The heat felt great!!! It seemed like a huge veil was lifted off the garden this past week. I swear that you could actually watch the plants growing. We got out and shot a bunch of stories in the garden this week. In case you haven’t noticed we have been doing more stories on ‘how-to’ plant different types of fruits and vegetables. If you live in Oregon or SW Washington we are showing you when it is safe to plant all those temperamental veggies. All you have to do is watch the show!
We also found one more thing that the warm weather brought, pollen! It was a miniature yellow snowstorm where we were videotaping this week, so watch out for those allergies!
This week we featured...
Bauman’s Greenhouse Gallery
We were invited to a preview of the 2nd annual Bauman’s Greenhouse Gallery (503-792-3524) this Saturday and Sunday, and it is going to be fantastic. Over 30 artists and craftsmen will be showing and selling their works. You can find a plethora of great garden art, from ceramics and metal art, to paintings and prints. You can also enjoy mimosas on Saturday and Sunday from 9-1. Plus there will be wine tasting from noon to 4. An added benefit, 5% of all proceeds will go to support the Linda L. Vladyka Breast Wellness Foundation. The foundation is also the sponsor of the ‘Play for the Cure’ softball tournament and they will be having a softball demonstration on Saturday afternoon. While you are visiting the farm you can also pick up some wonderful plants for your garden, enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables and even take home a pie. It looks to be a great event!
Bamboo Gardens
Bamboo is an interesting plant. For some it is a tough plant to grow and maintain. For others it is a constant wonder and delight. One of the largest growers of bamboo is right here in the Portland area. Bamboo Gardens (503-647-2700) is known for the 16 acres and over 300 varieties of bamboo that they carry. Ned Jaquith joined Judy at their nursery outside of North Plains to show off some of their favorite varieties. The first plant was the giant among all bamboos, the Phyllostachys vivax, it is a large one that grows quickly. Next we moved to the more manageable sizes. Next was the Borinda angustissima, a tight clumping bamboo that gets about 12 feet tall but is good for a smaller yard. Next was the Fargesia robusta. It is a great upright clumping bamboo. It gets about 15 feet tall and is looking really good. Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) was next and this one is very popular because of the dark colored stems. It creates a great contrast to other, lighter colored plants, in the garden. It can get pretty tall at around 20 feet or higher. The next plant was another popular plant due to its stem color, the yellow bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Spectabilis’). This one has the bright yellow stems with a green stripe. This one is very hardy and can take the extreme cold of the mid-west. Both the black and yellow bamboos are spreading bamboos and may need a little help to be contained. Ned recommended either a bamboo barrier, or digging a trench around the base of the plant. The trench allows you to cut off the new shoots as they emerge and this helps control the spreading. Next we moved to the Fargesia robusta ‘Green Screen’. These have become popular as a barrier plant. This one will fill in and create a nice privacy screen. The final one was the Fargesia rufa ‘Green Panda’ which is another shorter variety that is also very hardy. If you are looking for a specific bamboo or you want to try bamboo in your garden and you have questions. Stop by or give them a call. They will make sure you are happy!
Planting Strawberries
One of the great tastes in the garden is fresh strawberries. We find ourselves snacking from the plants during the spring and summer as we are working in the garden. Today William and Judy walked you through the steps for planting strawberries. First we looked at transplanting. Most strawberry varieties will produce runners that make new plants. These can be transplanted to create a new and vibrant plant that will produce better than the older mother plant. You want to peal off the roots and just locate one plant and put that in the ground with a transplant fertilizer and water well. You don’t have to bury them too deep. Then Judy showed us how to plant a new plant. You will want to plant the new plants up to the crown, but don’t bury it. It is recommended that you plant new strawberries every 4-6 years so you get plants that produce well. Judy picked a couple of varieties. One was a June bearing type that will give one (or two) big crops in June. The other variety was a Day-neutral type. This type of plant will bear fruit for the entire growing season, but a much smaller crop. This is a good one for snacking. To make sure that you have enough to enjoy you should always plant at least a dozen plants. Fertilize when you plant them but then hold off until the fall. If the plant sends out runners, make sure to cut them off or tip them back into the row so they can make more plants in your rows and not spread so much. If you have questions about varieties check with your local garden center.
Garland Tools
The right tool for the job, we say it over and over and that is because it is so important. The right garden tool will make any job safer, easier and more fun. We stopped by Garland Nursery (1-800-296-6601) in Corvallis to check out the newest tools and some of the favorites of Erica Zinn-Powell, one of the owners of the nursery. She started with her cutting tools. The first was the Pocket Boy from Silky Saw which is a small, folding pruning saw. Lots of teeth and designed to cut on the pull stroke, which makes it easy to operate. Next we moved to the Japanese serrated sickle blade. This one has smaller teeth and is meant to cut grasses and other lighter perennials. The Felco pruner was next. Everyone should have a Felco pruner. They come in various sizes and styles so they can fit any hand or job. The best part about the Felco, just about everything can be replaced when it wears out. Next we pulled out the Hori Hori. This is a Japanese weeding tool, but it is more than that. This tool can be used for cultivating, transplanting, cutting and a ton of other jobs. The circle hoe is also in Erica’s bag of tools. This tool is great for working around your tender perennials. It has a protected edge so you can’t damage the roots and stems of your plants, but it also can get deep to get the deepest weeds. Erica then pulled out her large tools, a Spear and Jackson spade. This one is tough with a nice non-slip footstep so you can get leverage when you are digging those tough plants. She ended with gloves and knee protection. The nitrile gloves are a favorite because they can protect your hands and give you an incredible grip. Finally the Gelweeder by TommyCo; This one is so comfortable that if you are kneeling on one you can’t even feel the rocks underneath it! Tools get better every year, so head out to your local garden center and see what tool can make your garden chores easier.
Planting a Cherry Tree
Growing your own fruits and vegetables is the hot topic this spring. Vegetables are generally pretty easy, but planting and growing fruit is a long term commitment. To learn how to get your fruit production off the ground we stopped by Fresh to You (503-769-9682) in Stayton. Nancy joined William out in the garden to see how to plant a cherry tree. This variety was a Bing and it was looking healthy and strong. First they had George prepare a hole that was almost twice as wide as the root ball of the tree. He then scored the roots. That means he cut them along the sides so they will promote growth into the new soil. He then added a root stimulator and a transplant fertilizer (both by Fertilome) to help get the plant off to a good start. The tree he planted was grafted on semi-dwarfing root stock. That means it will stay shorter than a normal Bing cherry tree. We also saw where the graft was on the trunk. You have to remember not to bury this graft. It will cause the root stock to grow and that will weaken the tree. Nancy also talked about Blueberries. She was holding a half-high blueberry which is great one for a deck or patio container. It will also give you fruit this season, where you may have to wait a year for the cherry to produce. If you are looking to add a fruit tree or bush to your garden, stop by Fresh to You and let them walk you through the process.
