SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 303 • November 2, 2013

VIDEO ARCHIVE

It is hard to believe that we are in November already! I hope your Halloween was fun, and dry. As we are getting towards the end of our 8th season (that’s right, we only have 4 more weeks) I look back on a great year. We had a wonderful spring and summer, and except for a few heavy showers, the fall was incredible too. It makes me excited for 2014. Now that the harvest festivals and Halloween are past, we look ahead to the winter and the fun holidays yet to come. But don’t forget to look for those sunny winter days and take a walk outside to enjoy your garden. There is still a lot to see!

This week we featured...

Indoor Plant Design

Indoor Plant Design

As we make our way indoors for the late fall and winter, we may be dreading the lack of plant material that we think we are leaving behind in our gardens. We stopped at Bedford Brown (503-227-7755) in North Portland to chat with Amy Troute from Amy Troute Inspired Interior Design (503-805-0811) where she talked about adding plants to your décor. Amy said that the one thing that she felt added a finishing touch to any room was a live plant. Plants can add a structural and textural element that you can’t get from anything else. Amy uses the taller plants to add height to a room since a lot of the design elements happen on a lower level where the furniture and tables are. Don’t forget the flowering plants either. Orchids are a plant for indoors. They have long lasting blooms and great structure. Just remember that they will eventually lose leaves and flowers. Simply use that as an excuse for changing the color or plant to match the season or your mood. If you are scared of live plants you can also look at fake or silk plants that maintain their look for years. We call them ‘permanent botanicals’ and they are so close to real plants you may find it hard to tell the difference. You can also push the limits with multicolored fake plants. The options are endless. If you need help for any design challenge you can call Amy or if you are looking for a great selection check out the plants at Bedford Brown.

Al’s Evening of Lights

Al’s Evening of Lights

The holidays are coming. That means it is time to decorate. Instead of using the same old decorations this year. Look to add a little excitement to your décor with some help from your outdoor garden. We met with Josh one of the design experts at Al’s Garden Center in Sherwood (503-726-1162). Josh recommended that you look to nature to help overcome the blahs in your holiday décor. He said to look for colorful branches, ornamental grass seed heads, pinecones and even bark and burlap to help spice up your Christmas tree or other decorations. If you need ideas they have over 20 different designer decorated Christmas tree to help with ideas. They also carry a lot of other holiday décor items and gifts.
Also, you can find all of these items at the up-coming Al’s Evening of Lights event. The event takes place at the Sherwood location on November 7th from 4-9pm, the Woodburn location on November 8th from 4-9pm and the Gresham location on November 9th from 4-8pm! This year they are celebrating the 65th anniversary of Al’s Garden Center with champagne. If that weren’t celebration enough they will also be introducing 2 new varieties of poinsettias, Orange Spice and Christmas Joy, to their over 50 varieties of ‘Grown by Al’s’ poinsettias. You can also sample wonderful ‘Ice Apples’ which only are available at Al’s. There is also 10% off everything in the store during the event. As you can see there is a lot to enjoy during the Evening of Lights and all holiday long!

Walnut Harvest

Walnut Harvest

Last year we showed you how they harvest hazelnuts in the Willamette Valley. This week we stopped by Log House Garden at Willow Lake (503-393-0732) to see them harvest walnuts. When you have a large operation you have to use the heavy equipment to get the job done. A sweeper pushes the nuts into a tidy little row, and then the harvester scoots along to pick them up. Next they are washed, sorted and dried. For the homeowner who has walnut trees, owner John Blake, gave us some other tips. Collect the nuts off the ground. If they are still in the green outer shell it may mean that they are empty. Clean them and then place them over a hot air vent. They are ready when the membrane inside the nut is hard and crispy. Do not put them in the oven to dry, this gets them too hot and it can ruin the meat. You may also notice the outside of some nuts are a little black and mushy. This is caused by the walnut husk fly and if you scrub off the mushy stuff the meat will still be good. If you are looking for locations where you can pick up local walnuts John gave us these 4 locations where you will find them.

Springbrook Hazelnut Farm – Newberg
503-538-4606

Loughridge Farms – Scholls
503-628-1286

Growers Outlet – Portland
503-256-3629

Joe’s Place – Vancouver
360-892-3974

If you have any questions about raising or harvesting walnuts you can always contact a grower through the numbers above or the OSU Extension agency website.

While John and his crew are busy in the fall with hazelnut and walnut harvesting, the rest of the year they have a wonderful venue for weddings. A few years ago they converted their retail nursery into an event center. They use their knowledge of plants to create an incredible space! If you are looking for a beautiful place for any summer event, check them out.

Art of Rain

Art of Rain

We can get a little tired of the rain in our area, but what if the rain helped become a work of art. We found a place that has made the movement of rain a joy to watch. Art of Rain (360-891-6540) is a local company in the Brush Prairie area north of Vancouver and is run by Vladimir Sumchenko and his son Max. They create incredible gutters and downspouts that make people excited to see rain. One of their most popular downspouts includes a water wheel that turns as it rains. It can also be hooked to a music box so it plays a tune while it rains! You can even change out the music box so it can play any tune. Imagine happy birthday or Christmas carols to greet your guests when they arrive during a shower. They can even hook up a small water hose so it can play even when it isn’t raining. Some other downspouts look like frogs, elephants, tulips, salmon and even horses.

They don’t just stop at downspouts, they made a lot of different hand-crafted items. They make fountains, wall pieces, fire place and range hoods, and even chimney toppers. All of this started when Vladimir was in his home in the Ukraine; he was a blacksmith and was asked to work on a church. He tackled the gutters and downspouts and they turned out so well he just kept going in that direction. We are glad he did. These pieces are incredible. Max has now joined his father and together they built a great business. If you are looking for something that will make your house stand apart or you want to add something to your home that is really special check out their website, you won’t be disappointed!
 

 
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