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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2017)
JULY 20, 2017 // 7 Master Gardener workshop on landscaping with native plants ILWACO, WASH. — Washing- ton State University Master Gardeners of Pacific Coun- ty will present a workshop, “Enhancing your Land- scape with Native Plants,” from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Sat- urday, July 22, at Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum (115 S.E. Lake St.). What makes a plant “native”? What factors make them an ideal choice for landscaping? Would gardeners rather have landscaping that needs little care once established, or plants that need lots of water, fertilizer, monitoring and pest control? Master Gardeners will discuss ways to use native plants in the home land- scape and suggest a wide variety of native plants to fit individual needs. Deer, pest and drought resistant choices will be discussed. Find inspirations while exploring the many kinds of native plants on display at the workshop and in the demonstration garden. Get to know their versatility and beauty and begin creating a vibrant living yard that pro- vides year-round interest. For more information, contact Elena Righettini at mrighettini@yahoo.com. SUBMITTED PHOTO Dorota Haber-Lehigh is surrounded by native plants in her garden in the Sunset Cove. Haber-Lehigh teaches English as a second language and botanical illustration at Seaside High School. SUBMITTED PHOTO Continued from Page 4 A growing movement Planting natives is a passion for Dorota, who is a member of the Native Plant Society and Oregon Botani- cal Artists. She recalls when her garden had far fewer native plants, and the non-natives she introduced failed to cooperate. “I used to fight it, control it,” she recalled. I struggled with anything flourishing. Then, I would go on hikes and find everything thriving in the woods. Nobody was doing any trimming or wa- tering. I realized I was doing something wrong.” She learned more about native plants through work- shops at the Hoyt Arboretum in Portland and from local experts with several North Coast organizations. She also has a plot at the Sunny Hunt Community Garden behind the Sunset pool. “I grew up in Poland,” Dorota said. “Everybody had a community garden. It was a necessity. After the war (World War II), the bor- ders were closed and there were no imports of fruits and vegetables. Whatever you ate, you grew.” Even in the 1980s, community gardens flour- ished. Dorota and her family would ride bicycles — there were few cars or paved roads — to their community garden, which measured about one-tenth of an acre. “There were cherry, peach and plum trees. We weren’t farmers, but we would grow carrots, cu- cumbers, zucchinis, lettuce, herbs and tomatoes.” In the summer, they would forage for wildflow- ers to make tea and for mushrooms. After Poland joined the European Union in 2004, development flourished: Large stores and malls re- placed mom-and-pop shops, and highways filled with cars. “Now people realize they have lost a lot of the coun- tryside. Instead of planting lawn, they plant native prai- ries because they’re feeling nostalgic,” she said. Dorota worries that the same thing will happen here. But she also hopes that, with more awareness of the variety of native plants and the ease of caring for them, people will consider incorporating them into their gardens. “We’re losing so much. I feel like it’s our responsibili- ty to preserve as much as we can,” she said. “But I think more people are gaining awareness about landscaping with natives. The movement is growing.” CW An oceanspray ‘For the Love of the River’ on view SKAMOKAWA, WASH. — The Friends of Skamokawa is sponsoring a summer exhibit titled “For the Love of the River.” The Friends group asked the artists of Wahkiakum County to make something that expresses their views of the Lower Columbia Basin. There are photographs, sculptures, poetry, paint- ings, textiles and more showing the variety of the artists’ views and the beauty of the Lower Columbia Basin. This exhibit opened in July and will run until La- bor Day Weekend, Sunday, Sept. 3. Redmen Hall (1394 Washington State Route 4 in Skamokawa) is open noon to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. For more information, please call 360-795-3007 or email us at fos1894@gmail. com.
