Garden Varieties : Clubs Sow Seeds of Sharing

Members of the San Fernando Valley’s gardening societies and clubs share more than a green thumb.

Many of them care deeply about conserving natural resources.

“We’re not little old ladies in big gardening hats with a shovel in our hands,” said Estelle Tesh, director of the San Fernando Valley District of California Garden Clubs.

This statewide nonprofit group, part of a national organization, is dedicated to plant and tree conservation, preservation of the environment and furthering interest in amateur gardening. It also teaches gardening to the elderly, the handicapped and children.

Of course, some garden clubs are dedicated solely to the joys of a particular plant.

Mary Blancher of the Granada Hills African Violet Society grows about 100 plants under lights. She limits them to one wall, saying: “I enjoy them. But, if I had too many, it would be work, not fun.

“Some people play music for their violets. Can you imagine?” said Blancher. “And one person got a heater and an air conditioner just for her plants.”

Said Bill Rinehart of the San Fernando Valley Iris Society: “People don’t realize the variety there is. That’s why I find irises so rewarding. I’m probably being conservative by saying I spend most of my waking hours on them.”

What follows is a list of Valley area garden clubs and societies, all of which welcome newcomers and publish monthly newsletters.

San Fernando Valley Rose Society, c/o 8024 Hatillo Ave., Canoga Park 91306. This organization of rose fanciers meets at 7:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of every month at Mercury Savings, 5201 Laurel Canyon Blvd., North Hollywood. Each meeting features a speaker, mini-rose show, plant exchange and group discussion. You may bring roses to be identified, and trips are sometimes made to private gardens. Classes in arrangement are taught in winter, and a spring rose show is held annually at Descanso Gardens. The group has 120 members. Dues are $8.50 or $11, depending on whether you already belong to the American Rose Society. For information, call Beverly Osborne at (818) 341-0877.

Granada Hills African Violet Society, c/o 19536 Minnehaha St., Northridge 91326. This 65-member group meets at 11 a.m. the fourth Tuesday of the month in the Town Hall Room of the Balboa-Mission Shopping Center, 16916 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Granada Hills. Each meeting starts with a culture class for beginners, followed by a plant raffle, the sale of supplies and pots, and a program, usually featuring a speaker and slides relating to some aspect of growing African violets. Coffee and cookies are served. Every March, the society takes a bus trip to a major violet nursery in Solvang. In August, a luncheon is held at the Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills. Membership costs $6 a year or $8 for couples. For information, call Mary Blancher at (818) 363-6222.

San Fernando Valley African Violet Society, c/o 19536 Minnehaha St., Northridge 91326. This 63-member group meets at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month at the Odd Fellows Hall, 15236 Parthenia St., Sepulveda. Meetings follow the same format as those of the Granada Hills society, which has some of the same members. Dues are $6 per person or $8 per couple. Every March, a show and plant sale are held at the Panorama Mall. The June and December meetings feature potluck dinners. For information, contact Mary Blancher at (818) 363-6222.

Thousand Oaks African Violet Society, c/o 1187 Buckingham Drive, Thousand Oaks 91360. About 45 members meet at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Oaks Mall Community Room on Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Membership costs $6 per year, plus $3 for Council News, a quarterly publication. Meetings feature a culture class, business session, refreshments and a speaker. An annual show and sale are held each fall at the Thousand Oaks Library. A sale is also held in the spring. In addition, the group has a display at the Ventura County Fair in August. For information, call Vern Jones at (805) 947-0206 or Marsha Shaver at (805) 495-0218.

Burbank African Violet Society, c/o 508 Palm Ave., Apartment I, Burbank 91501. Thirty to 40 violet lovers meet at 7 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at Bethany Presbyterian Church, 2707 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank. Dues are $8 per person or $11.50 per couple. A 30-minute social starts each meeting, during which members examine and discuss each other’s plants. Also featured are culture classes, bingo games to win leaves that can be propagated and a raffle. Once a year, the group has a plant competition, at which members vote on the best plants grown from leaves. Each spring, a display and sale are held; another event may be scheduled in October. For information, contact Laura Windhausen at (818) 846-1241.

San Fernando Valley Iris Society, c/o 16301 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar 91342. Meetings of this 130-member club take place at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at the Canoga Park Woman’s Club, 7401 Jordan Ave., Canoga Park. Half an hour socializing is followed by a business meeting and program. Speakers show slides and talk on such topics as the growth, culture, showing, transporting and arranging of irises. Dues are $5 per year. An annual show is held each spring. On Saturday, members will take a field trip to Greenwood Day Lily Gardens in Goleta. The club’s big sale will be held Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and 2 at the Promenade Mall on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Woodland Hills. In addition, a garden tour is scheduled each spring. For information, contact Caroline Sutherland at (818) 367-5373 or Bill Rinehart at (818) 346-1912.

