Welcome to Garden Time - Season 16
 

Garden Time is Portland's #1 garden show, and is owned and produced by the same person who started the In the Garden TV show and the former garden show on Good Day Lifestyles on KPTV-12. It is our goal to give you the best gardening information in the Northwest.  We are a local show and we will always be a local show. What does that mean? It means we will stay topical and seasonal.  You will see what works in the Northwest, what you can plant here and how it will grow. It is information that will help make you a successful gardener.

Garden Time is owned and produced by Gustin Creative Group and is not affiliated with any television station or network. To advertise on "Garden Time" or have your business featured in a segment, please e-mail us at gustingroup@comcast.net.

 

Hosts Ryan Seely and
 Judy Alleruzzo

SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 588 • April 24, 2021

VIDEO ARCHIVE

COVID-19 AWARENESS: Please note that we are taking all necessary precautions to keep our on-air personalities, interviewees and crew safe during this challenging time. However, we do run repeat stories and segments that were shot last year, before social distancing practices were recommended by health officials. If you see our hosts standing close to someone, please be assured that the segment was shot before March of 2020. We thank you for your concern and your interest in Garden Time.

What a welcome break, as this weekend we are back to normal spring temperatures and those wonderful spring rains. It was wonderful to have such warm and wonderfully sunny days, but our plants took a beating. A couple of our plants actually got burned in the heat. Not a good thing! It was a nice reminder to get out and make sure that your plants are getting enough water, even with the return of the rains.

This spring has been busy! Especially at your local garden centers. I just received a note from Portland Nursery about when is the best time to shop. They tell people that their shipments of plants and supplies peak on Thursdays and Fridays. You can find the best selection during these weekdays and you can avoid those weekend crowds too. Check with your local garden center to see when they are fully restocked for your best selection. Plus, most garden centers have extended hours in the spring and early summer. Be sure to check their websites for current hours. Another tip, shop on rainy days at garden centers that have covered plant areas. You’re ready with all your plants and supplies when the sun comes out again.

Don’t forget that Mother’s Day is coming. Moms; start dropping hints if you need some more plants for your garden, or maybe you want to go for a brunch at a local farm!

This week we featured...

Plants for Small Gardens

Plants for Small Gardens

For those who have smaller gardens it may seem daunting to find the right plants that fit into those small garden spaces. If you do get a small plant it may soon outgrow its new home. To get some tips for understanding the meaning between dwarf, miniature and regular plants and to get some suggestions for plants we stopped by French Prairie Perennials (503-679-2871) in Aurora to talk with Rick Naylor. He also owns Visualscaping, a landscaping firm, and he told us that people always have questions about small space plants. He told us that when you are shopping, plant tags only give you part of the picture. If a tag says ‘plant reaches maturity in 10 years’ and gives a height it could be way off. Some plants are well into their growth cycle when you see them in the garden center. A 10 foot plant ‘at maturity’ may end up at 30 feet tall! We experienced that at our house when a ‘dwarf Cypress’ ended up at 25 feet over a couple decades. Plants will grow. The rate depends on the species of plant and the growing conditions. For example when something is listed as a miniature that means it will grow about 1-2 inches a year. A dwarf plant will grow between 3-6 inches a year. An intermediate, 6-12 inches and a large tree can grow 12 inches or more a year. The best thing to do when shopping is to check with your local garden center help desk to see if your new plant will grow too quickly or too much.

Having this primer we then looked at a few plants that he had for those smaller spaces. We started with a cypress, ‘Golden Pin Cushion’. This one has a golden green foliage in the summer and it gets more golden in the colder temps of winter. It is a dwarf and in a few years it will be a 1.5 feet wide and 2 feet tall, the actual ‘garden size’. The next plant was a miniature, a balsam fir named ‘Piccolo’. This one will get to 2 foot by 2 foot at its ‘garden size’. It gets a kind of blue foliage over the summer, but the new growth is a bright green. It looks like a tree with ornaments on it for about 6-8 weeks. The third plant was not a conifer, but a perennial. The Pieris ‘Cavatine’ is also a dwarf. It will get 2 by 3 feet in your garden. Is has tons of bell shaped flowers in the spring and can also reflower in the fall when temperatures drop. We then moved back to see a Japanese Yew called ‘Golden Dwarf’. This also has that bright yellow growth that will hold on a little longer than most until summer. It does go back to green in the winter, but that new growth is shockingly bright! This one only gets 2 feet tall, but it can spread to nearly 8 feet wide, but you can keep it pruned to maintain that smaller size. Rick also had an arborvitae to show us, but this isn’t your normal, huge, green arborvitae. ‘Autumn Moon’ get only 3 foot by 3 foot at its garden size, but it has so much more to offer. It can get a reddish orange in the winter months for a great show in your winter garden beds. The next plant was a tiny Hinoki Cypress called ‘Just Dandy’. This one stays a nice little ball shape and doesn’t require pruning or much care once it is established. The garden height of this one is a 1.5 feet by 2 feet. Nice for a large container too! The last plant was another perennial, Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’. This one gets a little big, but not too bad, at 3 foot by 4 foot at maturity. This evergreen has great foliage and even has a nice white flower in the late spring.

