25th Soroptimist Gala Garden Show set for March 16-17

A celebration of two-and-a-half decades of assisting local gardeners along with a bevy of community groups is set for this weekend.

The 25th-annual Soroptimist Gala Garden Show goes from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 16, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club, 400 W. Fir St.

Proceeds are given back to the community in the form of contributions to local organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, Sequim Food Bank, Healthy Families of Clallam County, among others.

This year’s show welcomes Karen Chapman as its featured speaker. Chapman, a life-long gardener and an experienced garden educator, who owns Le Jardinet, a landscape and design consultant service based in the greater Seattle area.

Chapman has authored several books, and her recent publication, “Deer-Resistant Design,” will be the foundation for her presentation (sponsored by Cascade Bark) for the Sequim show. Attendees will learn how to garden in and around the local visiting deer population.

The club also raises funds to distribute scholarships and awards — including the signature $2,00- Soroptimist Live Your Dream Award given to aid the mature woman to enter or re-enter the job market, or to further her skills and training to upgrade her employment status.

Along with Chapman, speakers for this year’s event include Master Gardeners Bob Cain (“Vertical Vegetables Gardening”), Keith Dekker (“Pruning Trees and Landscape Shrubs”), Jeanette Stehr-Green (“Berries for All”) and Margery Whites (“Gardening for Newcomers to the North Olympic Peninsula”), and an expert panel that includes Gordon Clark, Laurel Moulton and Muriel Nesbitt.

For more information, visit sequimgardenshow.com.