The heat has broken but we still have most of the summer still ahead of us.  This week take some time to walk through your gardens and check the condition of your plants, trees and shrubs.  You will see the plants that are hurting and areas that may need more water or shade.  Take time now to deal with those issues and you will have a healthier and happier garden when the heat returns. 

This week we featured...

Hughes 4^th Annual Waterlily and Invitational Art Festival

In the 4 short years that Hughes Water Gardens (503-638-1709) has had their Annual Waterlily and Invitational Art Festival it has become the must-see event of the summer.  Over the next 9 days you can see over 30 artists displaying art with a garden flair.  We met with one of them when we were visiting.  Loma Smith is known for her beautiful photographs.  She has some great shots of the lilies.  While you wander the gardens looking at the art work you can head toward the waterlilies.  Over 60 varieties of waterlilies will be on display including the famous Victoria Waterlilies.  These giants have pads that can support a small child and have wonderfully fragrant blooms that open up only at night.  You get your chance to see these blooms on a special bloom night happening August 3^rd.   There is also a special Kid’s day scheduled for Saturday the 5^th.  Stop by anytime before the 6^th of August.   There are fun events planned everyday!

Bauman Summer Vegetables

Summer is finally here and that means the fresh vegetables are in your local farmer’s markets and stores, and we found a ton of them at Bauman’s Farm and Gardens (503-792-3524).  You may think it is too early for tasty sweet corn, but we found bushels of it at Bauman’s.  Brian Bauman took us on a tour of the fields and explained how they start the seed in the green house and then protect it until it starts producing in early July, a month sooner than anyone else.  We also visited the store and saw the huge variety of vegetables they grow on the farm.  They have 5 or 6 different types of lettuce, spinach, cabbage, onions and 3 types of cauliflower (including a purple type).  They are just starting to pick peaches too!  Enjoy the best part of living in the Pacific Northwest; pick up some farm fresh produce (or a fresh baked pie!).

Street of Dreams Landscape

The cost of a dream is cheap: only $15!  That is the cost for an adult to visit the NW Natural Street of Dreams at Hidden Lake Estates in Clackamas County.  This year the tour features 6 homes that include everything you would ever want in a home and more!  We visited the most expensive home on the tour, the Pietra Mar.  This home has over 5 acres of land with 1.5 acres of it landscaped.  We met up with Rich Grow from Grow-Rite Landscaping (503-972-1738) to find out what goes into these landscapes.  He told us that they dealt with the same problems the average homeowner faces: Soil conditions, slopes, sun exposure, and proper watering.  The only thing different is the scale.  He told us that anyone can learn something by looking at the landscape.  Plus you can easily duplicate pieces of the landscape you like!   His company supplies a plant list at the show and almost all of their plants came from local independent nurseries or garden centers like Al’s Garden Center and Cistus Design Nursery.  Stop by the tour and find an idea that you can take home.  The show runs until the 27^th of August.

Emanuel Children’s Hospital Garden

Healing can take many forms.  When you are sick there are many ways of speeding the healing.  We found a healing garden at Emanuel Hospital in North Portland.  Teresia Hazen is the Horticultural Therapist in charge of the garden and the one behind the growing number of therapy gardens at the Legacy Hospitals in Portland.   She took us on a tour of the children’s garden at the hospital.  This garden is spectacular, with a huge number of plants for plant lovers and just enough fun to keep the kids excited!  From the yellow brick road and the tin man, to the fountain and small pieces of artwork, there is something new around every corner.  This garden is used by patients, family, friends and staff to relax and renew.  The garden is open to the public and we encourage you to pay a visit or become a volunteer (503-413-7012) and help the healing grow.

Youngblood’s Summer Favorites

The Willamette Valley is home to many wholesale growers.  We stopped by one of the best local wholesale growers, Youngblood’s Nursery (503-390-8619), to see what is hot for the summer garden.  Daniel Unck pulled 8 of his favorites from the greenhouses to show us which plants are showing off right now!  Some of the names are old favorites, but the varieties are brand new!  We saw Escallonia ‘Red Dream’, Spiraea ‘Candle Light’, Daphne ‘Wilhelm Schacht’, Ginger ‘Tara’, Barberry ‘Ace’, Gardenia ‘Kleim’s Hardy’, Dichroa febrifuga, and the miniature Elm ‘Hokkaido’.  Youngblood’s is a wholesale nursery that grows and sells plants to local independent nurseries and garden centers around the northwest.  If you like any of these plants you can contact Youngblood’s to find a nursery near you or pay a visit to your local garden center!