ARCHIVE

SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 151 • November 14, 2009

VIDEO ARCHIVE


I took a walk through the tomatoes and I think I’m ready to admit to the change in seasons.  The plants in the garden are done.  Even the volunteer peas that were remnants of the summer crop are slowing down their growth.  Did you know that it was almost a year ago that we had our first snow fall of the season?  Remember all that snow?  Now is the time to double check all your plants to make sure that they are ready for whatever nature has in store for them this winter.

We are only 2 weeks away from the last show of this season.  Remember to sign up for the free Garden Time On-line magazine so you can keep getting great gardening information during our hiatus.

This week we featured...

Indoor Tropical Plants

The change in seasons doesn’t mean that you have to give up gardening.  There are lots of options for gardening indoors!You can even stretch your ‘garden’ palette by trying tropicals inside during these winter months!  Alani joined us at the Division Street Portland Nursery (503-788-9000) to learn about all the different types of tropicals that you can choose from.  We first started with citrus.  You can grow lots of different types of citrus indoors including one of the most popular varieties, the Meyer Improved Lemon, which can fruit many times during the year.  There is also the Kaffir Lime and the Kumquat which make wonderful indoor plants.  One thing about citrus, it can lose some of its leaves during the change of seasons.  Some other fruiting plants include the Barbados cherry and the Lychee plant.  One of the most interesting plants is the Miracle plant.  If you eat the fruit of this plant everything you eat for about an hour after will taste sweet.  We then moved to the anthurium which is one the plants that we typically call ‘tropical’.  The flowers last for a long time and almost look like they are made of plastic.  Some other tropical flowers include orchids, Christmas cactus and the Bougainvillea. If you love to garden you need to check out all the options for growing indoors during the colder months of the year! 

Garland Centerpiece

The holidays are just around the corner and it is time to start thinking about your holiday decorating.  We stopped by Garland Nursery (1-800-296-6601) near Corvallis to get some tips how to build a centerpiece for your table from Crystal.   She had walked around the nursery and collected parts of plants that she could use in her creation.  She picked some noble fir, nandina leaves and berries, oak leaves, cedar and Douglas fir.  She also found holiday stuff around the gift shop that she was going to use.  First she soaked some ‘oasis’ florist foam in some water and secured it in a bowl.  She began working around the base of her foam and then worked her way up towards the top with smaller pieces of greenery, until she reached the top and the candle.  It is really easy and lots of fun to build your own centerpiece.  If you are interested in learning how to do this there are some events coming up at the nursery where you can learn this and many other crafty things.  On Thursday the 19th from 11-3, Garland will be hosting a ‘Girls Day Out’ with lots of activities including candy making and wine tasting.  Then, on the weekend of the 21-22 from 10-5 they will be having their annual Holiday Open House.  This is a great time to get some of your holiday shopping done with lots of great gifts to be found.  Plus they will have refreshments, prizes and another wine tasting.   If you are looking for some decorating tips and a fun way to kick off the holidays stop by Garland and check out these events.

Rose Hips

Now that the cold winds are blowing, your roses may be in need of some fall and winter care.  Cheryl of Heirloom Roses (503-538-1576) showed us how to clean up your roses now to keep them healthy through the winter.  She recommended that you cut your plants down to waist high AFTER the first frost.  You avoid making your cuts until then to prevent the plant from adding new growth. You also cut them back to avoid wind damage to the canes and to keep them from being blown over in the wind.  It is also recommended that you remove the leaves and throw them away (don’t compost them) to prevent disease next spring.  It is also a great time to check out the rose hips.  These are the colorful seed pods that you can easily find this time of year.  Cheryl took us inside the gift shop to show us some of the different arraignments that the staff put together to show us how many ways you can use rose hips for decorating.  Louise, Lezlie, Kathleen, and Shirley all put together wonderful displays.  It was amazing how many different types of rose hips there are out in the garden.  You can do the same thing with your roses in your garden.  For more ideas or some help in picking out a great rose check out our friends at Heirloom Roses.

Winter Containers

Nothing makes a better impression on your holiday guests than a beautiful entryway to your home!  Deby Barnhart from Cornell Farm (503-292-9895) designs some of the best decorative pots and containers in the state.  Deby uses some great combinations of plants in her designs and some even include bulbs to carry the color into spring.  We also talked to her about different structure plants in her containers.  A lot of people over look some of the flowering shrubs and conifers that you can use in your plantings.  She really liked some of the winter camellias that are just coming into bloom.  If you would like more ideas, check out Cornell Farm or your local independent garden center.

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!
 

 
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