These are just a few of the great plants, both conifers and perennials, that they have at French Prairie Perennials. You can stop by, visit their incredible gift shop, buy a few plants and even sign up for their Visualscaping service. They are located in downtown Aurora, just minutes south of Portland.

4 Simple Trellises

4 Simple Trellises

If you are looking to add height to your garden you can buy something, or you can build a simple trellis yourself! Ryan and Judy walked us through the steps of building a couple of different ones. The first one was easy. Judy used a tomato cage, for something other than tomatoes, to help her climbing peas. She also planted the peas on the inside of the cages to protect them when she was going to weed. Then we saw a structure that was a folding trellis made from PVC pipe. We cut the pipe into various lengths to fit our garden size. This one had 3, ¾ inch pipes that were 3 feet long. These are for the two base pieces and the top. Then we cut 4 longer pieces (4 foot) these are for the sides. 6 elbows create the square and then we also had 2 tees. The top of the tee was a bigger size than the rest of the pipe. This will allow the folding of the trellis when the season is done. The finishing touch was the string. Last year we used a hemp string for the plants to climb on. This quickly broke down and that meant it didn’t work as well as we had hoped. This year we are using a cotton fiber string, which will give our trellis the strength to give our beans and other climbing plants a good strong base to grow on. Then Ryan showed us how to make a simple teepee of bamboo sticks. He tied them at the top and they made a quick and simple structure. The final one was a simple set-up of eyehooks that were screwed into the post on an arbor that we built a couple of years ago, but you could do this on a couple of fence posts if you want. Then we ran a heavy duty string through the hooks to make a structure for the plants to climb on. The string gives you support and you can cut it and tighten it as the season goes on and it stretches. Once the season is done you can cut it down and recycle it. Give one (or all of them) a try and see if you can get your gardening ‘off the ground’ this season.

Sebright Spring Plants

Sebright Spring Plants

We love to visit Sebright Gardens (503-463-9615). They not only have great plants, but their display gardens are really something to look at! It is a great place to get inspired with ideas for your own garden. They have so many great plants it is hard NOT to get inspired! We met with Kirk in the garden to see what they have that is looking great right now. We started on a signature perennial, the Dicentra or Bleeding Heart. This spring blooming plant has those signature heart shaped flowers that are irresistible. It is also great for a dry, shade area in the garden. Another plant for dry shade is the Solomon’s Seal. This plant can handle full sun to full shade and are just showing off right now with bell shaped flowers that are lightly fragrant. The next plant was the Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’. The incredible white/pinkish flower spikes tower over the bi-colored foliage. In the spring they are really showing off with those great blooms. Corydalis are an overlooked plant in the garden. Kirk had 2 to look at. The ‘Porcelain Blue’ was a taller plant with trumpet-like clusters of blooms. The light blue flowers seem to bloom all year long and they love those partial shade areas. The smaller ‘Blue Heron’ is also a great performer too! Sebright also has the Acanthus spinosus or Bear’s Breeches. This plant is a great foliage plant that has a wonderful bloom that shows up in late spring or early summer. Hostas are a signature plant for Sebright. They are one of the largest growers of hostas in the United States. We saw a couple of their hostas that are looking great right now. The first was ‘Eye Declare’ a showy bright yellow leafed one and ‘First Frost’ which had a wonderful green leaf edged in yellow. Sone of the unusual plants in their nursery are the selections of the Pacific Coast Iris. It is a native to our area, but some of the best newest varieties are coming from Australia. Kirk had ‘Selection #22’. This plant is so new that it doesn’t have a name yet! Even though they are from Australia they are great for our Northwest gardens too! Another overlooked plant in the spring garden is the epimedium. These plants have interesting foliage and wonderful, dainty little flowers. If you don’t have one in your garden, you should. They handle our summers well and then come out with this great floral display in the spring. A lot of people will cut back the foliage in the fall or winter to get a great show of flowers in the spring. The plant will grow back new foliage in the late spring. One variety that has wonderful foliage in addition to the blooms was ‘Creamcicle’. The foliage starts with pink tones and then fades to a white speckled look on the leaves. Another specialty of Sebright are ferns. They have over 100 different types of ferns in their garden. A couple of the ferns that are looking good right now are the ‘Sunset Fern’ and the ‘Eared Lady Fern’ The Sunset is almost orange in the garden and the Lady Fern has colorful red stems to compliment the cool foliage. Irises are also offered at the nursery, as one of the owners is also an owner for Mid-America Garden. They specialize in iris and dwarf bearded iris are a focus. Dwarf iris are one of the early bloomers in the mid-spring garden and they are great since they stay low and accent your other plants in the garden. They can even handle those sunny and dry spots in the garden. Fuchsia are also starting to bloom in the garden. The hardy fuchsia will not only survive in the garden they will come back year after year, and we don’t have to tell you how popular they are with hummingbirds and other pollinators.

