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SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 135 • July 25, 2009

VIDEO ARCHIVE


The heat is still with us!  Can we even remember the cold days and snow of this past winter?  The heat can really slow you down.  I guess that is why they are called the ‘lazy days’ of summer.  Stay cool and drink lots of water.  If you need to do outdoor activities, try to do them in the morning.

This week we featured...

Garland Blueberry Festival

Lately one of the hottest fruit for the home garden has been the blueberry.  To celebrate the success of this incredible fruit Garland Nursery (1-800-296-6601) in Corvallis is having a Blueberry Festival.  The blueberry is a crowd pleaser.  It tastes great and is loaded with healthy anti-oxidants.  Plus there are so many varieties to choose from.  Lee Powell joined us to share some of his favorites.  He pulled out ‘Sunshine Blue’, ‘Blue Crop’, Chandler’, and ‘Rubel’ which all had interesting characters that would make them a favorite in any garden.  We also talked about the importance of watering during these hot days.  Lee also gave us tips about pruning and fertilizing, which can be done in late winter or early spring.  If you stop by the festival this weekend you can taste numerous varieties and pick your favorite.  There will also be seminars to show you how to grow them successfully with 10 percent off all blueberry related materials.  You might even want to try a taste of Blueberry-Cranberry wine.  Sounds like a great time for the whole family!

Weed Control

If you have weeds in your garden, and who doesn’t, you may be wondering what type of weed control you should use. William and Judy gave us a brief rundown of some of the most popular methods available and things to be aware of. William covered some of the chemical methods including Round-up, that kills weeds (and plants if you are not careful), to some of the pre-emergents like Preen and Casoron.  Pre-emergents are products that slow or stop the germination of seeds before they can sprout.  Judy then talked about some of the more natural methods like corn gluten which is a pre-emergent and landscape fabric which can be a barrier to weeds. Of course there is always the old fashioned way of using the old hoe! If you ever have any questions about what to use in your yard or garden, check with your local garden center.

Garden Hoes

One of the most popular tools in the garden is the hoe.  But we were amazed by the variety of different hoes that we found at Red Pig Tools (503-663-9404) in Boring, Oregon.  Bob Denman, the tool craftsman at Red Pig told us about the 3 types of hoes there are.  The first is a ‘push’ hoe.  This one cuts on a pushing motion.  The ‘draw’ hoe, which cuts on a pulling motion, is one that most people are familiar.  The one that Bob focused on was the ‘scuffle’ hoe.  This type of hoe cuts on both the push and the pull motion of the tool.  The scuffle hoe has many variations.  The ones that people may be familiar with include the ‘Winged Weeder’, the diamond hoe and the ‘Hula Hoe’.  Most of these tools can trace their heritage back to the earliest days of gardening and have had only slight modifications since then.  Bob has found lots of these different styles of hoes and now makes them for the new gardener.  If you want to see some unique and incredibly functional tools check out their website or stop by the store in Boring.    

Hughes Waterlily Festival and Invitational Art Show

It is time for the 7th 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 2nd 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 30th you can enjoy Bloom night and see the largest collection of the spectacular night-blooming Victoria Lilies in the northwest. Also at the nursery, nearly 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. Stop by and check out the festivities!

Sunburned Plants

The heat of the summer is really doing a number on some plants, but for some it is hard to diagnosis summer burn on their plants.  William took a tour of his garden to show us what the burn looked like on his plants.  If you see browning on the exposed part of the leaf, but the new growth is green and healthy, then it is most likely sunburn.  If you feel you need to get rid of it you can trim off the burned parts.  It is recommended that you don’t remove more than one-third of the plant.  If you are looking for preventative measures, keep an eye on the forecast and if you see a heat wave coming, try to water more frequently and more deeply.  If you have a plant that is constantly getting burned, then mark it and move it to a shadier place in your garden when the weather gets cooler.  If you have questions about sunburn and whether your plants have it or another disease, contact your local garden center.  Remember to bring a piece of the plant with you!

Hardy Orchids

Most people think that orchids are a hard plant to grow indoors and even harder to grow outdoors.  But here in the northwest we even have native orchids that are very easy to grow and are very forgiving.  Sean from Hana Farms (503-638-0985) in West Linn walked through a couple of the more interesting orchids he has at the nursery.  The first one was the very unique ‘Northern Marsh Orchid’ or Dactylorhiza purpurella with a tight grouping of blooms at the top of the stem.  We then saw two other natives called Stream Orchids or Epipactis gigantean.  These looked more like the orchid blooms we are familiar with except one had green foliage and the other had purple foliage.     Of course Sean also has a bunch of the Japanese hybrid, bietilla.  If you ever have any questions you can contact Sean and he will be more than happy to help you!

Little Baja Outdoor Fire Pits

Even though we are in the ‘summer’ season, there are nights where we still get a chill.  To take the chill off we stopped at Little Baja (503-432-8959) to look at the ‘Baja Chimney’, an outdoor fireplace for your deck or patio.  Wayne gave us a couple of tips for making your chimney last for years and years.  Always start your fire small and let the chimney slowly warm up.  Never use a metal poker, it can damage the clay and cause cracks.  When burning a fire, use a hard wood or pressed log.  This will minimize the ‘popping’ of softer woods, and never burn garbage in the chimney.  Finally make sure you keep all combustibles away from the area around your fire.  Little Baja will also help you in selecting a metal fire pit or instructions on how to create your own.  Stop by for instructions and tips.

 
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