With Gentiana Loeffler, Professor of Horticulture, Clackamas Community College, co-owner of Blue House Greenhouse Farm

Our gardens can be our greatest teachers, challenging us to show up with curiosity, patience and perseverance. When we relate to our gardens as one piece of a greater whole, we can begin to see a holistic approach that enables us to address any garden difficulty we encounter. Join the Multnomah Master Gardener’s Speaker Series as Gentiana Loeffler, Clackamas Community College Professor of Horticulture, shares how to build soil to support healthy plants, use cover crops to add nutrients and conserve water, and choose plant varieties that produce best in our region. Hear from a horticulturist who has worked in gardens from New Orleans to Tucson to northeastern Vermont, and from Turkey to Transylvania to Cuba.

 Gentiana Loeffler is the co-owner/operator of Blue House Greenhouse Farm, a micro urban farm in North Portland that serves a 40-member CSA. She has been farming since 2008, working on farms in Oregon, California and Vermont, along with volunteering via WWOOF in Mexico, Spain, Romania and Turkey. In 2009, she helped establish the St. Johns Farmers Market, going on to manage it for the next three years. She is currently a Part-Time Professor of Horticulture at Clackamas Community College. Her passion for plants and natural spaces continues to draw her in to unique and inspiring gardens across the world.