By JOHN McCALLUM
Editor
All my hurts, my garden spade can heal. – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Want to learn about using Diatenasious earth in your garden? Or the best remedy to heal an ailing tree?
You could go online and Google the information, or peruse books and magazines at your local library or bookstore, but the best and easiest way is probably staying local by getting a hold of the Gardeners of Cheney. The club, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this August, is composed of people from all over the West Plains who share many interests, but one common passion – the love of making things grow.
Motto: Growing together
The Gardeners of Cheney is pretty much the brainchild of two area residents, Don and LaVerle McCandless. Originally, the McCandless' were members of the Gardeners of Spokane, making the 16.5-mile drive each month to attend club meetings, but in 1993, Don retired “from the paycheck world,” LaVerle said, and the couple, who had lived in Cheney since 1962, felt it was time to give something back to the community they loved.
“We thought if we could get it (a garden club) going out here, we wouldn't have to travel so far,” LaVerle said.
They put out feelers in the community and held their first meeting in May 1993 in the Cheney Care Center's visiting room, and were joined by Howard and Jean Hay. Margaret Swenson of Swenson's Nursery joined at the June meeting and the club was up and rolling.
In August the inaugural West Plains Fair was held at the Cheney Rodeo Grounds, and the Gardeners of Cheney made their first community presence, setting up a card table and passing out information to anyone who asked. LaVerle McCandless even made a banner for the occasion.
Micky and Darwin Long from Medical Lake joined at the August meeting, and by the end of December the Gardeners of Cheney was 13 members strong. The club sought, and obtained accreditation through the National Garden Club of America by showing a year's worth of growth and adherence to NGCA standards, but dropped the accreditation after four years, Don McCandless said, because it proved to be too expensive compared to what they received from the national organization in return.
Getting dirty
Besides the monthly meetings, the Gardeners of Cheney also began putting out a monthly newsletter; something LaVerle McCandless did for the first four years of the club's existence.
“The old-fashioned way – with a typewriter,” she said. “Literally cut and paste.”
After a while the club ran out of space at the Care Center, and moved their meetings to the city's Wren Pierson Building. When the center was shut down along with the city's Parks and Recreation Department in 2002, they moved to the fire station, eventaully out growing that and necessitating a move to the United Church of Christ.
The Gardeners of Cheney came full circle when the Cheney Care Center opened Sessions Village apartments in 2005, and now hold their meetings at Sessions' community hall. Don McCandless said the Care Center and its director, Keith Fauerso, have always been very supportive of the club.
“We're very fortunate to have him,” he added.
Besides their individual gardens and yards, the Gardeners of Cheney also started undertaking projects within the community. The club began planting the boxes in front of the fire station, done somewhat as payback for being allowed to hold meetings there, and still take care of them today.
Several years ago the club did the same for the flower boxes outside Medical Lake's Police Department. Through the years the Gardeners have worked in conjunction with Pathways to Progress to take care of plant baskets in downtown Cheney, planted flowers and plants in parks such as around the gazebo in Cheney's Sutton Park, and conducts yard tours each July.
The Gardeners also holds fall and spring yard sales in order to raise money for community projects and a student horticulture scholarship awarded yearly. For this year's spring sale, members donated all of the plants, helping the club raise about $850.
“Probably one of our best sales because we had no expenses for that,” club treasurer Ralph Laws said.
But probably one of the most popular, and best known, is the annual Yard of the Month series. The idea was conceived at a community meeting in 1995, held to generate ideas to inspire community pride and participation, Don McCandless said.
Each month from May to September, a Cheney yard would be highlighted to honor the hard work of the homeowner, picked for any number of reasons such as flower selection, landscaping, yard care or in most cases a combination of all three. For their work, a Yard of the Month sign is placed in the homeowners yard, the Cheney Kiwanis Club makes a $50 donation to a charity of the homeowners choice, Ben Franklin awards a $25 gift certificate, and a picture and short article is placed in the Cheney Free Press.
LaVerle McCandless said anyone can nominate someone to be Yard of the Month – a neighbors or even their own – by calling the Gardeners of Cheney and providing them with the name and address.
“Anyone, because it would sure save a whole lot of time,” she added.
Purpose and objectives
But while community projects are good, the real purpose of the Gardeners of Cheney is best summed up through the club's mission statement: “To promote appreciations and enjoyment of gardening whether in large areas or small containers and/or other gardens, whether they be in a park setting or a neighborhood.
Anyone who grows something can join, whether it is a garden, trees, shrubs or flowers. The club brings in experts for their monthly meetings to address a variety of topics from public gardens in the Northwest, how to care for orchids, to pruning small trees.
Sandra Laws said the club provides a good, informative and helpful support system to exchange garden ideas and methods, as well as a resource network when you run into problems. Just ask Pat Wilson of Marshall.
A member for 10 years, Wilson noticed an apple tree in her yard was producing leaves and fruit too small for the tree's size. She called up the McCandless's and was told by Don it sounded like her tree had been “girdled” and she should dig around the roots to see if they had been compromised.
Sure enough, Wilson said it looked like mice had eaten away a good portion of bark on one side, causing reduced nutrient flow. She called LaVerle and asked her what to do.
“She said, ‘you get a newspaper and smack it. Spank the tree,'” Wilson said she was told. Don McCandless added she also needed to pour Epsom salts around the base, and douse the trunk in Coca Cola. Wilson obliged.
“First I beat it, and then fed it Coca Cola,” she said, adding she did this while a county road crew was working nearby. After about 20 minutes, they all stopped to watch.
While it may sound weird, the reasons for Wilson's antics are simple, and sensible. First, smacking the tree bruises it.
“When you bruise a tree, the tree senses it's hurt,” LaVerle said. “It gathers its energy to that spot, like a human body does when it gets cut, like on the arm.”
The tree gets an extra shot of “juice” to help it heal. The Epsom salts help release more nutrients in the soil, Don McCandless said, and the sugar and caffeine in the Coke helps speed up the process.
Wilson said the procedure worked. She now has a healthy tree with good-sized fruit and leaves – as well as a reputation with county workers as the lady in Marshall who beats her trees.
Success and happiness
Today the Gardeners of Cheney is going strong, with 55 members listed in its 2008 membership book. The club's next activity is its annual picnic, which will be held on Sunday, Aug. 10 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Sutton Park. The club is trying to locate former members, and invites the entire community to come and enjoy the celebration of their 15th year.
All of the members encourage anyone in the community who loves to make things grow to attend their monthly meetings, and maybe even become a member.
“When you have that love, you also enjoy being around people who share the love and the enthusiasm,” Wilson said.
“Besides, you never have a gardener who doesn't have a smile on his face,” Don McCandless added.
“Why are there trees I never walk under but large and melodious thoughts descend upon me?” – Walt Whitman, “Song of the Open Road.”
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected]
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