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William McClenathan

 Episode 47
 May 26,
 2007

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Judy Alleruzzo


Welcome to the Memorial Day Weekend.  This is the unofficial kick-off weekend to the summer.  That means it is time to get out and enjoy the weather, your friends and your garden. 

This week we featured...

Brooks Gardens

On the road during the spring, exit 263 off of I-5 near Keizer is one of the great places to be.  There are a number of great nurseries and gardens that are open and full of blooms.  We visited one of them when we paid a visit to Brooks Gardens (503-856-8831).  Brooks Gardens is a peony, iris and conifer garden that has acres of display gardens you can wander.  The huge display gardens cover 16 acres and feature over 200 varieties of peonies, including tree peonies, plus Siberian iris and collection of 1000 historic bearded iris.  They are east of the 263 exit and have cut flowers and potted plants for sale, just follow the signs.

Hot Summer Plants

Now that the flush of spring blooms are done you may be looking for a garden that has interest for an entire season.  We dropped by Portland Nursery (503-231-5050) to find some plants that will last through the summer and into the fall. Margie McDonald pulled some of her favorites from the shelves for us to look at.  Some of the plants she was excited about included the Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister’, Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’, the huge assortment of Gerbera Daisy’s, the various sun and shade coleus and the Grecian Plant – Acanthus mollus ‘Oak Leaf’.  All of these plants will offer great color, interesting textures and full season interest.  Check out these and all the other full season plants at your local garden centers.

Stacked Pots

Are you ‘space challenged’ when it comes to your patio or deck?  Instead of spreading out your planters, consider going up!  Donna Wright of Black Gold showed us how to stack your pots to add height to your plantings.  We used smaller pots on top of larger pots and built layers of 3.  We showed you how to build one with color, but you can also make one filler with herbs to keep outside on your deck to use whenever you are cooking.  We also used the Black Gold Coco Blend potting soil.  The Coco Blend contains coconut fiber that helps retain water so you water less often.

AMS – Soil Amendment

Drainage issues seem to be the main trouble with lawns here in the northwest. David Curtis from AMS showed us a new process that gets drainage problems for good.  AMS has a product called Axis that is a dry diatomaceous earth that is injected into your soil to change its structure.  It not only helps with your drainage problems, it can give you a healthier lawn and garden, and save you a bunch of money on watering.  If you are interested to having AMS come to look at your lawn you can contact them on the web or call 866-546-3722.

Cat Solutions

We all love our feline friends except when they are in our gardens where they shouldn’t be.  Judy showed you various solutions to the problem including the Scarecrow motion sensitive sprinkler, Cat stop, Repel Dog and Cat repellent, lavender sprigs, plastic forks, pointed stakes or bird netting.  We all love our pets and we want them to enjoy the outdoors with us, but we also have a need to protect the plants we love.  If you are having problems with any of your pets, check with your local garden center for safe ideas to set those boundaries. 

Memorial Day Grilling

You have spent all spring getting your garden ready for summer, now it is time to set up the grill, have a cold drink and relax.  Memorial Day is here and to get us ready to grill we dropped by to see Jerry Yost from Gartner’s Meats (503-252-7801).  Everyone seems to grill hamburgers and hotdogs during the summer.  Jerry showed us how easy it is to impress people by trying something different, short-ribs.  These ribs are the most popular item that Gartner’s sells during the summer holidays.  In less than 10 minutes you can have a real mouth-watering treat, and a great start to the summer grilling season!

Lawn Grips

Sometimes working in the garden can really do a number on your shoes.  It is important to project your feet and feel safe about getting around the garden too.  We found a garden shoe that was developed locally and is perfect for those wet, soggy days in the garden.  It is called the ‘Lawn Grips’ shoe. It has a one piece sole that provides great traction on freshly cut grass while easily shedding mud and clippings.   It also has a protective steel toe that keeps your toes safe and the double-stitched, leather upper helps keep your feet dry.  You can find them at selected garden centers and Parr Lumber outlets including the Parr Lumber in Hillsboro (503-531-7277, ) and on-line at www.lawngrips.com.  

Backflow Device

If you are putting in a sprinkler system this spring or summer, we will show you a ‘must-have’ piece of equipment for your system.  It is a backflow device and it prevents your irrigation water from flowing back into the main water supply.  If you have questions or need help installing one, contact Custom Sprinklers (503-245-9711).
 

 
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