HELLO FLOWER FRIENDS!

What a night to remember! Our Annual Signature Event: An Authentic Mexican Evening in the Garden took place on Sunday, August 10th, and my heart is still so full. Your generosity is amazing! You have done so much good for our CVG Community! Thank you!

The garden sparkled with lights, and as the first guests arrived, you could feel the excitement as the colorful papel picado waved and the sound of Spanish guitar music filled the air. Friends and supporters gathered with warm smiles, ready to enjoy an evening filled with food, music, and community.

​We began the evening on the patio, where trays of appetizers floated by and the sound of live cultural music filled the air. Margaritas, wine, and sparkling non alcoholic drinks added to the festive mood. I loved seeing everyone chatting, laughing, and taking in the colors of the evening.

Dinner was served under the stars, and oh my, it was delicious! Plates of enchiladas Suizas con salsa verde filled with crab and shrimp, silky black beans, mango and jicama salad. The wines, carefully chosen by our sommelier Ali Rush of 15C, the fabulous wine shop and tapas bar you must visit!!, made the meal feel so special.

​​And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, dessert was served by the homemade mango flan from a recipe created by a Mexican chef Linda knows in Mexico accompanied by sopapillas drizzled with honey from our very own dahlias. Sweet, warm, and unforgettable.

That evening was not just about fun, it was about making a difference. Together we raised over $5,000! We have several new donors who will be featured on our website so please visit them and enjoy their services! And thank you to Affinity Chiropractic for your generous donation.

These gifts will keep the Cancer Victory Garden blooming all year long. It means water for the plants, soil amendments, flower seeds, dahlia tubers, and organic care for the garden.
Every bloom that grows here is a gift of encouragement to someone in need, and you made that possible.

Vicki is our newest volunteer and gifted floral designer. Vicki met us while we were volunteering at a Women’s Health Fair this year. She is a good student and even attends our Hearst Floral Arranging classes to hone up on her skills. Vicki lives in Arroyo Grande and is a dedicated weekly volunteer. She is a fast learner and has settled right into our weekly routine of choosing & filling vases, designing beautiful arrangements. Thanks for joining us VIcki! We are delighted to have you!

Judy is my neighbor of over 40 years and is a very dedicated floral arrangement delivery person along with her side-kick Carrie. Between the two of them they get all or arrangements delivered weekly to French, Hearst, & Dignity. It takes over an hour to make all deliveries weekly! 

Judy has a splendid fern garden which I raid weekly for ferns while her beloved doggie Buddy rats me out early in the morning as I tromp through her garden! 

Judy has improved her knowledge of floral names as she is the other half of our teaching team at Hearst. All I do is ask her to share the flowers with the ladies and she knows exactly what to do! Really, Judy is the magic that makes it all happen! The students come in preoccupied and leave smiling ear to ear like Cheshire cats beaming with pride over their gorgeous arrangements! Judy brings out the best in our students! Judy has a baby satellite dahlia garden that will produce many flowers for our patient arrangements next year! 
​
She has lots of good ideas too on how to help the garden to function more efficiently and she is not afraid of hard work! In fact, Judy waters and oversees the garden while I am working or on vacation. She loves her Spanish Majolica pearl gifts of thanks too!

Maria is friends with Annie. I just love how our Survivor Volunteers invite others to join us in our mission giving each member a new purpose as we provide flowers free of charge for other cancer patients. Maria has quite a bit of experience as a designer and also loves to garden. She enjoys cutting garden flowers too! She hails from Grover Beach.

​We also continue our monthly floral arranging classes at Hearst Cancer Resource Center. It is amazing to see how, in just one class, people walk in carrying the weight of treatment and leave smiling, holding a bouquet they created with their own hands. To reserve a spot, call 805.542.6234.k

If you come by the garden on a Monday morning, you’ll see a hive of activity. Volunteers working side by side, flowers blooming, laughter in the air, it’s truly beautiful.
​
So if your heart is nudging you to join us, give me a call or text at 805.440.3064. There is always room for more flower friends.

