We’ve had a couple of weeks off, but don’t think that we have been putting our feet up. The Garden Time team has been busy preparing for the new season ahead. We are once again returning with a special Garden Time show from the Yard, Garden and Patio Show at the Convention Center. It will air on the morning of the February 16th at 9am on KPTV. We are also streaming our stories on a new website. We are now seen around the country on Lawn and Garden Webvision. Also, we have been busy taping new stories for the web viewers; check out our brand new stories this week.
Oh yeah! Don’t forget Garden Time, the #1 garden show in the northwest returns for season 3 on March 1st.
This week we featured...
Chinese New Year
We paid a visit to the Portland Classical Chinese Garden (503-228-8131) to preview the upcoming Chinese New Year. This is the year of the Rat, lunar year 4706. The rat is the first year in the Chinese zodiac. Gloria Lee told us about some of the planned events that are coming to the garden. The celebration is happening from February 7-10. Some of the events that are planned include lantern making, lion dances, story telling and the introduction of the 5 mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the stories behind their characters. The tea house will also be open with nice hot tea and special treats for all. We also visited with Bill Alley and Glin Varco, the garden horticulturalists. They have brought in a huge amount of plants for the special New Year plant sale. This sale will feature traditional New Year’s plants and also some specially designed pots made from surplus roof tiles from the garden. A unique and one of a kind planter for your deck or patio.
Winter Indoor Plants
The cold and wet weather may be keeping you out of the garden, but you can still enjoy wonderful unique plants indoors! We stopped by Portland Nursery on Division to see a few of the special plants they have for gardeners trapped indoors. We started with a very unusual plant, the pitcher plant. This one traps insects in its cup shaped pitchers and then absorbs the nutrients from the decomposing insect. Remember, the pitcher plant loves a nice warm and humid place to grow. Next was a Pineapple plant. This will grow an actual pineapple that you can eat though it may be smaller than the ones you find at the grocery store. Another tropic loving plant is the Vanilla Orchid. This plant has the ability to grow a vanilla type bean, but you really need to provide more heat and humidity than most homes have. Still it is a great house plant. Next was a beautiful color plant, the Rose Pine Cone. This plant has a wonderful multicolored bloom that has shades of pink, red and purple. Plus it blooms all year long! Finally we found the Chinese evergreen. This is a foliage plant with huge mottled leaves than is very easy to grow. If you are feeling like you need a plant boost during these dreary winter months, try some indoor plants!
Winter Seed Starting
It may seem a little early to start your new garden for the season, but there are some plants that you can give a little head start to now. We looked at some of the tools that you can use to get a successful start to your garden. Judy started by showing us how to start plants by using cuttings from your already established plants by using rooting hormone. William then showed us how to start seeds with planting trays, heating mats and a special seedling soil made by Black Gold. Most of your local garden centers have a big selection of seeds with more arriving everyday, and they also have great advice and tips for your best garden ever.
