When you approach your grapes in the spring you may not know where to start. There are so many vines that it is hard to know where to make the cut. To learn some tricks of the trade we travelled to Dundee and stopped at Argyle Winery. There we met up with Allen Holstein who is the Vineyard Manager. His job is to take care of the vines and make sure they stay healthy so they can grow the perfect grapes for their delicious wines. Allen has thousands of grapes to cut during the late winter and early spring and he told us now is the perfect time to prune your grapes. To figure out how much to cut you also have to know how much you want to produce. In the vineyard they take the cuttings and weigh them. For every pound of cuttings you are to leave from 2 to 10 buds. This depends on how many grapes you want and how sweet you want them. For the home gardener it could be as simple as leaving 2 vines with 4-5 buds on them. These buds will grow new canes and those canes will grow your grapes. The key is to not be afraid of cutting. Cutting (pruning) is the key to success. If your vines start to bleed while you are cutting them, don’t worry, that’s normal. It is caused by the warming of the vines and they will seal up not long after you finish cutting. Also, Allen recommended that you put your vines in an area where you can control the water. Grapes will survive very nicely (once they are established) without a lot of supplemental watering. In fact the vines are not watered at all during the late summer unless there is a drought. This helps to create the sugars that make them so sweet. They also hold off on fertilizing the vines. The fertilizer would only create more foliage on the plant and that will limit the sunlight that can reach the fruit. Just follow these simple rules and you should have a great crop of grapes on your table this late summer and fall.

Ellen Egan has made a name for herself at GardenPalooza because of all the great colorful garden plants that she brings every year. This year is no different. We stopped by Egan Gardens (503-393-2131) to see what she was going to have today at GardenPalooza. First of all she has succulents for any garden condition. There are so many different varieties! Next she showed us the geraniums that she has (both the regular and the Martha Washington’s). These are great plants for the Northwest garden. They are cold tolerant which means they start early in the spring and grow all season long, well into fall. This year the neon colors are really popping in the garden. Sennettis, oxalis, begonias and other plants are starting to have new varieties introduced with lots of bright colors. Of course we could tell you more, but we would recommend that you come to GardenPalooza and see them for yourself.

If you are looking for unique seeds and plants for your summer garden, there is no other place like Nichols Garden Nursery (1-800-422-3985). Known as one of the best seed companies around, we stopped by to see what interesting seeds they would be bringing to GardenPalooza. We met with Rose Marie to go over some of the seeds she is recommending. Some of her selections will surprise you. The first thing she is putting in her own garden is an egg plant. This one is actually going into a container. She has found that the egg plants will perform better in a container! Other seeds she is planting in her garden this year include mustard, ghost peppers, and Geranium Kiss and Indigo Rose tomatoes. She will also have clover at her booth. But this is not the old garden clover that you are trying to get rid of in your garden. This is a micro clover which people are using to replace their lawns. Is stays short (less mowing), is drought tolerant (less water) and stays green for most of the year! This is just a small selection of the seeds and plants she will have at Fir Point Farms today. She will also have a treat for the kids. Every child that stops by will get a packet of free sunflower seeds! This is a must stop place on your GardenPalooza tour.

Brian Bauman would like you to stop by his booth and have a drink! Ok, so it may be a little do-it-yourself, but Bauman’s Farm and Garden (503-792-3524) is offering a unique way of bringing cocktails and gardening together. Brian, in addition to the great selection of plants he has, will also have copies of the book, The Drunken Botanist. This book by Amy Stewart is a runaway best seller! It tells you the history, culture and uses of garden botanicals in various drinks and liquors. They also have a series of plants that you can buy that corresponds to drinks and syrups in the book. Quite a unique pairing! He will also have some of the new ‘Under the Sea’ coleus. These coleus look like they were plucked from the ocean. He will also have herb gardens that you can hang on a wall! One of the special items he will have is….! Well, we were sworn to secrecy, but we can tell you it is a brand new plant that will be introduced at GardenPalooza. Stop by and get one of these ‘firsts’ for your garden.

Metal art in the garden is a ‘hot’ item this year and one of the best ‘artists’ will be back to GardenPalooza this year. After taking a couple of years off, Garden Gallery Iron Works (1-800-423-0158) will be back with a whole bunch of new items for adding structure to your garden! Don met us at their new retail location in Hubbard to show us some of the things that he will be bringing to the event. First of all, he had some very cute bird houses. These are not meant for your feathered friends, those are houses of the decorative kind. He will also have a collection of rusted metal items to choose from including trellises, arbors and plant stakes. The special things he will have for GardenPalooza only includes some ‘one of a kind’ items. They have gone through their warehouse and attic and found some cool garden structures and gifts. You have to come and see these items; it is first come, first served! He will also have some of their brand new garden portholes for you to see too. Stop by the booth to see some wonderful items.

If you are looking for fragrant plants, you have to stop by Ferguson’s Fragrant Nursery (503-476-7550) and talk to Dani and her staff. Ferguson’s is a long time participant in GardenPalooza and has always had a packed booth of colorful and fragrant plants. Dani is looking to knock your socks off once again with some wonderful plants. Some of the great plants she is bringing include the pieris, lemon lime Cyprus, osmanthus, daphne, jasmine, and lilacs among others. She will also have a great special on hellebores. Now, I know you are thinking that hellebores don’t have a lot of fragrance, but when you can get a great deal on these lovely plants, you will be enjoying the sweet smell of successful plant shopping! (Was that a stretch?) These hellebores are 2 for $20. What a deal! Stop by and enjoy some sweet savings on great plants!

One of the most unique nurseries in the Northwest is Dancing Oaks Nursery (503-838-6058) near Monmouth. They have some of the best plants in Oregon and you get a chance to shop their cool collection of plants at GardenPalooza without having to drive down the valley. We stopped by the nursery a week ago to see what Leonard would be bringing this year. One of the plants that you will find is a dwarf prunus plant. This one has some wonderful blooms right now and will also have great fall color. It is perfect for bonsai. Another great plant is the crown imperial fritillaria. These are huge (3 to 4 feet tall when mature) and have very distinctive orangey blooms. These are just a couple of the great plants you will find in his booth. Stop by and see wonderful varieties of poppy, lungwort, navelwort, epimedium, and the native ‘shooting stars’. If any of these seem interesting to you, then there is only one place to stop, Dancing Oaks at GardenPalooza.