Well, we have reached the end of another season. Garden Time is a local, privately produced program and so we take the winter off every season to recharge our batteries. We have had a blast this year, bringing you new and timely garden news, tips and plants. We will return to the air on March 1, 2008. Don’t worry, you can still get your garden fix by coming to the Garden Time website every week. The site will be loaded with new stories, streaming videos and even a blog so you can read about William and Judy and exchange ideas with them about gardening. Hang in there and we will see you all soon!
Happy Holidays!
This week we featured...
Portland Nursery Christmas
A lot of people are out battling the masses for a few great shopping deals at some stores, but you can find great ideas for the gardener at all of your local independent garden centers, without all the crowds. We found one of the best places to shop at Portland Nursery. Both stores, Stark (503-231-5050) and Division (503-788-9000), have tons of great gifts and plants for the gardener. We visited Stark and found some wonderful garden gifts including calendars, books, tools and toys. Then we visited with Michael at the Division Street store and saw some of the great indoor plants that they have for sale. There were succulents, orchids and bonsai to choose from. Plus they also had some really unusual plants like pineapples! Stop by either Portland Nursery location to find that one of a kind gift for your favorite gardener.
Bauman Holidays
You don’t have to just keep your poinsettia in the foil wrapper during the holidays. Brian Bauman from Bauman’s Farm and Garden (503-792-3524) showed us how to use a pot of ‘Diamond Frost’ Euphorbia to dress up this holiday favorite. Then we also saw how you can trade out the center plant and replace it with other flowering plants to keep fresh for the whole winter. We also saw some of the great gift baskets that include some of the delicious jams, jellies and syrups from the fields of Bauman farms. If you want to send someone the taste of Oregon you can buy one or they can build one for you. Stop by this Saturday, the 24th, and you can enjoy their holiday open house with tons of holiday festivities to enjoy.
Christmas Tree Care
Thanksgiving weekend is the first big weekend for people to start getting their Christmas trees. Before you decorate your tree there are a few rules you need to follow to make sure it lasts through the season and into the New Year. Craig Lee from Lee Farms (503-638-1869, ) told us to always make a fresh cut on any tree you purchase from a tree lot. If you cut your own tree make sure you get it into some water as quickly as possible. Some other tips; use luke warm water the first time you water your tree, and add an aspirin and a couple drops of bleach to the water. Remember, if it runs out of water once, it will seal up and then it doesn’t matter how much water you add. Don’t let the tree run out of water and you will have a longer lasting green tree for your holidays.
We also saw the best Christmas tree stand ever built. The Davis stand has lots of features. It installs easily in less than a minute, fits any tree and makes straightening your tree a breeze. They will even apply yours when you buy your tree.
Cold Frames
Your tender plants can make it through the winter with a little help. We caught up with Michelle Moore from Solexx Greenhouses (800-825-1925) to see some of the items they have that will keep your plants happy and your wallet full. First, we saw a simple cold frame. Cold frames are un-heated structures that will keep the really cold air out and the frost off your plants. You can also add a heating coil to keep the roots warm and even start your seeds early next spring. They also have fabric plant covers, called ‘frost shield covers’ for your potted plants. Finally we saw a bell-shaped Garden Cloche. These are plastic covers that you can place over your plants and anchor down. Glass ones have helped gardeners extend their annual growing season for centuries and recently have been made out of plastic to make them more durable and affordable.
Fall and Winter Succulents
Most plants love the northwest and that includes some of the desert succulents. You may think they like the drier and warmer conditions of the desert but Burl Mostel of Rare Plant Research showed us a bunch of plants that can handle the cold and wet of our area. Some of the plants that he liked were agaves, aeoniums and echeverias. The types and varieties that he included were some Agaves (parryii, variegata, filifera, and geminiflora), a couple aeoniums (Salad Bowl and Swartkopt) and an echeveria hybrid. Some of these take a little protection and most like quick drainage, which means they want the water to drain fairly quickly. If you are interested in trying some of these plants you can check at your garden center or you can drop Burl an e-mail to get one or two.
Kindergarden – Birdseed Wreaths
Creating a decorative feeder for your feathered friends is not hard to do. We went to talk to Myra Lukens from the Backyard Bird Shop (503-635-2044) to see how easy it is to make a Birdseed Wreath. She picked up a wreath, some wire and a ribbon at a local craft store. Then bought some all-organic peanut butter at the grocery store, and added some NW mix seed from the Bird Shop. First she attached a piece of wire to hang the wreath from the tree and the decorative ribbon. She spread the peanut butter on the wreath and dipped it into the seed until the entire wreath was covered. Then you hang it outside. Make sure to place it close to your house so you can enjoy the birds when they come to feed!
