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Episode 131 • June 27, 2009

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Wow, the mixture of sun and showers.  It seems like it is spring, but the calendar says it is summer.  It is time to get out and start enjoying the sun and warm weather.  We are all looking forward to the warmer days of summer.  Don’t forget that you can catch William and Judy at the Oregon Coast Garden and Landscape Expo in Newport.  We will be giving away a bunch of stuff and signing people up for the free Garden Time On-line Magazine.   If you are on the coast near Newport, stop by and see us.

This week we featured...

Hydrangeas

As we enter summer we are all looking for transition color in the garden.  We are done with the early colors of spring and some of the perennials are not quite at peak, which means it is hydrangea time.  These great early summer bloomers are well known in the older gardens and are now becoming popular in the gardens of newer homes.  Tried and true, these plants will come back year after year.  We stopped at Portland Nursery (503-231-5050),  to learn more about these plants from Sean.  Hydrangeas have over 70 different varieties and that means that you will certainly find one that will fit in your garden.   From the Oakleaf varieties, to the climbing varieties; like the Hydrangea anomala, subspecies petiolaris (Try saying that fast, 10 times!)  The most popular types include the mophead and lacecap, but you can find a ton of different varieties to enjoy.  Sean also talked to us about the changing of color of different varieties.  If your hydrangea started pink and is turning blue, it is the soil conditions that are causing that.  You can sometimes change the colors of the bloom by adding lime or aluminum to the soil.  If you have any more questions check with the experts at Portland Nursery.

Grimm’s Mulch

Now is the time to apply a good layer of mulch to your garden or garden bed.  Jeff Grimm from Grimm’s Fuel (503-636-3623) joined us to talk about the different types of mulches you can get for your garden beds.  In the past people liked the red, fresh color of a new Fir or Hemlock mulch.  This type will age to a grey color and will help keep the weeds in check.  The problem is that they tend to pull nitrogen from your soil as the wood breaks down and that leaves less for your plants.  The other problem this year is availability.  The wood based mulches are harder to come by due to the housing market and timber harvesting.  The new popular mulch is Garden Mulch.  This is a nice dark color and it will help your garden by providing nutrients for your plants.   Grimm’s has all the different types of mulches and can deliver them in bulk or can even blow them in so the work is done and you save your back!  They even have a lawn service.  They will come in and apply mulch with grass seed to your lawn and in a couple of weeks you will have a new lawn to enjoy for the summer!

Stihl Electric Tools

The big trend for the homeowner and the garden industry is to go ‘green’.  The push for green is a new emphasis on electric garden tools.  What is new is old again for Stihl tools.  Stihl has been the leader in the use and development of electric tools for nearly 100 years.  Wayne Sutton from Stihl Tools told us a little bit about the history of the brand and then shared some of the newest tools from the Stihl line.  We started with the tool with the most history, the chainsaw.  This chainsaw is one of the safest in the Stihl line.  It has all the safety features and it is well balanced and it has a ton of power for those though jobs.  Next we moved to the hedge trimmer.  The hedge trimmers come in a couple of different lengths so you can find the right one for you.  Plus it comes with the 2-latch system so you can never cut yourself while trimming.  The blowers were next and they are impressive.  They produce the same amount of air as the gas-powered versions, but are lighter.  Plus they can do all of the same jobs as their cord-less cousins.  Finally we moved to electric trimmers.  These are not your typically weak trimmers.  These are so powerful that they are used in Hawaii to trim entire lawns instead of mowers.  Pretty cool!

Kindergarden – Painted Trellis

This week’s Kindergarden segment allows the young artist to get involved in the garden!  Amy Bigej from Al’s Garden Center (503-981-1245) joined William to show us how you can build and paint a trellis to add color and character to your garden.  First we focused on the girls to see how they were using basic oil paints (oil paint will last longer in the rain) to bring some great color to a fan trellis.  Then we moved over to the boys to see how they were building a trellis out of simple wood slats for the garden.  These can be used in the garden or in a pot that will be on a deck or patio.  Check out the full list of Kids Garden classes on the Al’s website.  

Woodburn School Garden

The education of the benefits of gardening to our younger generation can not be underestimated.  We learned how important that connection is at the school in Woodburn.  We met with Ian Niktab who told us about a garden that was planted late last year between a middle school and an elementary school in Woodburn.  This garden was built to deal with a runoff problem at the school, but it has become more than that.  This garden now teaches kids about native plants, vegetables, rain, runoff and environmental responsibility.    It is called the Nuestro Zemla Garden.  That is a combination of 3 different languages that represent the 3 different cultures of the community.  If you are interested in learning more about this garden and possibly trying this in your community, contact Ian through the Woodburn school district. 

 
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