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The purpose of the Orcas Island Garden Club is to stimulate knowledge and love of gardening, to cooperate in the protection and conservation of nature, and to assist in the beautification of the community.
The Orcas Island Garden Club was founded in 1958. Currently our membership is around 140 members; many are local, but others are from farther afield. All are welcome! Monthly meetings, when held, usually host about 70 people. Before the pandemic, the Garden Club met at 10 a.m. on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Orcas Center, September through May, and typically featured presentations by expert speakers on a variety of garden topics, followed by a small social hour. For the time being, all indoor Garden Club activities have been suspended. In the interim we are holding virtual monthly meetings via Zoom, sending out a monthly newsletter, and making plans for Garden Tour 2023 on June 24 and 25. Please check back for updates. |
Orcas Island has a population of approximately 5,000 people (which more than doubles in the summer!) and an area of 57 square miles. The island is shaped like a saddlebag, with a narrow isthmus at the top and the two distinct sections surrounding fjord-like East Sound. The island topography is quite varied, with farm valleys, bays and inlets, and several mountains: Mt. Constitution, the highest point in the county, is 2,409 ft.; Turtleback Mountain is almost 1500 feet; and Mt Woolard, is 1,180 feet.
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Due to the hilly topography and lengthy shoreline, Orcas Island boasts a variety of micro-climates that creates both gardening opportunities and challenges. In past years, in a citizen-science project, club members have charted rainfall and temperatures around the island in order to map the micro-climates. Most of the rain falls in spring and winter. Summers are dry, and water is a precious commodity for many gardeners. While the low-lying valleys typically have good soil, the higher elevations and shoreline areas usually feature thin soil over bedrock or no soil at all. The most damaging garden predators are deer, with bunnies running a close second. (Our members are always interested in deer-resistant plants.) Other member interests include flowers, ornamental trees and shrubs, vegetables, herbs and fruit trees, and organic and sustainable practices.
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