SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 195 • March 19, 2011

VIDEO ARCHIVE

The calendar says that it is nearly spring break and we are sitting here just waiting for a weather break!  The weather has been awful!  The green thumb is itching to get out in the garden, but, as we will find out this week, it may be too early to get out in the garden.  The daytime temperature may be climbing but it is still too cold to do much of anything… except wait, of course.

It is just 2 weeks away from GardenPalooza and that seems like a perfect time to kick off spring.  This year will be the 9th anniversary of the event and we will have over 45 different garden vendors in attendance.  Mark your calendar for April 2nd and come out and enjoy this free event!  Check out www.GardenPalooza.com for more details!

This week we featured...

Jan’s March Tips

Jan's March Tips

As I mentioned earlier, it may be too early to get out in the garden!  Jan McNeilan, from OSU Extension joined us to tell us why.  The first thing Jan warned us about was our indoor and tropical plants.  She had heard a radio host say that you can take your plants outdoors because we were having some sunny days, but as Jan warned us, it is a little too cold for most of your houseplants and tender tropicals.  Now is a good time to check them for insects and other potential problems though.  Aphids and other little critters may be wintering over on your best plants.  Treat them now if you have these little visitors.  Now is also a good time to clean up your old hanging baskets.  If you have perennials in these baskets, cut them back and remove the dead leaves and stems.  Better yet… Clean out the old pot and replant those perennials with new soil.  Jan also showed us one of her soil thermometers and it was registering a temp of 34 degrees.  That is just too cold for most plants to do anything, but that shouldn’t stop you from starting your seeds indoors.  Take a look at your garden notes from last year and start some new plants for your flower and vegetable garden right now.  Try some new varieties and repeat some of the ones that did well last year.  Like we said, it may be cold but that isn’t stopping the local slug population from getting an early start in the garden.  Jan showed us a container of hollyhocks that was being munched on by these little garden pests.  Look around your garden and see if you should treat for them now.  Finally, if you mulched your garden with fall leaves you may want to leave those on for just another week or 2.  These leaves will protect your plants from those last few cold mornings, but soon you can remove them to make sure that your plants benefit from great spring sunshine!  For more garden tips you can check out the OSU Extension website

Chinese Garden Style

Chinese Garden Style

A lot of people would like to add some Asian features to their gardens.  The tranquility and unique structure of the Japanese or Chinese garden is really something spectacular.  But did you know that these types of formal gardens have key ‘structural’ components that make them unique.  Glin from the Lan Su Chinese Garden (503-228-8131) in downtown Portland joined us to fill us in on what components makes a Chinese garden different from the rest.  Glin told us that the typical Chinese garden was designed for a small space and that makes them prefect for the urban gardener who may not have a lot of room.  By incorporating 5 basic elements you can be on your way to building your own Chinese style garden.  The first element is ‘stone’. In the Lan Su garden alone there are over 400 tons of stone that were imported from China for use in the garden.  You don’t have to import rocks from China to duplicate their garden, but well placed stonework can really add a lot to your garden.  The second element is ‘architecture’.  Having a structure or building is a critical element.  It can be something as simple as a trellis or as grand as a building with windows and doors.  ‘Water’ is the third element.  In either a pond or a water feature, water will bring a soothing presence to your garden.  Water is constantly in motion even if it is the smallest of waves in a pot.  ‘Poetry’ is the fourth element.  In the Lan Su garden poetry is seen everywhere and it is a written reminder to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the garden.  Finally, the fifth element, ‘plants’.  This may be the last on the list, but it isn’t the least important feature of the garden.  Plants can bring beauty and meaning to the garden in lots of different ways; either with fragrance like the daphne or edgeworthia, with structure, like the statuesque pines or even with color, like the flowering quince or the camellia.  If you would like to learn more, stop by the garden and take one of their informative tours.  If you are looking for plants to start your own formal garden this weekend you can stop by the garden for the annual Spring Plant Sale.  It is Saturday only from 10-4 and admission is free. You will even receive a 2 for 1 admission coupon for the garden.  The sale is in the adjacent parking lot and a portion of all proceeds benefit the garden.

Roof Moss

Roof Moss

Last week we talked to Norm McCreight of Lilly Miller about getting rid of moss in your lawn.  Today we chatted about the moss you find on your roof.  Norm told us about a couple of products that Lilly Miller makes to take care of the problem.  We found out that the moss on your roof is different than the stuff in your grass and it might not even be moss.  Norm explained that algae may be your problem.  Also, if you fail to remove the moss from the roof you may be looking at expensive repairs in the long run.  The moss will get underneath the shingles and allow moisture to get into wood supports.  He recommends using the new Moss Out products the have been reformulated to be much safer than the older roof products.  There are also some citrus based products that will be safe for your pets.  Treat the problems now and when the weather warms up it will get rid of your moss and algae for good!

Spring Hydrangea Care

The blooms are still a couple of months away and you may think that it is too late to do some pruning on your blooming hydrangeas, but Kristin from Hydrangeas Plus (866-433-7896) said not to worry.  You can still do some light pruning and not ruin your blooms for this coming season.  The key is the word ‘light’.  You don’t want to just buzz-cut your plants.  You may be removing blooming wood.  If you need to prune, look at leaving a couple of leaf nodes (branching areas on a stem where new growth occurs).  Most hydrangeas bloom on old wood, the stem that is at least one-year old and you don’t want to cut that wood too severely.  This is also a good time to fertilize your plants in preparation of the spring growth.  A good basic, balanced (10-10-8) will work great. You can also add 2 ingredients to the soil to help maintain bloom color or to try and change the color from pink to blue or back.  Aluminum Sulfate (acid) will change the soil chemistry and promote blue colored blooms.  To get a pink color in your bloom you will want to add garden lime (alkaline) to the soil at the base of the plant.  If you have questions you can give them a call or check out their website for more growing tips.  Plus you can stop by their nursery this weekend for their annual spring plant sale.  If you can’t make it to their nursery, Hydrangeas Plus will also be selling plants at Gardenpalooza on April 2nd at Fir Point Farms.  

Early Spring Bonsai Care

Early Spring Bonsai Care

Your bonsai plants are just like the rest of the plants in your garden.  They may be looking a little sad from the long cold winter.  We stopped by Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) in Woodland to get some care tips from Brian Tsugawa.  Brian believes that your plant will tell you what it needs, you just need to listen.  Not that your plant will literally ‘speak’ to you, but if you take a few minutes to look closely at it, it will show you if it needs attention.  The first thing we looked at was the foliage.  Even though these plants are small they can have some of the same problems as their larger cousins.  William noticed some die-back and brown foliage in the center of the plant.  It is normal for conifers to have this browning in the center.  Look for new ‘green’ growth at the tips to make sure the plant is healthy and still growing, then clean out the center of the plant.  If you have a lot of browning on your plant it could be a sign of another problem, the plant being root bound.  Pull your plant out of its pot or container and make sure that you don’t have to also clean up the root ball.  You can also look at doing some light fertilizing right now.  Since these plants are meant for small containers you don’t want to heavily fertilize them.  That will only promote rapid growth and that is what you don’t want.  If you would like to learn more you can stop by the nursery this weekend for 2 classes on bonsai.  This weekend is also the celebration of 30 years in business at a retail nursery.  Not only will they have a great sale going on (you can save 30% on selected items) but they will also be giving away 30 prizes including a beautiful container with a water feature!  Stop by for your chance to win!
 

 
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