SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 213 • July 23, 2011

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Where is it? While the rest of the country is baking in record heat, we are still waiting to reach our ‘average’ temperature of 80 degrees. It has been a strange year so far and it looks to remain that way for the foreseeable future. I have to admit, the colors of the blooms still seem more vibrant than last year because the sun isn’t fading them out. This cooler weather is also extending some of our berry crops. There is nothing like fresh, Oregon grown berries and if you love berries, then you can’t miss the Oregon Berry Festival happening today (Saturday the 23rd) at the EcoTrust building in Downtown Portland. Check out their website for more information, www.oregonberryfestival.com.

This week we featured...

Summer Hydrangeas

Summer Hydrangeas

In the garden there are new plants and old favorites. The hydrangea is considered by some to be an old favorite, but if you pay a visit to Hydrangeas Plus (866-433-7896) you will see that these ‘old favorites’ have a new look. There are lots of new varieties that are in the market now and Kristin joined William in the greenhouse to tell us about some of them. ‘David Ramsey’ is one variety that blooms on new wood (some varieties of hydrangea require at least a year of growth before they can bloom) and is an early bloomer so you can enjoy the color sooner than most of the other varieties. Another new one is ‘Little Lime’ which is a small version of the ‘Limelight’ variety and only gets to 3 or 4 feet tall instead of the 10-12 feet of the larger versions. Finally we looked at ‘Brestenburg’ which was covered in multi-colored blooms. It stays very compact and the blooms are also grouped tightly together.

If you are looking to change the color of your blooms it may be too late for this year. If your plant is blooming you will have to wait until next year. If they haven’t bloomed then you can 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 Hydrangeas Plus a call or check out their website for more growing tips.

Waterlily Festival

Waterlily Festival

It is time for the 9th annual Waterlily Festival and Art Show at Hughes Water Gardens (503-638-1709). Eamonn joined us to tell us about the festival that is happening from July 22nd until July 31st. If you drop by you will see a huge assortment of waterlilies and other aquatic plants, seminars, tropical treats and guided tours. It all kicked off with the big artist’s reception on the 22nd, but if you missed that you can still visit with some of the artists during the weekends of the event. Other big events include classes on making concrete leaf castings, and edible landscaping. You can also see the largest collection of the spectacular night-blooming Victoria Lilies in the northwest. This year Hughes is also welcoming the Rose City Garden Railroad and their garden train again. Also at the nursery, nearly 30 regional artists will be exhibiting their art in the garden. It is a great way to see how art can enhance your garden or water feature. Stop by and check out the festivities! The best news? All the events are free! If you would like to help those in need, Hughes will be holding a food drive for the Oregon Food Bank. Bring 2 cans of food and enjoy a day in the garden.

Jan’s July Tips

Jan’s July Tips

With all this cold and damp weather we stopped by Jan McNeilan’s house for her tips of the month. The summer has not turned out to be a great one for vegetable gardeners this year. The cooler weather has some plants begging for more sun and heat. A visit to Jan’s garden gave us hope. Her garden was doing great, though she admitted to replanting some of her garden due to slugs and wet weather. And the lesson here is simple. Keep plugging along. The weather will turn and your garden will produce a good crop, just be patient. Jan also showed off her raised beds. She had some homemade ones that were made out of cedar and some kits that she received in the mail from Greenland Gardener. These are made of composite wood (a mixture of wood and plastic). These raised beds were performing well and the plants were doing great. Raised beds always do well if you use new soil or compost in them instead of old top soil or clay from your garden. Another way of guaranteeing success is placing plants in areas where they can perform well. You want to make sure your tomatoes and peppers are in full sun and not in shade. This rule goes for all your vegetable plants.

It is also time to start thinking about planting your cool season crops. I know, it is hard to think of the fall when we haven’t had a summer yet, but it isn’t too early to plan. These are crops that will mature quickly and can be harvested before the cold rains of winter return. These include lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale and peas among others. Finally, you will want to fertilize your container plants and hanging baskets. The fertilizer from the spring is gone now and your plants will need a little boost to get more blooms (or to grow more fruit). Use a liquid fertilizer to get them a nice mid summer snack. For more garden tips check out the OSU Extension website at http://extension.oregonstate.edu.

Tsugawa Bonsai

Tsugawa Bonsai

Bonsai is a wonderful art. Each plant becomes a microcosm of a miniature landscape. It can become a hobby that can consume you if you get bitten by the ‘bonsai’ bug. It can also be very intimidating for the beginner. To help people understand how easy it can be we stopped by Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) to get some tips from Brian about how to get started and what tools were involved. Tsugawa’s hold classes on a regular basis and Brian was willing to shorten up his talk for our show. First he showed us a plant that he was going to trim and move to a new, bigger home in a larger pot. First Brian trimmed the foliage that had gotten a little long over the winter. His description of ‘creating clouds’ was perfect for what he was trying to accomplish. Opening the structure of the plant to expose the branching was wonderful. He was told many years ago that you should be able to imagine a butterfly moving between the ‘clouds’. After a few minutes he was done and it was a dramatic change. Next he showed us how to prune the roots in preparation for the move to a bigger container. Brian used a root hook and a scissors to cut a massive amount of the root ball off. By cutting, combing and thinning the roots he insured that the plant could stay in the new pot for the next 3-5 years without too much stress. Brian also showed us how to position the plant in its new home and explained how the support wires help secure the plant while it grows. If you have any questions on how to get started in this fascinating hobby stop by Tsugawa’s and check with their experts for some easy to understand instruction!

Gresham Berries

Gresham Berries

In celebration of the Oregon Berry Festival happening today at the EcoTrust building in Portland, we paid a visit to one of the nicest berry growers in the area, Julie Schedeen welcomed us to her nursery in Gresham, Schedeen’s (503-665-4730). William talked to her about the best types of berries for the home gardener. She started with the ‘Sunshine Blue’ variety of blueberry which was bred for small gardens and containers. You can grow almost any berry in our area, but people have the most success with blueberries due to our naturally acidic soil. They are also attractive because of their wonderful fall color and low maintenance. Julie also recommended planting more than one variety of blueberry plant. Different varieties fruit at different times and that will extend your harvest. The only thing she suggested for the home gardener is to use a mason bee house if you plant an early spring variety. The earlier varieties may need the pollination power of the mason bee to make sure they fruit. It may be too cold for the traditional honey bee. Another popular berry is the fall bearing raspberry. These don’t need much in the way of care either. You just cut the branches back in the late fall or winter and then they come back and fruit for you every year as a small bush or shrub. Most of your disease problems will be fungus related. Be sure to use an organic solution for any of your disease problems. If you have any questions about berries you can stop by any of the Schedeen’s locations or come by the Oregon Berry Festival, happening all day on Saturday, where Schedeen’s will have a booth.
 

 
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