Summer days bring us all out into the garden. It also makes us think about life in general, including William. Check out the Garden Time blog this week where William shares his thoughts about his garden. William, Judy and producer Jeff share their thoughts quite often. Take some time and get some behind the scenes views from all of us about gardening.
This week we featured...
Hughes Waterlily Festival and Invitational Art Show
It is time for the 6th annual Waterlily Festival and Invitational Art Show at Hughes Water Gardens (503-638-1709). Eamonn joined us to tell us about the festival that is happening from today until the 3rd of August. If you drop by you will see a huge assortment of waterlilies and other aquatic plants, seminars, tropical treats and guided tours. On July 31st, you can enjoy Bloom night and see the largest collection of the spectacular night-blooming Victoria Lilies. This year they are going to try and ‘trick’ the flowers into blooming earlier for everyone. Also at the nursery, over 30 regional artists will be exhibiting their art in the garden. It is a great way to see how art can enhance your garden or water feature. We had a chance to visit with Michael David Neilson, an artist who works with fabric and bamboo. He has incorporated some of the existing trees and plants into his designs. Stop by and check out the festivities!
Hot Lips Soda
If you are hooked on ordinary fountain soda we have one that will make you change your mind. We found a line of fruit sodas that are made locally that will knock your socks off. Hot Lips Pizza has always worked with local farmers to get the freshest products for their pizzas and they decided a couple of years ago that they wanted to create a fresh beverage and patronize local growers at the same time. David Yudkin joined us to tell us about Hot Lips Soda and how they came to bottle it for everyone. Hot Lips Soda (503-224-2069) only uses fresh locally grown berries and fruit. It is probably the only soda that contain pulp (and fiber), and drinking it is like eating fresh fruit. To learn where you can get some and for more information check out their website.
Dancing Oaks Festival
We paid a visit to a nursery that we had heard a lot about. Dancing Oaks (503-838-6058) is considered a ‘must see’ nursery if you are in the mid-Willamette Valley. Leonard, one of the owners, gave us a tour and we found out why! The nursery covers 7 acres and is full of display gardens and plants for purchase. We saw a couple of the plants that were looking good in the gardens. The first one was the Purple Appleberry (Billardiera longiflora). This is an evergreen vine that grows to about 15 feet. It starts its show in mid-spring with yellow flowers then ends up in mid-summer with tons of purple fruit. It’s a real showy plant. Next we saw the Sea Holly (Eryngium planum) which was in a bed combined with some other contrasting color plants. The Sea Holly really stands out with spiky, steel blue flowers. It has a sharp character that contrasts nicely with softer foliage plants. Finally we saw the Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia uvaria), also known as the Torch Lily, which is represented by many bright colors and not just the traditional red. It’s also a great nectar plant for many types of birds. If you would like to see the gardens, this Saturday is the perfect time to stop by. On July 26th the nursery will be hosting their 11th annual Summer Garden Festival. You can enjoy live music, fresh baked pies and a portion of all proceeds will benefit the local charter school. Stop by and enjoy the day.
Jan’s August Tips
It is the middle of August and we found Jan in her vegetable garden once again. We watched her harvest some of the radishes she planted a month ago with her grandson. She also told us that now is the time to cut back your June-bearing strawberries. You can cut them down and fertilize them so they can set fruit for next year. Also, if you are losing blooms off of your tomatoes or squash, that is normal and is caused by the temperature fluctuations earlier this summer. Then we saw Jan cut her newly harvested radishes into rosettes for a cold water bath. We also saw what sun scorch looked like on your berries and how one of her clematis plants made a miraculous recovery. If you are looking for more mid-summer information for your garden, check out the OSU extension website.
Pest Patrol - Wasp Problems
It is that time of year when the wasps start to make their way into our gardens (and picnics, and parties, etc.) We found a couple of nests in our yard so we thought we could share some information with you about dealing with them. First of all, if they are not in an area where there are a lot of people, you can just leave them alone. Wasps can be a beneficial insect if they are not bothering people. Unfortunately we found our 2 nests near populated areas, including a mailbox. Next identify the type of flying insect you are dealing with. If it is a honey bee colony you can get a bee-keeper to come and get them and they can soon be put to work in an orchard making honey! If it is a harmful pest, you can buy an insecticide and apply it yourself. Remember to ALWAYS read the label, it is the law! You will want to wait until dusk, that is when all the wasps return to the hive, and you can make sure you get them all. Get a product that has a stream sprayer, this will get you out of the area where the nest is. And finally, use protective clothing and don’t spray in a breeze. You want to make sure that you get the bugs that are causing a problem and not any helpful bugs… follow these simple rules and you can be stinger free this summer.
