SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 381 • November 7, 2015

VIDEO ARCHIVE

There is so much going on that it is hard to figure out what to do. Just this weekend alone we are wrapping up the Evening of Lights at Al’s in Gresham, visiting the Chestnut roast in Hood River and the Ninth Moon Floral Design Showcase at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland. All of these were mentioned in the show this weekend. Still there are so many more things going on. I know we are just done with Halloween and headed to Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it is only going to get busier from here! Watch our stories and pick an event to attend, they are all fun!

While you are out and about with all these festivals, don’t forget about your garden. We have a couple of stories about plants that you can add to your garden right now too.

Also, this week we started to get temps down to the mid-30s in the metro area. Time to start thinking about protecting those tender plants in your garden. For suggestions on what you should do stop by your local independent garden center.

 

This week we featured...
 

Winter Bird Care

 

Winter Bird Care

The change of the seasons signals a change for your local bird populations. Some of the non-migratory birds will be hanging around and may need a little help from you to survive the cold and wet of winter. We visited with Scott of Backyard Bird Shop (503-620-7454) to learn more about helping our feathered friends. We started with food. For insect feeders you can set out a suet cake. Use different types of suet to attract different types of insect feeders. For most suet feeding birds they love insects and if you see a suet block with seed it is generally used as a filler in the suet. For seed eating birds you can use a black oil sunflower seed. This is a good basic seed that provides calories for high energy birds. We checked out the already shelled seed. It is a tiny bit more than the whole seed product, but there is less mess. Once you have their food needs met, then you need to think about water. We then took a look at heaters to keep their water from freezing. You should also remember to put out fresh water whenever you can, since the birds prefer that over standing, dirty, water. The one bird that has special needs in the winter is the hummingbird. They use lots of calories and so their food needs are more critical than other birds. You can keep their nectar in the feeder fresh by changing it every week or so. You can find a simple recipe for making their nectar by getting the recipe at the Backyard Bird Shop website. Plus, they need to have a nice clean feeder so they don’t get sick over the winter. You can also welcome birds to your garden by incorporating different types of shrubs and trees. For a list of winter interest plants you can check with your local garden center. To learn more about attracting birds to your garden during the winter you can check with Backyard Bird Shop or The Audubon Society of Portland (http://www.audubonportland.org/).

 

Chestnut Festival

 

Chestnut Festival

‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire’… We have all heard the old holiday carol, but few of us have ever tasted a roasted chestnut, even though they grow in our area. A few years ago we heard about a chestnut farm near Hood River and we did a story up there, so we decided to pay a return visit and learn more about these traditional, but underused nuts. Bernardo is the owner of Nella Chestnut Farms (1-800-400-3658). Bernardo is Italian and his experiences with this nut have a deep rooted tradition. Even Judy, who is also Italian, has had chestnuts with her family for meals and snacks. Many cultures from Italian, to French to Asian, use this nut in their cooking. In Europe you can find vendors on the street corners during the fall, roasting these for shoppers. To harvest them you have to make sure that you are not using the Horse Chestnut (these can make you sick), the correct ones are like a big sharp, fuzzy looking pod. Once the pod falls from the tree you can step on the pod to have the nut pop out. Then take the biggest ones and cut them with an ‘x’ on the outside (to prevent them from bursting in the oven) and then roast them for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, you can then eat the yellow meat inside. You can even cook them in the microwave! There are lots of other ways to enjoy these naturally delicious nuts and you can find more recipes on the Nella Farms’ website. You can even order them on-line. Check them out this weekend for their annual Chestnut Roast at their farm in Hood River, taking place both Saturday and Sunday between noon and 4pm.

