JUNES GARBENj Village of Flowers (cont'd.) Tapestries of rainbow colors grown from tiny flower seeds to mature gardens of beauty that surround the Chamber of Commerce building and 33 post planters throughout the business district of Cannon Beach are created by the talented and expert Master Gardeners Jan and Allen Fenton from Arch Cape. Six years ago Fentons were inspired to volunteer to plant a garden that would enhance the distinctive style of the new chamber building that had been completed in 1990. The build­ ing's style is best described in a brochure Rob Spooner wrote, ."The building radiates 'an essence of place,' embel­ lished by the special skills of local craftsmen and artists giving the structure a regional identity." The gardens Fentons create each season now add the beauty the building deserves. In 1992, working with Nancy Littell who was the director of the Chamber of Commerce at that time, the Fentons started the garden by adding new top soil and humus. Transplanting donated plants, mostly perennial, to the north side, they then planted bulbs, seeds and small plants on the south side including curbside planters. Each year spring's seasonal blooms of daffodils, tulips, columbine, forget-me- not, lupine, Lady's Mantle and more are followed by early summer flowers, like poppies, lilies, delphinium, replaced by dahlias, allium, varieties of artemisia, coreopsis, Boston daisies, the list is endless. There are always flowers in bloom. A list of 74 varieties of flowers and seeds Fentons save, along with a sample packet of seeds, is available for sale at the chamber's office. Not only does this garden add beauty, it also caused several of the volunteers to become more knowledgeable to answer questions as to the names of flowers along with directing the hundreds of visitors who seek information about motels, restaurants, maps, etc. Red flowered Japan­ ese Bishop dahlia, Shirley poppies and Lavatera are the flowers most often asked about. Also, a tall, large, variegated-leafed plant with single lavender flower that grows north of the front door is a mallow, commonly called "tree geranium." In 1993 the Fentons com­ mitted to volunteer more hours to plant and maintain the 25 post planters that are placed on top of the 8' posts which are placed along the sidewalks throughout the business dis­ trict of Cannon Beach. Recently they added nine more. Through the five years of experience they have worked out a success­ ful formula as to what plants perform best and with the least maintenance. At their home where the cleaned-out 12" x 12" wooden planters are stored on April 15th they start their plantings with fresh soil. In each container they add two Super petunias, two violas, two Swan daisies, two trailing geraniums, two lobelia, two lotus and one trailing verbena. On the post planter at the chamber they add nemesia and schizanthus. Memorial Day the planters are ready to place on their posts. During the summer, every other day starting at 6:00 A.M. they fill a large plastic garbage can on wheels with water. Each post-planter takes four gallons. The 32-gallon garbage can needs to be filled at least four or five times. They wheel the can throughout town, Allen climbing a ladder, deadheading and watering at the same time, Jan helping by lift­ ing each container, finishing about 8:00 A.M. They then continue their work to water, deadhead and do general main­ tenance required in the flower beds surrounding the chamber building. The gardens and planters are fertilized with soluble "Miracle-Gro" every 10 days. September 10th the post­ planters are taken down, each completely cleaned out to prevent any problems of plant disease or insects, then stored over the winter at their home, ready for next year's spring planting. At this time they also prune and clear out summer flowers around the chamber for the garden to winter over. The past experience Allen Fenton gained to add to his joys of gardening began in 1967 when he started a business on Hwy. 101 in Warrenton called "Fenton's Nursery." He worked with a Portland nursery and other successful growers of trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals as to the required care, maintenance and best soil mixtures. He soon became knowledgeable as he had always been interested in all.aspects of gardening. In 1985 he closed his nursery. When Ecola Square was first built, Allen worked with Beth Holland, who designed and planted the first garden in front of the square. During the summer months tables and chairs were placed in the front court­ yard, which was a favorite place for enjoying an espresso or sandwich from the fish market and being rewarded by the garden's beauty. The original garden is no longer there. It is now under the