Illinois Valley Garden Club

05/11/2026

Share and Swap:
A Club Seed and Catalog Share…
Tired of opening a four dollar seed pack and finding four seeds inside? Looking for seeds that will grow in this climate and soil? Is your garden small enough to save a few types of seed but you want more variety? It sounds like we should have an annual event where we can take the seeds we harvest and share them while picking up new seeds to grow… Bring any seeds you can share to the meeting and pick up something new to try… If you don’t have seeds to swap you are invited to take some anyway with the hope that you plant them and bring some seeds in next year… While we’re at it, let’s share the stories of how we grow them and the tricks we use to harvest the seeds.
Also, if you’re like me, by now you have a stack of catalogs and no need for them. Bring them into the meeting and share them with the club. It can be fun seeing what is available and learning about new seed and plant sources. Warning! Any catalogs left behind will be compost…
Meetings are at 12:00 on the third Friday of the month from September to May at Bridgeview Community Church at 5181 Holland Loop Road in Cave Junction.

05/09/2026

TODAY!! 9 am

05/06/2026

Last Friday we had another lovely nature walk led by Kathy Lombardo at the Rough & Ready Botanical Wayside. The trail traverses a unique ecosystem with serpentine soils, home to rare and endemic plant species. Kathy is very knowledgeable in identifying native plants and wildflowers. We even saw some rare species on our walk. Thank you Kathy for sharing your knowledge with the Garden Club.

05/04/2026

THIS SATURDAY!!!!!!

05/01/2026

Our Friends: The IV Sierra Club has some cool events happening this month:

SAVE THE DATE:
Illinois Valley Sierra Club
Meet & Greet and Eco-Update
Monday, June 8
7:00 pm-8:30 pm
Illinois Valley Branch Josephine Community Library
209 W. Palmer St, Cave Junction

Gather with fellow eco-minded Sierra Club members and supporters, meet Oregon Chapter Sierra Club’s new Coastal Community Organizer, get updated on the environmental issues facing the Illinois Valley, enjoy some snacks, and learn how you can help protect our treasured ecosystems from massive logging and mining proposals.

Eight Dollar Mountain:
The Place, The Plants, A Growing Threat

Monday, May 4, 2026, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
Sikiyou Field Institute
1241 Illinois River Road Selma, OR

Eight Dollar Mountain is an iconic serpentine conical mountain in the Illinois Valley, and is one of the most significant botanical hotspots in Southwest Oregon. Its ultramafic soils, derived from mantle rocks, support an extraordinary concentration of rare, endemic, and state and federally listed plant species - many of which occur nowhere else on earth, and some known only from the Illinois Valley. This otherworldly landscape long served as a living laboratory for researchers studying endemism, adaptation, and ecological resilience.

Today, Eight Dollar Mountain faces increasing pressure from renewed nickel mining interests, a growing threat not only to this singular landscape but to serpentine ecosystems throughout Southwest Oregon. Mining activity poses risks to fragile plant communities, hydrology, and long term ecological integrity. This presentation by Kristi Mergenthaler, Botanist and Stewardship Director, will explore the botanical significance of Eight Dollar Mountain, serpentine ecology, and the urgent conservation challenges posed by mineral extraction in one of Oregon’s most biologically irreplaceable regions.

Kristi Mergenthaler is the stewardship director with Southern Oregon Land Conservancy and previously worked as a rare plant botanist. Her conservation passions include rare and endemic plants; retaining and enhancing habitat for declining bird populations; serpentine landscapes such as Eight Dollar Mountain; standing up for underappreciated species such as oak mistletoe, poison-oak, and western rattlesnakes; and connecting people to the solace and beauty of the natural world.

This presentation is free and is sponsored by Southern Oregon Land Conservancy (SOLC) and Siskiyou Chapter Native Plant Society of Oregon.

If you have any questions, please contact Paige Gerhard, Event and Volunteer Coordinator, at 541-482-3069 (Ext 107) or email [email protected].

SOLC is leading a related hike on May 9.

See the serpentine soils at Eight Dollar Mountain Preserve in the Illinois Valley! Learn about what makes serpentine habitats and their species so special, and what mining threats this region could potentially have on the horizon.

04/27/2026

We had a fun, informative, beautiful Nature walk at the Forks Park led by the very knowledgable Tony Bloginton and Guenter Ambron. We learned so much about our native plants and how we can use them in our health journey. We even learned how to make colloidial silver and ate some wild onions! They lead a very informative forum every 2nd and 4th Thursday at Wild Rivers Brewing & Pizza at 4:00 pm. Check out the website www.ivemedia.org Thank you Tony and Guenter for sharing your knowledge of plants with the IV Garden Club.