With love and gratitude,

 Linda Ward 💕
 Survivor and Gardener
 Who knew the CVH would bring beauty from ashes!

HELLO FLOWER FRIENDS!
I hope this finds you well and enjoying Summer! Our Cáncer Victory Garden Opening Day was Monday, May 19th, 2025! We are all very excited and we are now creating arrangements for French Hospital Gift Shop so we can reach even more patients! We are spreading the love 💕and the flowers are blooming! Come by the CVG any Monday or Friday for a visit!
 
We had a great turnout for the Annual Planting Party, Saturday, March 8th and planted up the entire garden with plants and seeds. Everyone worked really hard and left no dirt with a hole ready to plant! It was wonderful! After planting we enjoyed a nice lunch of sandwiches and lemonade! Thanks to everyone who came and helped! You are the best volunteers!

​With much anticipation we have begun our monthly flower arranging classes at Hearst Cancer Resource Center. I think it is a true testament to flowers when we teach this class to survivors and patients currently in treatment. The room where we make our arrangements smells so good with all the flowers filling the room. The ladies enter the room with oftimes somber faces, preoccupied with treatment and doctor visits and sit quietly. During class we see a true transformation as the ladies begin to leave their cares behind and focus on the beautiful flowers we have grown in the garden. When they leave we always take a group picture because they are so proud of their arrangements and are smiling like Cheshire cats! It is truly beautiful!

We are very excited to welcome NEW FLORAL ARRANGERS & GARDENERS to our CVG TEAM this year! Without them we couldn’t deliver 524 vases of flowers like we did last year!!!
PUT FOTO HERE MIGUEL FREAKING AWESOME TEAM!
​
Jacqueline, whom I met in the detergent aisle as I was shopping at Target. LOL I suggested that we might have something in common - no hair. She smiled and said she had just come from treatment. Turns out she is a really wonderful floral arranger! We are grateful we have become part of her journey.

​Maureen has lived all over the world as she was a nurse working in Spain, Germany, Panama and more! She came to the Wellness Fair supported by Adventist Health. She is a wonderful gardner and planted today some thingsI had wanted to do but had no time. She is an Angel! And a Survivor!

​Leah is a volunteer at French Hospital, and the Hearst Cancer Resource Center, who has the most hours!!! Over 100 hours! She has a wonderful smile and her look is always artful! She is a wonderful flower arranger and bow tier! Leah is a cheerful Survivor!

​Heather is joining us again from last year. She is a very artful designer and I never say, “More flowers” to her because she always has just the right amount in her artful arrangements! She is a champion and a Survivor!

​Annie is one of our returning arrangers who even brought a new friend with her! Annie has a beautiful heart and is a strong Survivor. She has written a book for people going through cancer to boost their prayer life. She is amazing and a true inspiration to me!

​Judith is on her third year with the CVG and is an incredible nurse volunteer who is very dedicated to providing encouraging arrangements for our local cancer patients. She has also been of special help in organizing our fundraiser providing ideas and help! She is marvelous!

​Judy is Mr neighbor who lost her husband to cancer two years ago and has truly found a place to volunteer that has real meaning to her. She is our delivery person. This year she brings along an assistant, Carrie with her! Thank you Carrie, she is a medical assistant so she fits right in! Judy attends the Wellness Fair but Adventist Hospital. She does an especially great job at connecting with cancer patients and shares the Mission of the CVG! Oh, and she has begun a satélite CVG growing ferns and Dahlias for the second year! Fabulous!

​Dana is on her second year of dedicated gardening and volunteering! She is a fabulous floral arranger and her arrangements are loved and appreciated by many. Dana’s dedication is phenomenal and she is a fabulous gardener herself. We love having her because she is incredibly positive and brings lots of laughter to our group. She has been of essential importance in supporting me as a garden organizer and fundraiser supporter! Her teacher skills come in super handy!

