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SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 146 • October 10, 2009

VIDEO ARCHIVE


What a lovely stretch of weather we have been having. We even got out and refinished the deck with all these rainless days. It is just one of the few things we have been doing to get ready for the coming bad weather. Still, we also still had time to head up to the Rose Garden at Washington Park to check out their new perennial beds. If you get a chance, go see them for yourselves!

This week we featured...

Portland Nursery 22nd Annual Apple Tasting

A is for apple and you will find a ton of apples at Portland Nursery’s (503-231-5050) 22nd Annual Apple tasting at the Stark Street location. Over 60 different varieties of apples and pears are available to taste. There is a kid’s area with face painting and balloon creations. Plus you can stop by on Fridays for ‘kid days’ which are loaded with kids activities. Cooking demonstrations, an apple press and live music are also on the list of activities. Another reason for stopping by is to get a chance to vote for the best scarecrow. Fellow shoppers have entered their best scarecrows for the chance to win prizes. You can also shop from a variety of local vendors that will be offering local honey, mustard, jam and a whole lot more. Special events include a ‘live’ radio broadcast with the ‘Garden Doctor’ show, a special ‘Senior Day’ with 10% off for seniors, and everyday discounts on apple prices. Now is the time to also take advantage of all the wonderful fall perennials available at both locations of Portland Nursery. In fact, we brought out a couple to look at for this story. Ken showed us 3 different fall color plants including the Japanese Hinoki ‘Sunspray’, Echinacea ‘Amber Mist’, and Hebe ‘James Stirling’. Come see these and a bunch more at the tasting!

Unique Hardy Plants

We all had a few plants that didn’t make it through this last year of weather extremes. First we had the cold, snow and ice of winter and then we had the extended stretch of hot weather. That had us wondering about some of the more unusual plants in the garden. Which ones did well? To learn more we stopped by Rare Plant Research and visited with Burl Mostul. Burl’s company deals in some truly unique plants. He shared with us his surprises. First we saw a plant that most people treat as a tender house plant, the Tradescantia discolor or Moses in a Boat plant. This one roots easily and even though it died back to the ground it has thrived and grown. Next we checked out the Eucalyptus grove by his home. Even when the plants were pulled to the ground by the ice and snow they bounced right back. Even one that was snapped off at the base is coming back! The next one he showed us was a tree also, the ‘Silver Waddle’ Acacia. Burl thought he had lost this one. During the big cold, he noticed that the bark was pealing. Little did he know that was a characteristic of this plant. It is still going strong. Next we saw the Agave ‘Truncata’. This one is very hardy and it didn’t miss a beat. It also loved the extreme heat we had this summer too. Finally we stopped by the Italian Cypress. This tall thin mini-tree looks very light and delicate and subject to any little breeze or storm that comes along. Still Burl told us that it didn’t even lose a branch, leaf or anything. To learn more about these and other plants check out Burl’s website at Rare Plant Research.

Compost Bins

With the push for people to be ‘green’ in their homes and gardens, composting has become very popular. We stopped by the Greenhouse Catalog (800-825-1925) to check out the latest and greatest in compost bins. Michelle took us outside to show us the Earthmaker, one that works your scraps from the top down and doesn’t need to be turned. Another simple composter allows you to pick up the unit when it is full so you don’t have to dig in the bin and finally a compost tumbler, which allows you to tumble the compost to get it to break down and ready for your garden. Then we moved inside to look at a couple of different compost helpers. We saw the little compost scrap bucket that helps you get your scraps from the kitchen to the composter without making a mess. We also saw the compost tea maker which can make a great liquid for a foliar spray for your plants. Finally we saw the Worm Factory. This small composter is great because it doesn’t take much to operate it; it doesn’t smell (if used properly) and can make a tea-like brew for your plants as well. If you are looking to start composting, congratulations. Check out the selection of different composters at your independent garden center or at the Greenhouse Catalog.

Rose Garden Perennials

If you have been up to the International Rose Test Gardens at Washington Park, you have seen the thousands of beautiful rose blooms that crown the garden. But did you notice the latest addition to the garden? Dan Heims from Terra Nova Nurseries took us on a tour to show off the hundreds of new perennials that they have donated to the garden over the past couple of years. The biggest bed of perennials is between the Rose Garden and the Tennis Courts. This huge bed is bursting with color and Dan was quick to point out the penstemon, coreopsis, echinaceas, and agastaches. Dan has also donated hundreds of hostas that you can find all around the gardens. Dan is hoping that people will see how well the perennials blend in with the rows of roses and that people will see the possibilities of the mixed garden. If you are up visiting the Rose Garden, look at the beds surrounding the rose gardens and see what a little perennial magic can do!

Grimm’s Compost

Your yard debris of today is becoming the rich garden compost of tomorrow. Since it is fall and everyone is cleaning up their yard we decided to check out where that yard debris ends up. Jeff Grimm walked us through the composting facility at Grimm’s Fuel (503-636-3623). This facility in Tigard is where a lot of your lawn clippings end up. At the Grimm’s facility they cut up the garden waste, pile it, turn it (to keep it hot) and let nature take it’s course. Most of this will become ‘Metro certified’ garden mulch. What that means is it is clean of residual herbicides and meets ‘Earthwise’ standards. Grimm’s has a complete selection of different types of soils and amendments for your lawn or garden. It is also a great time to mulch your plants to protect them from the coming cold. Give them a call for delivery rates and availability.

Bauman Pumpkin Drop

The fall harvest season has kicked off with a bang! If you missed the Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off last weekend at Bauman’s Farm and Garden (503-792-3524) you also missed the giant pumpkin drop that was a benefit for the Make a Wish Foundation. Bauman’s sold rubber ducks that were numbered and floated in a swimming pool. Then a giant pumpkin was dropped by helicopter from a couple of hundred feet in the air. The splash was spectacular! The furthest duck earned a gift basket for the owner. Check out the video to see for yourself! Don’t forget Bauman’s harvest festival continues through the month of October.

 
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