Don't you just love the weather?? This sun and heat feel so good after that
long, cold, wet spring. It is a great time to live in the northwest. The
summer also brings more and more events for us to enjoy. In this week's
show alone we preview the Waterlily Festival and Art Show at Hughes Water
Gardens, the Tour de Coop in the Portland area and a great class at the
Oregon Garden in Silverton. There is just so much to see and do. The
garden centers are also a great place to visit. If you haven't checked out
the Happy Spot you should. The 'Happy Spot' is located on this website, and each week we
show you all the offers and specials that you can find at your local garden
centers. We even share some specials from some of our other friends like
Bungalow Bread and Terra Casa.
We also have updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Check them
out and sign up for the latest information.
Have a great time this summer and enjoy this wonderful weather.
This week we featured...
Hughes Waterlily Festival and Invitational Art Show
It is time for the 8th annual Waterlily Festival and Invitational Art Show at Hughes Water Gardens (503-638-1709). Eamonn joined us to
tell us about the festival that is happening from July 24th until the 1st of
August. If you drop by you will see a huge assortment of waterlilies and
other aquatic plants, seminars, tropical treats and guided tours. It all
kicks off with the big artist's reception on the 23rd. The next day starts
the other festivities with events happening just about every day. Other big
events include Bloom Night on the 29th where you can see the largest
collection of the spectacular night-blooming Victoria Lilies in the
northwest and gardeners day on July 31st. This year Hughes is also
featuring 'Farm to Party' in which local vendors will be showcasing local
wine, chocolate and more. Also at the nursery, nearly 30 regional artists
will be exhibiting their art in the garden. It is a great way to see how
art can enhance your garden or water feature. Stop by and check out the
festivities! The best news? All the events are free!
Tour de Coop
Portland is quickly becoming the chicken capitol of the
northwest. OK, maybe it isn't that big, but people all over Oregon and
Washington are learning about the joys of growing chickens in their
backyards. In celebration of that, next weekend on the 24th, Portland will
enjoy the 2010 Tour de Coop presented by Growing Gardens
(503-284-8420).
This self guided tour will visit 25 backyard chicken coops in north and east
Portland. You can see some pretty creative coops and visit with other
chicken 'ranchers' and share ideas. We visited two of the coops that will be
featured. The first stop was Jason's house where he had built a 'green
roof' of succulents that was fantastic and then we took a trip to see Mayor
Sam Adams' coop which featured elevated walkways and lookouts. Lucky
chickens!
The Tour de Coop benefits Growing Gardens. This organization
helps low-income residents grow their own food and stays with them for up to
three years to make sure they are successful. Get your tickets early and enjoy
this wonderful tour next week.
Dramm Watering Tips
The cold and wet spring is just a memory and the sun and heat
has returned. We can't rely on Mother Nature to keep our gardens and lawns
watered. Fortunately we have our friends at Dramm to get the job done. William and Judy showed
us a couple of the many Dramm tools and gave us some tips for watering as
well. First William talked about lawns. It is recommended that you water
your lawn for a total of 1 inch a week. We suggest that you divide that
into two separate waterings. Another tip is to make sure that the water goes
on your yard and not in the street or on the pavement. Dramm makes a great
sprinkler that has many different patterns that helps the water stay where
you want it.
Then we moved to container gardens. Judy told us how important
it is to water your plants thoroughly, until the water comes out of the
bottom of the pot, so that they have plenty of water for growing. Pots and
containers tend to dry out pretty fast, so make sure that you check them
often. Dramm has an adjustable nozzle that can either soak the plants or
mist them, with lots of options in-between. Another tough area to water is
your hanging baskets. These containers can dry out even FASTER than your
normal deck containers but can be tough to reach. There we used a Dramm
watering wand. Just the right length for the job. The same rule applies
here, water throughly until they are soaked. For information on Dramm tools
check you local independent garden center or for tips for watering check
with the Region Water Providers Consortium.
Red Pig Cultivator
If your garden tool has a Red Pig sticker on it, you know that
it is made to last. We know this because Bob Denman makes each one by hand!
We stopped by the Red Pig (503-663-9404) store in Boring to check in with Bob and to see how he makes
these pieces of 'working' art. Bob was working on cultivators while we were
there and we saw how he forges each piece in his shop. These tools are
definitely made to last. Bob then explained how the many cultivators are
used. The single tine cultivator is called the finger hoe. It is made for
very narrow spaces. The 2-tine cultivator is made for working the soil in a
row crop. The 3-tine cultivator is one of the most popular since it allows
the soil to be worked and weeds to be removed pretty efficiently. The
5-tine cultivator is used for lightly breaking the surface of the soil
around shallow rooted plants with out damaging them. If you are looking for
some great cultivators or any kind of garden tool, be sure to check out Red
Pig!
Cut Flower Class
Growing beautiful flowers in your garden is the goal of most
gardeners. Being able to bring those flowers indoors and enjoy them
throughout the year is the added benefit of a 'cutting' garden. We found
author, college instructor and plant lover, Linda Beutler in the perennial
garden at Clackamas Community College to learn how to build a perfect bouquet.
Linda is the author of the Timber Press (1-800-327-5680) book 'Garden to Vase: Growing and Using Your
Own Cut Flowers' and is an instructor at the college. She walked us through
the garden and showed us how easy it is to cut and create your own quick
bouquet. This seemed very easy and it probably is, but we were very
intimidated! If you share the same fears you can help get rid of them next
weekend, the 24th at 10am, at The Oregon Garden (1-877-674-2733) in Silverton. Linda will be teaching a course on the Summer Cutting Garden and will be sharing some of her secrets! If you would like to get ideas for building your own cutting garden or how to make fantastic bouquets, you can sign up on the Oregon Garden website. She will also be teaching a class this fall at Clackamas Community College and she welcomes everyone to sign up there as well!