‘Back to school’ sales are showing up daily in the paper and the evenings are getting cooler.  That means the last days of summer are just a few weeks away and times of enjoying your garden with friends and family are coming to a close.  Enjoy the hot, dry days while you can, the rain will soon return and we will be dreaming of next spring!

This week we featured...

Swan Island Dahlia Festival

WOW!  If you have never been to the dahlia festival you have missed one of the most spectacular shows of the summer.  40 acres of blooms greet you as you drive up.  But that is only part of it…  Nick Gitts from Swan Island Dahlias (800-410-6540) took us on a tour to show us some of the different types of blooms you can find.  He also filled us in the special events that they have planned for the 2 weekends of the festival.  If you stop by on August 26, 27, & 28 and September 2, 3, & 4 (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) you will also get a chance to see 15,000 blooms in 400 different cut flower arraignments.  You can also enjoy food, cut flowers and informational talks to help you grow dahlias like the experts.  And it is all free.  Take some time to head down to Canby (not Swan Island) for the annual dahlia festival.

Kindergarden – Sun Paper

This is a perfect kid’s project for those sunny summer days.  Amy Bigej from Al’s Garden Center (503-981-1245) found some sun sensitive paper from Educational Innovations, where they have it listed as "nature print paper".  This paper changes color when it is exposed to sunlight.  Have your kids pick flowers, collect leaves or other interesting things from the garden and then place those things on the paper.  Leave the paper out for 2 minutes and then immerse the paper in water.  Whatever you had on the paper will now leave its ‘shadow’ on the paper.  You can frame the image, make note cards or give them as gifts.  It is a great way to get outdoors and save a part of your garden to enjoy year-round.

Perfect Perennial Garden

If you are looking for a garden of year round color, try perennials.  But since they bloom at different times of the year how can you choose the right ones for your garden.  Try our ‘Perfect Perennial Garden’ chart on the ‘how to’ page of this website.  This simple chart will get you started on picking perennials of various shapes and sizes, which will provide you with all-season color.  It is divided into seasons and heights so you will never be short on blooms.  Remember, this is a starting point.  There are so many more choices at your local garden center.  Take the chart in and ask them for even more colorful options.
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Blackberry Removal

How do you get rid of those pesky Himalayan blackberries?  If you have ever had them in your garden you know that they can take over a yard.  We caught up with Norm McCreight from Lilly Miller to see how he deals with them.  He told us about Lilly Miller's Blackberry and Brush killer.  A lot of gardeners in the northwest have problems with blackberries and other woody invasive plants like scotch broom and poison oak.  This product will take care of the problem and now is a perfect time to apply it.  In the late summer and early fall, the plant will draw energy to its roots.  When you apply this product the plant will carry the spray to the roots and get rid of your problem for good!  Norm also showed us how to apply it by paint brush so you can use it in your established gardens as well.

Pest Patrol – Leaf Cutter Bees

Our pest patrol found a bug that really isn’t a pest at all.  William found evidence of leaf cutter bees on his roses.  These bees are not really pests because they are GREAT pollinators and the damage they do is mostly cosmetic.  They notch out perfect half circles of leaf to build and line their nests.  You will find them mainly on your roses.  If you see the notches you can look around and sometimes you will even find their nests.  Keep an eye out for these little garden ‘helpers’.