The Orcas Island Garden Club is bringing special guest lecturers to the island for the 2013-14 season.

Ciscoe Morris will talk about wildlife sanctuaries and other speakers will cover such topics as hardy shrubs for fall color, heritage roses, color in the garden, dogs in the garden, permaculture and fruit trees, and Orcas microclimates. The club’s annual garden tour is June 28 and 29, with proceeds funding not only speakers but also grants to community garden projects such as the school garden, the library landscape, and the seed library. The photo above is from a garden on the recent tour.

A garden club membership is $20 and includes nine programs and the end-of-the-year picnic. One does not have to be a gardener to join the garden club. They welcome anyone interested in gardening, especially those wanting to learn. The club’s members number more than 170, and all meetings feature a social time with coffee, tea, and sweet and savory goodies.  Meetings are the third Wednesday of the month (except for November, December, and June, which are the second Wednesday), 10 a.m. to noon in the Madrona Room of the Orcas Center.

Upcoming lecture and event schedule is as follows:

Sept. 18: Roger Gossler, “Fall, the Forgotten Season”

Oct. 16: Jeff Wyckoff, “Beyond Hybrid Teas – Heritage and Other Roses”

Nov. 13: Lucy Hardiman, “Paint Your Garden In Living Color”

Dec. 11: Kari Koski, “Shrubs, Switchels, and Bitters, Oh My!”

Jan. 15: Marlyn Myers and John Willis, “Orcas Microclimates”

Feb. 19: Sam Bullock, “Permaculture and Fruit Trees”

March 19: Cheryl Smith, “Gardens: Going to the Dogs”

April 16: Ciscoe Morris, “Creating Wildlife Sanctuary Gardens”

May 21: Lorene Edwards Forkner, “Planted at Home”

June 11: Margaret Payne, End of Year Picnic

June 28 and 29: Orcas Island Garden Tour

‘Fall, the Forgotten Season’

The garden club will feature Roger Gossler on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. in the Madrona Room of Orcas Center. He will present “Fall, the Forgotten Season.” His appearance is also sponsored by the Orcas Island Library and Friends of the Library.

Gossler grew up in Springfield, Ore. on his family’s farm, which has been in existence for more than 100 years. In the 1960s, the family produced their first catalog and began shipping their plants around the country. In 1985, they quit farming and established Gossler Family Nursery.  Gossler has a degree in landscape design and maintenance and currently is the buyer and main grower for the nursery.

Gossler, with two family members, has authored the book “The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs.” The Gosslers are experts and it shows in the detailed information listed for each shrub which is so helpful for gardening in the Pacific Northwest.

For further information go to www.orcasislandgardenclub.org.