Anacortes Senior College

October 15: What About Bulbs – It’s Not too Late!, Aven Wright-McIntosh

This session will briefly review the history of bulbs and their role in Skagit County’s agricultural abundance, how to choose, grow and propagate them for best appeal in the landscape and a believe-it-or-not blooper session of questions she’s had from Festival visitors. You’ll be inspired to add these beautiful miracles to your garden before winter sets in.

Aven has staffed the bulb info/ordering booth at RoozenGaarde during the past five Skagit Valley Tulip Festivals answering infinite bulb how-to questions and taking orders from the throngs of enthralled tulip enthusiasts. Aven is from the 2025 Master Gardener class and lives in La Conner.

October 22: The Sinister Garden-Deadly Charms in Your Own Back Yard, Diana Wisen

Whether you realize it or not, you probably have some plants in your landscape that are toxic to people in some way. Our state flower, the Rhododendron, for example.  Learn about what plants are poisonous. And how to deal with them in your landscape. Please note that plants that are toxic to pets are not covered - see your vet for information.

Diana has been a WSU Master Gardener for over 35 years and has lived in PNW most of her life. She is on the Master Gardener Training team, in charge of the Recruitment & & Retention Committee, Chairman of the Speakers Bureau and serves on the Skagit Master Gardener Foundation Board. She’s a regular instructor at Anacortes Senior College. She manages the Hardy Fuchsia Garden within the Master Gardener Discovery Garden in Mt Vernon.

October 29: Container Gardening, Cathy Vink

Container gardening allows the savvy gardener to grow plants that need different soils and nutrients, right next to each other. It permits houseplants to ‘vacation’ outside in summer, then return to their indoor home for the winter. It allows plants to be transported with minimal disruption, whether to chase sun or shade, or relocating to a new home, miles away. We will learn the factors that make container gardening successful as well as those that can allow failure. We’ll talk about containers of all sizes and media, what plant varieties work well in containers and compare with raised bed gardening.

Cathy has been active with Skagit County Master Gardeners since 2024. This fulfilled a promise she made to achieve this on retiring. Following 42 years as an RN, she now enjoys nurturing plants while learning more about gardening every year.

November 5: Backyard Berries – Growing Blueberries, Caneberries and Strawberries, Lisa Wasko DeVetter

Discover the fundamentals of successful small‑fruit production at home. This presentation will focus on practical strategies for growing blueberries, caneberries (raspberries, blackberries, etc), and strawberries, including soil preparation, pruning, pest management, and cultivar selection tailored to backyard conditions.

Lisa leads the state-wide Small Fruit Horticulture program and is based at the Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon, Washington. She joined Washington State University in 2014 and her research is focused on blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, and strawberry crops. Lisa earned her PhD at the University of Wisconsin Madison.

November 12: Mosses and Lichens - Our Evergreen Pacific Northwest, Deborah Smeltzer

Discover and learn about two interesting life forms that are ubiquitous in the Pacific Northwest. Come hear about how mosses and lichens enrich our forests and our landscapes. You may be surprised at what they add to our environment! For each of mosses and lichens, Deborah will describe their biology and cultural characteristics, show portraits of the life forms, provide “fun facts”, discuss whether they are “friend” or “foe”, talk about how to control them when needed, and answer questions.

Deborah has been a Skagit County Master Gardener since 2012 and was the 2020 Washington State MG of the Year. As a lifelong learner and active Skagit County master gardener, Deborah supports annual MG Training, leadership succession planning, is garden co-coordinator of the Front Door Garden at the WSU Discovery Garden and serves on the Skagit County Master Gardener Foundation Board of Directors as Treasurer. She has degrees in Biology, Medical Microbiology, and Business Administration.

November 19: Backyard Wildlife Pests, Alison Hitchcock

Vertebrate pests (species with a backbone), while not as numerous or pervasive as disease or invertebrate problems, can cause problems in gardens and homes. This class will review common pests local to the area: how to identify them, what damage they cause, and examine effective management strategies for control.

Alison has been working in field forestry for 45 years and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Forest Management. Before retirement, she worked as the Department of Natural Resources Northwest Regional Silviculturist overseeing reforestation, forest research, stand management, pathology, and herbicide programs. She has been a Master Gardener for more than 25 years with a focus on teaching, writing newspaper articles, speaking to gardening groups, and assisting at plant clinics. Her garden on Samish Island has been visited by all the vertebrates that will be discussed in today’s class.