Community Corner
Local Gardeners Dish Craft Secrets at Annual Seminar
The Port Washington Garden club will host the seminar on Feb. 18, featuring topics from local club members as well as botanical experts.
It may not be gardening weather yet, but that has never stopped the Port Washington Garden Club from talking shop.
At their annual gardening seminar on Feb. 18, called "Green Up Your Winter Blues," local gardeners will share tips for growing healthy and unique gardens in Port Washington's climate.
"Since we're by the lake, there's a microclimate effect; it stays cooler a little longer," said Tom Hudson, a Port gardener who will be speaking at the seminar. "I'll be showing some problems I've had, and how to overcome them."
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Hudson, who has been with the club since 1996, has defeated many obstacles, successfully growing dozens of varieties of fruits, including grapes, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, kiwis, figs, gooseberries, currants and lemons.
"Growing something you like to eat makes it a lot more fun on a personal level," he said.
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His talk will, fittingly, focus on how to grow fruit and to avoid spraying pesticides.
The keynote speaker, Chicago Botanic Garden Plant Evaluation Manager Richard Hawke, will offer ways to distinguish ornamental plants that are good for an upper-midwest climate, with a focus on hydrangeas.
Other speakers will cover topics like turning old household items into garden art, growing a water garden and creating container gardens.
Many of the speakers are members of the Port Washington Garden Club, which will be celebrating it's 80th birthday this spring. The club, which has about 30 members, has done landscaping at and , bought trees for Port Washington parks and helped with Habitat for Humanity projects.
Hudson said he has found the club to be a valuable resource for local gardening, especially when he moved to Port from Kansas City.
"We had no idea what plants would do well here," Hudson said. "The club really got us familiar very quickly with what works well. And it's great that you can share your special interests and knowledge."
The seminar, from 9 a.m. to 2:50 p.m., is open to the public for a registration fee of $25. Registration is open on the club's website until Feb. 13.
