June Meeting & Lunch
We had our end-of-year meeting and luncheon at the home of Sue Pike, whose backyard is absolutely perfect for this event! Plenty of room, gorgeous shade and beautiful plantings. Thank you, Sue!
We honored the officers who had served a full term with some lovely perennials, and thanked Jackie Holland for filling in the VP spot when Trish had to step down.
Lunch was an amazing salad bar spread from Evergreens, with every imaginable topping and fixing to make a delicious salad. Ice cream from Handel’s was for desert, and there wasn’t a single scoop left!
We donated the leftovers from our salad buffet to Past Lives, a workshop and makerspace community in Portland that gives people a chance to learn and work in a physical trade, like woodworking, metalworking, sewing, ceramics, etc. Most of these people have limited income, and several have had their benefits revoked recently. This food donation was the first real meal that some of these people had eaten in a long time. Past Lives also has an extensive prison outreach program, helping people start over and begin a better chapter in their lives. Thanks for the work you do, Past Lives!
Hope everyone has a safe and happy summer! We’ll see you on the field trips, at the birthday lunches, or at the September meeting!
OSFGC State Convention
The 2025 Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs held their annual Convention this year in beautiful Seaside, Oregon.
The weather was perfect, a good 20 degrees cooler than the greater Portland area, which was having a mini heat wave.
Our own Christine O’Mara won two awards with her photo of delicate cherry blossoms against an ancient tree trunk – Best Floral picture, and also Best in Show! Congratulations Christine!
The Fashion Show was fun, with scarecrows, ladybugs, Lisa from Green Acres, and a zucchini!
Beaverton Garden Club had two entries in the Birdhouses division, and they each got a ribbon!
The new State officers were sworn in: Becky Cook, President, Bernadette Sterry, 1st Vice President, Joscelyn Welshons, Recording Secretary, and Colleen Foster, Treasurer
Veterans Garden Cleanup
We had a big job ahead of us just before Memorial Day. The gardens at the Beaverton Veterans Memorial Park need a lot of attention.
Several members showed up, tools in hand, ready to weed, prune, deadhead, replace and mulch.
Several hours later, the round gardens looked amazing, and ready for the Memorial Day events that were held the following week.
Great job, everyone!
Field trip to The Garden Corner
Several members had a wonderful time visiting Jonn Kasselboom at The Garden Corner in Tigard. We brought our own pots to fill, and the staff was super helpful, answering questions and giving advice.
Of course we had to savor a lovely chocolate mocha, crafted lovingly onsite!
The selection of plants at The Garden Corner is astounding, with interesting exotics and hardy natives, all at the peak of health and ready to go home in a new container. The potting soil and Root Power was an excellent bonus!
Thanks, Jonn and the rest of the staff, for a very fun day!
Seattle Flower & Garden Show
Three members went tt the Seattle Flower & Garden Show on February 19-21, at the Seattle Convention Center.
The train ride up was a fun adventure, with a special guest rainbow appearance! Staff at both Amtrak stations couldn’t have been more helpful.
The High Tea was a very welcome opportunity to relax, sip some excellent teas, and nibble on some truly delightful snacks while listening to a talk on gardens in England.
We had a ride in the car of Seattle’s Finest! One of our members was having difficulty walking, and one of Seattle’s amazing police officers kindly drove us up to the handicap accessible entrance to the monorail. Honest, we weren’t in trouble!
Classes at the flower show were plentiful and interesting! We attended talks on soil augmentation, pollinators, changing climate & what it means for the PNW gardens, maximizing container gardens, and more.
Of course, no trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to Pike’s Place Market. So many great things to see, and fantastic places to eat!
It was an excellent trip, and highly recommended for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge about what’s up and coming in the gardening world!
Holiday Craft Event
On December 19th, 2024, BGC members chose to avoid the crowds at the garden centers and made ornaments.
Glittery craft foam sheets were gradually turned into sparkling snowflake ornaments that could be used for decorating trees, wreaths, gifts, and much more.
The glue guns were hot, the scissors (and wits!) were sharp, and the mimosas and Bellinis were plentiful!
Holiday House Tours
On December 10th, 2024, BGC members had the wonderful opportunity to tour 3 of our members’ homes, all dressed up for the holidays!