Lawn Renovation

Lawn Renovation

If your lawn is looking a little thin, now is a good time to overseed. A survey a couple of years ago found that 64% of us think that our neighbors’ lawn looks better than our own. You can turn that around by using these tips from JB Instant Lawn. We met with Jon and he shared some great tips for overseeding your lawn (repairing some bare spots) or doing a complete reseeding. Tip 1: Get a quality grass seed. Look for 0 weed seed and a good mix that is made for our area. Tip 2: Check the needs of your turf. Do you need a new lawn or will an over seeding work better. Then, treat for moss and weeds in your lawn. Then use a de-thatcher to clean-up the dead moss and weeds, or remove the old turf and rototill if you are replacing your grass. Tip 3: Add lime to ‘sweeten’ your soil, our soils tend to be acidic and the lime will balance the pH so the seed will perform better. Then use a roller to flatten the surface and provide an area for better contact with the seed. Tips 4: Put down your seed. Pick the right seed for the amount of light your lawn will get. The sun varieties of seed will have a combination of rye grasses; the shade selections will contain a mix of rye and fescue. Once down, cover your seed with a fine layer of garden compost. Tip 5: Fertilize as needed. Too much fertilizer and you are wasting it, too little and the lawn becomes weak and that opens the door to more weeds and other turf problems. Tip 6: Pay attention to watering. Keep the seed moist until it germinates and starts to grow. Don’t let it dry out! Water in the mornings for the best results. Once your lawn is established, deep water once or twice a week to encourage root growth. And finally, tip 6: Watch your mower height. Mowing to the correct level and keeping it close to that level will encourage growth and will allow sunlight, water and nutrients to the whole plant. If you are looking for more tips, check the JB Instant Lawn website.

Backflow Devices

Backflow Devices

This week we wanted to give our viewers a little heads-up about their sprinkler systems. Christine Hollenbeck from the Regional Water Providers Consortium met us in a Portland neighborhood to fill us in on a key component of our watering systems that we should have checked annually. The main issue with in-ground irrigation systems is the correct installation and maintenance of the backflow device. This is a device that prevents irrigation water from flowing back into the water system that is used by everyone. For most homeowners there are 2 different systems that are used. The first device is usually located in a green irrigation box that is close to your water meter, in the ground. This is most likely near the street. The second device looks like it has a large black cap on top of it and it should be located above ground closer to your home. If you have an irrigation system and have not had these checked at least once a year, you should, just to make sure that they are in good working condition. It will help keep everyone’s water safe and clean! For more water saving tips you can check out the Regional Water Providers Consortium website at www.regionalh2o.org.

TOW – Deck Cleaning Tip

Deck Cleaning Tip

Our tip of the week is about cleaning a part of your deck to help preserve it. When you are cleaning off your deck for the summer, remember to clean in the cracks between the boards. Under your deck there are crossbeams that support your deck. They can get gunk and debris on them between your regular deck boards. Over time the debris can hold moisture and lead to rotted support beams. Take a plastic spatula or a fabric scrubber and clean those deck cracks to remove that debris. Avoid a metal tool, that can damage the wood. This little job will help preserve your deck and help prevent rot.

Backyard Hummingbirds

Backyard Hummingbirds

The spring is here and that means the return of the Rufous hummingbird to local gardens, but did you know that we have had the Anna’s hummingbird here all winter too? The Rufous are just returning to the area for the summer. To learn more about these birds and how to keep them in the garden we stopped by Backyard Bird Shop (503-445-2699) and talked to Amanda. First of all she recommended planting hummingbird friendly flowers and plants to partner with your regular feeders. She then showed us some of the feeders that they have in stock and how to use them so the birds can enjoy them all summer long. People also ask about food and how to make the syrup for their feeders. That is simple. You just use ½ cup of plain white sugar (nothing special) and 2 cups of water. You heat it on the stove to dissolve the sugar and then fill your feeders. No need to add dyes or anything else. The red color of the feeder will attract the birds. Another one of the questions we have had in the past is one that they get at the stores as well, ‘doesn’t having a feeder create a problem for the birds by getting them to rely on a non-native source of food?’ No, we found out that the hummingbirds use the feeder as only one of the sources for food. The birds usually have multiple sources for feeding and that includes flowers and small insects. They know better than to rely on one source of food, they are pretty smart that way! Speaking of insects. They have a new feeder for hummers. This one uses food scraps to make fruit flies. Hummingbirds love these little bugs and by placing this feeder in your yard you can possibly attract even more birds. Just don’t put it near your kitchen window! The key to happy hummingbirds is to keep their feeders clean. Remember to wash your feeders and give them a scrub to remove mold and bacteria. They even have special tools for that. Another way to help your birds is to provide a perch for them. The Backyard Bird Shop has little perches and swings you can use to give them a rest after they feed. Birds will sit on it near the feeder to protect their food source. It really works. If you love hummingbirds you have to stop by Backyard Bird Shop.

