recommended. Native plants found in the surrounding natural areas have the greatest chance of success, require the least maintenance, and are the most cost-effective in the long term. The Englemann Oak (Quercus engelmannii) is a beautiful and rare oak native to Southern California, and the Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) is also native to California.

Big things continue to happen at Paradise Hills Native Garden. They’re adding post-and-rope trail fences to separate the demonstration gardens from adjacent areas of the covered landfill. They have added interpretive sign panels explaining summer dormancy in many native plant species, the importance of trees (including urban forests), the sources of our area's water, and Kumeyaay food processing from native plants. The overall gardens now encompass more than two acres. 

The Commemorative Tree Planting Program's contribution to the Paradise Hills Native Garden exemplifies the lasting impact trees can have on both the environment and the community. The thriving Engelmann Oaks and Western Redbuds are a testament to the resilience of native species. As the garden grows and evolves, we take pride in helping transform this former landfill into a vibrant, educational, and cherished community space.

Read more about Paradise Hills Native Garden here.

Devonna Hall and Libby Levine
Co-Chairs, Commemorative Trees

DOnate online here

Master Gardeners

October’s Need-to-Know Tips

Whew!  Our heat is gone for the year and we are ready to plant. Topicals will have to wait, but cool weather veggies, annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs can go into the ground now. 

You needn’t be Farmer Brown to grow some delicious and healthy food.  Have you thought about adding some vegetables to pots and ornamental beds?  Lettuces and kales are beautiful with a range of greens from lime to burgundy. Remember to water these leafy vegetables if we get hit with some dry Santa Ana winds.

Herbs can be grown throughout the winter too, even enjoying the rains we may get. Parsley, thyme, sage, dill, fennel, and rosemary will all grow well in a sunlit pot on a balcony or tucked into a garden. Despite the ads, trying to grow herbs on a kitchen sill is tricky.  The odds will be in your favor if they get at least 6 hours of sunlight without being burned by the glass.  Keep twirling them every few days, let water drain from their pots, keep cutting them back for use in roasting, stews or dried bouquets.

Annuals in the classic yellows and oranges are perfect for front doors and patios.  If deadheaded often and given regular feedings, most should display enough flowers to last until we exchange them for poinsettias.

Perennials gift us with never-ending joy via new generations.  Now is the time to lift and divide alstroemerias which may have reached out and left emptiness where they were originally planted.  Clivias, iris and daylilies may need to be split with a shovel and strong foot if there have been fewer flowers.  Easier to separate are daisy looking plants, dianthus, verbena, yarrow and others.  Dig up the plant, slice into sections and immediately replant. Throw out pieces that are infected.  

Pelargonium stems can be cut and made to root as well.  Cut the limbs off the mature plant leaving 1-3 nodules from which new stems and leaves will grow.  Take the top 4-6” of the cut stem, dip it in rooting powder and stick it into potting soil.  Water every few days allowing the soil to dry out for just a bit.  Keep it in the shade for a few weeks when you should see new growth.  Continue its home in the shade until it is stocky and strong.

Be sure to revitalize the soil before replanting these perennials or planting something new. Use compost and worm castings liberally. These new plants need to be replanted immediately and given a good drench. Starter fertilizer doesn’t hurt.  The soil should be friable.

Natives are also excellent candidates for planting now.  20’ trees like Cercis occidentalis (Western redbud with heart-shaped leaves) or Heteromeles arbutifolia (toyons with bird-loving red berries) are perfect for our smaller gardens.

My camellia shrubs have plenty of buds, but if not, I’d feed them with some 0-10-10 fertilizer. The phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) will help with root and flower growth.  My camellia leaves are, however, very yellow from too much sun so I pull them off and they will be replaced with new green leaves. To help the plant revegetate, I’ll make the soil more acidic by adding some iron and an  acidifier.

This year the Hort and Master Gardener Tables may occasionally be adjoined, staffed with our Club’s Master Gardeners.  Please come and ask about what’s growing and what’s meddling with our plants.  We have the latest information about the citrus psyllid.   Come to our fall table for edible flowers and pelargonium cuttings.  We’d love to introduce ourselves.

BJ Boland, Karen White and Heather Hazen