Le Tour des Plants… We have finally made it to this celebration of the fall planting season and what glorious weather we are having to enjoy it. Get out to your local independent garden centers and nurseries to get your new ‘favorites’ for next year.
This week we featured...
Le Tour des Plants
Fall is the best time to plant. The plants you put in the ground now will have all fall and winter to get established for the coming growing season. The best places to get your fall plants are at the participating garden centers of Le Tour des Plants. Here are a few of the garden centers we visited and the specials they have to offer.
Ferguson’s Fragrant Nursery – Danielle Ferguson took a break from getting the nursery ready to tell us about her specials. For the next 2 weekends at Ferguson’s Fragrant Nursery (503-633-4585) you can enjoy a free continental breakfast until noon. Then on the 15th at 3:00pm you can enjoy a concert by Aaron Meyer and a wine tasting (check the website for ticket prices), plus, with your special Le Tour bracelet you can enjoy an additional 10% off everything in the nursery, and that includes sale items.
Al’s Garden Center – Al’s Garden Center (503-981-1245) has a deal you can’t beat! With your special Le Tour bracelet you can get a FREE ‘Grown by Al’s’ perennial (value $9.99 or less). You can’t beat a free plant! It doesn’t stop there… All house plants are 25% off, Al’s private label fertilizers are 50% off and the special organic Rhizogen fertilizer is 50% off. You can also go behind the scenes to tour some of the Northwest’s best growing facilities, see the stores for details.
Monnier’s Country Gardens – Monnier’s Country Gardens (503-981-3384) means more than fuchsias! Best known for their outstanding fuchsias, they would like to introduce you to their other perennials and tropicals. Ron Monnier told us about their Le Tour special events that include the Fall Fuchsia Festival this weekend, showcasing the wide array of colorful fuchsias that they grow. He also told us about the Treasure Hunt this coming Thursday. Find all the clues in the nursery and pick from the prizes in the chest. Then on the 22nd from 4:00-8:00pm you get to meet the ‘Garden Greats’. Judy and William will go head to head with Mallory Gwynn and Anne Jaeger in a friendly container building contest that will benefit the Children’s Garden at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital. And don’t forget the wristband special, buy 2 plants and get a third for free.
Blooms N More – Le Tour isn’t just about the larger nurseries. Even the small nurseries have great events and specials planned. We found a wonderful little nursery called Blooms N More (503-632-8203) that has a ton of stuff planned for the garden shopper. Joleen Hope, the owner, told us about their wristband special. Buy anything in the nursery and get a special Terra Nova plant for free! That is not all; join them on the weekend of September 22-23 for the Blooms N More Outdoor Marketplace. This event features numerous artists, wine tasting, live music, a BBQ and a master gardener clinic. Another great reason to visit the smaller nurseries!
Under the Autumn Moon Festival
We dropped by the Portland Classical Chinese Garden (503-228-8131) because we heard there was a festival going on and we found a huge neighborhood celebration. The Under the Autumn Moon Festival will take place at the newly designed festival streets on NW Davis and Flanders between the renovated NW 3rd and 4th Avenues. The festival will open with a spectacular Mid-Autumn parade, and continue throughout the two days with multi-cultural music and dance, a global marketplace, fireworks, an international food area with cooking demonstrations, and arts and craft activities. We met with Gloria Lee at the garden and learned that they will be open for FREE on Sunday. If you are looking to get out and have some fun in the sun, check out this wonderful multi-cultural event!
Chinese Garden Reflexology
The poor foot… it takes a beating and just keeps going. It is the foundation for all two-legged creatures and yet we treat it terribly. How can we give it the treatment it deserves? How about reflexology? Reflexology is the study of the feet and the practice of using your feet to treat other parts of your body. We met with Rebecca Hurwood at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden (503-228-8131) to learn about this fascinating process. We were at the garden because of the pathways. If you have ever been to the garden you have noticed the varied paths and different patterns in the stonework. Rebecca told us that these rough surfaces can be used to stimulate the pressure points on our feet to help our overall health, and she was right. The surface of the garden paths actually felt great! If you would like to find out for yourself you can contact Rebecca at All Ways Well (503-267-5570) or you can sign up for a class through the Classical Chinese Garden. She will be teaching a class on September 22nd at noon. Call the garden to register.
Fall Clematis
One of the most beautiful plants in the northwest garden is the clematis. Unfortunately, some people are intimidated with it because they are in the dark about its care. We found a local expert that walked us through some tips for fall clematis care. Linda Beutler is an expert in clematis. In fact, she is the curator of the Rogerson Clematis Collection at Luscher Farm in West Linn, so she knows her stuff. She told us that some spring blooming varieties can be repeat bloomers if you give them a hard pruning in the spring after their first bloom. She also fertilizes her plants once a month to keep them happy. Clematis is a heavy feeder (they like fertilizer). We also saw some of the plants in bloom, including ‘Caroline’, ‘Roko Kolla’, and ‘Alan Bloom’. If you have questions about clematis care you can pick up Linda’s book ‘Gardening with Clematis’ from Timber Press
(1-800-327-5680, ) or you can catch Linda at a book reading at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hill Crossing, on Tuesday the 18th at 7:00pm, where she will also be talking about her new book ‘Garden to Vase’.