San Fernando Valley Gardeners, c/o 13196 Phillippi Ave., Sylmar 91342. Most of the 50 members of this gardening club are interested in vegetables and fruit trees. They meet at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at Devonshire Christian Church, 14941 Devonshire St., Mission Hills. During meetings, speakers provide information on a variety of gardening topics, such as soils and the culturing of particular plants. Dues are $7 per year. The group holds a potluck dinner once a year and a holiday party at Christmas. For information, call Rheba Eichhorn at (818) 367-1525.

San Fernando Valley Orchid Society, P.O. Box 5277, Valley Plaza Station, North Hollywood 91616. About 150 households pay $15 in annual dues to belong to this group of orchid fanciers. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Encino Community Center, 4935 Balboa Blvd., Encino. The first hour is a culture session, followed by a regular meeting. After hearing a speaker and taking a break, members look at a display of plants and participate in a silent auction. Also offered each month is a chance to take home a plant donated by the speaker or a member. Members go on day trips and participate in shows like the Santa Barbara Orchid Show in March. Garden tours often end in potlucks. The January meeting features a plant auction. The annual awards banquet is held in August. For information, call Roger Slowi at (818) 347-3458.

California Native Plant Society, Santa Monica Mountains chapter, c/o 6223 Lubao Ave., Woodland Hills 91367. This 350-member chapter of a 7,000-member state organization meets at 7:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month at Douglas Park in Santa Monica. The meetings feature speakers and slide shows on horticultural topics. The focus of the club is conservation, and members urge the public to plant native plants. Dues are $30 for a household, family or group, $18 for singles, $15 for a retired couple or $12 for students or the retired. In the spring, public wildflower walks are held in the Santa Monica Mountains, with pickups at Taft High School, Winnetka Avenue and Ventura Boulevard. A Plant Faire and Sale will take place in mid-November at Calamigos Ranch in Agoura. Members receive a bimonthly newsletter and a quarterly state publication, Fremontia. For information, call Jo Kitz at (818) 348-5910.

Westlake Village Garden Club. This group meets at 9:30 a.m. the first Tuesday of the month, October through June, at the First Neighborhood Community Center, 31830 Village Center Road, Westlake Village. After a brief business meeting, members hear a speaker talk on such topics as horticulture, insecticides and water. Dues are $15 a year. The club, which has about 50 members, helps support the Stagecoach Inn Museum, sends seeds overseas, helps CARE, the Thousand Oaks Library and TreePeople. Its big fund raiser is an annual garden tour in the spring. For information, contact Doris McKinley at (805) 495-4979.

Conejo Valley Garden Club, c/o Arts Council Cultural Center, 482 Green Meadow Drive, Thousand Oaks 91360. This club meets at 10 a.m. the last Wednesday of the month, September through May, at the Arts Council Cultural Center. Dues are $15 per year, which includes membership in a national council of state garden clubs. This 55-member group’s focus is conservation and public service, and it supports the Gregor Mendel Botanical Foundation and other causes. Members have a cutting day in March at a local mall, at which cuttings and bulbs are given to the public. They take a garden tour every year and have an annual luncheon for members only. They also have flower-arranging activities, a horticulture competition with a traveling trophy, and a flower show and plant sale every two years. For information, call Carolyn Jackson at (805) 498-6580.

Southern California Garden Club, Van Nuys chapter, c/o 15445 Cobalt St., Sylmar 91342. Seventy members have joined this chapter of the California Garden Clubs for $10 a year. They meet at 10 a.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the Van Nuys Women’s Club, 14836 Sylvan St., Van Nuys. After the business portion of the meeting, the program may feature demonstrations on flower arranging or speakers on such topics as conservation, growing roses or winter vegetables. Horticultural specimens are judged and sold at meetings. The group takes two field trips a year. In the spring, they sponsor a flower show, during which flower arrangements are judged and, in the fall, a boutique fund-raiser is held. For information, call Jane Goodwin at (818) 367-2821.

Other garden clubs that belong to the San Fernando Valley District of California Garden Clubs are:

Burbank Valley Garden Club, Peggy Scoville (818) 848-1909.

Sherman Oaks Garden Club, Bettie Rappoport (818) 789-4256.

Cherry Blossom Garden Club (meets at Orcutt Ranch, Canoga Park), Myrtle Loehr (818) 886- 1643.

Encino Floral Arts (focus on floral arranging), Faye Alderman (818) 789-5109.

Laurel Garden Club (meets at Sepulveda Garden Center in Encino or private homes throughout the Valley), Athalie Bond (805) 581- 1951.

Panorama City Garden Club, Pat Christensen (818) 892-7084.

Shadow Hills Garden Club (Sun Valley, Sunland-Tujunga), Kathy Burnett (818) 363-1236.

Woodland Hills Floral Designers (focus on floral arranging), Evelyn Warrington (818) 883-3039.

Toluca Lake Garden Club, Helen Mollett (818) 763-1918.