care of others. The Fentons completed a "Master Gardening" course a few years ago. The course not only teaches all conditions of gardening, but also encourages the students to reach out and teach others. For information call the Oregon State Universi­ ty Extension Service, Clatsop County 1-503-325-8573. Fred Lundin, agricultural agent, teaches the class. It is usually offered through the fall and winter terms. From October to the first part of April the Fentons' well-deserved time-off is spent traveling. This year they plan to visit gardens and car museums in some of the southern states. They are active members of Antique Military Restoration Club and Classic Car Club. They own a 1949 Jeepster convertible and a 1952 Jeep. Both of these vehicles they restored. Allen also is a ham radio operator. Jan's background is in nursing and family counseling. I f you were asked the question "What is a tree worth?" . how would you calculate that worth? A common answer would be it's market value for wood or pulp products9 O r possibly one could anempt to assign a value to the tree's aesthetic worth Otmously . there are as many variables as the people you ask Recently I was acquainted with an interesting response by Professor T M Das o f the University o f Calcutta, India He has figured the worth o f an average tree livin g for 50 years at $196,250. His premise is the cost o f a rtificially maintaining the ecological functions pronded by the tree The breakdown o f that figure is: 31.250 Oxygen Generation 62.500 A ir Pollution Control 31.250 Soil Fertility & Soil Erosion Control 47.500 Recycling Water & Controlling Humidity One o f the easiest ways to help in decreasing the unnecessary flood o f paper products that collect in landfills, is to cut down on the third class mail we receive. Third class mail is referred to as bulk business mail, unsolicited mail, or in lay terms; junk mail. The postal employees are required by iaw to deliver all m ail sent to your address. They can not censor mail, even i f we request it. However, we can! The price break in th ird class mail allows over 8 m illion small companies to advertise their products. Additionally, these companies often sell their mailing list to other companies and organizations So how do we control receiving unsolicited mail. Easy!! Well sort off. It w ill take a little effort on your part. I f you w rite to the follow ing direct mail agencies and request that your name and address be deleted from their m ailing lists they w ill accommodate you. These companies often sell their lists to small companies fo r promotions, catalogues, and flyers. Donnelly Marketing, 1235 North Avenue, Nevada Iowa 50201 M ail Preference Semces/Direct Marketing, P.O Box 9008, Farmington N Y 11735 Metro M ail Corp 901 West Bond, Lincoln, NE 68521 National Demographics & Lifestyles List Order Service, 1621 18th Street #300, Denver, CO 80202 Reverse phone books are another source for mailing lists. Again i f you contact them they w ill remove your name & address. Haines & Company Inc, Criss-Cross Directory, 2382 East W alnut Avenue East, Fullerton, C A 92631 The telephone company offers a "No Solicitation Calls" listing for a nominal monthly fee. By law this protects Oregonians from uninvited sales calls. Call your phone company for specific information. The follow ing companies provide credit information. Ask them to remove your name from their files. Also request a copy o f vour credit report. Look for the section called "promotions", "promo", or "companies that request your credit report". Contact each company listed and request to be removed from their m ailing list. Equifax Options, Marketing Decisions Systems Inc. P.O. Box 740123 Atlanta, GA 30374-0123 TransUnion Transmark INC, 555 West Adams, Chicago IL 60661 TRW-NCAC, 12606 GreertvtUe Ave, Dallas T X 75243 The Department o f M otor Vehicles records are also used for direct advertising. This one really surprised m e!! To be taken o ff their list you must complete a form (o f course there is a form this is the government) 735-6438C "Request to W ithhold Name/Address from D M V Records Used for Direct M a il Advertising " The form is available at vour local D M V and can be submitted to D M V , 1905 Lana Avenue NE Salem OR 97314. S E W I N G Custom fashions for the home Leslie Wood 4 3 6 -0 2 7 9 I hope to be remembered as someone who made the earth a little more beautiful. Justice William O. Douglas The beauty and dedication of hundreds of hours they volunteer their love of gardening, turning our town into a true "Village of Flowers," is their gift to all that live here or visit for a month or a day. Dogs come when they’ re called; cats take a message and get back to you. Mary Bly ur rut lift Ebtt otwki . -tin