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.
febrUARY PROGRAM
Living with Fire in Southern California
speaker: DAVE Mcquead
Where: Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, 4321 Eastgate Mall, La Jolla
When: Thursday, February 26, 2026
9:30 a.m.--Check in and Hospitality Hour; 10:30 a.m.--General Meeting and Presentation
Registration: Guests $30
Dave McQuead's first career choice was landscape design and construction. But then he graduated from Palomar's Fire Academy and became a firefighter-paramedic. For the past 23 years he has been promoted through the ranks to currently become President of the San Diego County Fire Chiefs Association and Fire Chief of Rancho Santa Fe Fire.
He has experience in nine wildfires in San Diego County and knows how fires ruin personal belongings and ravage homes and landscapes. His presentation will explore wildfire risks in southern California, the dangers we face, and practical steps to protect our homes and gardens.
Chris Andrews and Nancy Cunningham
Club News and Updates
Meet the Masters with Lewis Miller of Lewis Miller Design
Thursday, March 12, 2026
10:00 a.m.
at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar
Lecture, Demonstration & Luncheon.
$200 per person
A master of floral artistry and design, and renowned for his "Flower Flash," New York's Lewis Miller crafts
signature floral events that inspire and thrill his audiences. His client list includes Tiffany, Chanel, HBO and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Before the luncheon, guests will watch Miller create masterpieces to be auctioned off to lucky bidders. Tickets are available at this link.
Members are encouraged to pay by check at the January or February meeting. Valet parking is $25; carpools are encouraged.
Members VIP Cocktail Party.
$500 per person
Wednesday, March 11, 5-7 p.m. at the home of Susan and Bill Hoehn
Limited tickets available to meet Lewis and receive a personally signed book.
(includes VIP party, lunch, lecture and signed book)
S P O N S O R S H I P S
Dahlia - $5,000 Marigold - $2,500 Zinnia - $1,000
To sponsor this event please email SusanHoehn1@gmail.com or
call Cynthia Bond 858.735.0069.
VGCLJ Committee Updates
Commemorative Tree Program
Please join us on April 14, 2026 for our annual Dedication Ceremony at the beautiful home of Elaine Butz.
In order to be included in the program, donations need to be made before March 1.
And a very special thanks to the donors who honored others by contributing to the Commemorative Tree Program between December 1, 2025 and January 28, 2026. You make our Club and our community a better place! Just as you recognize and appreciate others, we recognize and appreciate all of you!
Susan Alleshouse and Ana Canto; Co-Chairs
Master Gardeners
Dear Garden,
I thought it was time to announce publicly our ongoing love affair. It’s been thirteen years we are together. I admit you are not my first love, in fact not my longest or deepest, but you are the love I have right now. And that needs acknowledgement.
Our relationship was at first secretive. You began as a dream, a wish fulfillment. I was surrounded by another love but it was buried under snow and had no idea I was contemplating a change. We had been together 22 years, suffered through storms and recovered stronger than expected, but much of our interchange became rote. I was ready for something else.
You came into existence slowly, purpose producing mass. Then you grew on graph and tissue paper, slowly evolving from line drawings to distinct shapes. Hardscape and utilities followed by trees and shrubs. Eventually the fun of colors. And then the hard choices: specific plants with their formal Latin names.
Frustration ensued because nurseries in San Diego, in February, had limited choices. But we were lucky, you and me. Construction delays meant that our formal introduction would wait and blind dates could continue. I did lots of searching across crowded nursery aisles, up and down rows of potted plants until, in bits and pieces, we met.
From that point our relationship was solidly rooted. I nurtured you and was gifted with your growth, color, and fragrance. And the love grew. You balked at times and I was unduly impatient. Sometimes we both cried at unexpected loss. But after 13 years, we have come to know one another’s strengths and weaknesses. It hasn’t been easy for either one of us. You wilted. I resorted to chemicals. You yellowed. I overwatered. Both of us trying our best.
Another anniversary is soon approaching, and I want to acknowledge how happy you’ve made me. You frame the house beautifully. You’ve encouraged neighbors to stop and say hello. You present me with unexpected bouquets of January roses. I love you..
Please stop by the Master Gardener table this month and tell us about your relationship with gardens you've both loved and hated. Karen and I can both keep secrets.
BJ Boland