The weather was clear and sunny, but a bit chilly, so the hot soups and beverages awaiting us at the last home were especially welcome.
Pioneer District Fall Luncheon
On October 17th, 14 BGC members took a beautiful drive up to Scappoose to take part in the Pioneer District Fall Luncheon.
The presentation on being “firewise” around your home was fascinating and informative. Thanks, Aaron Groth and his partner from OSU Extension Service.
Lunch was yet another delicious meal catered by Kam & Kam of Hillsboro. They never fail to provide amazing meals!
Touring PDX Renovations
What a fun day! on September 26th, 2024, we took the MAX from Millikan St Station to PDX Airport for a look at their renovations. Miles and miles of PNW timber was used to make the new ceiling, and it is just glorious!
Of course, BGC has to inspect the plantings, and we had a lovely chat with one of the PDX gardeners!
Lunch was a delicious event at the Loyal Legion, upstairs overlooking the Arrivals gate. We even got some free chocolate at Rx Chocolates! SO good!
Summer Birthdays
We typically celebrate member birthdays with a lunch at a local restaurant. There are no formal meetings in the summer, so the summer birthdays get their own special day!
Garden Tours
On July 18th, we were invited to tour several members’ gardens! It’s always fun to see what others are doing!
A great time to get together, learn new things, show off our gardens and take notes on what to incorporate into our own gardens.
Raise A Pint
May the Fourth be with you! Come down to Central Station Taps and Raise a Pint of beer, ale, cider, whatever! CST is donating a dollar from every pint sold to the Beaverton Garden Club!
Beaverton Garden Club members will be there with some gorgeous plants for sale, as well! These plants are just a tiny preview of what’s available at their annual Plant Sale, which is Saturday, May 11th.
Come raise a pint and support BGC’s continuing outreach to the Veterans Garden, the Elsie Stuhr garden and several local food banks and charities.
Repairing Ice Damage at the Elsie Stuhr Community Center
One of the local gardens that the Beaverton Garden Club takes care of is the community garden at the Elsie Stuhr Center on 5550 SW Hall Blvd.
During the ice/snow storm in January, the gardens suffered a lot of damage, with a telephone pole taking out the memorial bench, and the repair trucks leaving holes and crushed plant beds.
THPRD has filled the holes in with excellent soil, and a new bench will be installed, one that has better handicap accessibility.
Beaverton Garden Club went on June 5th to work for hours to thin, weed, prune, mulch, plant and water. The renovated garden is beautiful, and definitely a labor of love for the community.
Trip to Bauman Farms Market
Saturday, February 24th, 2024
Members traveled down to Gervais to visit the Bauman Farms Market. There were lots of early peeks at upcoming plants and we all brought home gorgeous things for our gardens!
Afterwards, we had a delicious lunch at Filbert’s Farmhouse Kitchen. The food was amazing and the company was the best!
On the way n=home we stopped at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage and had loads of fun looking through the antiques and salvaged parts from houses and other buildings.
We went to the big Market event at Bauman’s in April and bought even more plants, but those pictures have disappeared. Apparently we had too much fun!
Blue and Gold Star marker Dedication
Saturday, November 11, 2023
The Beaverton Veterans Memorial Park on SW Watson Ave has received a new Blue Star marker and a new Gold Star marker. Blue Star markers honor people who are serving, who will serve, or who have served in the American military. The Gold Star marker honors servicemen and women who have lost their lives in combat.
There was a dedication ceremony on Saturday, November 11, hosted by Beaverton Garden Club. Speakers included Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty, an Iraq War veteran; Jeff Keller, manager of the USO at PDX Airport, whose son was killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan in 2012; and Todd Swanson of the Military Order of the Purple Heart division of the American Legion.
Also attending were Oregon State President Carolyn Olley, Oregon State Parliamentarian Mike Stewart, Oregon State Past President Gaye Stewart, celebrant Ernie Claeson, a Color Guard including Eagle Scouts from Beaverton Scout Troop #618,and many members of the Beaverton Garden Club and several others. Denise Tomasovic was the soloist and sang “God Bless America” as the church bells nearby rang at 11:00.
These markers were installed by Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation Department at no charge to the City of Beaverton or the Veterans Memorial Park.
Beaverton Garden Club 