ARCHIVE


William McClenathan

 Episode 50
 June 16,
 2007

PREVIOUS SHOW ARCHIVE

 


Judy Alleruzzo


Happy Fathers Day weekend.  We hope that you have your garden in shape and are ready to give Dad a rest so he can enjoy a leisurely day.  We are also in the last week of spring… that means you better have your summer garden ready for lots of fun entertaining!

This week we featured...

Portland Nursery Strawberry Social

If it’s Father’s Day it means strawberry time at Portland Nursery at 90th and Division (503-788-9000).  This year is the 13th annual strawberry social and this year it has so much going on that it covers 2 weekends (June 16-17 and 23-24)!   Every year, Portland Nursery combines the best of local strawberries with a touch of community involvement.  With local music, earth friendly products and free shortcake for Dad on Father’s day, you can’t go wrong.  Plus, on the first weekend, you can take 25% off any one item and on the second weekend, you can take 15% off your entire purchase.  Just look for the large inflated strawberry only at 90th and Division for a wonderful kick-off to your summer season.  Bring a can of food for Portland Impact and get a free 4-inch strawberry plant of your own to take home.

Chocolate Plants

We have a guilt free way to enjoy chocolate in your garden this year.  Ryan Seely from Larsen Farm Nursery (503-638-8600) found plants that all revolve around the chocolate theme.  These plants either have a chocolate taste, smell or color.  The four plants he picked out included Mimosa called ‘Summer Chocolate’ that has dark creamy foliage.  The second plant was a Crape Myrtle named ‘White Chocolate’.  This plant has dark leaves and blooms with a white flower later in the summer.  The third plant was chocolate mint.  This mint really doesn’t taste like chocolate, but the mint taste is fantastic.  People crush the leaves and use them on salads and ice cream.  Remember to keep this one in a pot, it can really run!  The fourth plant was the Chocolate Cosmos.  This annual actually smells like chocolate.  It has small dark brown blooms that have a fragrance like a Hershey bar.  It can really get powerful on a hot summer day.  Try some chocolate in your garden this summer! 

Easy Outdoor Entertaining

Building an area to entertain can be a snap!  Mark Bigej from Al’s Garden Center (503-726-1162) showed us 3 simple steps to creating a welcoming and comfortable space for enjoying your deck or patio.  The first step is to build the backbone.  This means finding some comfortable tables and chairs.  They should be all-weather so they can handle the elements.  Comfort needs to be at the top of the list.  You want to relax and that is hard to do in a terrible chair. Step two involves accessorizing with plants.  You can have a great display with little effort.  Since you are concentrating your entertaining to one area, move all your containers to that area.  You will have a huge splash without buying a bunch of new plants and pots.  Step three involves the finishing touches.  Now you add the plates, cups and saucers.  You can also add garden lighting, torches, and other decoration if you like.  In just a few minutes you can have a great place to entertain.  If you are interested in learning how to get started, contact any of the Al’s Garden Centers.  Plus, starting the 16th of June, Al’s has a special furniture event happening at the Sherwood store.

Knock Out Rose

If you think that you can’t grow a rose or that they are too labor intensive, then we have one you should try.  The Knock-Out series of roses have just been on the market for a short time and they are making a new generation of rose lovers!  The Knock-Out rose was developed in the mid-west with busy gardeners in mind.  It is a plant that is hardy, disease resistant, and a constant bloomer.  Jenni Burkhead from Star Roses told us about a couple of things you have to do.  You have to cut them back once in the late winter (use a hedge trimmer if you want) and you have to fertilize them once or twice a year.  That is pretty much it!  They will stay short for you and they will never need deadheading!  All you do is sit back and enjoy the blooms.  For the location of a local independent garden center check the Novalis website.

Sedum Wreath

A variety of plant that is hard to kill is the sedum.  These little wonders grow in areas that other plants find hard to endure.  Donna Wright from Black Gold shared a way to enjoy your wreath on a garden wall or on your picnic table.  She used a wire wreath frame and then planted 5-6 varieties of sedums in patterns of 3 for a beautiful display of color and texture.  If you would like to build your own wreath, check out these directions.

Drake's Organic Lawn

Your lawn is a junky and you have been a pusher!  For years you have been stuffing your lawn full of chemicals to make it perform better.  Ok, so maybe it isn’t that bad.  But if you are looking to try to be more organic in your approach to lawn care, then we have the program for you.  Drake Snodgrass told us how the Drake's 7 Dees Landscape (503-256-2223) team has come up with a program to get the soil healthy again.  The first thing they do is to test the soil.  This detailed test tells them what the soil needs and what it doesn’t need.  Second, they start to introduce organic amendments to the soil to jump start it and wean it off of the ‘sugar’ that you have been feeding it.  Finally, they continue the work they started by taking a long-term approach.  They set up a schedule of applications of compost tea and other organics to help maintain the health of the soil and actually inoculate the soil to keep it feeling good.  For more details on how to get your sick landscape healthy again, contact Drake's.

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.
 

 
main page this week

plant of the week

tip of the week tool shed how to gardens to see sponsors events calendar the happy spot
streaming video read our blog join our twitter e-mail us archive press relations links to other websites
 

Website design and content ©2006-2019 Gustin Creative Group.  Please send website inquiries to gustingroup@comcast.net.  This page last modified March 06, 2020.