SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 278 • April 27, 2013

VIDEO ARCHIVE

How about this start to summer? Ok, so I may be a little early in my joy for the warmth (and I may have jinxed it for the rest of the spring) but this warm weather has me thinking about the even warmer days yet to come. If we are starting this weather now, what will we be getting in a month or so?

Oh well… I’ll take a chance at jinxing the rest of the spring and enjoy my little sun dance in my garden!

While you are out in your garden, notice how much you can smell now. I can’t walk anywhere in the garden with out smelling the lilacs and other spring plants in bloom. If you don’t have any fragrance in your garden, it is easy to add some. Head to your local garden center and smell all the great plants that they have, or you can head up to the Hulda Klager Lilac Days. At just $2 per person, it is one of the best values in the Northwest.

Enjoy!

This week we featured...

Camas Blooms

Camas Blooms

We love our native plants and when they have a history tied to their appearance it is even better. One of those plants is the native Camas. It’s a plant that has been used by the native population since before the Lewis and Clark expedition. This spring blooming bulb is in full swing right now and can be found in marshy meadows around the area. We found a great field of them growing wild at Cammasia Natural Area in West Linn. Judy Bluehorse Skelton joined Judy at the Cammasia Area to tell her about the history of the plant. This plant was one of the major foods of the Native American people that lived in the Northwest. The bulb was harvested in the spring and provided a source of carbohydrates to the tribes. They have lots of protein sources and when spring came they were able to supplement their diets with this bulb. They harvested only the blue flowering camas, because the white flowering kind could make you sick. They were so happy with the return of the camas that it is one of the celebrated foods of the ‘first foods’ ceremony that occurs in the spring.

This plant is also one that looks as good as it tastes. Local gardeners will find it easy to grow. It doesn’t mind the moist soils of the spring, but prefers the drier soils of the summer. You can find it at a lot of the local garden centers, but we found a large selection at Bosky Dell Natives (503-638-5945). You can buy a plant and then get directions on finding this special little meadow of camas and imagine what it must have looked like a hundred years ago in the valley.

Refinish Your Deck

Refinish Your Deck

The summer is nearly here and it is time to refinish the deck to have it ready for the upcoming evenings of outdoor entertaining. To learn the steps we should take we stopped by Parr Lumber (866-214-7277) and talked to Amber. The key for your wood deck is to do the correct preparation before you start. If you have an older wood deck it probably looks pretty dull and grey. To get it back to its correct color you will need to clean and brighten it first. If you put the new stain on an old, unclean board it will look splotchy and uneven. The good news is that you can clean and brighten your deck in just one day! First you will need to get a good cleaner. There are fine products from Wolman and Superdeck, but you will need to check with a Parr expert to make sure that you get the right kind for your deck material. When you put the cleaner on your deck you need to work it around with a good stiff brush. After the cleaner is done, then you can use the brightener. Most of these brighteners will work on your deck while it is still wet. You can leave the brighteners on the surface for the recommended amount of time and just hose them off.

Once the deck is cleaned and brightened, then you can apply the new stain. There are lots of choices when it comes to stains. You can go from a semi-transparent which will allow you to see more of the natural grain in the wood to a solid stain which is more like paint. If you are changing the look of your deck and you are not sure about the new color, find a slightly hidden part of the deck and do a test patch. This will let you check the color before you do the whole deck. Wolman and Superdeck have great products here too, but we also talked about Penofin which has rosewood oils that will penetrate the wood and help protect it longer from UV damage and the RainCoat product which is more of a clear sealer. With most of these products you will need to redo the process every 2-3 years. Amber also recommends doing a thin coat to start with and then applying a second coat if needed.

If you have a new composite deck material they also have special cleaners for those that work great. If you need to clean and re-stain your deck, be sure to do the job right the first time with help from our friends at Parr.

