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 earlier this 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.

Yeah, yeah, I know… I told everyone last week was our final show for 2020, but we still had a few stories that we didn’t have time to share. So here is a bonus, internet only, program for you to enjoy. It is close to a regular half hour, so grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine, depending on the time) and enjoy.

These off-season shows and stories are not going to be updated every week, so follow us on Facebook for more frequent tips and updates.

This week we featured...

Winter Garden Protection Tips

The winter winds are blowing! Actually, if you are a gardener, the winds are only part of the problem. Winter could also bring snow and ice too. Here are a few tips to help you and your garden survive the upcoming weather.

First, your plants in your garden beds. You can rake your leaves into the beds to create a layer of protection for your tender perennials, or have some mulch brought in from a quality company like Grimms Fuel. If you have a larger plant you can use an old shower curtain or a piece of plastic. Use something that will let light pass through it so your plants can continue to grow and get some sunlight. Don’t use a blanket or towels. These retain moisture and block the warming sunlight, and can create more problems for your plants.

Then check the plants on your back deck or patio. If you have containers, move them up to the side of your house. The siding of your home will block the cold winds and the retained heat of the house, especially on the south facing side, will help them beat those chilly mornings. Remember that plants that are under your eaves will not get as much natural rainwater as your other plants and may need a drink or two over the winter months to stay healthy. A well-watered plant will be healthier and will be able to survive the extreme temps better.

Next, check our your broad-branched roses and perennials. Snow can load up the branches and pull them to the ground splitting and breaking the center of your plants. Do this sparingly. Some of these branches hold your blooms for the coming year, so try not to prune them off unless you have to. Roses can be safely cut down to about knee or waist high.

Finally, those tall landscape trees. Once again a heavy snow or ice storm can add a lot of weight to your decorative trees. Make sure to check to see if the branches can handle the weight. If you see a lot of branches bending, take a broom or rake and shake the snow off the lower limbs and then work your way to the higher limbs. If you start with the higher limbs the additional weight on the lower limbs may cause damage. Start low and work your way up, then work your way back down again, shaking the snow off as you go. If you can’t remove the snow, or the layer of ice is too heavy, consider using pieces of wood like 2x4s to prop up those weighted limbs. If you do get some damage to your favorite trees, call a certified arborist (like our friends at Bartlett Tree Experts) to get professional advice for saving those trees.

Winter Tree Problems

The wind, rain and possible snow of the coming winter can mean trouble for your large landscape trees. How can you tell if your trees are healthy enough for all that Mother Nature has to offer? We sought out some tips from arborist Logan Collier from Bartlett Tree Experts (503-72ARBOR, 503-722-7267) and asked him for some signs we can look for. Logan took us to an area near West Linn to check out a couple of trees. He told us that you should check your trees from the ground up. Look for damaged roots, trunks and canopies. He showed us a large maple that had lost a few big branches. He said that an arborist should check out this tree to make sure that there wasn’t any decay or disease that could weaken it even more. We then moved to a multiple trunked tree that could lose one of its trunks due to rot and decay at its base or between the 2 main leaders. We also saw a tree that had a bunch of dead branches and one that had fungal conks (a sign of possible internal disease). Those are just a few of the 8 signs that you should look for in a dangerous tree. Other signs included weakly attached branches, cracks in the branches near the trunk, peeling bark and signs of decay or rot. These are the most obvious of signs, but if you are unsure of the safety of your trees you can contact Bartlett. Bartlett even has a brochure that can tell you what else to look for. Logan also emphasizes that you insist on a certified arborist. They are trained to look for the damaged spots and are trained (insured and bonded) to remove the weak tree safely.

Seely Mint Harvest

I love mint! Being in the Pacific Northwest, and specifically in Oregon, I’m in the middle of it. Ryan Seely, our wonderful co-host, found a place where I could literally roll in mint! He found Seely Mint (503-369-4350) in Clatskanie. This company is run by relatives of his, Mike and Candy Seely with their kids, the 4th generation, starting to work on the farm too. Mike took us out to the fields to show us how they harvest this healthful and fragrant product. They grow 2 different kinds of mint on the farm. They grow a single-cut, premium-quality heirloom Black Mitcham Peppermint and a native Spearmint. The spearmint gets harvested twice each season and we were able to watch the last harvest before the fall rains returned to the area. The spearmint is cut 2 different ways. One way is to cut it and leave it to dry in the field. This will be used for tea leaves. The second way is to cut it and then load it in an enclosed trailer/bin. When the trailer is full it is taken to a processing area where steam is pumped through the trailer from the bottom. The steam rises and takes the mint oil with it. This extraction of the oil through steam is relatively quick and pulls the highest quality of oil out of the plant. The oil can be sold to other processors for use in products. It is a powerfully strong essential oil! One pint of oil can flavor 55,000 sticks of gum or about 2,500 pounds of chocolate. That is strong stuff!! What you find in a lot of other products is a synthetic mint product that doesn’t have the same flavor as Seely Mint.

