Welcome to spring! Well, that is what the calendar says! If you are a true weather watcher, and gardener, you have probably sensed a ‘disturbance in the force’… the weather is improving, ever so slightly, but it is improving. The plants in the garden are sensing it too. I have seen new growth on the roses and the clematis. The tulips and hyacinths are popping up. Time to get out and enjoy this early part of spring, it will make the changes yet to come even more profound!
Remember the big GardenPalooza event is coming. We are just a week away! Be sure to stop by next week at Fir Point Farm to see over 45 garden vendors. This free event has free parking and lots of free giveaways for you to take home. Stop by and have a great time! See you at GardenPalooza on April 2nd.
This week we featured...
Mason Bees
The spring garden is home to the ‘loner’ of the bee world. The Orchard Mason Bee is a wonderful, early spring, pollinator. It will fly in colder weather than its honey-making counterpart. It is also a very busy bee. It can pollinate many more flowers than the honey bee, plus it is much more docile too. It hardly ever stings! The one difference between the 2 varieties? The mason bee is pretty much done pollinating by June 1st and then it heads into hibernation to wait for the next spring to start all over again. We met with Scott Lukens from the Backyard Bird Shop (503-635-2044) to learn more about these little ‘busy bees’. He told us about these industrious bees and how they reproduce. These bees will find holes in the wild to lay their eggs. We have found them laying eggs everywhere including cracks in our house. The best part is that they don’t do any damage to the area where they lay their eggs. You can watch these bees as a family project with some of the cool mason bee homes that you can get at your local Backyard Bird Shop. For more information on welcoming the Mason Bee to your backyard, stop by and check in with Scott and his staff.
Newberg Camellia Festival
We made the short drive out to Newberg to learn about one of the newest of festivals in the Northwest. Newberg, the camellia city, is hosting their 3rd Annual Camellia Festival this Saturday, March 26th from 10-4 at the Chehalem Cultural Center. They are partnering with the Oregon Camellia Society who is having their 70th annual show. If you love camellias this is the place to be. We visited with Lauren Wylie from the Cultural Center to learn about all the activities that they have planned for this weekend. The best part was that we were able to interview her on the Trolley (503-437-5969) which will be giving tours of the historic area of Newberg and areas showcasing the camellia. She also told us about the Asian themed events they have happening like the Taiko drummers and a hula dancing demonstration. Then we talked to Denis Dooley from the Oregon Camellia Society and he told us how easy it is to grow these beauties. They really only need well drained soil, a little fertilization with a rhododendron fertilizer (they like a little acidic soil) and some sun to help promote lots of blooms. They also take to pruning really easily, so you can shape them to any size and style you want. He talked about some of the varieties that they had on display at the Cultural Center; the incredible dazzling white of the ‘Finlandia’, bright red of the ‘Colonel Firey’, and the very popular ‘Bob Hope’ which has a big red bloom surrounding a yellow center. We also heard about the Camellia Trail in the city. You can pick one up at the Cultural Center and tour the neighborhoods and look at the camellias in gardens and city parks. During the festival you can also check out the plant sale, see local art and photography and visit the library for children’s arts and crafts. We also learned that they will be giving away free camellia plants while they last! If you are in the Newberg area you really need to stop by and check them out!
Daffodils
The true sign of spring, daffodils! We start our new season in the fields of daffodils and visit with Karen Bever from Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm (1-800-711-2006) to talk about how they can add an early touch of color to your garden. We talked about care and feeding of these early bloomers and how you can use them in your yard or garden. Daffodils are incredibly hardy and are one of the bulbs that can handle really cold temperatures. They are only tender when they are freshly planted. Wooden Shoe cuts and ships daffodils all over the country so they have to know how to make them last! Karen talked about some of the different types of daffodils including doubles and large cups ‘daffs’. Some of the varieties that she showed us included ‘Johann Strauss’, ‘Rip Van Winkle’ ‘Dutch Master’ and ‘Ice Follies’. Karen also gave us a tip for using daffodils in arraignments. They ooze a sap that will block other flowers from taking up water. Let the daffs sit in water for a couple of hours and then rinse them off and use them in your flower arraignments. Daffodils are also great at keeping deer away from your prized tulips; surround them with daffodils. Deer hate the ‘daffs’ and will ignore your tulips to avoid the daffodils. If you have anymore questions about daffodils or tulips you can contact Wooden Shoe or stop by this weekend for the start of their 26th annual Tulip Fest. One of the new additions to the fest this year is the addition of the ‘field cam’. Now you can check the cam on the Wooden Shoe website and see the field conditions before you leave the house! Stop by and pick up some daffodils and tulips to bring spring into your own home!
Strawberries
Plant your strawberries now for a bountiful harvest this coming summer. Mark Bigej from Al’s Garden Center (503-726-1162) explained the different types of strawberries to William and even showed us how to plant them. There are 2 main types of berries you can plant. ‘June-bearing’ gives you one crop and are perfect for lots of berries at one time for canning and preserving. ‘Ever-bearing’ gives you lots of small crops, and are great for handfuls of berries until the first frost. For best results plant your plants in a row about 1 foot apart. Amend the soil with a time released transplant fertilizer. You should also keep the crop of the plant above the soil level. There are a couple of other things that growers do to get a good crop… plant new berries every 3-4 years. Some gardeners ‘tip back’ the plant, which means you cut off the runners. This makes the plant put its energy into the fruit, but Mark told us it is not necessary. Another tip that some gardeners do is to remove the blooms from your first year plants to promote root growth and make a better harvest in year #2… but we think that may be going too far! Check out your local garden centers for a full range of varieties.
Kitchen Herbs
With the push for bringing your garden to your dinner table why not bring your cooking herbs to your kitchen counter. Judy showed us how easy it is to plant a small container with a single variety and then keep it in your kitchen for use every day. Once you choose an herb that you like you will want to plant it in an organic soil (since you are using it for cooking) like Black Gold All Organic. Then you will want to keep it in a well lit area. If you don’t have a well-lit area you will need to have it in a windowsill for a couple of days every week. You can then move it next to your stove and snip off pieces as you need them. There is nothing like fresh herbs in your kitchen!
Ladies Only Evening
We started our show this week with William and Judy at French Prairie Gardens (503-633-8445) for a preview of the Ladies Only Spring Preview and Fashion event. This show is happening on the 31st of March at the nursery from 4-8pm. You will get to watch a fashion show, enjoy wine tastings, meet with a landscape designer, create your own hanging baskets and taste some wonderful treats from the bakery. You can even learn some stretches and proper techniques to help you from getting too sore in your spring garden. RSVP early so you can get a special shopping pass before the event! This event is happening the day before their big grand reopening for the 2011 season so come help them celebrate!
