SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 226 • October 29, 2011

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Happy Halloween! We hope that the recent weather hasn’t scared you! This is the typical weather for fall in the Northwest. We will be having some rain and some sun for the next month or so, but the temperatures should be fairly nice. That means we can still enjoy time in our gardens. I know the frost may have put a damper on your gardening but it is a good time to walk around your garden and enjoy the changing color of the plants and maybe even make some notes for next year on what you want to plant!

It is also the last week to get out and enjoy some of the harvest festivals that are happening around the area. Check for the closest festival near you and enjoy some old-fashioned fun!

This week we featured...

King’s Mums

King’s Mums

A lot of gardeners have the common chrysanthemums in their garden, but one of the overlooked types of mum is the specialty ‘show’ mum. We visited the growers of some of these beautiful flowers, King’s Mums of Oregon City (503-656-2078). King’s has been growing Chrysanthemums for over 40 years, but a few years ago the growing operation was purchased by Kim and Ray Gray. Ray joined us to talk about these ‘show’ flowers and how they are different than those that you find in your local garden center. Ray showed us the show mum that is grown for contests; these mums are protected from the sun, pinched back to just a few blooms and cultivated carefully. There are 13 different classifications of mums but it seems like there are tons of different styles of blooms and most make great container flowers for your deck or patio. There are pompoms, football, daisy, anemone, spider and spoon types, just to name a few. He even talked about how to grow these great plants. If you are interested in seeing these blooms up close you can check out the Annual Chrysanthemum Flower Show, hosted by the Portland Chrysanthemum Society this weekend, October 29th and 30th, Saturday and Sunday at Portland Nursery (503-788-9000), 90th and Division , from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can also get information on joining the society at this event.

Jan’s October Tips

Jan’s October Tips

During the cold days of fall it may seem like your time in the garden is coming to an end. But retired OSU extension agent Jan McNeilan told us during her tips of the month that there are lots of things you can be doing in your garden right now. William met her in her greenhouse to learn what can be done now to prepare for winter and even for next spring. First Jan showed us how she is preserving green bean and morning glory seeds for her garden for next year. You can save seeds by harvesting them now and letting them dry out on a paper towel. Then you can store them in a sealed paper bag in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight. She also had some carrots that she had harvested and told us that people can leave their carrots in the ground over the winter if they give them a light mulch to protect the tops. The carrots will actually become sweeter in the colder weather. William also noticed some muddy water with leaves in it. These are streptocarpus, lovely flowering annuals that are native to South Africa (their other name is Cape Primrose). Jan usually makes cuttings of these plants and puts them in soil to grow new plants. These, however, were just put in water and they were starting to sprout new plants. You can check with your local garden center to learn more about growing plants from cuttings.

William also noticed all the house plants that were in the greenhouse including the Christmas cactus. Jan recommends that you keep your Christmas cactus in the cool temperatures of a greenhouse or a potting shed for a few more days. Once you move them inside they will move into bloom faster. The longer you can slow down the process the better you can time it for the holiday season. It will take 2-3 weeks to get them into bloom once they are moved indoors. Before you move them in you will want to make sure they are clean of all bug and pests. Rinse the plants off well and you can also replace the top inch of soil in the plant. The top inch is where most of the insects and insect eggs are located. For more gardening tips for the fall garden you can check out the OSU extension website at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/.

