The warm weather has returned. Last week I talked about how cheated I felt about the lack of a summer, I hope the weather gods heard me and have responded to my pleas. Once the days start warming back up I really started to enjoy the fall season. It has been nice to walk around the garden and see what the cool weather has done to my plants. I even got a little weeding in (I needed the therapy!)

Of course the change of season creates its own problems. In fact, William noticed a few new visitors to his garden. Check out his 'stinky' solution to a problem garden guest on the Garden Time Blog.

Enjoy the warm days ahead!

This week we featured...

Under the Autumn Moon Festival

The end of the summer is greeted by the harvest and in China that is the 'Under the Autumn Moon' Festival. This festival is a celebration of the changing of the seasons and of the changing of the colors in the garden too. The Lan Su Chinese Garden (503-228-8131) has always had a special connection to this holiday. Glin told us about all the flowers coming into bloom including the huge osmanthus in the front courtyard. The scent from this one can be overpowering in the garden and is truly one of the gems of the garden. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the garden, but you are getting the anniversary gift. All day on Saturday (from 10am-8pm) the garden will have free admission for all visitors. It is your chance to see this beautiful garden and the wonderful Autumn Moon!

Peony Dividing

Fall is the time for planting. It is also the time to dig and divide your favorite perennials. This week William visited the experts at Adelman Peony Gardens (503-393-6185) to learn how to dig and divide peonies. Carol Adelman showed us how easy it is to do. She even told us that you don't need to divide your plants as you would with other perennials. These plants don't get overgrown or choke themselves if they get too large. Still you can use this technique to get extra plants for your friends and neighbors. The keys to success are to make sure you dig a large root, make sure your divisions include an 'eye' and to build a good planting area for your new root with a quality bulb fertilizer and a little lime. Carol even showed us how the rules remain the same for different styles of peonies, including the newest intersectionals. If you have questions about peonies or you are interested in purchasing one, you can contact them at the gardens.

Bulb Layering

As we enter fall we are reminded to plant our spring blooming bulbs. Laura from Portland Nursery (503-231-5050) reminded us that bulbs are great in pots too! You can create waves of color by layering your spring blooming bulbs. She demonstrated that by using different layers of bulbs in a pot you can have color that lasts all spring! She used tulips, hyacinth and crocus in 3 different layers. When the warm days of spring arrive she will have these bulbs blooming at different times and will have waves of color for months. You can even put bulbs in your late summer containers to freshen them up quite a bit too. But always remember to start with a quality potting soil, like Black Gold, to give your bulbs the best chance at success!

Cornell Farm Pansy Fest

Pansies, despite the name, are the workhorses of the winter garden. They take a beating and keep on coming back. It is great that Cornell Farm (503-292-9895) has a festival just to celebrate them. We caught up with Deby at Cornell to talk about how important these flowers are to the fall and winter garden. The Pansy Fest runs through the 30th of September and has a special benefit tied to it this year. The crew at Cornell has decided that the emergency of the 'bee colony collapse' needed to be addressed, so they are donating a portion of their sales from their stock of 35,000 pansies to support bee research at Oregon State University. Pansies are also great because they go along so well with other garden plants. During the festival you can enjoy numerous classes including one on building winter containers. In fact, Deby showed us how beautiful late fall and winter containers can be! Now is also the time to cash in those Pansy bucks that you may have received during the past year. So, you can save a bunch of money, support a healthy bee population and bring a pop of fall and winter color to your garden, all in one stop! What is the drawback? Drop by and visit them this weekend.