ARCHIVE


Judy Alleruzzo

 Episode 9 - June 3, 2006

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William McClenathan

Welcome to June and Rose Festival time.  As you can see, the weather has gotten rainy… that means it is late spring or early summer in the Willamette Valley!  Good time to step away from your garden and enjoy some of the wonderful spring color and festivals!  One of those wonderful places that has both is Heirloom Roses, where this weekend they are having their Rose Days festival.  So, sit back enjoy the show, then get out and enjoy the weekend!

This week we featured...

Heirloom Roses

We paid a visit to Heirloom Roses (503-538-1576) for their Rose Days event.  Heirloom not only grows roses, they also hybridize new varieties and this weekend you can get a sneak peak at some of the thousands they have growing for the future.  In addition to the roses, you can catch seminars from local gardening experts, enjoy the gift shop and stroll the huge display gardens.  One more reason for visiting Heirloom has just been added.  You can check out John’s Small Garden Plants (503-538-8529).  John Clements, one of the owners, wanted to share his love for small, dwarf and miniature plants so he opened up an area that features over 300 varieties of these little beauties!  For more information, give them a call or check out the web-sites.

Nichols Herb Container

You can grow more than a colorful flower in your deck and patio planters.  Rose Marie Nichols-McGee from Nichols Garden Nursery (1-800-422-3985) joined Judy to show her all the different kinds of herbs you can grow in containers for use year-round.  She brought 3 containers to show the variety of plant material you can use.  In her largest planter she included nasturtiums, sage, dill, basil, rosemary and a begonia (which have eatable flowers and make a great garnish).  In a small planter she had planted tarragon. This plant usually doesn’t do well here due to the cooler weather, but it loves the smaller, warmer container.  In her final pot she had a tomato called Prudence Purple.  This variety is similar to a Brandywine, but performs much better in our climate.  Rose Marie is considered a local expert on container gardening and has written a book about it.  You can check out Container Basics at your local bookstore or contact her at the nursery.

Garden Molds – Step Stones

Adding hardscaping or step stones is not as tough or expensive as you think.  With some concrete and a GardenMolds (1-800-588-7930) form you can make your own garden accents.  We met the creator of GardenMolds, Catherine Failor, to learn how easy it is to do it yourself.  In just a few minutes we had mixed and poured a brand new step stone.  With GardenMolds you can also make other things for your garden including edging stones, totem stakes, planter feet and other plaques and monuments.  You can find the kits at selected garden centers and on the GardenMolds website.

Maple Accents

A lot of us have plants in our garden that become signature plants.  Because they stand out it is hard to find plants to accent them.  We traveled to Garland Nursery (1-800-296-6601) to check with Lee Powell on his suggestions for one of those common plants, the lace-leaf Japanese Maple.  These plants are planted in a lot of newer homes and they have a wonderful weeping habit, but because they are so low to the ground they can be hard to plant under.  Lee found a few plants including a dwarf azalea called ‘Gumpo Pink’ that has beautiful pink flowers that will accent the red maple color.  He also showed us how grasses, hostas and mosses can create a nice area in your landscape. 

Hose Issues

Our trip to the tool shed this week finds William wrestling with a pesky garden hose.  As you pull stuff out for the coming gardening season, check your hoses to see if they need some work.  Look for bad connectors, cracked latex and other potential problems.  If it is an expensive hose, look to make the necessary repairs, but if it has seen better days, take the time and replace it.  You can find repair parts and new hoses at most of your local independent garden centers.
 

 
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