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Judy Alleruzzo

 

 Episode 86
May 17, 2008

 

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William McClenathan


Did you stop by and see William and Judy?  Last weekend they were at Bridgeport Village meeting people and answering questions for the VaVaVa Bloom event.  They will be out and about more and more in the coming months so stop by and say hello when they are in your neighborhood.  Since the weather is warming up there is no reason not to stop by!  Hope to see you soon!

This week we featured...

Rare Plant Unusuals

If you are looking for some interesting plants to add to your garden we found a bunch at Rare Plant Research.  Burl Mostul is always on the look out for new and unusual plants.  William and Judy stopped by and found some very cool plants.  First Judy found a couple that she wanted to share.  The first was a Lewisia cotyledon, a plant that was documented by Lewis and Clark during their journey to Oregon.  It has been hybridized into many different colored varieties.  Then we saw the Caladium ‘Thai Beauty’.  This has an incredible leaf and flower that almost looks fake.  Then William found a couple of his favorites.  The first was a banana called the ‘Musa zebrina’.  This one has deep red spots on the leaves and stays short in your garden, which the old banana varieties don’t do so well.   Finally he had the Tetrapanix papyriferia, which is an incredible plant and it has leaves that are full of detail and structure.  These leaves will get as big as a dinner plate.  If you love Gunnera you will love this one!  If you want to see these plants and possibly buy a couple you can stop by Rare Plant Research during their annual open nursery.  You can also stop by a few other nurseries in the area, Amber Hill Nursery, Pebble Stone Nursery and Nicole Preciado Nursery.  It is happening this weekend from 11am-4pm. 

Wisteria

We were at Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) to get our questions about wisteria answered.  Brian Tsugawa is a wealth of information and he shared some plant info with us.  Wisteria scares some people because it can grow very fast and overwhelm a garden in a hurry. Brian told us about some of the newer, smaller varieties.  He also recommended the grafted varieties.  These are stronger plants that will bloom quicker and can be trained smaller.  They are just coming into bloom right now and the fragrance is fantastic.  Don’t be afraid of pruning these plants in the fall, they respond well to heavy pruning!  If you have any questions you can contact Brian at Tsugawa’s or any of your local independent garden centers.

Mole Solutions

One of the most common pests in the NW garden is the mole.  They can really tear up your flower bed and lawn.  There are lots of products out there to deter them.  Don Sprague of Don Sprague Sales (1-800-423-0158) told us about a couple of them.  The products that don’t seem to work… the vibrators, the home remedies, the gases and the bombs.  These products don’t always seem to work and they could be dangerous if you don’t read the directions carefully.  You may be doing more harm to your garden than the moles.  The problem with getting rid of moles, if you don’t remove them, they will just leave and will return later.  The best way of getting rid of moles is to trap them.  Don showed us how to use the Cinch Trap.  This product will trap them and remove them forever.  If the moles are in a general area and disturbing your garden then think about leaving them alone.  They are loosening up the soil and that can help your garden in the long run.

Worry Free Products

With the push to organics more and more people are asking for products that are effective and don’t harm the environment.  William met with our friend Norm from Lilly Miller and he showed us the newest line of Worry Free Products from Lilly Miller.  The first products are ones that we have become familiar with, the Worry Free Slug and Snail bait, and the Moss and Algae Control.  Now Lilly Miller has a bunch of new products that can help you control almost any pest.  For the garden they have the new 3 in1 Garden Spray and the Garden Insect Control.  Both of these products can naturally control bugs and diseases like the mites and black spot.  They also have an insecticidal soap that will take care of insect eggs too.  The big introduction is the new Weed and Grass Killer which takes care of grasses, broadleaf weeds and is safe to use around pets and wildlife.  Check out these new Lilly Miller products at your local garden center.

Solexx Materials

We have always been impressed with the Solexx brand of Greenhouse.  Now we have found out that the secret of the greenhouse is in the Solexx panels.  Michelle from Solexx (800-825-1925) took us on a tour of the facility and we saw how some of the material is cut and processed.  We also found out that you can buy the material to rejuvenate an old structure if you wanted to.  We went to the house of an employee and saw how they had recycled an old canvas carport by attaching the Solexx material to it to create an incredible greenhouse.  All it took was an idea, some time and a few sheets of Solexx material to create something fantastic.

Tool Shed – Circle Hoe

We found a tool at the Oregon Garden that they use in their garden with great success.  It is the Circle Hoe (800-735-4815).  This tool is an improvement over the normal hoe you find in your garden center.  This one has a rounded edge so you don’t damage the plants in your garden.  It also has a sharpened edge on the inside of the circle so it only cuts the weeds.  It also breaks up the soil and cultivates it while you are weeding instead of creating piles or mounds of dirt.  If you are looking for a new hoe or you are tired of damaging your plants while weeding, check out this tool.
 

 
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