SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 287 • June 29, 2013

VIDEO ARCHIVE


How is your summer so far? The heat has returned, again, and the garden is growing nicely. I have to admit I love grazing through the garden. We just finished cherries and right now we are still enjoying strawberries and peas. We have even had a few handfulls of raspberries! Yum! I can hardly wait for apples, pears and the tomatoes yet to come. If you have room for a vegetable garden I would recommend that you consider planting fruits in addition to your normal compliment of veggies. We don’t use any sprays on our fruit so we can just munch away as we are working in the garden. If you don’t have room for a garden, consider one of the farmers markets around the area. You probably know some of the best ones in the area from our show. You have Lee’s, Bauman’s, French Prairie Gardens, E.Z. Orchards and Smith Berry Barn. All of them have some great fruits and vegetables, and they also have great advice if you are looking for a good recipe or tips on preserving your fruit.

Some of you may have noticed that we are back to a half hour show. We had a great time bringing you a hour long program for the spring, but now we shorten the show for the summer… we will be back with an hour long program again in the fall.

Since this is the last show before the 4th of July we would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Independence Day!

This week we featured...

Weed Controls

Weed Controls

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’re 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. He also talked about Crossbow which will take care of the toughest weeds including blackberry bushes. 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. A more natural barrier can be achieved by using a layer of newspaper covered with garden mulch. 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.

Smith Berry Festival

Smith Berry Festival

There is lots of talk about organic and chemicals in the garden. It has a lot of people concerned especially concerning their fresh fruit. To get some questions answered we stopped by Smith Berry Barn (503-628-2172) on Scholls Ferry Road and talked with Joelle about what they do to their fruit. Joelle told us that Smith Berry Barn does not use any sprays on their berries. Some of the other farms in the area do spray for pest and diseases, but Joelle and her husband have decided not to do that. She told us that she feels better about the decision when families come out to the farm and are picking (and snacking) the fruit. They also do a couple of other things that make their fruit better. First, they train the plants so that the fruit hangs on the outside of the canes, that way you don’t scrape yourself up when you pick. They also watch the amount of water that they put on the plants. This means that you get a more concentrated flavor. We could definitely taste the difference! Joelle also talked about the warm spring and how the berries are a week or two ahead of schedule. Still, they have lots of new varieties that are ripe for the picking everyday and you can check their website for a daily update on what is ripe in the field. Take some home to remember your day in the country!

It is also time for the 11th Annual Berry Festival at Smith Berry Barn. On the 4th of July from noon to 4pm, you can stop by and enjoy fresh berry desserts, wine tasting from Provincial Vineyards, 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.

Unusual Summer Annuals

Unusual Summer Annuals

When people talk about summer color, almost everyone thinks about those popular summer annuals like impatiens and petunias, but there are other plants that will give you a garden full of color with unusual foliage and flowers. We just barely scratched the surface at Garden Fever (503-287-3200) when Lori pulled out some of her favorite unusual annuals. Lori loves big leaves and heavy textured foliage, so she started with the biggest plant on the table. This one was called Persicaria ‘Kiss me over the garden gate’. This one can get to 6 feet tall in one season. It is topped with pink flowers and it even comes in a variegated form as well. The next couple of plants worked really well together in the garden. The low growing Plectranthus ‘Purple Swedish Ivy’ with the Ptilotus – lamb’s tail ‘Joey’. The big pinkish plumes on Joey work really well with the dark textured foliage of the Swedish Ivy. Lori then pulled out another Plictranthus called ‘Nicholetta’ and this one had silvery leaves that grow out laterally and then they shoot up a purple bloom stalk. Most of these plants would work great in the ground including Amaranth ‘Polish Spirit’. This one also gets a very tall flower stalk which is a deep red color and combined with the cool leaves can really make a statement in the garden. Finally we looked at Limonium ‘Blue Sea Statice’. This is tiny plant that will grow into a wonderful addition to your garden with tall flower stalks that start a purple color and then turn into a rosy pink. If you are looking for something different in your garden, try some of these unique summer annuals.

OG Pet Friendly Garden

OG Pet Friendly Garden

It can be a constant struggle to have a pet and a nice garden. We found a new demonstration garden at the Oregon Garden (1-877-674-2733) in Silverton. Sarah Wilmes showed us their ‘pet friendly’ garden. It is meant to show people how to build a garden where pets and people can enjoy the outdoors together. The garden has signs that tell you how to protect delicate plants, create walkways, provide drinking water and places to rest for your pet. She also talked about the plant choices that you make in the garden. Make sure that you have pet safe plants by checking with the Oregon Garden where they also have an informational kiosk that has a list of poisonous plant material that can be harmful to your animal, or with the Oregon State Extension service. You can bring your pet to the garden and even let them take a dip in the pool! Check it out the next time you are at the Oregon Garden.

Trough and Fairy Gardens

Trough and Fairy Gardens

Creating small garden spaces is an on-going trend for gardeners. Small space gardens don’t have to be boring though. We stopped by Garland Nursery (541-753-6601) to get some ideas about small space gardens. First we met with Erica and she talked about trough gardens. They get their name for the trough like containers that they are built in, but they can refer to any small container garden. Erica told us that you are only limited by your own creativity. She talked about using succulents, but that you can also use small ground covers or even dwarf and miniature plants. The one major consideration is the type of soil you use. You want to use a light, well draining soil like cactus mix and not your normal garden soil. Another thing that she recommended was to broaden your color palette. Too many times we look at variations of green for our smaller gardens, but with all the plant material out there, you should really try something new.

Next we moved over to talk to Brenda about troll and fairy gardens. This is another hot trend in gardening. Here you try to build a tiny garden that would tract these mythical creatures (and their good luck) to your garden. Brenda told us a few things that fairies like in a garden. They like nature and natural surroundings. Pick an old tree stump or log and build their garden there. There is also a lot of lore that goes along with fairy garden and fairies. One thing we heard is that they like fuchsias because the fuchsias attract hummingbirds and fairies like to fly with hummingbirds. Check out a few on-line sources for more lore and legends about fairies. After you have done that, and picked out a place in your garden for them, then stop by Garland and take some time to pick out the right accessories to make them feel welcome in your garden. Plant a fairy or trough garden and bring some luck to your backyard!
 

 
main page this week

plant of the week

tip of the week tool shed how to gardens to see sponsors events calendar the happy spot
streaming video read our blog join our twitter e-mail us archive press relations links to other websites
 

Website design and content ©2006-2021 Gustin Creative Group.  Please send website inquiries to gustingroup@comcast.net.  This page last modified July 30, 2021.