Crevice Garden Construction

Last February Sarah attended the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS) Winter Study Weekend in Sidney-by-the-Sea, British Columbia, and brought back information on building crevice gardens. Gail had started early preparations, laying the sand and gravel foundation and buying plants. She and John collected shale from their local area that would harmonize with the riverside surroundings. Sarah contributed details on spacing plants. The Crevice Garden and its Plants by Zdenek Zvolanek (published by the Alpine Garden Society) provided guidance on design and types of crevice-friendly plants. The Rock Garden Nursery crevice garden is still a work in progress but all Painted Hills members had fun contributing to its construction.

Gail's Garden at Rock Garden Nursery: Our Inspiration

Painted Hills chairperson Gail Klodzinki and her partner John have created a wonderful alpine garden at Rock Garden Nursery on the banks of the John Day River. They've worked on the garden for seven years; it's still a trial-and-error project. Gail and John are always pushing the envelope on what's hardy here in John Day (Zone 5, but we're all into zonal denial). Here are some vignettes that inspire Painted Hills Chapter members.

October 9 Meeting — Trough Making

A beautiful fall afternoon on the John Day River... a group of 10 enthusiastic gardeners met to learn how to craft winter-hardy troughs. Rock Garden Nursery owner Gail Klodzinski led us through the steps of mixing Portland cement, perlite and peat moss with just the right amount of water to adhere to molds. We used plastic molds of various shapes as the foundations for our troughs. Gail shared a valuable tip: spray the mold inside and out with Pam oil spray so that the trough will slip easily from the mold when dry. At the afternoon's end, we had created 10 troughs for our own gardens plus several mini troughs for our chapter's fundraising project.

We all had a great time, enjoyed a great assortment of refreshments and toured Gail and John's beautiful garden where some late-season alpine gems glowed among the autumn leaves.

September 2011 Meeting

We had a great time at our September 14th meeting. The evening weather was lovely and it was a wonderful night to share plant talk. Gail spoke to attendees about NARGS and the membership and national meetings available. While we had refreshments we discussed plants past and present and interesting happenings in each of our summer gardens. Don't forget fall is a fantastic time to plant!

June Meeting

Please join us June 15 for a meeting of the Painted Hills Chapter. We will meet on Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm. Come share garden stories, involve yourself in the crevice garden, and enjoy the company of other "wet spring"-challenged gardeners. We will meet at the Rock Garden Nursery. Refreshments provided.

New Rock Garden in Town

Come by and enjoy the new rock garden in John Day. It is in front of the Ranch and Rodeo Museum on the east end of town on Main Street (just up from the hardware store).
You will see some plants that will work well in our climate. You may also get some ideas for your own garden. Soon we will have a dedication plaque in the garden. Some plants are blooming now. Gail says you can do a "drive by" when you are headed west - don't even have to leave your vehicle!

Come Make a Garden!

On Saturday, April 23 at 9 am we will meet at the Ranch and Rodeo Museum in John Day to create a rock garden. There is a little spot with "garden potential" in front of the museum. We'll be doing some landscaping and planting, and all hands are welcome. See you there!