Past Events

Join the Master Gardeners of San Juan County in welcoming the very popular Dr. Linda
Gilkeson, as the keynote speaker at our Annual Gardening Workshop
this October. Dr. Gilkeson’s talk, “Resilient Gardens in a Changing Climate,” will discuss how
greater resiliency in our gardening methods can help minimize the effects of local climate
change. PNW gardeners need to be prepared to handle cooler, wetter springs; longer, drier
summers; unexpected winter cold snaps, and water shortages.
In addition to her keynote address, Dr. Gilkeson will also speak in an afternoon session,
“Preparing Our Gardens for Winter,“ which will talk about protecting soil and preserving
beneficial insect habitat. It will also cover what to plant in the fall to increase next year’s food
supply for pollinators.

In addition to the Keynote, the Series speakers and their topics are:
• “Vole Management” by Danielle Gunn, MS. Ms. Gunn is the Agricultural Extension
Educator on the Fort Hall Reservation for the University of Idaho Extension. Her talk will
cover vole biology and effective vole management methods for home gardening.
• “Irrigation Design, Installation & Maintenance” by Alec Kowalewski, PhD. Dr.
Kowalewski is an Associate Professor at Oregon State University and teaches several
undergraduate classes in horticulture and landscape management. He will teach
attendees the principals of irrigation design and installation, including how to measure
water flow rate at your home.
• “Small Space Gardening – How to Make Your Garden Feel Larger” by Tobey Nelson.
Ms. Nelson has a BS in Landscape Horticulture from Michigan State University and is an
official plant-a-holic. Her class is for those who feel challenged by the size of their
garden. She will offer some strategies for making the most of small garden spaces.
• “Pots with Pizazz” again by Tobey Nelson. She will take your container garden game to
the next level with tips on selecting containers, plants and soil.
• “Insect Pest Whodunit” by our very own islander Kate Yturri. Ms. Yturri is a San Juan
County Master Gardener who aspires to improve her skills as an amateur entomologist
and help others identify the insects in their gardens. She will talk about how to collect
clues when dealing with plant damage to arrive at a solution.
• “Wild About Dahlias” by Mary Bannister. Ms. Bannister is a retired geologist who has
been growing dahlias for over 30 years. She will discuss growing and caring for dahlias
with an emphasis on varieties and propagation.

Join the San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners for eight workshops on a variety of interesting gardening topics. The workshops run October 17 through October 26, 2023. Our key note speaker is Dr. Doug Tallamy whose presentation is Nature's Best Hope. The series will be via webinar and recordings will be available to all registrants.   For complete line up and to register visit:  gardenworkshop.org.

The 2024 Native Plant Sale starts 8am January 27! ​ We are pleased to bring back some favorites from 2023, as well as some new products. Our plants are sold in bundles of five bare root plants or plugs. You can pick up your orders on Saturday March 16, 2024 at locations on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan islands. The deadline for ordering is March 9, 2024, or while supplies last. https://www.mgfsjc.org/nativeplantsale2024.html