The growing history of the Monroe Garden Club

By Crystal Ray Silva

This summer has been hotter than any other I can remember, and even the plants have suffered greatly from the heat.-á

My neighbor's rhododendrons are covered with aphids, and the nurseries are being inundated with requests by concerned gardeners who are also dealing with bug infestations.-á

According to Master Gardener Jeannie Schwartz, "whenever plants are stressed, their defenses are down and bugs attack them. Rhododendrons are really suffering because they need milder weather. GÇ¥

I spent Tuesday afternoon enjoying Jeannie Schwartz's beautifully landscaped home ' vegetable gardens, fruit trees and blueberry bushes ' as I listened to a story about the history of the Monroe Garden Club.

Schwartz joined the club in 1998, when she and her husband, Dale, built their new home on seven acres of pasture, fencing off 1 1/2 acres for their yard. Jeannie served as club president from 2001 through 2004, adding crafts to the monthly speakers the club already enjoyed.-á

"In 1952 Catherine Peters and her neighbor, Ollie Kerr, planned the garden club sitting around the kitchen table. Seven women were present at that first meeting.-á Each was elected to an office; annual dues were set at $1.25. That was when they voted to join the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs,GÇ¥ said Jeannie, pulling carrots from her garden to feed her horse and cow who were lingering over the fence watching us.-á

"In the beginning, the garden club met in people's houses and the membership was limited to 30 with a waiting list. Once the meetings were moved to the fire hall in the new fire station, the membership grew.-á Now the Monroe garden club has its meetings at the Monroe Methodist Church, and has about 50 members.GÇ¥-á

Jeannie and I walked over to where the blueberries were thriving ' better than most ' during this hot summer weather because they'd been planted in a wet area. Jeannie told me about planning and organizing the garden club's 50 year celebration in 2002, which was held at member Janie Fowler's beautifully landscaped home.

Fowler, who owned her own catering service, catered the event. Sixty-five past and present members turned out and helped to make the garden party a great success, even making the cover story of the Home and Garden section of the Everett Herald.

I had known about the Monroe Garden Club because my mother Madeleine Ray was an earlier member, but I hadn't realized all of the club's accomplishments until Jeannie apprised me of them.

One of the first, and an ongoing project, was the beautification of Monroe. The club added hanging baskets downtown, and from the annual plant sale they had funded 48 beautiful containers that had been placed along Main Street.

After the city of Monroe took over these two projects, the garden club still continued to help,-á donating plants and even their own labor as needed. The annual plant sale is held in May, and all members participate in this.

There is also the garden club's participation in the flower shows at the Evergreen State Fair; club members act as hostesses for the Floriculture Department each day.

An outstanding local garden is selected each month to be Garden of the Month, with a sign displayed at the winning garden proclaiming the award.

In December, Christmas evergreen swags are made by the members and given to various civic organizations and shut-ins in the community.

The garden club has helped with the senior garden over the years and has also made annual donations to the Monroe community for beautification purposes.-á

The Monroe Garden Club does so much more for Monroe than most people are aware of.-á

The club had outreach programs like "Kids Grow Flowers,GÇ¥ a program designed to help young children learn about gardening. The garden club also included the Monroe High School horticulture students in this project to add their knowledge and support.-á -á

The Monroe Garden Club did many wonderful things with the money they raised from their yearly plant sales. According to Schwartz, "the garden club has always provided a yearly scholarship that is given to one graduating Monroe High School student interested in furthering a vocation involving agriculture or horticulture.GÇ¥

The colorful parking strips we all love to look at and admire would not be here if it weren't for the efforts of the Monroe Garden Club. The state had wanted to remove them completely. The garden club put together a campaign, sending letters to Olympia and personally contacting senators.

The state reversed its decision, and today the city of Monroe is maintaining all of the planting and caring of the strips.-á If it weren't for the Monroe Garden Club's efforts and watchful eye, we wouldn't have the ongoing beauty that makes Monroe the wonderful town it is.

As Schwarz and I were walking around her yard, she pointed to her lush grapes.

"These are one of the few things that have benefited from the heat and from the pollinating of the Mason bees I brought in, after hearing one of the garden clubs guest speakers talk about them and their many benefits to the garden,GÇ¥ she said. "When he asked for volunteers, I signed up, and I have been getting the Mason bees ever since that time.GÇ¥-á -á

Schwartz led me over to a post where a little house was on one side, and on the other side was a small wood round with holes drilled into it about the size of a drinking straw.

"This is the home of the Mason bees,GÇ¥ she said. "You can order them online, but I get mine from the same man who I originally volunteered to help. For six weeks you get a house with bees. When the bees are done pollinating, they go into the holes and mud themselves in.GÇ¥-á

I asked Schwarz about what happens after the bees mudded themselves in; did they just stay there all winter?-á

She laughed.

"No, they are picked up and taken back to get cleaned, checked for mites and then put in a cool place until they are returned the following spring, when they are brought back in tubes and set next to the bee house. They are the best pollinators, right along with bumble bees. Mason bees work in the rain while the other bees won't. Dale and I have seen a great improvement in our garden's production with the Mason bees pollinating.GÇ¥

The club meets at 12:30 p.m. on the second Monday of every month at the Methodist Church at 342 Lewis St., in Monroe. Club dues are now $10, and payable at the May meeting.-á Anyone interested in joining the Monroe Garden Club may attend a meeting by contacting the president, Jeanette Susor, at 360-863-6160 or ezyrose@comcast.net.