The Perennial Post

Neighborhood Group News

Want inspiration and information for terrific meeting ideas for your neighborhood group? Are you considering joining one of our 15 active neighborhood groups throughout King, Pierce, Thurston, Island, and Snohomish counties? Check out what some of our groups have been doing this fall.

Mercerbelles Herb Feast

With the holidays coming and harvest time in our gardens, the Mercerbelles each prepared one dish using fresh herbs to share for a herb tasting feast. Recipes were exchanged, dishes were tasted, and tips were given on growing, drying, and purchasing herbs. We enjoyed everything from lavender cake to rosemary lemonade to toasted cumin and roasted garlic cream cheese.

Vashon Tries Out the Border Academy

On a sunny Wednesday on the last day of May, 2006 approximately 9-10 members of the Vashon NPA neighborhood group met Bob Lilly at the NPA Borders. We came dressed to kneel and dig and pull and snip and haul! As one of the first groups to participate in the Border Academy, our goal was to gain a greater understanding of how the Borders came to be and to help get them ready for the NPA conference festivities. It was a good day shared with good companions, and a sense of having accomplished a task that contributed to this great Border.
 

Olympia Capitol Gang Tours England and France

On October 29, twenty-four members of the Olympia neighborhood group went on a tour of gardens in England and France, without ever leaving home. Our tour director whisked us across the miles with a slideshow of several of the gardens that she has visited in her travels. The program was followed by a potluck and much discussion of future adventures.

Here is a sample of what other groups have enjoyed these last few months:

  • Drought tolerant borders, conifers for small gardens, geophytes (Whidbey Island)
  • Hypertufa making and plant exchange, excursion to Cedar River watershed Interpretive Center to learn about conservation efforts and visit rain drums, taking hardwood cuttings (Renton/Issaquah/Kent)
  • Bending metal roundbar at BBG, tour of Miller Library (Redmond/Kirkland/Bellevue)
  • Favorite garden tools, slides from northern CA wildflowers, creating bas-relief terra cotta pots (NE Seattle/Queen Anne/Greenlake)
  • Demonstration from Bob Lilly at BBG on collecting seeds and seed sorting and packaging for NPA Seed Exchange, round table on various propagation methods (Maple Leaf/Northgate/Pinehurst/Lake City/Wedgewood)
  • Touring Tina Dixon’s garden in Bothell (Kenmore/Bothell/Woodinville/Duvall)
  • Making mosaic garden balls, touring Victoria Gilleland’s garden and nursery, slide show/talk from Mary Ellen Asmundson on the NHS New Zealand tour (Lake Forest Park/Kirkland/Woodinville)

Neighborhood groups are going strong – join one and get in on all the excitement!