For the home gardener, you can’t grow enough mint to draw off any significant oil, but you can still enjoy it in your kitchen. You can dry it for tea. You do this by cutting and hanging the stem upside down for a week or so to dry the leaves. You can use the leaves in salads and other dishes. Did you know that Pepto-Bismol used mint to settle stomachs? You can still use it for that too. The stems can also be used in your pets bedding to ward off ticks. There are lots of uses, but just remember to grow it in a container to keep it under control in your garden, because it will run through your flower beds!

The best way to enjoy Seely Mint is to enjoy one of their candy treats! They make a mint patty that will knock your socks off! They also do mint melts, peppermint bark, candy canes and even a ribbon candy that are all flavored with real Seely Mint oil. You can find these products all over the country and at many stores in our area. You can find out a few of the locations on their website and even get a little more history of this great product and family. You can also order mint products from their site if you don’t want to leave your home! I don’t know about you, but I’ve found another reason to love the Seely family!!

Terra Casa – His and Her Gifts

We have paid many visits to Terra Casa (503-577-8242) in Damascus. In the spring and summer we fall in love with their great selection of outdoor décor and accents. During the winter and leading up to the holidays, we can’t help but to do a little shopping for those cool and unique gifts. Last week we looked at snow globes, twinkly paintings and gnome trees! This week we took a look at some gifts for ‘him’ and ‘her’. Diana took us back to a display that looked like old nostalgic clocks and gadgets. These are perfect for the guy in your life that is hard to buy for or has an appreciation for retro looking things. These were clocks, business card holders and other decorative items. They took the shape of airplanes, submarines and even a robot! They were really cool looking and are great art pieces in addition to being functional.

Then we moved over to some gifts for the ladies. Diana has labeled 2020 ‘the year of the cocktail’, and she had a huge display of adult beverage accoutrements for all your girlfriends. We started with gummies! These are not your kids gummies, these are full of various cocktail mixes. ‘Eat Your Drink’ are filled with flavors like Old Fashioneds, whiskey sours, and Manhattans. If you are looking for regular cocktail pieces there are glasses, wine openers and other bar supplies to liven up any party even if it is a quarantine party for 2. One of the most popular lines of drinkware was from BruMate. These heavy duty cups and tumblers look good on your table and can handle the outdoors with ease. We also talked about the gifty humorous glassware, coffee mugs and tea towels too. These items have inspirational, goofy and thought provoking messages. There is a large assortment so you can touch someone’s funny bone or their heart. These are just a few of the ideas for great gifts for everyone on your holiday list! Plus, you might find something to gift to yourself!

Timber Press Holiday Books

The winter is a time when people want to curl up with a good book and sit by the fire. This year it seems like that is the plan for everyone! A great way to pass the time is with a great book. Timber Press, a local publisher, has a great selection of garden and outdoor themed titles to transport you to other places, even if you’re stuck inside! Tom Fischer from Timber Press joined Judy at the Al’s in Wilsonville to talk about some of the titles that are new to the market. We brought 6 different books that would be great on any bookshelf.

We started with one for the new gardeners in your life. The New Gardeners Handbook by Daryl Beyers is a book that will help the beginner gardener master some of the basics to become more successful. From soil prep, to tools and how to choose the best plants for your conditions. This could be the go-to book for those who are just getting started or as a reminder for those who have gardened for a long time. The second book was written by a friend of many gardeners in the Northwest, Dan Hinkley. He was the founder of Heronswood Nursery in Washington and his new book is called Windcliff and is a picturesque tour of his new home and garden in the Seattle area. A well known plantsman, he has searched the world for new plants, and this garden is full of them. The book is full of warm and inviting prose. The third book, the Modern Cottage Garden, by Greg Loades takes a new look at the classic Cottage Garden style. Greg not only talks about what makes a cottage garden so warm and welcoming, he provides a modern twist to this style. He incorporates the new perennial movement of gardening into the classic look. You can have the best of the old and the new in one place. Plus, you don’t need a large space to create these garden vignettes, he also includes tips for smaller gardens and containers too.

The next book was a change up to a typical garden book. Page Dickey wrote ‘Uprooted’ about her move from the famous garden called ‘Duckhill’ to a new property. The idea of creating a new garden as she and her husband aged has morphed into a larger garden built mainly of wild and native plants. This is a story of working with nature to create something more sustainable and less labor intensive. The garden features a lot of pictures that show how they welcomed floral beauty and native wildlife into their new space. It is a very delightful read. The fifth book, ‘A Year at Brandywine Cottage’ by David Culp, divides the gardening year into 6 seasons instead of 4. For example, early spring and late spring feature quite different plants, so he divided that into 2 separate categories. Not only is the book full of great garden advice there are also some great recipes, instructions on building nice floral arrangements and how-tos on creating interesting color palettes in your garden. The last book is also the newest to the Timber Press line-up. Adventures in Eden by Carolyn Mullet takes us all on a tour of cool gardens in Europe and England. These are not all the well-known gardens that we all see in the travel brochures. These are the hidden gems that Carolyn has discovered over the many years she has travel abroad. It is a great read with lots of wonderful pictures so we can travel from our living rooms, without getting on a plane. You could almost use it as a planning guide for your next trip to Europe.

These are just a few of the wonderful and entertaining books from Timber Press. Check out your local bookseller or Timber Press on-line for a few for your bookshelf.