​Arlene is a newbie this year although she has great garden instincts and skills. I’m over the moon she has joined us because as the garden grows annually it needs more support! She is a wonderful new addition and we are pleased she has joined us!

Before I sign off here I want to be certain that you have received your invitation to our Annual Cáncer Victory Garden Signature Event- A Mexican Evening in the garden which will be particularly fun and exciting! Be sure to but your ticket immediately as space is limited. (Click here to get your tickets)
​
We will have live cultural entertainment, Margaritas with and with out alcohol accompanied by homemade Mexican foods!

To give you extra motivation we are having a small Silent Auction! We will have photo cards of the gorgeous CVG, a luxurious facial treatment with a premier doctor, colorful Mexican decorations and clothing, wine packages and more!!! All at super reasonable prices! You’ll love our donors' offerings!

I look forward to seeing everyone Sunday, August 10, 5:00pm. Bring a shawl or jacket. We will have outdoor heaters and a beautiful outdoor fireplace to keep you warm! Come and be part of our movement to spread love and joy through flower arrangements to our local cancer patients. Help us to continue to provide flowers at no charge to patients. We appreciate our generous donors who also want to make a difference in the lives of local patients. 

Love 💕 
Linda Ward
Survivor and gardener!
Who knew it would bring beauty from ashes!

 ​HELLO FLOWER FRIENDS!
​
Wow! We had a fantastic time at the Annual CVG Planting Party on March 8, 2025 planting this year's garden! This Thursday is the first day of Spring so we have a head start for a fantastic growing season full of flowers and veggies! We had a really fun time and got everything in the garden planted! Everyone including the kiddos worked really hard! Bravo!!! The turn out was wonderful with over 40 people planting like busy beavers! It was super fun and planting a flower for a cancer patient is super rewarding!!!

Thank you very much for showing up for a cause! You are awesome supporters! We had lots of Survivors, Supporters, and Special gardening types even! Oh and kids planting!

Ken Ward, my husband extraordinaire, brought in two yards of soil bucket by bucket to refill the dahlia tanks this spring. We added my secret soil recipe OK! (I will share it with you! Just keep it a secret, OK. I add a whole bag of worm castings from Home Depot, a bag of chicken manure or organic if you have chickens, organic bone meal also from HD, Azomite which are trace minerals helping the plants to grow strong, flower fertilizer 4-4-4 - this is critical. Don’t get too high of Nitrogen or you will have all plants and few flowers. Dahlias love fertilizer when planted, and again a month later.) 

​I love Sluggo Plus, which has stuff to deter Earwigs, they love dahlias! The only challenge is don’t use it when it rains as I have found it turns into moldy lump! Uck! You can use organic products because they feed the soil which in turn feeds the plant. I don’t use Miracle Grow because it only feeds the plant and can actually starve the plant of valuable elements. We grow our flowers in galvanized steel tanks that have a hole in the bottom to allow for a drip water system. It keeps the gophers out from the field from across the street! LOL! Look at Sandy, Kathy, and Dana planting up the veggie garden with added sunflowers seeds, way to go ladies! We use double level cattle fencing to act as support for the dahlias which grow 5-6 feet!

The garden was planted with a TON of different seeds thanks to our gardeners and donors! I ordered many seeds to take us through the season. We also collect seeds to replant! Sunflowers, Dahlias, Snapdragons, Anemone, Ranunculus, Coneflowers in three colors!, Asters, and more! We planted seeds, dahlia tubers, and seedlings! WOWZA! 

We even had a successful Dahlia Tuber Sale!Along with planting instructions! I love this picture of Dana explaining to Nancy and Francine that each tuber must have an eye, like a potato to sprout a plant!

This is my fellow survivor Annie! She is one of our dedicated volunteer flower arrangers. She comes every week and creates beautiful arrangements! She also is a very talented author and wrote a book of prayer to support cancer patients going through treatment.