Planting Dahlias

Planting Dahlias

If you are looking for outstanding late summer color you can’t beat dahlias. Now is the time to plant dahlias to get that late summer ‘pop’ of color. We stopped by Swan Island Dahlias (800-410-6540) to get some planting tips for having a great crop of color later this summer! With his crew busy planting in the fields, Nick from Swan Island walked us through the planting process. First you want a good healthy tuber. Next you will want a well worked soil to plant them in. The loose soil will ensure that they don’t have to fight their way to the surface. You will want a well drained area since they can rot if they are setting in water. To plant them, dig down about 6 inches and mix some bulb fertilizer into the soil at the bottom of the hole. Place the tuber in the bottom of the hole and loosely fill in the soil. In a couple of week you will start to see the new growth breaking through the top of the soil. Flowers will soon follow!

New Rhodies

New Rhodies

Mother’s Day is approaching and that means it is rhododendron time! We were recently up at Tsugawa’s Nursery (360-225-8750) in Woodland Washington and couldn’t help but notice the great color we found in their large selection of rhododendrons that they had on display. Brian Tsugawa walked Judy through some of the newer varieties and even a couple of old favorites. The first one we looked at was one that has been out for a couple of years, ‘Nancy Evans’. This one was a golden yellow with a blush of pink on the blooms. It was more pink when the blooms were tight and then opened up to become more yellow. Next we moved to ‘Honey Butter’. There is no ‘Boo boo’ if you plant this one in your garden. It has even more pink in the blooms and had slightly less yellow. Both of these two varieties like morning sun and afternoon shade. The next one, ‘Double Bessie’ can handle a little more sun. This one is a deep dark red. The next one was another old favorite, ‘Odee Wright’. This one was a white/yellow blend, but it looked a little creamier. We almost overlooked the next plant. This one is a new introduction of the past few years, ‘Seaview Sunset’. Bright yellow blooms with a tinge of rose coloring once it was in full bloom. Finally we saw the reddest rhododendron on the market, ‘Whitney’s Dwarf Red’. This is a true red bloom! It doesn’t fade and holds its color even in full sun.

The Hulda Klager Lilac Days 2013

The Hulda Klager Lilac Days 2013

We took the short trip up I-5 to Woodland Washington to check out the lilacs at the Hulda Klager Lilac Days (360-225-8996). The 2013 Lilac Days are one of the best in years. The warmer weekends this spring has blooms popping and they smell wonderful! They are just hitting their peak this weekend. Ruth met us once again to fill us in on what was new for this season. It is a great time to see some of the different varieties and what they might look like in your yard. She also gave us the simple tips for success in growing these beauties: Alkaline soil, good drainage and sun! Hulda hybridized many lilacs and became known as the ‘Lilac Lady’ in the Woodland area. She opened her garden to the public for an open house in the spring during the 20’s. She passed away in 1960. The Hulda Klager Lilac Society now runs the garden and opens it every year for this festival. They charge a small $2 fee during the festival. That, and the proceeds from the gift shop, keeps this garden going all year long. Take the time and visit it when you get a chance, it is spectacular!

Collier Lace Bug

Collier Lace Bug

One of the most recent pests to appear in the garden is the Azalea Lace Bug. This pest has become the #1 garden pest problem in our area according to Terrill Collier of Collier Arbor Care (503-72ARBOR). We have always had different types of lace bugs in our area, but this one is new and very devastating to your azaleas, and now to your rhododendrons as well. These ¼ inch long bugs suck the plant sap out of the leaves of your plants. It will make the leaves appear stippled with tiny white spots. You may also notice tiny black spots that are the bug feces on the under side of the leaf. The eggs over winter on the leaves and the nymphs and adults start to appear now to feed on the new growth. This damage to the leaves can stunt the growth of the plant, may cause leaf drop and will even kill a small or weak plant. Treatment can take 2 forms. The best way of killing them is to apply a systemic insecticide spray to the plant. This will be absorbed into the plant and will kill them when they feed. The other way is to use a combination of organic solutions that include soaps and oils. This organic method has to be applied multiple times and has to completely cover the plant, even under the leaves, to smother the eggs, nymphs and adults. Either way, you should be careful to read all the directions carefully if you want to tackle this problem yourself, or you can contact Collier Arbor Care. Terrill wants everyone to know that you don’t have to remove your plants, the problem can be treated and you can still enjoy the beautiful blooms of these great plants for years to come.

