WSU Clark County Master Gardeners

From our native plant team!

Meadow Checkermallow, Sidalcea campestris - in bloom right now!

· Type: deciduous, perennial, herbaceous

· Size: 24-60" tall (flower stalk, foliage is shorter), 8”-24" wide

· Light: full sun, part sun/part-shade

· Moisture: dry to moist soil

· Blooms: June – August in our area

· Wildlife: nectar source for butterflies, hummingbirds and a source of pollen/nectar for native bees and other insect pollinators; supports beneficial and pest-eating insects and is a caterpillar host and larval food source for many butterflies

· Habitat: Portland Plant List – Yes

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been hot outside 😬 let’s work together to conserve water!
-Water at night or before 4 AM. I saw someone with their sprinkler going in the middle of the day. Your lawn is fine, it doesn’t need to be watered in the middle of the day. It’s okay if it gets brown. I promise, it will come back.
-Reduce water usage inside your home! When showering, put a bucket inside the shower to collect water. You can use it to flush your toilets.
-Take shorter showers!
-Mulch!! It helps retain soil moisture

Conserving water during heatwaves helps protect our drinking water supply, streams, fish habitat, and communities. You got this 🤗

We love working together with local organizations and county programs to build a strong community. 😌

Our Watershed Stewardship Program encourages participants to get outside and volunteer to steward our watersheds, and we're lucky to have a plethora of organizations in Clark County that provide both meaningful and fun opportunities to do just that.

We want to specifically thank Clark County WA Public Works, Vancouver Bee Project, WSU Clark County Master Gardeners, and the Lacamas Watershed Council for coming out to talk with participants about the hard work they do across Clark County. Check them out if you haven't already!

Early June is the time to thin your fruit trees! It's important to thin for a few reasons. It increases fruit size, reduces overbearing of fruit, and prevents limb breakage.

A general rule is to thin your apples when they are about the size of your thumb and to thin to one fruit per spur, or roughly one every six inches. Both apples and pears can be thinned following this rule.

For apricots, plums, peaches and nectarines, they tend to drop some fruit in early June as a means of self-thinning. After this has occurred, you will want to look over your tree and see if more thinning needs to happen. Ultimately, you will want one fruit every 6-8 inches.

You can read more about fruit thinning here: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9598-fruit-thinning

We will also be here!

We are looking for local agricultural related-farm vendors for our upcoming 7th Annual Hockinson Blueberry Festival on July 18th! Please message us with any questions or if you’re interested! 🫐

We will be here!

Looking for inspiration for your own pollinator garden?

Be sure to visit the beautiful Clark Public Utilities Pollinator Garden during this year's Vancouver Pollinator Festival! We're especially grateful to Clark Public Utilities for being a sponsor of this year's festival and for their ongoing commitment to pollinator habitat, environmental education, and our community.

Join Michael O'Loughlin and Jane Tesner Kleiner at 9:30 a.m. for a guided Bee Walk and Pollinator Garden Tour. You'll learn about the plants that make this garden successful, discover some of the pollinators that visit it, and pick up ideas you can use in your own yard or community space.

The tour is free and is a great way to kick off your festival experience before exploring vendors, speakers, art, food, and all the other activities happening throughout the day.

Participating in the Pollinator Festival Passport? You'll earn a Passport stamp by attending the tour!

Thank you, Clark Public Utilities, for helping make this year's festival possible!



¿Buscas inspiración para tu propio jardín para polinizadores?

¡No dejes de visitar el hermoso Jardín para Polinizadores de Clark Public Utilities durante el Vancouver Pollinator Festival de este año! Estamos especialmente agradecidos con Clark Public Utilities por ser patrocinador del festival de este año y por su continuo compromiso con el hábitat para polinizadores, la educación ambiental y nuestra comunidad.

Acompaña a Michael O'Loughlin y Jane Tesner Kleiner a las 9:30 a.m. para una caminata guiada de observación de abejas y un recorrido por el jardín. Aprenderás sobre las plantas que hacen exitoso este espacio, descubrirás algunos de los polinizadores que lo visitan y obtendrás ideas para aplicar en tu propio jardín o comunidad.

El recorrido es gratuito y es una excelente manera de comenzar tu experiencia en el festival antes de disfrutar de los vendedores, conferencistas, arte, comida y todas las demás actividades del día.

¿Participas en el Pasaporte del Pollinator Festival? ¡También recibirás un sello por asistir al recorrido!

¡Gracias, Clark Public Utilities, por ayudar a hacer posible el festival de este año!

Big news from the farm 🚜

Clark County Food Bank officially has a new electric tractor joining the fields this season! This addition will help support the daily work of growing fresh produce for neighbors across Clark County while creating a more sustainable and efficient farming operation.

From preparing rows to maintaining crops throughout the season, this tractor will play an important role in helping fresh food move from the farm to our community. 🌱

Lawn care tip from the Green Up Your Lawn team:

Most people provide more water than lawn grass can use.
Water from 1" to 1.5" a week, in three or four "doses" of 1/3" each.
Don't use automatic system - check for soil dryness and watch rainfall.
Water in the early morning, so more H2O ends on the grass and not the air.

Source: with tips for watering trees, shrubs, and lawns.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9125-conserving-water-your-yard-garden