When you are out planting your garden this spring, think about the summer and fall harvest season. Now is the time to look at what you would want on your table later this year and get it in the ground now. We stopped by Drake's 7 Dees (503-256-2223) and met with Lynn to see what she recommends. This year she is kicking off her ‘Garden to Grill’ series. This series of classes and seminars will help you take the bounty of your garden and bring it to your table. Today she showed us all the fruits and vegetables that you can plant now to build the perfect fruit salad later this year. She also showed us some of the edible flowers you can plant now that can add color and flavor to your special dishes. Finally we got a taste of a blueberry cobbler made with some of her harvest from last season that she had in her freezer. This cobbler was prepared in a Dutch oven on a grill and it was fantastic! You can attend one of these classes this weekend on Saturday at 11:00am or you can always check the events calendar on the Drake's website for the complete up-coming schedule.  The ingredients for the Dutch Oven Dish are here.

In the spring we are always looking for great color to supercharge our gardening energy. One of the most overlooked plants in the garden center is the ranunculus. Deby at Cornell Farm (503-292-9895) is a champion of this long-lived spring beauty. The ranunculus is a great plant for spring. It loves the cooler weather, it has fantastic color and it can last from March till June in a pot or a protected area in your garden. And you can’t beat the blooms, in fact; Deby heard that you can get over 90 blooms in the course of a couple of months. The ranunculus is a bulb and if you wanted to save the bulb, you could dig it up in late June or July and save it, but we recommend that you just treat it as an annual and get some new ones every year! Deby also showed us how she uses the ranunculus as centerpiece in a container. This prolific bloomer is a great eye catcher and is great in a container at your front door. The ranunculus makes a great cut flower for inside your home and it is easy to replace when it starts to fade in early summer. To learn more, check out your local independent garden center or stop by Cornell farm.

One of the kick-off events of the spring season is Gardenpalooza, and one of the most unique vendors at that event is Dancing Oaks Nursery (503-838-6058). To see what great plants they are planning to bring we stopped by the nursery near Monmouth and chatted with Leonard. Last year there were a couple of plants that Dancing Oaks brought that were the talk of the event. One of those will make a return appearance. The Frittilaria imperialus is a hard one to miss. This tall, early bloomer is a show stopper with a crown of orange flowers. He is also bringing the smaller, more common variety of the Frittilaria meleagris which is a great plant for a woodland setting or marshy area. We then saw the wonderful Oxalis adenophylla. When some people hear the word ‘oxalis’, they think of an invasive plant, but this one is a small and compact one that tends to grow slowly. It also has great colored foliage and flowers. If you are looking for great contrasting color the next plant is for you, the Polygala chamaebuxus ‘Kaminski’. This one likes morning sun and has outstanding pink and yellow flowers! Next we saw a Erythronuim (also known as Trout Lilies),’Pagoda’. This one has big bright lemon-yellow flowers. Finally we saw the newest ceonothus on the market, Tuxedo. This one has extremely dark foliage and pink (turning to white) flowers. It can really make a statement in your garden! Stop by the Dancing Oaks booth at Gardenpalooza and pick up one of these hard-to-find beauties!

With the push for bringing your garden to your dinner table why not bring your cooking herbs to your kitchen counter. Judy showed us how easy it is to plant a small container with a single variety and then keep it in your kitchen for use every day. Once you choose an herb that you like you will want to plant it in an organic soil (since you are using it for cooking) like Black Gold All Organic. Then you will want to keep it in a well lit area. If you don’t have a well-lit area you will need to have it in a windowsill for a couple of days every week. You can then move it next to your stove and snip off pieces as you need them. There is nothing like fresh herbs in your kitchen!

A couple of weeks ago we talked to Norm McCreight of Lilly Miller about getting rid of moss in your lawn. Today we chatted with Norm again to hear about the moss you find on your roof. Norm told us about a couple of products that Lilly Miller makes to take care of the problem. We found out that the moss on your roof is different than the stuff in your grass and it might not even be moss. Norm explained that algae may be your problem. Also, if you fail to remove the moss from the roof you may be looking at expensive repairs in the long run. The moss will get underneath the shingles and allow moisture to get into wood supports. He recommends using the new Moss Out products the have been reformulated to be much safer than the older roof products. There are also some citrus based products that will be safe for your pets. Treat the problems now and when the weather warms up it will get rid of your moss and algae for good!