SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 225 • October 22, 2011

VIDEO ARCHIVE

We are in the full swing of fall now and people are starting to hunker down for the cold and rain to come.  We just put away the last of our lawn furniture and we are wrapping up the harvesting of all our fall vegetables.  I’m pretty sure we have just mowed our lawn for the last time this year.  We want to help you get ready for the winter so keep watching for more tips each week on getting your garden ready for fall. 

This week we featured...

Blackberry Removal

Blackberry Removal

How do you get rid of those pesky Himalayan blackberries!  If you have ever had them in your garden you know that they can take over a yard.  We caught up with Norm McCreight from Lilly Miller to see how he deals with them.  He told us about the Blackberry and Brush killer by Image.  A lot of gardeners in the Northwest have problems with blackberries and other woody invasive plants like scotch broom and poison oak.  This product will take care of the problem and now is a perfect time to apply it.  In the late summer and early fall the plant will draw energy to its roots.  When you apply this product the plant will carry the spray to the roots and get rid of your problem for good!  Norm also showed us how to apply it by paint brush so you can use it in your established gardens as well.

Fall Color Plants

Fall Color Plants

With the arrival of fall you may think that the colors of summer are all gone.  There are a lot of fall plants that you can choose from that will continue the parade of color for weeks to come.  To learn about some of the best we stopped by Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) to chat with Brian about his favorites.   We started with hydrangeas.  These plants are known for their summer blooms, but they also hold fall interest in the garden.  The first one was the Oakleaf Hydrangea ‘Snow Queen’.  This one has great dark burgundy foliage that is almost as showy as the summer blooms.  The other one was called ‘Tickled Pink’.  The blooms on this one start out as white and by fall they start to fade to a lovely pink.  Brian also showed us 2 different viburnums.  The first one was Viburnum plicatum ‘Maresi’.  This one has flat topped flowers in May and is starting to show some great reds in its fall color coat right now.  The other one, Viburnum ‘Onondaga’, is not as showy in the summer with flowers, but it really has great color in the fall.  We also looked at maples.  The Fernleaf Full Moon Maple ‘Aconitifolium’ is just starting to change color now and it will become an intense red color as the weather gets colder.  The other one we checked out was the Japanese Maple ‘Ryusen’.  This one has a weeping habit with its branches and the foliage will get red as well.  We then moved to one that had some outstanding color, the Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica).  This one shows a mosaic mix of reds, yellows, and purples.  This variety is a bush form so you can use it in a smaller space.  We also looked at the Dwarf Fothergilla.  This one is also known for its signature blooms in the late spring, but don’t forget this one when you are looking for fall color.  Finally, we took a different turn in fall interest.  Brian pointed out that a lot of people want something longer lasting for fall color and texture.  He showed use how you can use dwarf conifers and sedums in containers to create color and interest for the winter garden.  If you would like to see even more fall color plants you can stop by Tsugawa’s anytime!

Moving Plants Indoors

Moving Plants Indoors

A lot of people take their indoor plants outside during the summer months.  It is good to get them some sun and fresh air, but now is the time to bring them indoors for the coming winter.  We had some tips that will help keep them healthy and happy.  First, start adjusting them for the reduced light and watering they may encounter indoors.  Next, prune off the old, dead or diseased leaves and limbs.  Finally, get those bugs!  Hit your plants with a stream of water from the hose.  This will clean them up and get rid of most of your bad bugs that are on the plant.  Next you will want to spray your plant with an insecticide.  You can use one of the commercially available products out there.  If you are concerned about chemicals or you have a citrus (or other edible plant) you can choose an insecticidal soap or Neem Oil product.   The insecticides will kill the sucking insects, the natural products smother them.  Finally add a systemic insecticide to the soil.  This will make the plant poisonous to bugs for a few more months until spring arrives.  Check with your local independent garden centers for more tips.

Drying Apples

Drying Apples

With all the apples that are available during the fall you might just go overboard and get too many to eat at one time. We stopped by Portland Nursery on Stark where they are in the middle of their annual Apple Tasting.  Sara walked Judy through the steps for drying apples.  She first recommended that you pick an apple that has a long shelf life to begin with.  When you attend the Apple Tasting you can pick up a list that will tell you the ones that will keep well.  If you are looking to dry them you will need a food dehydrator or an oven (one webpage even suggests placing them in a hot car).  Slice them thin, remove the bruises and the soft spots and place them in the dehydrator or on a cookie sheet in an oven.  Set your oven for 150 degrees or the lowest setting you have.  Check them occasionally.  It will still take 10-20 hours for the slices to be done.  The slices should be flexible but not brittle.  Let them cool and then place them in a zipper-type bag or a vacuum style bag.  Place in the fridge or put them in the freezer if you want to keep them longer than a few weeks.  Here is a link to a site that will help you with the steps.  You can also use the apples in numerous recipes.  The Portland Nursery website has a list of recipes that include entrees, soups, salads, desserts and sauces.  Check out their huge list here.  Don’t forget to stop by this final weekend and enjoy all the festivities and then bring some of those apples home for a treat that will last for weeks!

Borers and Squirrels

Borers and Squirrels

Every once in a while we visit with Terrill Collier from Collier Arbor Care (503-72ARBOR) to see if there are any problems with local trees that we can warn our viewers about.  This week he told us about 2 different problems he is noticing, the bronze birch borer and the damage done by non-native squirrels.  We first stopped in Wilsonville near I-5 at a stand of birch trees.  The borer has become a big problem in the area.  It is a beetle larva that kills the tree by burrowing under and destroying the tree from under the bark.  If you have more than a 1/3 of the tree showing dead branches it is probably too late to save it, but if you see the small holes from the beetle on the trunk and you get it early enough you can save the tree.  The tree that is the least susceptible to damage is the river birch.   So if you are thinking about planting a birch, you may want to try that one.

The other problem that you may have noticed around the area is single dead branches on native white oaks and native big leaf maples.  The non-native eastern fox squirrel, which is red in color, is responsible for this damage.  The squirrel gnaws around the base of a limb and once the cambium layer is destroyed the branch will die past that point.  This can be widespread in an area because the squirrel has access to more trees because it travels along power lines from tree to tree.       

If you are having problems with trees in your yard, call Collier Arbor Care and have them come out and take a look.  Take care of problems now so you can keep your trees nice and healthy.
 

 
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