This year is a great time to stop by their stores. This year is their 30th anniversary and to celebrate they are showing their support to our local nature oriented non-profits. Each month a portion of their profits goes to nearly 20 different organizations! Support your local wildlife and those great non-profits by shopping at Backyard Bird Shop.

Spring Texture Plants

Spring Texture Plants

Spring may bring hope to the gardener, but most people think that spring is all about color. True, color is great, but if you are left wanting for color your hope could lie in texture. Texture in a plant will deliver for a longer time in the garden than color. We stopped by Out in the Garden Nursery (503-829-4141) to see Carol and to look at some of her favorite 'texture' plants. We started with Actaeas. These plants have a light and airy foliage in a few different colors that respond to the breeze all summer long. They bloom in the fall, but look great in the garden all summer. Then we saw a Tricyrtis. This has lime green foliage that will brighten any dark spot in your garden. This one will also give you a very interesting purple flower late in the season. Another bright foliage plant for the garden is an Aralia. We saw one called 'Sun King'. This one has a flower and fruit, though most people never see it. The foliage is what sells this plant. It gets pretty tall so find a nice big space in your shade garden for this one. We then moved to a 'fern look-alike', Aruncus. These stay lower in the garden and provide the fine texture that softens the edges to your garden. Alliums were next and they are a familiar plant for most people. They are related to the onion. These are closer to the chive family. They have a fleshier leaf and are stand out plants that also give you a delicate lavender flower in early summer.

Sedums are another winner for foliage in the garden. They also have thick and fleshy leaves. Most people think about these sedums, like Autumn Joy, in the late summer when they give you nice pink blooms, but the foliage is great in the garden all summer long. Another fern like plant is the Artemisia. This plant has the same 'fine' foliage, but it also gives you dainty little white flowers in the mid-summer. A favorite of Carol is the hardy Geranium. She had a few different varieties to choose from. The leaf texture is so different between different types, but all were beautiful and then you also get flowers too! Can't beat that! We were nearing the end of her selections with a Polemonium called 'Stairway to Heaven'. This plant had tiny little leaves that start out pink and then change to a white and green cream color, with light blue flowers in June. Our final plant was a drama queen, but well worth the performance! Ligularia, 'Britt Marie' has striking dark foliage that will wilt at the slightest hint of dryness. Still, this drama queen, will bounce back with a little water. The great foliage will be accented by wonderful yellow flower during the summer.

These are just a few of the foliage plants that will give your garden some interest even when there is no color! Stop by and see Carol at Out in the Garden and don't forget to wander her Oak Grove while you're there and pet the animals!

30 Seconds Cleaner

30 Seconds Cleaner

Spring is clean up time and sometimes the job is just too much! Every year we have been pulling out the power washer to clean the deck, gutters and sidewalks. It is a time consuming and messy job that takes the better part of a weekend. Half the time it still doesn’t look clean when we are done. Well, we recently found a product that will do the job and does it well! 30 Seconds Cleaner is a locally made outdoor cleaner and we met with one of the owners, James Collier. His home and production facilities are near Gresham where they make this great local product. James wife, Jill’s, parents came up with the formula in the '70s and it is the same safe, effective, cleaner today. James told us how to just spray it on a ‘green’ surface, lightly brush it in and in a couple of minutes just rinse it off to show a bright, clean surface. It tackles mold, mildew, lichens and algae on almost any surface in your yard. Pretty much everything we deal with in the Northwest. Patios, decks, brick, plastic chairs, pots, siding and containers; they are cleaned in just a few minutes. The best news is that it is safe around lawns, pets and plants. They have developed a couple other products but this was the original and we can see why it has remained so popular. One of those products is the ‘Spray and Walk Away’ product. That one works just as great, but doesn’t have the instant results as their signature product. It is easier to use even if it takes a little longer to take effect.

We have heard about other products on the market, but none of them come close to the safety and cleaning power of 30 Seconds Cleaners and your surfaces will stay cleaner longer too. If you are headed out to do some spring cleaning you have to use 30 Seconds Cleaner.
 

 
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