ARLINGTON — To qualify as a Tree City USA, Arlington must celebrate Arbor Day. To that end, tree enthusiasts gathered in town for several events on a cold and rainy Saturday morning April 25.
The Arlington Garden Club contributed to the event by holding its annual plant sale at the City Hall Plaza from 9 a.m. until noon, and across the parking lot in the gazebo a few garden club members offered some interesting tips on gardening, after Arbor Day was proclaimed by mayor pro-tem Marilyn Oertle and city employee Jan Bauer.
Oertle showed up at 10 a.m. after Mayor Margaret Larson asked her to fill in. Oertle brought her daughter, Tamara Sherr and two grandkids, Dakota and Alexis Sherr, who enjoyed some fun tree-related activities while adults listened to the gardeners offer ideas on how to get the most out of a Pacific Northwest vegetable gardens.
Judy Ness suggested an ongoing salad pot, with a variety of lettuces and herbs to be kept handy to the kitchen on the front porch or deck.
“You can cut just a few leaves off these lettuces and they will keep sprouting more,” Ness told the shivering group.
Betty Jo Thorsen and Bea Randall also shared tips on making the garden more fruitful, with such ideas as growing tomato plants through tin cans with the top and bottom removed.
“It keeps them warmer and they get more of the water at their roots,” Thorsen said.
Following the talks in the gazebo, a member of the city’s Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission, Bob Leonard and his son Bobby dug three holes with help from the Stilly Valley School environmental resource teacher Andy Jones. They planted three
Alaskan weeping cedars donated by Art By Nature Nursery for Arbor Day.
“It’s the family-run nursery over on the other side of I-5,” said Sarah Hegge, the city’s recreation manager who planned the Arbor Day event with help from the PARC, which serves as the city’s Tree Board, and the Arlington Garden Club.
“Art by Nature donated the trees for the labyrinth, too. It was very nice of them.”
Attendees received free beaked hazelnut trees, a.k.a. Corylus Cornuta.
The garden club sold a great assortment of trees, shrubs, perennials and herbs at the plant sale, as well as baked goods.
Whatever they didn’t sell they donated to Purrfect Pals, which is having a plant sale of their own, said garden club member Jean Olson.
The co-chair of the plant sale and treasurer for the club, Meg Jacobsen said that the Purrfect Pals sale will be June 7. The plant sale raised about $1,500 for garden club projects, including special guest speakers, like the one coming to the garden club luncheon May 9.
Marianne Binetti will speak at 10 a.m. at Magnolia Hall before lunch is served, Jacobsen said. For $15 tickets call Judy Ness at 360-403-0820.
The other co-chair of the plant sale, Dawn Griep will be one of a panel discussion on flower arranging at the club’s next meeting, May 11, Jacobsen said.
“We are always looking for garden or horticulture projects to support,” Jacobsen said.