04/12/2026

For out April meeting we will have a presentation on Making Sauerkraut by Cathy Hughes.
Sauerkraut is incredibly nutritious, a good source of probiotics, vitamin C and K2 and it is easy to make. The fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients rendering sauerkraut even more nutritious than the original cabbage. It is high in calcium and magnesium, and it is a very good source of dietary fiber, folate, iron, potassium, copper and manganese. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage leaves. Cathy will provide the recipe for success in making this incredibly healthy and delicious food…
Meetings are at 12:00 on the third Friday of the month from September to May at Bridgeview Community Church at 5181 Holland Loop Road in Cave Junction.

04/06/2026

FUN OUTING HAPPENING IN APRIL!

Greetings from the Glide Wildflower Show Council!

We are looking forward to seeing you in April! Below and attached are the details of this year’s. We hope that you will inform your members about the upcoming show and as you plan your activities in the new year, consider scheduling an outing to the Glide Wildflower Show. Please let me know if you need to update any of your information. If you have a social media platform, we always appreciate the added promotion. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram under the Glide Wildflower Show.

The Glide Wildflower Show, April 25th-26th, 2026, is the largest showcase of native flora in the Pacific Northwest. For 61 years, it is the largest showcase of native flora in the Pacific Northwest.

Features of the show include:

-Over 400 species of wildflowers, shrubs, trees, mosses, lichens, and ferns, collected throughout Southwest Oregon, artfully displayed and labeled

-Special displays of edible and medicinal plants, natural dyes, noxious weeds, beekeeping, and photos of endangered flowers

-Roving botanists available to answer questions

-Sales of books and field guides; food, drink and homemade pies (a show tradition); and native plants

Special Presentations

-Herbal Concepts & PNW Medicinal and Edible Plants

-Geographical Aspects of Botany in Douglas County

-Using Native Plants in our Landscapes, benefits urban living and wildlife

-Tour the Show with a Botanist

- Guided Wildflower Walk

The details:

-Location: Glide Community Center, Glide, 17 miles east of Roseburg on Highway 138

-$5 suggested donation per person

-9 am to 5 pm both Saturday and Sunday, with a photographers-only hour from 8 to 9 am

-Accessible building, entrance around back

Visit our website at www.glidewildflowershow.org for more information. If you have questions or would like advice on planning your group’s outing, email [email protected].

For other local attractions and lodging:

Roseburg Visitors Center is now Experience Roseburg ~ 541-672-9731 ~

Experience Roseburg

www.experienceroseburg.com

03/16/2026

The Garden Club will be here!!! Lets Swap some seeds!!

🌱 Seed Swap Countdown: 5 Days to Go! 🌱

The 20th Annual Community Seed Swap is just 5 days away, and the excitement is sprouting all over the Illinois Valley. 🌿

Gardeners, growers, seed savers, and curious neighbors will gather to exchange seeds, swap stories, and share knowledge. We’ll have the community seed exchange, scion wood sharing, Seed Swap Bingo, kids activities with the Sprout Scouts, and plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow plant lovers.

🌼 We’re still looking for a few more vendors and table hosts!
If you know a local grower, plant lover, garden educator, or artisan who should be part of the event, tag them in the comments and we’ll reach out with details.

🎤 Flash Skillshares – 10 to 15 minutes of garden wisdom
We also have space for a few Flash Skillshare talks. These are short, informal mini-sessions where someone shares a quick tip or bit of knowledge with the crowd. Topics could be things like seed saving, grafting, starting seedlings, compost tips, or anything garden-related.
If you’ve got something helpful to share, this is your moment. We still have a few open spots… and sometimes the best ideas appear right before the garden party begins. 🌱

This event has been a beloved Illinois Valley tradition for 20 years, and every new vendor, skillshare host, or table adds another layer to the garden we’re growing together.

📍 Jubilee Park – Cave Junction
📅 Saturday, March 21
⏰ Noon – 3 PM

Bring seeds, bring friends, and bring your curiosity.
Let’s make this the most vibrant swap yet. 🌻🌿

03/14/2026

Daylilies…
At our next meeting, Cathy Warner will tell us about these hardy perennials. They aren’t just beautiful; they’re practically bulletproof, thriving in nearly any soil, shrugging off pests, and blooming their heads off from spring to frost. And here’s the caveat… each flower only lasts a day, but with dozens of buds per stem, your garden will never look bare. Bring your questions and enjoy the presentation.
Meetings are at Noon on the third Friday of the month from September to May at Bridgeview Community Church at 5181 Holland Loop Road in Cave Junction.