STIHL Cordless Tools

STIHL Cordless Tools

If you have a gas powered tool you know that they can be a lot of work to keep fueled and maintained. They can also put a lot of pollutants into the air if not working in prime condition. STIHL (www.STIHLusa.com) knows that gas powered equipment may not be for everyone so they have come out with a new line of battery operated equipment for the home gardener. We met with Kenny at Stark Street Lawn and Garden (503-255-5393) to learn more about these cool tools. Kenny showed us 4 different tools that are now available. We looked at the chainsaw, the hedge trimmer, a string trimmer and a blower. The chainsaw has enough power to do most jobs around the garden. People may think that an electric chainsaw doesn’t have enough power to do the job, but STIHL put in a lot of work to make sure that this one has the power to do the job right! The new batteries give the tools full power right up to the end before they need recharging. Most other tools will lose power as you use them until they are not effective at all. Not the STIHL tools! These tools are lighter, easier to use and you don’t have to drag around a cord! The new batteries are very fast charging and they will continue to have a long life even if you can only give them a short charge. The trimmers are designed for use in all areas of your garden. One model has a curved shaft to make it easier on your back when you are using it. The blower is great. Without the cord to drag around you can easily use it on your roof and give your gutters a good cleaning. STIHL is working on more tools that will be coming on the market in the next few years and they will all be using the same batteries so you can keep your costs down while getting your work done. Stop by Stark Street Lawn and Garden and check out these great new tools!

Al’s Poinsettias

Al’s Poinsettias

Believe it or not, it is time for poinsettias. They are starting to make their appearance at local garden centers and other stores. The big push will be in a couple of weeks but you can get some nice plants right now. The big question that we hear is ‘how do I pick a good one’ and ‘how can I make it last’. To find out the answer to these questions we stopped by the growing operation for Al’s Garden Center (503-981-1245) and talked to owner, Mark Bigej. He pulled a few plants out of the greenhouse to show us some of the varieties that they are offering this year. These included ‘White Star’ which is one of the whitest flowers you will find in a poinsettia. ‘Cortez Burgundy’ is one that is a darker red color which goes well with a lot of the newer colors you find in the newer homes around the area. Next we saw ‘Orange Spice’ which is the perfect color for fall decorations leading up to the holidays. The next variety was a real eye-catcher with sparkled foliage. This one was called ‘Red Glitter’. The next 2 varieties were a return to the original look of the poinsettia. “Dolce Rose’ and ‘Love You Pink’ show some of the smaller bracts (leaves) of the original species. These ‘throwback’ varieties have been very popular the last few years. Finally we looked at one of the cool variegated varieties called ‘Silver Star Red’ which had the light green leaves with a cream colored edge.
Some other tips on how to pick a good plant… First look for good branching. A single branch plant will not give you the bunches of blooms that you want. And speaking of blooms, the bright colors you see are not the flowers of the poinsettia. The flower is the small center buds that are usually yellow. The bright colors are modified leaves (bracts). As for the blooms you will want small tight buds that are not yellow yet, that means they are early in their bloom cycle. Also look for good healthy green leaves under the brightly colored ones.

Now that you have picked out a good one, how can you make it last? Al’s recommends that you treat your plant with tender loving care. Make sure that is doesn’t get placed in too hot of a spot, that it doesn’t get in too many drafts and keep it in bright non-direct sunlight. You will also want to water it regularly without over watering or having it set in water. Remember to remove the decorative foil sleeve when you are watering it. If you follow these tips it will be around for a couple of months if not longer! You can find a sheet of ‘care tips’ at all Al’s Garden Center locations.

Also, you can find all of these varieties at the up-coming Al’s Evening of Lights event. The event takes place at the Sherwood location on November 3rd from 4-9pm (look for William and Judy to be there) and the Woodburn location on November 4th from 4-9pm. The Gresham location will have an all-day celebration on Saturday the 5th!

Solexx Greenhouses

Solexx Greenhouses

Having a ‘green’ house in your backyard shouldn’t send you to the ‘poor’ house. We found one by Solexx that is easy to assemble and really inexpensive too. A greenhouse will help to extend your gardening season and it will give you a head start on next year. Michelle Moore from Solexx Greenhouses (800-825-1925) and William assembled one in just a few hours. When you order the kit it arrives in just a couple of boxes. The kit is so well organized, and color coded, that it is really simple to assemble with just a couple of tools. A couple other benefits… it can be sited anywhere and there is no need for expensive site preparation, you can place it directly on your lawn. Plus it is lightweight. You can assemble it in one area and move it to another area with just 2 people. This is great if you want to place it over an existing garden area. Check out their website to see all the different types of greenhouses available and all the tools to extend your growing season.
 

 
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