Our Bedrock
Mission Statement: Gardens and programs that inspire, educate and enrich our lives and our community.
Purpose Statement: To educate and encourage citizens on the importance of developing, restoring, maintaining and conserving wildlife habitat and the native plants that comprise that habitat.
Welcome new members! To those who have renewed your memberships (some at higher levels) and to those who made donations, thank you so much! Memberships help support our organization and our gardens!
Note: We can now accept memberships and renewals online! Membership/Renewals.
However, to help us cover our processing costs for the convenience of using online payments, it is necessary to include those costs in our online membership fees. Amounts remain the same as before for checks/cash.
Separate donations can also be transacted online!
April-No Class
No class in April due to the Bare Root Trees, Shrubs & Perennial Sale. We have a great May class scheduled–not too early to sign up! Here are the details….
May Class
Friday May 20th Zoom class at 4:00pm entitled ~ Not Weeds-Northwest Roadside Wildflowers presented by Mark Turner, Photographer, Speaker, Writer www.pnwflowers.com
Northwest roadsides can spring to life with showy wildflowers. While we have a number of invasive weeds, many of our native species also put on quite a show. You’ll be introduced to some plants that are easily recognized from behind your windshield.
We are again partnering with the Camas Library. Register in advance for this Zoom webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xcnsbdzVSimqmirkJFIzzA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the class.
Mark’s work has been published on covers and inside magazines like Garden Design, Sunset, American Gardener, Horticulture, Organic Gardening, and Birds and Blooms as well as in numerous garden books. He has three solo books. Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, an American Horticultural Society Book Award winner (co-authored with Phyllis Gustafson), Trees and Shrubs of the Pacific Northwest (co-authored with Ellen Kuhlmann), and Bellingham Impressions, a a soft-cover coffee-table book enjoyed by Bellingham lovers around the world.
Note: Mark’s book “Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest” was mentioned in The Columbian on Sunday April 3rd in the “Check It Out” column by Jan Johnston as one of the suggested books to read on the topic of flowers.
March Class-Recap
Arthur Fuller, Cowlitz County Master Gardener gave us some good information regarding soil composition, testing, fertilization and more.
If you missed the session it is now available to view on The Camas Public Library’s YouTube page. Here’s the link to the recording and Art’s slides used in the class:
Note: We have a playlist at the Camas Library YouTube
page where you can view the entire offerings of recorded class sessions from past months at:
Camas Library YouTube-NatureScaping Classes
Plant Sale
(Information previously sent to members separately April 3rd.)
We are having our annual Bare Root Trees, Shrubs & Perennial sale this year at the Wildlife Botanical Gardens located at 11000 NE 149th Street, Brush Prairie on Saturday April 30th and Sunday May 1st.
Members, (up-to-date with their dues and new members) will have early and exclusive access to the sale starting at 9:00am until noon on Saturday, it will be open to the public thereafter until 3:00PM. We will be using SignUpGenius to schedule people in hour increments all day Saturday. May 1st is totally open to the public with no sign up needed. Each sign up slot on Saturday will allow the attendee up to 4 additional people as needed. Here is the link:
Please note: No need to necessarily sign up for a slot to shop if you are volunteering to work at the plant sale on Saturday. There will be opportunities available.
NatureScaping is offering bare root trees for $10, bare root shrubs for $5, and potted perennials starting at $1. Potted/baged & burlapped and special items will be priced as marked. There will also be Mason Bee cocoons and supplies as well as photos of the gardens for sale. This year we are offering a raffle basket at $5 per ticket which will include a variety of items. This fundraiser will be held in cooperation with students from the adjacent CASEE Center who will be selling native landscaping plants.
NatureScaping will be accepting credit cards, cash and checks while CASEE will accept cash and checks only.
Plant Sale Volunteers–To those of you who have stepped up and contacted me to volunteer at the sale–thank you! We can still use more help (Sunday is always tough).
Volunteers for pre-sale work during the weekday are also needed as follows:
Heeler: Place and cover or “heel” the bare root trees into the sale area. Physical work later in the afternoon on Wed. & Thurs. April 13th & 14th.
Labeler-placers: Placing finished labels on plants. Tentatively scheduled for Tues. April 26th 10:00am and if needed, Wed. April 27th 1:00.
Here is a very brief listing/description of some of the various jobs we still need to fill on sale days. As you can infer, some jobs are more physical than others.
Field Helper: Help with selections and help pull trees to for purchase
Holding area: “Check in” and hold plant loads while people continue to shop
Bagger: Dip bare root trees in water, place into bags.
Checker: Write up sales slips for cashiers.
Cashier: Do the math (calculators furnished) and take in checks or cash (no coin change transactions).
Our success depends upon our volunteers–please consider helping. Feel free to contact me: marlene52ns@gmail.com
Saturday Morning Work Parties
Saturday Morning Work Parties (SMWP) are from 9-noon. Each Saturday morning, volunteers are guided by one of our garden coordinators to work on needed tasks/projects in the various gardens. Non-Saturday dates may also be available as determined. We have a sign up system using SignUpGenius. Additional sign up dates will be routinely added. To sign up to work on listed days, here is a link: SignUpGenius
Bulletin Board
Thanks once again to Rosemarie, we have a special Plant Sale display on our bulletin board on the front of our smaller shed. Makes volunteering look fun (hint, hint).
Potting Party
In preparation for our plant sale, we had two potting party sessions. Thanks to those who donated and potted, getting our perennials ready for the big day.
Did You Notice?
As reported to me: “new extremely comfortable bench in the FFG – designed, built and very generously donated by Kurt & Carla”. Carla is one of the Co-Coordinators of the Flying Flowers Garden and Kurt is her crafty husband.
Take a load off and check it out!
Sharing…..
We recently received a few new 5 star ratings from Google Business and the comment below:
From Andrea: 
“Amazing place to do so easy walking with a toddler or a senior. We had a great time.”
From Olga:
Pretty and peaceful. Two trails to enjoy.
Spring is evident in the gardens–so many great pics taken recently around the gardens–we want to share just a few (spam concerns) from Larry & Joan. Come see for yourself!
Flowering Quince (left) and 
Cherry Snow Fountain (right)
Oregon Iris
Nature Related Quote of the Month
Can you relate?
From Mark Twain: “In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”
Stay safe and enjoy!!