Upcoming Classes & Gardening Tips
- July 8, 2019 ~ Dynamic Drought Tolerant Gardening – Jason Jorgensen
- August 3, 2019 – Summer Art / Craft Market – Free – 10 am – 6 pm – new artists added!
- October 26, 2019 – Nettle Cordage – Kaili Marsyna
- October 27, 2019 – Cedar Bark Basketry Pouch – Kaili Marsyna
To register and pay go to our website www.cultusbaygardens.com
Penstemon Peptalk Red
Our climate truly is changing and I think we must prepare ourselves as much as possible.This includes being wise in your choice of plants for your home landscape. Knowing the satisfaction and solace we feel when in our garden I’m encouraging you to make better choices so you can continue to feel at peace in your garden.
A radical approach would be redesigning existing areas with drought tolerant gardens. Another more gradual and realistic option is to replace plants that have failed with drought tolerant – perhaps clearing out ones that are headed downhill.
Penstemon Catherine de la Mare & Manzanita Howard McMinn
I have always considered the need for drought tolerant when I started designing gardens 25 years ago but at that time I was concerned about water usage on Whidbey Island since it’s a sole source aquifer and some areas already had saltwater intrusion. Unfortunately we are now in a far more serious situation so drought tolerant makes sense for more reasons.
Jason Jorgensen of Third Spring Landscaping in Seattle has taken this idea further by testing many newer plants and making his entire garden drought tolerant. His relationship with cutting edge growers in Oregon – Xera Nursery & Cistus Nursery – enabled him to use the most intriguing and wonderful plants.
I hope you can join us on Monday July 8 for his power point at Cultus Bay Gardens followed by lunch in the lathe house. He will have some fantastic plants from his Oregon buddies for sale. Another highlight will be touring Louise Abbott’s garden in Mutiny Bay. Louise was a nursery customer for years and her intense focus and keen eye was immediately apparent. She has long bought from the same Oregon nurseries Jason frequents and her many years of testing drought tolerant will greatly add to the information you come away with. Getting to see her mature and wonderful garden will be inspiring,
Dave O’Neil’s garden – designed and installed 2016/17
Dave O’Neils garden I designed and installed 2016/17
This garden was designed to be primarily drought tolerant and deer proof ~ although we all know deer like to test our patience and prove us wrong more times than we like.
Cedar Bark Weaving by Kaili Marsyna
Yellow Cedar bark – Kaili Marsyna
I’m excited to have meet a new resident to Whidbey—Kaili Marsyna—whose skills are astounding! Basket maker, woodworker, cobb builder and blacksmith. She did say she can’t bake so I’m happy to make the pie while she offers her many skills.
Kaili will be offering her first classes at Cultus Bay Gardens on October 26 & 27
October 26 will be cordage making using nettles. The cordage made in the first class can be used on the cedar pouch basket you will make on October 27th.
It’s not necessary to take both classes but they do pair together well. Details as to length of time and cost still to be determined.
- July 8, 2019 ~ Dynamic Drought Tolerant Gardening
Instructor ~ Jason Jorgensen ~ Third Spring Landscape Design, LLC
President of Northwest Horticulture Society
Fine Gardening writerMonday, July 8
10 am ~ 3 pm (thereabouts)$99.00 ~ Includes power point, conversation, lunch & garden tour of Louise Abbotts drought tolerant garden
Jason Jorgensen’s Drought Tolerant Garden
Today’s gardens need to do multiple jobs; conserve water, create wildlife habitat, and be beautiful and inviting spaces. Longer and drier summers are requiring a shift in the plant selection, siting, and installation methods to create and sustain these new types of gardens. Water usage in our urban areas is becoming more expensive and we need to create a new gardening paradigm. Jason Jorgensen will show you how to adapt to these challenges in this class.
This talk will cover an introduction to our Pacific Northwest climate, summer-dry gardening history and inspiration, suitable plant choices, planting techniques, and gardens of inspiration.You will leave the workshop inspired and ready to tackle new gardening challenges.
A garden tour of Louise Abbott’s well established and amazing garden using drought tolerant plants will show you what can be done on the island. Jason will also bring some fantastic plants from Xera and Cistus Nursery in Oregon for you to purchase.
Jason Jorgensen
Born in California, Jason moved to Washington State at the age of seven, and has called the Pacific Northwest home ever since. After more than twenty years in the international shipping industry he decided it was time for a career change. After graduating in 2013 with degrees in Landscape Design and Ornamental Horticulture from Edmonds Community College, he turned his life-long passion for gardening and plant selection into his profession as a landscape designer. Currently, Jason is collaborating with clients on creating sustainable summer-dry gardens around Seattle. - August 3, 2019 ~ Summer Art / Craft Market
Saturday, 10am – 6pm
We have a fun selection of artist/craftspeople participating in our first Summer Market. Fiber artists, jewelers, ceramics, plants, flower essences, mandala rocks and more. Below are just some of the folks participating.
Save the date and come join the experience in the gardens at Cultus Bay.
Tom Fisher ~ Wooden Wares
From building our house and outbuildings to carving salad bowls, spoons and cutting boards, Tom’s woodwork is beautifully done and filled with soul from his deep appreciation of each special piece of wood. One of a kind items from boxes to boards—all delightful!
Jane Jeszeck – Vintage Cigarette Cards
Jane retired from book design but takes her passion for paper, color, and imagery to create these delightful cards using vintage cigarette pack stiffeners from the 1920’s Great Britain.