 

Winter Camellias
 

Winter Camellias

The winter months can be boring in the garden. There is not usually a lot of color to enjoy. One plant that will brighten up your garden in these dreary months is the camellia. The Sasanqua Camellias are a variety that blooms in the late fall and into winter, with wonderful color. The interesting thing about these plants is that they will tighten up when it gets cold and then when the sun comes out they will open up their blooms and even set new blooms! They are also a wonderful plant the rest of the year too, even when they’re not blooming. Brian at Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) in Woodland brought out a few of his favorites to share with us. The first one was the ‘Yuletide’. This one is an old favorite with its deep red petals and bright yellow center it is perfectly named for this time of year. There is a new variety of ‘Yuletide’ called ‘Pink-a-boo’ with the same bright yellow center and soft pink petals. These both will bloom through the holidays. The next variety was called ‘Kanjiro’ and it had a little larger petal and a touch of white in the pink coloring. It also had a freeform look to it. The petals didn’t look as formal as the Yuletide series. The final one we looked at had more of a double bloom along with a light pink bloom. This one was called ‘Showa-no-sakae’ and it didn’t even look like a camellia bloom when we first saw it.


These were just a few of the varieties that you will find at Tsugawa’s or your local independent garden center. If you are looking for some great late season, into winter, color you should check these out.

 

Mumvember/Ninth Moon Floral Design Showcase

 

Mumvember/Ninth Moon Floral Design Showcase

November is also Mumvember at Lan Su Chinese Garden (503-228-8131). The whole month is dedicated to the chrysanthemum and they are celebrated with a cut flower display, educational talks and even plants for sale. This year they are kicking off the celebration with their 2nd annual Ninth Moon Floral Design Showcase. 25 floral designers will be putting together outstanding displays featuring the chrysanthemum. There will be prizes for the top designers including a ‘peoples’ choice’ award where visitors get to vote for their favorite. Leanne Kesler, one of the co-founders of the event told Judy that these displays are over the top and viewing pictures of the entrees from last year… she’s right. If you want to see these great floral designs you have to come this weekend, the judging ends Sunday afternoon.

Mumvember doesn’t end there. One of the slogans for the Lan Su Chinese Garden is ‘never twice the same’ and a walk around the garden in November proves it! There are over 600 potted chrysanthemums on display in the garden. During the celebration you will learn about a lot of the lore surrounding mums. For over 2,000 years the Chinese have been growing and hybridizing these wonderful flowers. Did you know that the Chinese thought the chrysanthemum could give you long life. In fact there is one story of a lake in China that was surrounded by mums and if you were to drink the water from that lake it was supposed to give you 100 years of a happy and healthy life. That is why the Chinese would brew a tea made from the leaves of the plant and even made a rice wine with the leaves as well. They are also having special chrysanthemum speakers and events throughout the month. There is something planned for every Saturday, so don’t forget to check the schedule on their website for more details. There are also a lot of plants that are showing off in the garden right now so stop by and enjoy the garden as well as Mumvember!
Another reason to come early and see the flowers is because the garden will be closing on the 23rd of November. There will be some maintenance done to Lake Zither and the Tea House and they need some room to do that. Don’t worry, the garden will be opening again in late January just in time for the Chinese New Year. So hurry down and see the garden now!

 

Parr – Pipe Rack
 

Parr – Pipe Rack

As gardeners and home owners we are always looking for decorative ways to show and display items. Whether it is cookware or hanging plants, getting stuff up and out of the way is always a goal. We found a perfect way to do that at Parr Lumber (866-214-7277) in Albany. We built a galvanized pipe rack. We met with Chad, who walked us through the process. All you need is a few galvanized pipes and some screws. He started us with 2 flanges. These would be used to attach your rack to the wall or ceiling. Then 2 short pieces of pipe that were attached to a ‘T’ connector. Then one long pipe in the middle to build the rough frame. Chad also finished it out by adding small extensions to the ends to make it even longer. Because it is galvanized it will handle the weather well outside. He also recommended that you find a nice solid place to attach the frame to once you are finished. Always look for a stud in the wall so your pipe rack is secure. You can use these racks to hang pots, tools, plants or anything else that you want to get out of the way. For more great ideas like this, or the materials to do it yourself, you can stop by your local Parr Lumber!
 

 
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