Drunken Botanist

Drunken Botanist

Who would have thought a trip to a bar in Portland, Oregon would be the starting point for one of the most popular garden books of the past few years? Amy Stewart, best selling author, was in Portland a couple of years ago and during a trip to a bar, got into a discussion about gins. She took a friend to a liquor store and while looking around the store realized that a large variety of spirits were based on plants in the garden! This led her to writing the book ‘The Drunken Botanist’. This book covers some of the origins of certain liquors and even some of the history of selected spirits. There are also recipes, which Amy has tried out in her kitchen (Tough Job!). She met with William at Cornell Farms in NW Portland to talk about the book, a couple her favorite stories from the book, and some of the featured plants in the new Drunken Botanist plant collection available at your local garden center. Some of these plants can be used to make cocktails and simple syrups that you can add to drinks to make you a ‘happier’ gardener. This book is one of those that will make you appreciate your garden even more and marvel at the ingenuity of man in his quest to enjoy alcohol! You can find the book and plants at independent garden centers and on-line at http://drunkenbotanist.com. You will also find some of her other great books at www.AmyStewart.com including ‘Wicked Bugs’ and ‘Wicked Plants’.

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake

Meyers Lemon Pudding Cake

In the Northwest it is hard to grow citrus, unless it is one of the hardier varieties like the Meyer Lemon. This lemon can thrive here with a little protection. It is also one of the most delicious of the lemons! That didn’t go unnoticed by Chef Michelle Vernier who is the pastry chef for all 3 of the Paley restaurants in town (Paley’s Place, the Imperial and the Portland Penny Diner). She came up with the Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake. This easy to make cake involves lots of Meyer Lemons, cream and milk, sugar, butter, eggs and flour. You start by creaming your butter and sugar. You add some lemon zest from the lemons into the mix to spread the flavor into the cake. Once this is all creamed together you add your egg yokes, lemon juice and your flour. Once this is blended you add your milk and cream. You then set that mixture aside and use your mixer to whip up your egg whites and some sugar until they leave foamy peaks. This is folded into the other mixture and then it is poured into small baking dishes (or one large pan) and baked at 350 degrees in a water bath for about 30 to 35 minutes.
 
Once they are done they can be flipped out and you will notice a pudding layer on the top of the cake. Then add a fruit compote or other topping and serve. It was wonderful!! You can try this on your own at home (Click here for the recipe) or better yet come down and see if it is still on the menu at the any of the restaurants. This recipe, since it is made with fresh ingredients may not be on the menu due to the season, but there is sure to be something else special from Chef Michelle to tempt your taste buds!

Amy Troute Picking Colors

Amy Troute Picking Colors

Picking the right color for a room can be a daunting task. The right color can be the key to a successful room design. Amy Troute from Amy Trout Inspired Interior Design (503-805-0811) walked Judy through some of the rules for picking colors at a house that she recently worked on redesigning. Mistake #1 in choosing a color getting overwhelmed with choices. She recommends that you pick a signature piece and then work off those colors. A big mistake is not taking the whole room into consideration during the process. There are a number of elements in a room that go into creating a ‘look’ and you need to look at all of them. That leads into mistake #2, don’t use small paint samples. Small paint chips can never give you the right impression of the final color. Paint a large piece of cardboard to give yourself a good visual of the color and how it will look. Mistake #3, don’t get frustrated and give up. Amy called this the ‘give up and go beige’ syndrome. But even choosing a neutral color like beige still can create a huge number of choices. Instead of getting frustrated at the paint store, you should look at a full range of colors and then pick out colors that you are drawn to. This means that you will start out with a group of colors that you already like. One other design tip… look at possibly using more than one color in a room. Paint different colors on different walls to make a statement. If even this seems tough you can always give Amy a call to walk you through it!
 

 
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