Get your green thumb started with ‘Gardening for Newcomers’

By Sequim Gazette Staff • September 12, 2023 1:40 pm
Photo courtesy of Margery Whites/ Join Master Gardener Margery Whites for the Digging Deeper Saturdays presentation “Gardening for Newcomers to the North Olympic Peninsula,” from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden.
Photo courtesy of Margery Whites/ Join Master Gardener Margery Whites for the Digging Deeper Saturdays presentation “Gardening for Newcomers to the North Olympic Peninsula,” from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden.

Whether you are new to the Olympic Peninsula or a gardening novice, find out how to plant like a pro from Master Gardener Margery Whites as she offers “Gardening for Newcomers to the North Olympic Peninsula” from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden, 2711 Woodcock Road.

Part of the Digging Deeper Saturdays series, the presentation seeks to help attendees avoid common gardening pitfalls and mistakes in our mild climate.

Whites will focus on identifying factors important for selecting the right plant for the right place in one’s yard, planning a garden and landscape here in the North Olympic Peninsula, and being able to effectively problem-solve gardening challenges.

She developed this course with an eye to learning how to assess your own property for appropriate planning and implementation of gardens and landscapes.

“I was a newcomer to the North Olympic Peninsula myself, having moved here from Minnesota. I quickly found out that the climates were so different that what I successfully did in Minnesota simply did not work here,” Whites said. “I became a Master Gardener to get myself acquainted with gardening issues. I needed to pay specific attention to my own property to make things work.”

Whites has been a Master Gardener since 2016. She moved here from Minnesota in 2015 and is enjoying the marine climate with its milder temperatures and minimal temperature swings.

In addition to the scheduled educational presentation, a team of Clallam County Master

Gardeners will be available at the Woodcock Demonstration Garden from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 on Sept. 16 to answer gardening questions. Digging Deeper attendees are encouraged to bring samples of garden problems or pests for diagnosis by Master Gardeners who can recommend control measures.

Digging Deeper presentations are held third Saturday of selected months. Presentations cover basic gardening topics relevant to many home gardeners. Presentations are free and open to the public and are scheduled for 90 minutes to allow for demonstrations and questions from viewers.

View the Clallam County Master Gardener online calendar for updates about the location of the talk at extension.wsu.edu/clallam/master-gardener-calendar.

For more information about “Gardening for Newcomers to the North Olympic Peninsula” or the Digging Deeper educational series, call 360-565-2678.