OCTOBER!!! We can’t believe that time is moving so fast. Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago we were baking in the heat? Now, the sweaters are out and leaves are falling! October is also the time for fall festivals. It’s a great time to take the family out for a day of fun, we’re pretty sure there is one in your area. In fact, in the show today we preview one that is like a day at the races! It is also a time for digging, dividing and planting lots of different plants. Check out our story on peonies!

This weekend is also the Fall Home and Garden Show at the Expo Center. Check out our special half hour program from the show… it aired right after our regular program, but in case you missed it, the links are on this page! You can also stop by and see William and Judy at the show between 11am and 3pm on Saturday the 6th, they will be walking around the show and getting to know all of you!

So there is no reason for not getting out and doing something this weekend!

This week we featured...

Fall Lavenders

We usually think of lavenders as a mid-summer bloomer. The annual lavender show covers the last weeks of June and up to the end of July, but a quick trip to Barn Owl Nursery (503-638-0387) taught us how these plants can shine much longer than that! We met with Chris and she showed us her lavender, some of which were in bloom again, and shared some that she would recommend for the fall garden. To get the re-blooming on her plants she did a cutting back in the middle of summer. This type of cutting she is also recommending right now for your lavenders at home. This cutting back of the new growth from this past season will keep the plants short and prevent them from falling over, flopping, and getting bald spots in the middle. Lavender can take this kind of pruning and bounce back nicely.

She also brought out a bunch of plants that she would recommend for the local gardener. Some of these are great for fragrance, or silver foliage color (wonderful in the winter), or for culinary uses. Some of the great varieties she featured were Ana Luisa, Pastor’s Pride, Opal Rain (with pinkish, white flowers), Peter Pan, London Blue, Forever Blue, Mitcham Grey, and Rebecca Kay. If you are considering planting these right now you should prepare the planting hole well. That means a good transplant fertilizer, plenty of water and some good mulch mixed into the hole. You will want to make sure that the plant will have good drainage and planted up to the crown and not buried deep. If you would like to learn more about lavenders you can check out the Barn Owl Nursery website. While there you can schedule an appointment to shop or visit since the nursery is closed for the season and only open by appointment.

French Prairie Harvest Fest

Fall is a fun time on the family farm and this is especially true at French Prairie Gardens (503-633-8445). October is full of fun events and family friendly affairs. We stopped by to get the low-down on what they had coming up in the next few weeks. First of all Stacy told us about the big month of October. They have a ton of stuff planned like their Pigtucky Derby pig races, corn maze, slides, the obstacle course and pig barrel train rides. They also still are loaded with plants for your garden and plenty of cool and unique pumpkins and gourds for your fall decorating. There is stuff to do every day, but they really open things up on the weekends! Check out their website for all the details. As you can see there are plenty of things to do at French Prairie Gardens!

Portland Ashwagandha Farm

For an herb that has been around for centuries, the Garden Time crew had barely heard of Ashwagandha. Jeff Johnson from the Portland Ashwagandha Farm (503-998-7397) has heard that a lot! This medicinal herb is known as the queen of herbs, and is also called ‘Indian Ginseng’, and has properties that people say help promote calming and restful sleep. Used for centuries it is also said to create a rejuvenating effect and restore energy too. This herb is also credited with ending seizures and dealing with numerous other ailments. The name Ashwagandha is from the Sanskrit language and is a combination of the word ashva, meaning horse, and gandha, meaning smell. The root has a strong aroma that is described as "horse-like." This plant is easy to grow, but harvesting the plant is tough. The root system is extensive and has to be harvested carefully so there is no damage to the roots since they are used for the medicine. The easiest way to find this root and see if it might work for you is to go to the Beaverton Farmers Market and look for the Portland Ashwagandha Farm booth or check out their website for other markets and locations they frequent.

Fall Décor and Soles 4 Souls

Getting your front door ready for fall and Thanksgiving is not a problem, all you need are a few items and your decorating will be done in a flash! To see how easy it can be we stopped by the Bigej house. The Bigej family are the ones behind Al’s Garden and Home (503-981-1245) and Rachel is the latest generation to work for the family business. She showed us how you can use a few corn stalks, some small pumpkins and gourds, and a mum or two to decorate your front porch. If you are looking for tips to make it easy, all the Al’s locations have a holiday starter kit that has everything you need to decorate!

