Now this is more like it.  The weather is finally cooperating and allowing us more time to hang out in the garden.  Is it too late?  Some schools are already back in session and others are but a week away from opening their doors.  Still you can’t help but to enjoy this wonderful weather we are having.  I know that some of you are also still getting used to the fact that we are moving the show to KOIN Local 6 on the 12th of September.  To learn more about the ‘move’ you can check out the Garden Time Blog.  We are also starting up the Fusion home show again.  Be watching for that on KOIN Local 6 as well.

This week we featured...

Swan Island Dahlia Festival

WOW!  If you have never been to the dahlia festival you have missed one of the most spectacular shows of the summer.  40 acres of blooms greet you as you drive up.  But that is only part of it…  Nick Gitts from Swan Island Dahlias (800-410-6540) talked to us about the care and feeding of dahlias and how you can plant, grow and enjoy them either in your garden or as a cut flower in your home.  He then took us down into the shipping room to show us some of the huge variety of cut flowers that they ship all over the country.  Cut flowers have become a big part of the business in the last few years as people have come to love the colors and varieties of blooms.  Your chance to see some of these great blooms starts this weekend at the Swan Island Dahlia fields. If you stop by on August 29, 30, & 31 and September 5, 6, 7 (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) you will also get a chance to see over 15,000 blooms in 400 different cut flower arraignments.  You can also enjoy food, cut flowers and informational talks to help you grow dahlias like the experts.  And it is all free.  Take some time to head down to Canby (not Swan Island) for the annual dahlia festival.  Of course the fields will be in bloom and open from dawn til dusk until the end of September.

Grow for It

With the emphasis on growing our own fresh fruit and vegetables, greenhouse sales have been blooming.  The methods for growing your own stuff are good, but the people at Solexx/Greenhouse Catalog (800-825-1925) wanted to see if they could build a better system.  Michelle joined us to give us a sneak peek at their new ‘Grow for It’ system.  They have built a system that can feed a family of 4 all year long out of an 8x8 greenhouse.  First we started in the greenhouse where we saw how they use a system of aero-ponics to start and feed seedlings.  Then she showed us how you can move them into bigger containers and eventually move them outside to harvest them.  It works so well that in just one week they harvested 15 pounds of tomatoes alone!  To learn more about this system and how to build one of your own give them a call.

Re-blooming Iris

Irises are known for their great blooms and sweet smells.  They are also one of the first plants in the spring garden.  Steve Schreiner from Schreiner’s Iris Gardens (1-800-525-2367) took us to the shipping area to show us how you would receive your roots for planting.  You have to remember not to bury the root below ground.  Leave the top part of the root exposed so you can see the brown part of the root.  Mulch the root over the winter if you need to, but next spring you can uncover the root again. They ship some of these plants around the world, so they know what they are talking about!  He also told us about some varieties that are re-blooming right now, bringing you color 2 times a year!  These varieties are consistent, but not guaranteed to re-bloom, though some varieties are close to 100% re-bloomers for our area.  Re-blooming depends on different variables including weather, soil type, fertilization, and watering.  Some varieties that were featured included Sugar Blues, Cantina, Jennifer Rebecca, and Buckwheat.   If you are interested in these varieties or if you have any questions, give Schreiner’s a call.

Winterizing Containers

This past winter the extended snow and freezing temperatures really did some damage to our pots and containers on our deck!  When the weather warmed up we had pieces of containers all over or patio as the containers slowly fell apart.  To learn how we could avoid that in the future we stopped by Little Baja (503-432-8959) to get some expert advice from Wayne at the Tigard store.  The biggest problem with broken pots is water.  A lot of times the hole in the bottom of the container is plugged and it causes the pot to retain water, which expands when frozen and breaks the pot.  There are ways to avoid that.  First make sure you have a quality pot.  A lot of discount stores are carrying cheap, poorly made containers with bad materials and fillers.  Little Baja carries the best in containers.  Then you need to make sure that you have good drainage.  Use a plant stand or riser to keep the container off the deck or patio.  Also make sure that the hole at the bottom is clear and un-plugged.  We then moved to the statuary area where we learned about sealers.  Wayne recommends that you use a sealer on your fountains, statues, and birdbaths.  The one that they carry is safe and easy to use. This sealer helps keep water from penetrating into the cement where it can do some real damage and ruin your investment.  Little Baja also does maintenance of fountains and water features as well.  So if you have any questions, give them a call.

Garden Pot Recycling

If you are a gardener you probably have a stack of those black nursery pots hanging out in your potting shed or garage.  Instead of throwing those in the garbage can we found a business in Brooks Oregon that recycles all types of agricultural plastics.  Agri-plas (503-390-2381) collects plastics from various garden retailers and growers and recycles the plastic for other uses.  Some of the plastic ends up in other products like bender board and some is re-used in the manufacturing of new garden pots and containers.  They even deal in milk jugs, soft drink bottles and plastic sheeting.  If you would like to clean out your garage and help the environment at the same time check out this list of garden centers where you can drop off your old pots.

Kindergarden – Zucchini Flutes

Our Kindergarden segment this week has a musical ring to it.  We make flutes out of zucchini leaves.  Ray McNeilan, retired OSU Extension agent showed us how easy it is to do.  First you cut the leave at the base so you can see the inside.  Next you cut the leave off the stem and then make a straight cut through the solid part of the stem about ¾ of an inch long.  You can then just put the stem in your mouth and blow!  The tone can be adjusted by making the stem shorter. Use it fast, the leave will quit making noise after it wilts, which usually takes about a day!