Luanne Seymour ~ Zipper Bags
Luanne is a self proclaimed recovering graphic artist! After many years working as a Creative Director at Adobe she left and returned to designing primarily with fabric and thread. She loves collaborating with other artists with a goal of reducing amount of fabric that would end up in a landfill.
IG @luanne.seymour
Leah Meridoc Nguyen ~ Flower Essences
Handprinted Dishtowels, Truffles, Cards, and more
A diverse and talented artist Leah will bring a variety of things she works on, from healing flower essences she has crafted from local plants, her art work applied to dishtowels to brighten those kitchen duties and her incredible truffles which are dairy free and made with coconut sugar—truly delicious.
IG @planetpaintpeople
Tuna tenugui dress with plain front decorative back – modeled by Leah NguyenMary Fisher ~ Maemae Sew & more
Handmade clothing, tops and dresses using a carefully selected group of fabrics chosen for style and comfort. All material pre-washed and dried so there’s no guess work.
Jams, jellies, preserves made from local fruits from the gardens using a low sugar approach. Ramilleta paper cutout cards and botanical delight cards, and perhaps some small fresh fruit pies.
Healing comphrey salve for wounds and rashes.
IG @maemaesew
Grace Gow ~ Jewelry
From casual to Northwest elegant, Cat McCadden will have a selection of her jewelry available. From gold stud barnacle earrings with diamond insets to crab claw open chains for a more hip relaxed look, Cat’s jewelry exhibits a broad range.
@gracegowjewelry
Laura Hudson ~ Painter
Laura is a local artist whose work as been in galleries, as well as at Prima Bistro in Langley. Well-known for her farm animals and beguiling chickens—from paintings to sketches, her work emits a warm friendly presence.
IG @laurahudsonartist
Darcy Sinclair ~ Jeweler
Darcy recently moved to Whidbey full time. I first noticed her work when she came into the nursery a couple years ago. After commenting on how lovely it was, I asked it she’d like to be part of a market. She only retails in one location in Edmonds so I feel lucky she wants to join us at the summer market. Her work is delicate and sensitive. Darcy will be demo working on a piece while at the market.
Cara Jung ~ Potter
Cara will be bringing her more practical ceramic work to the market—vases, plates and who knows what else. She also does more sculptural work which can be seen in a local gallery on Whidbey.
IG @carajungpottery
Jenny Smith ~ Magnolia Curve Ceramics
Vases, cups, vessels and more with a variety of glazes—recently inspired by a workshop she attended in the east, she continues to explore new avenues of marrying clay shapes with glaze. You can see her work on IG @magnoliacurveceramics
Rosi Gross-Smith ~ Bookbinder/Boxmaker
Rosi’s master’s degree in Bookbinding and restoration has lead her to up-cycling old cigar boxes with a beautiful mixture of papers. From organizing to holding special letters, jewelry or tea storage, her boxes can serve a variety of uses. She recently retired from many years at the Southern Poverty Law Center and is looking forward to a move west and getting back to her creative outlet.
Greg Warnick ~ Potter
From plates to large vessels and small sweet spoons, Greg finds inspiration in natural forms, seed pods and his many hikes into the mountains of the PNW. His love of an organic look and connection to earth shows in his style. I’m delighted he can join for the Summer Market since he was unable to be at our Holiday Open House last year.
IG @gryphyx
Renee Boyce ~ Painted Rock Mandalas
Renee has a clear focus on the dot patterns that make up her very popular and detailed rocks—from a stone that stays in place to a stone which is incorporated into a pendant—you will be drawn into the fine work and detail she achieves. When I first saw them, I was reminded of the wonderful patterns on a sea urchin shell. Renee will be demo painting while at the market.
IG @freelandartshack
Brittany Olsen-Boblitt ~ Hand Spun & Dyed Yarn
From raising her own sheep and rabbits to procuring wonderful materials from other farmers, Brittany turns out gorgeous yarn both blended and solid. A knitting and crocheting paradise of selection. She will also bring her spinning wheel and demo her work.
IG @yarnbob
Sandra Wallace ~ Jeweler
Since learning how to hand solder silver jewelry ten years ago, Sandra has been creating personalized pendants and bridal bouquet memorial keepsakes for her shop on Etsy. She is putting together a special selection of pieces for the August Market, featuring pressed flowers and ferns from England and her family’s home country of Latvia. Her custom work can be seen at her Etsy shop link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/glassrealm
Linda Apsitis ~ Kokedama & other surprises!
Linda is known for a wide variety of well-crafted items she has made for our Holiday Open House each year. For the Summer Market she’s doing new things—the Japanese technique of Kokedama being one of them—come be delighted.
Siri Bardarson ~ Giclee prints
Siri is an ipad digital artist with an emotional hotline to beauty. If she sees something and it hums to her she draws it! As she says “My work is always “live” in an attempt to capture a moment, and I finish drawing in one session. I want the energy of the moment to be captured in the image. My technique is gestural, sometimes using a stylus or sometimes just my finger.
Prints and cards from the world of beauty she sees.
I still offer garden design, plant procuring, and pruning. The photo above is a group of plants going into Seattle tomorrow for a job I’m doing near the Arboretum. This is the second load as lots of wonderful dwarf cryptomerias and other gems are already awaiting placement. It’s been great to work with this client who has clear ideas of what she wants yet is open to ideas and new information.
A perfect job as she’s so excited about each step.
Hope to see you at some of our wonderful classes!
Mary Fisher
Cultus Bay Gardens
7568 Cultus Bay Rd
Clinton WA
Whidbey Island
info@cultusbaygardens.com
IG @cultusbaygardens
360-579-2329