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Fall is in the air! Our senses are awakened by the heavy, fragrant scent of pine needles wafting through our community. Mingled with the aroma of that unique sweet smell of earth, dampened by welcoming cooler temperatures and you know Mother Nature is busy working to dazzle us. Our valley vistas explode in a myriad of colors, like a giant quilt enveloping us within its tapestry. We may not have the vibrancy of colors shared by the east coast and Midwest, but one can't deny the feel of changing seasons. We also don't have to haul out the snow blowers! A short drive east on Devonshire, viewing all the ripening pumpkins, blissfully puts us in the mood for fall planting. Soon we will be cutting back on watering, pruning more, and getting our soils ready for the various different perennials, natural to our climate. We've spent the heat of summer learning more about these species, and how better to plant according to the zone we live in. On Sept. 10 our Club seized the opportunity for a side trip to Valley-Wide. Hosted by Valley Beautiful Garden Club, we attended a workshop specific to planting California Natives. The speakers removed a lot of the guesswork from what works and what doesn't, sharing with us those plants which actually thrive in our climate. Couple that with our growing library of resource material, and we're gaining the confidence of purpose added to our hobby. Our trip to Myrtle Creek Botanical Gardens on Sept. 27 was equally no exception. With 20 Happy Gardeners in attendance we were treated like royalty! Touring the facility, sharing ideas and visions over lunch, and partaking in the building of an aroma infused succulent planter resulted in the unanimous cheer of "Wow, what a fabulous day!" Many new visions for DIY projects were birthed, and as a Club, we are working on some together, helping each other to bring their dreams of what 'could be' into reality. On Oct. 21st we will meet at 1 pm in the Craft Room at the Lodge for our first group project. Firing up the glue guns, we will be creating permanent name badges in a floral/garden theme. Both magnetic and clip-on will be available, in addition to plenty of fun embellishments. Or you can bring your own to further personalize your design. If you are considering joining our Garden Club, this would be a great meeting to attend as we will also have a light agenda, discussing plans for a holiday excursion to a formal Garden. We will be collecting $2/name badge designer for this project so we can reimburse the members who graciously purchased and supplied our goodies. Speaking of goodies – for anyone creative in the kitchen, (as you are in the dirt) munchies/refreshments are welcome and could energize us! Late Bloomers meets every fourth Monday at 1 pm in one of our members homes, (unless otherwise specified). All residents of Four Seasons are welcome to meetings and excursions. For information, meeting locations and RSVPs please call Sharon Deuber (760) 500-0077 or Sharon@BlackDiamondInvestments.net. 18 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | OCTOBER 2019 | "Late Bloomers" Garden Club