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–we hope to see you at our monthly classes and upcoming events.
And to those who have renewed–thank you so much! Memberships help support our organization and our gardens!
Note: We can now accept memberships and renewals online with this link: 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!
September Class
Saturday September 16th at 10:00am ~ entitled Bats: Our Backyard Buddies ~ conducted by Brandon Burger, Backyard Bird Shop (www.backyardbirdshop.com)
One of our favorite presenters, Brandon, is back again this month, helping us in a pinch. He will discuss bat’s bad reputation and give us some interesting facts about the important function they have in our environment.
August Class-Recap
Hopefully everyone found the August class, Easier Gardening for Everyone ~ conducted by Cheryl Coddington and Dale Wheeler very informative and useful. The demonstration portion with tips on how to use certain tools more effectively was particularly helpful. Many questions from those in attendance were addressed.
For those who missed the class, you can find a recording of the (shorter) version done for the Cowlitz County Master Gardeners here on their YouTube link.
July Class-Recap Followup/Addendum
The statements expressed regarding lawn, in the August newsletter recapping the July class (Is the Grass Always Greener?) were those of my own. Kathy Plamondon, our July class presenter would like the following clarifying information to be presented:
“I put in many hours of research because my findings were so opposite from what I hear from local folks. My findings were based on consistent, current valid scientific findings. Grass is very helpful to the environment and biodiversity if people learn how to select and maintain grasses according to current scientific recommendations such as replacing gas powered equipment with electric or battery powered ones and mowing less to allow grass to grow two inches instead of cropping it short. That also reduces the amount of electricity used by their equipment. Farmers are being paid by organizations that are fighting Climate Change, to grow hundreds of acres of grass. This is one example of the benefit of grass. It absorbs carbon and converts it to soil regenerative (fertilizer).”
Saturday Morning Work Parties
Saturday morning work parties are ongoing and last through October. For those who would like to volunteer at the gardens, each Saturday morning (from 9:00am to noon) volunteers are guided by one of our garden coordinators to work in the gardens. We have a sign-up system using SignUpGenius. Additional sign up dates may be added. To sign up to work on listed days, here is the link: SignUpGenius
Family Fun Day in the Gardens
Inspired by the inquiries from parents specifically regarding family activities in the gardens, our newest event was born. Organized and hosted by Karen, one of our coordinators, and with the help of the Clark County Master Gardener program and volunteers from both organizations, a good time was had by all. There were a lot of positive comments from both parents and participants alike! We had between 22-24 kids and parents attend the event. The kids seemed happy and were enjoying their time at all of the different activities.
Thanks to all involved! 
Save the Date
Perennial, Bulb & Seed Swap (& More)
October 7th 10am – 1pm
You still have time to divide and collect–we are again partnering with the Master Gardeners of Clark County to conduct our 7th annual event. Gardeners who want to find homes for their excess plants, bulbs and seeds can do so while at the same time have the option for getting some new plant material in exchange. Bring some, get some. Nothing to swap? We will also have a “mini” plant sale and the CASEE Center will open their greenhouse for the sale of native potted trees/shrubs.
Tours/Talks/Events
The gardens are used in many different ways by many different folks! Here are a few from August….
The Cottage Garden hosted a close friends Birthday Party.
A small group of ladies (and a few kiddos) from the Salvation Army were guided by Julie (our resident tour guide) around the gardens and afterwards shared lunch together.
Ever practice flower pounding? A small group led by Erin Harwood did just that on a lovely evening in the gardens.
Looks like the gardens will also host several events in September….find out next month!
Also talked with a lot of nice people at the Clark County Fair in August where we had a table set up in the Exhibit Hall all during the event. Some folks were actually already familiar with the gardens and hopefully a lot more will be now!
Did you notice….
Ever wonder about the various benches, tables, arbors, bird baths and other items found tucked away in various spots? What is the history behind some of them? Though some items are more obvious than others (they have plaques), in the following months we will occasionally share some of the “stories”. Here is one of them….
In 2017 for his Eagle troop 319 project, Kyle Harrell built 4 benches, 2 small and 2 large, which were placed in several of the gardens. Recently Kyle and his dad visited the gardens and along with sending some pictures, told us that the large benches are dedicated to his mom and sister who have both passed. He shared: “The placement of these 2 benches is perfect as my mom always fed the birds and my sister loved the sunshine.”
Sharing……
Always striving to best share information, our standard flyers in display boxes at the gardens are now on our website. Find them referenced on the following pages:
https://naturescaping.org/the-gardens/
https://naturescaping.org/the-gardens/flying-flowers-garden/
https://naturescaping.org/the-gardens/hummingbird-place/
Once again for our new members…..
For anyone interested….
Booklet
With funding from a Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) grant and with many volunteer hours from committee members (you know who you are) a longtime dream has been fulfilled.
We have created a free 52-page booklet as an educational tool that includes dozens of high-quality photos, descriptions and other information regarding native plants found at The Wildlife Botanical Gardens and reasons to incorporate them in your landscape. Here is the link to finding it on our website:
https://naturescaping.org/resources/free-booklet/
Recent Comments from Business Google
Many visitors who took the time to give us a review (some with comments) and/or share pictures:
Alisha–5 stars & photos
Chad–3 star review & comment: “Very beautiful garden areas but no bathroom”
Kitty–5 star review & comment: “I love this place. The gardens are beautiful, and I see something new in bloom every time I go. Best of all its free”.
Debra–5 star review & comment: “This is a truly lovely place to meander in! I had no idea it was in my vicinity! So Cool! Will be coming back!”
Sherra: 5 star review, photos & comment: “Wonderful surprise gem! Was looking for something to do with my elderly mother and NatureScaping of SW Washington returned in a google search. We spent nearly 2 hours wandering the gardens. Lots of shade and benches. I have a dog and was pleased to learn that dogs are welcome. Free admission was a plus. A must see if you are in the area.”
Dorene–5 star review & comment: “We loved your Garden. The different landscapes were so enjoyable. We took a ton pictures! Thank you for making this public!”
Nature Related Quote of the Month
From Kin Hubbard: Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.
Enjoy the cooler, wetter weather.