Hot enough for ya?   It is definitely too hot for most of your landscape plants.  Some rules to follow…  Give all your plants a good watering in the morning.  (Watering at night can cause dampness that could lead to diseases/fungus/mold/mildew).  Then keep an eye on them the rest of the day.  Most plants will show some heat stress before they get totally fried.  When they start drooping, give them a drink.  In the afternoon heat you will lose most of the water to evaporation, but your plants will still love a quick drink.  We found a great idea being used by Gail Austin at Gail Austin Perennials (503-246-5747).  She used an inflatable kid’s pool full of water.  She placed some of her plants in it (morning sun/afternoon shade).  Some of them got a little sunburn on their leaves, but they survived.  As long as you don't leave them in there for weeks they will like the access to water.

And don't forget shade.  Even your hardiest full-sun plants could get too much of a good thing.  Keep an eye on them as well.  If you feel a plant is getting too much sun, pull it into the shade or cover it.  You will find the plants that get morning sun/afternoon shade will handle the hot weather better, still check them for moist soil through out the day. 

This week we featured...

Farmington Gardens Benefit

We paid a visit to Farmington Gardens (503-649-4568) to learn about their 3rd Annual Summer Garden Party for Willamette West Habitat for Humanity.  Linda Shively joined William as a special co-host (Judy is on vacation) to talk to us about some of the planned events for this shin-dig.  The party features 12 local wineries that will be providing samples throughout the evening.  Food will be catered by Salvador Molly’s and the guest speaker for the evening will be Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity.  There will also be a silent auction featuring 10 different container gardens that were put together by the staff at Farmington.  Tickets will be available at the door for $30 and the evening starts at 6pm.  Stop by, enjoy the evening and help support this wonderful cause.

Monnier Summer Fuchsias

The heat is on and the fuchsias love it!   Earlier this spring we visited with Ron Monnier of Monnier’s Country Gardens (503-981-3384).  Monnier’s grows some wonderful fuchsias, but 3 months ago they were looking at the same problem the home gardener had, frozen fuchsias!  What a difference 3 months makes.  All the fuchsias we looked at in April look great.  Ron talked about how the deep planting of the plants really protected them against the hard frost; it also protects them from the heat of summer.  The one thing that fuchsias don’t like is wet feet and Ron plants his in raised beds to help that.  We also looked at some of the varieties that are blooming now.  We saw fuchsia ‘Wisteria’, ‘Erecta Novelty’, ‘Corallina’, ‘James Lye’ and the bright chartreuse foliage of ‘Enstone’.  If you are interested in any of these plants, or if you have care questions, you can contact Ron at the nursery.

Zeba – Quench

During the heat it is hard to keep up with watering your hanging baskets and containers.  We found a new product that will help hold the water longer in these containers so your plants can survive.  Deby Barnhart at Cornell Farm (503-292-9895) showed us the new product called Quench from Zeba.  Quench is a cornstarch based absorbent that can hold up to 400 times it’s weight in water and then releases almost all of it back to the plant when it needs it.  Deby showed us how to mix in a small amount into the soil where it would be available to the plant through the roots.  Plus, since the product is all natural, it will break down over time and release it nutrients back to the plant as well.  Zeba ‘Quench’ is available at most of your local independent garden stores or find the closest dealer on-line at www.zeba.com.

GardenMolds – Planter Feet

A couple of week ago we learned how to make our own stepping stones using GardenMolds (1-800-588-7930).  These forms allow you to beautify your garden spaces by making custom decorations out of concrete.  This week we made feet for our planters using the 3 different molds available.  It was very easy!  Mix up some mortar mix (stay away from gravel mixes) and pour it into the molds. We even used a teaspoon of red concrete coloring to match the color of our terra cotta pots!  It is always a good idea to elevate your planters and pots off the surface of your deck or patio.  The air circulation will allow for better drainage and healthier plants, and it helps prevent your planters from rotting your deck.

Cracked Pots

There is a wonderful and unique group of local artists called the Cracked Pots (503-289-1381).  They are known for recycling materials to create some great garden art.  We met with 3 of the artists to see some of their work and to learn more about the show they have coming up at McMenamins Edgefield.  The crack pots show will feature over 80 local artists and will take place on the 25^th and 26^th of July from 1:00 - 8:00pm.  The 3 artists we met had some spectacular examples of works you will find at the show.  Cat McAdam does some fun mosaics out of recycled tiles and pots.  Suzanne Keolker made butterflies on knitting needles, mobiles from embroidery hoops and even tool belts from lawn chair webbing!  And Jill Torberson made some huge metal sculptures that were highly intricate.  Stop by the show and take a piece of art home to your garden.

Mulching Mowers

Speaking of recycling… you can do some recycling every time you mow your lawn!   Scott Ashby from Stark Street Lawn and Garden (503-625-2967) explained to Judy how mulching mowers worked and how they have been designed to make the job more efficient.  He brought out 2 different types of mowers from two of the best companies around, Toro and Honda.  The differences between the bagging mower and the mulching mower are how they cut and then, re-cut the grass.  Both of these machines are specially designed to return the grass to the lawn in a form the soil can use, by cutting it into smaller and smaller pieces.  By mulching your grass you can return as much as 80% of the water and up to 5% of the nitrogen and that means less watering and fertilizing.  Stop by Stark Street and check out the new mulching mowers and do something good for your lawn.