Anyhow, now we wait! Oh, waiting is hard! But I know under the warm ground the seeds are growing roots and the dahlias are starting to sprout. Resist giving your dahlias water until they sprout or they will rot. Make certain your seeds are moist so they can sprout. I sprinkle the seeds daily until they get a good start. I love it when I see their little heads poking up through the dirt so intentionally stating their purpose to grow tall and strong.

You are welcome to stop by for a visit any Monday to check out the garden, share a coffee, or just sit and relax! Or you can join us in creating beautiful arrangements Mondays during growing season 9-11am. Please text ahead to check availability, 805.440.3064 I look forward to seeing you tip-toeing through the flowers soon!

​Love, Linda & the CVG Team!

Hello Flower Friends, 
 SAVE THE DATES:

• ANNUAL PLANTING PARTY:  Saturday, March , 2025
• ANNUAL SIGNATURE EVENT: Sunday, August 10, 2025

It’s hard to believe that the growing season is over for this year and we are beginning to think about future events in the garden! The end of the season always brings a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity at the Cancer VIctory Garden as we prepare for frost and then start digging tubers. Lots of you have already had your first frost… or maybe it’s right around the corner. After digging, (maybe) dividing, and storing your dahlia tubers, it’ll be time to put your garden to bed for the winter.

Each morning this January, I've watched the same scene unfold out my office window: frost coating the ground at dawn, thermometer reading steady at 36 degrees. But by mid-morning, the sun breaks through, warming the earth to above 70 degrees and giving us a few precious hours to work. This rhythmic dance is a bit confusing for the plants between almost freezing and warming has shaped our workdays in unexpected ways. We have been digging up all the Dahlia tubers and splitting them. We will be having a Tuber Sale at our March 8, Saturday, 2025, Planting Party. Right now I am waiting for it to warm up enough to go outside and divide tubers then place them in plastic containers with vermiculite until the PlantingParty. It seems ages ago that we had our Annual Evening in the Cancer Victory Garden.

Our 2024 Signature Event: An Argentine Evening in the Garden brought out over 60 donors to the CVG. We are so grateful that you deem our project worthy to support. This year we gave over 524 vases of flowers to cancer patients through Dignity Infusion, Hearst Cancer Resource Center, UCLA, and Grace Bible Church. Who knew that a tiny plot of land could yield so much! Thank you for your donations which purchased superior fertilizer to create big and profuse Dahlias and more! We added large containers for even more Dahlias. Which in turn means more water but then you supported this as well. Our team of floral arrangers, supporters and gardeners are wonderful. We are in the garden each Monday during the growing season May - September.​

For now MARK YOUR CALENDAR for March 8, Saturday, 9-12 and we will plant a TON of Dahlias and seeds. Everyone is welcome to dig in the dirt: Survivors, Supporters, Patients, and even your grandchildren! With your donation of $20 lunch is included! Yum! More to come!​

​If you feel like dividing Dahlias, come on by!!
Happy gardening!
Love, Linda

​Each Monday for the entire growing season we have people who volunteer to make flower arrangements from flowers grown at the Cancer Victory Garden. These arrangements are then transported to patients via: Hearst Cancer resource Center, Dignity Infusion Center, UCLA Oncology, and Grace Bible Church Arroyo Grande.

Here are a few fotos taken in the garden this week! This first beauty was planted by our very own Dr. Deborah VIlla during our Planting Day Event! She was a real trooper and planted in the pouring rain that day! 

It's hard to spot the real beauties in this fotos right! After we cut enough flowers to make 25 arrangements per week we prepare the vases with cards of encouragement and bows along with floral preserver in the water.

The floral designer here, Judith Gier, has all the bows tied and we are off and running!

After we have all our weekly arrangements complete we load them into crates for delivery. 

Gotta run and make our deliveries now! Have a great week!

Linda Ward, Judith Gier, Judy Sheets, Ken Ward, Dana Wright, & Heather Howell.
​
You TOO are welcome to join us any Monday 9:00am-11:00am in the CVG! Just text me 805.440.3064