Happy Fourth of July. The big holiday of summer is here and people are
getting out and enjoying the sun (finally). Most of the gardens are waking
up too and the veggie garden is showing some promise. You can still plant
veggies if you want to. With the heat returning you can also start looking
at your watering needs and how to take care of your plants when they need
water again. Enjoy the sun and have a safe holiday!
This week we featured...
Smith Berry Festival
It is time for the 8th Annual Berry Festival at Smith Berry Barn
(503-628-2172) on Scholls Ferry Road. On the 4th of July from 11am to 4pm, you can stop by
and enjoy fresh berry desserts, wine tasting, hot off the grill sausages and
hot dogs, and live music. This is a family friendly event with face
painting and balloons. You can also stop by the gift shop to pick up some
gourmet products and sample a fresh berry milkshake. Plus there will be a
'Berried' Treasure Hunt for the kids. You can also go out and do a little
u-picking of your favorite berries. Rich showed us some of the varieties
available right now in the fields. They have the final crop of strawberries,
2 varieties of raspberries, tayberries, and an early blueberry. They have
all of these ripe for the picking and you can take them home to remember
your day in the country!
Summer Hydrangeas
With all the cold and wet weather this past spring all the
plants in the garden seemed to be having problems. We decided to check in
with Kristin at Hydrangeas Plus to see what problems she noticed and how we
can take better care of our hydrangeas. First she showed us some of the
varieties that are looking great right now. The varieties that she showed
included Hydrangea macrophylla 'Brestenburg', Hydrangea serrata 'Blue
Billow' and the truly unique Hydrangea Macrophylla 'Sol'. These plants were
a little slower to bloom due to the cooler weather, but they were worth the
wait! Kristin then talked about the problems from the rainy weather. There
is yellowing of the leaves of some varieties. There is also black spot and
slugs. All of these can be treated and will not affect the long term health
of your plants. If you have questions about the health of your plants or if
you would like to add one of these wonderful plants to your landscape, give
Hydrangeas Plus a call.
Medicinal Plants
For centuries if you were sick you relied on the healing
properties of plants to help you get better. These days we have forgotten
about some of those plants and the benefits they can provide. We met with
Laura at Portland Nursery (503-231-5050) to check out some of the
plants that are commonly used in the landscape for their beauty but also
have a medicinal purpose as well. The first one she pulled out for us was
the Motherwort, used for uterine health, then Arnica which is used to treat
bruising. She then showed us Rue 'Jackmans Blue', which, in addition to its
lovely ornamental effect in the garden, can be used to aid digestion. The
Chinese have long used plants for medicinal purposes and we moved to the
Goji berry which is used as an overall health tonic since the berries are
loaded with antioxidants. Another Chinese herb is Dang-shen also used as an
overall health tonic and wellbeing. It is a relative of ginseng and is
prepared in many different ways for use. Lavender was next on the list and
this one is well known to most people. Its fragrance has a calming effect
on most people and it can also be used to promote the healing of scars.
Laura then moved to the Monarda (Bee-balm) which is an
antimicrobial and can help prevent the onset of colds if used in a tea with
Echinacea. The next plant was one that William tried just to see what it
would do. The Toothache plant (Spilanthes acmella) has a numbing effect
when eaten and can be used for toothaches and teething. William is able to
report that it works! It was hard for him to finish the story because his
mouth was so numb! We finished the story with Yarrow and Blueberries.
Yarrow is known as the 'Nosebleed plant' because it does slow and stop the
bleeding of minor cuts and blueberries are not only loaded with
antioxidants, it makes a great tonic for overall men's health. We recommend
that you don't start eating the flowers in your garden right away. Always
check with an expert herbalist before you start using the plants for
medicinal purposes. If you have questions, you can check with the experts
at Portland Nursery or with Laura at Mostly Medicinals.
Water and Bog Plants
If you have a water feature or pond you may have some beautiful
plants in it, but if you have a marshy area you may be looking for some
plants that will thrive in that area as well. We stopped by Hughes Water
Gardens (503-638-1709) to learn more about water and bog plants from the expert, Eamonn Hughes. First he covered a bunch of water plants. These plants
either live in the water or can handle lots of moisture without rotting.
These plants will help add character and depth to your pond and also create
a habitat for wildlife. Eamonn started with some low growing plants. These
will help soften the edges of your water feature. He showcased Golden
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia 'Aurea'), Corkscrew Rush (Juncus effusus
'Spirallis') and the Marsh Fern. Next we moved to the medium height plants
like Yerba Yerba, Sagittaria 'Silk Stockings' and the Purple Pickeralweed
(Pontaderia cordata). He then highlighted the taller water plants like
Cannas, Iris Ensada, the hibiscus and the Egyptian papyrus.
We then moved over to the bog type plants. These can handle
lots of moisture, but don't like to be immersed in water for extended
periods of time. Some of these plants included Rumex, Pitcher Plant (a
great fly catcher) and one of the buttercup family and even some lobelia.
As you can see there are lots of different plants that you can use in your
pond, bog or even the soggy places in your garden. To check out more you
can stop by Hughes Water Garden. Also, check out this month's Garden Time
On-line magazine to read the feature article on The Hughes Waterlily
Festival and Invitational Art Show.
Gartner's 4th of July
It is time to celebrate freedom! From all the work in the
garden and from the kitchen! Jerry from Gartner's Meats
(503-252-7801)
joined us once again to share some grilling tips for the up-coming 4th of
July. This time he brought us chicken breasts for a grilling treat. The 2
problems that people have with chicken is having too much pink in the middle
or having it turn out too dry. He solved that by having a small meat
thermometer at the grill. The breasts were marinated in a new vacuum
tumbler that forces marinate into the meat, then Jerry first got his grill
to around 325-350 degrees, then he cooked the chicken to a temperature of
165-170 degrees. It was delicious!! If you are looking for a quick and
easy meal to celebrate the holiday, check out all the choices at Gartner's!