Quarterly Report for the Salal Chapter Native Plant Garden: July - September 2014

The following items were accomplished between July 1 and September 30, 2014.

Volunteer Events: Volunteers gathered 8 times: 2 times in July, two times in August and 4 times in September (two of those gatherings were to prepare and staff the fall plant sale).

During these events the volunteers completed the following:

·  Prepared the plants in the nursery for the fall sale.

·  Planted in the montane area.

·  Divided plants brought in for future sale and for planting in the garden.

·  Volunteers ran the fall plant sale, filling the many roles necessary for a successful event, from staffing the holding area, roving and helping customers with questions and decisions, cashiering and helping customers get their purchases to their vehicles.

·  Continued with some smaller pruning jobs throughout the garden.

·  Plants leftover after the fall sale were “up” potted into larger containers for keeping through the winter and next summer if necessary.

Outreach/Volunteer Recruitment: I continue to send out volunteer events announcements via email to many local volunteer coordinators and organizations, as well as individuals I have met through other programs. The staff at the local newspaper, The Skagit Valley Herald, has been very supportive and placed announcements about our work parties, as well as the fall sale, in the paper. Several new volunteers have come to us through those announcements. We hosted a “letterbox” for the Conservation District this year. This is a popular family activity, similar to geocaching, that takes place throughout the county each summer. The box contains information about native plants and stickers for children to take home. Hosting this box has brought many new faces to the garden this summer and we hope to host it again next year.

Plant Sale: Much of the volunteer work during September was to prepare for the upcoming plant sale. Publicity for the sale was limited to email correspondence. I know have a long list of people who have asked for information about future sales.

Umbrella Group Meetings: This group consists of leaders from each of the garden areas (Tree Fruit, Master Gardeners and Native Plant), as well as the facilities manager, primary maintenance staff and the Director of the Research Center. I continue to find this group very supportive of one another and engaged in helping the facility function as a public education center as well as for WSU research purposes.

Respectfully submitted, September 30, 2014,

Brenda Cunningham