While we were there Rachel also told us about a charity that she is involved in called Soles4Souls (https://soles4souls.org). The program accepts new or lightly used footwear and then distributes them to needy areas around the world. During the month of October you can drop off your donation of shoes at any of the 4 Al’s locations. So stop by your local Al’s, help some people in need and get your front porch ready for the holidays at the same time.

Dividing Peonies

Fall is the time for planting. It is also the time to dig and divide your favorite perennials. This week William visited the experts at Adelman Peony Gardens (503-393-6185) to learn how to dig and divide peonies. Carol Adelman showed us how easy it is to do. She even told us that you don’t need to divide your plants as you would with other perennials. These plants don’t get overgrown or choke themselves if they get too large. Still you can use this technique to get extra plants for your friends and neighbors. The keys to success are to make sure you dig a large root, make sure your divisions include an ‘eye’ and to build a good planting area for your new root with a quality bulb fertilizer and a little lime. Carol even showed us how the rules remain the same for different styles of peonies. If you have questions about peonies or you are interested in purchasing one, you can contact them at the gardens.

The Portland Home and Garden Show Special Watch the entire show here, available until Friday, October 13th! What's Happening at the Fall Home Show We talked with Stephanie of the Home Builders Association about the Portland Fall Home and Garden Show and a little bit about the HBA. The show doors open at 11am on Saturday and Sunday. Closing at 8pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday. The admission is $10 with kids 12 and under free. The HBA which is a group of representative businesses in the home industry that promotes integrity in the building trades, while protecting and advancing the building industry. These are your local businesses, owned and operated by your friends and neighbors. Last year they were approached about taking over the whole show and they jumped at the chance. They are striving to make it a bigger and better show. Stop by and check it out! Cutting Edge Contracting We stopped by Cutting Edge Contracting to talk to them about the ‘fun’ and the ‘serious’ sides of home projects. First Brandon talked about adding decks, patios and other entertaining areas to your home. They can walk you through the process and make sure the job is done right. Then we moved over for a serious talk about weatherization with Sean. This is something that they do with all their projects. If they do any work on your home they make sure that only the best materials and practices are used. Winterization is just one of the things they address. If you are concerned about money leaking out of your home, give them a call or come and see them at booth 340. Lifetime Exteriors Have you noticed little things wrong with your home? New or old sometimes things happen and the elements can cause damage. That is where Lifetime Exteriors can help. Kris told us how a little water can get in those tiny cracks in your home and do some real damage. They are experts at doing those repairs, and if you have a newer home, they can help you possibly recoup some of those costs through the original builder or insurance. Of course they do a lot of other great work in home improvement and construction. Check them out at booth 432. N & M Herb Nursery We love Rosie at N & M Herb Nursery and her plants. We were drawn to those plants when we walked on the floor of the show. She showed us the Hummingbird Buffet that they had set up in the area. These are plants that will drive the hummingbirds crazy! We also check out her great selection of fall plants to brighten up your garden beds or containers. She has all these great plants in booth 765.   Pacific Hot Tub Solutions We found the ‘Fountain of Youth’ and it wasn’t in Florida, but right here at the Fall Show! Pacific Hot Tub Solutions has it in booth 561! Actually the fountain of youth is a special tub that, through technology, can help cleanse and relax you at the same time. Specially designed jets help to clean your pores and tighten your skin, making you feel clean and rejuvenated! PHTS carries this Cal Spas tub and the entire Cal Spas line, because they started their business as a repair company. They worked on all the big brands and Cal Spas was the best. You can stop by and see why these spas are the best too! Rainbow System Is your house clean? I mean REALLY clean? Probably not! The reason we know this is that we were introduced to the Rainbow Cleaning System Boris showed William how this system, using clean water as a filter, can out clean anything out there. It is so good at cleaning that you will probably get noticeably healthier, because it takes the dirt out of your carpet and doesn’t project it back out into the air of your home. Don’t believe us? Stop by booth 117 to see for yourself.   Farmington Gardens - Kinderhaus A great addition to the show for the fall is the Kinderhaus area sponsored by Farmington Gardens. Kelsey showed us how kids can have fun by doing beanbag games and also drawing and coloring their own pumpkin. While the kids are busy, their parents can get all the gardening questions answered at the Farmington booth.