This spring has been perfectly timed! It seems like the rain is coming during the week and the weekends are turning out to be nice! What a change from the last couple of springs! This weekend is shaping up to be a great one too.
We were happy that the weather turned out nice for last week’s 10th annual GardenPalooza. We had a great time with around 7,000 of our best gardening friends! What a great kickoff to spring.
This week there are lots of events happening around the area. We have covered a few in the show this week. A couple of events we didn’t get a chance to cover are happening up north! Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens (360-225-8996) is starting their annual Lilac Days and Tsugawa Nursery (360-225-8750) will be getting their spring off to a great start too! See there are lots of great reasons to garden this weekend!
This week we featured...
Jan’s April Tips
The weather is finally warming up and that is getting us excited about getting out in the garden! To help us get ready we visited with Jan McNeilan for the tips of the month. Jan was in her greenhouse working on her seed starts. She gave us some tips on starting seeds, including how to plant them and how to water them. You need to be careful not to over water young seedlings. If you do it could help promote the growth of a fungus that can cause ‘damping off’. This can cause your seedlings to rot at the base of the plant and die. In addition to careful watering, you should also use a fresh bag of garden mix soil (or a seedling mix, like the packaged ones from Black Gold). This is a sterile mix and will help keep your seedlings healthy. Another way to start seeds is in peat pots. These are compressed pots that you simply water and put your seed in the center. They will expand and help keep your seed moist without over watering. Jan had bad luck last year with getting her pea seeds started when she planted them directly in the garden. This year they had a great start in the peat pots and were easily transplanted into the garden.
We also did some pruning to some fuchsias that Jan had wintered over in her basement. They had gotten a little ‘leggy’ and scraggily during the winter, but they were still alive. Now is the time to cut them back, fertilize them and repot them if necessary. They will soon be flowering again in her hanging baskets. If you are looking for more tips on what to do in the garden you can check out the OSU Extension website.
27th Annual Tulip Fest
William and Judy visited the Woodburn Tulip Festival at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm for the 27th annual Wooden Shoe Tulip Fest (1-800-711-2006). This event showcases the fields full of beautiful tulip blooms. This year the cold weather has delayed the start of the blooms by a couple of weeks. The blooms were held back but now they are just starting to pop! In fact the cold weather has been a good thing; the Iverson family has decided to extend the festival by a week until May 6th. Barb Iverson took Judy out to the fields and we were surrounded by incredible blooms! The flower fields are just hitting their peak and the farm is full of events and it is still a must see for anyone, even non-flower lovers. Every weekend they are packed with different activities including a wooden shoe carver, pony rides, arts and crafts, steam tractors, wine tasting and other entertainment for a small fee. The rest of the week has a discounted fee, so you can save a little money by coming out on the weekday! Even when the weather is a little damp, the fields never disappoint. You can even check out their ‘field report’ link on their webpage for the most up-to-date bloom report. Bring a camera; this is a scene you have to capture on film!
Garland 75th Anniversary
Garland Nursery (1-800-296-6601) is celebrating! This destination nursery between Corvallis and Albany has been in business for 75 years and they are throwing a party! On Saturday April 21st, they are having a one-day celebration. At 11am they will be having a ribbon cutting for the renovated rock garden on the nursery grounds. This garden was originally planted by the Powell grandparents many years ago and now they have added more features to it. It is very beautiful. At noon there will be a tour of the heritage trees on the nursery site. Patriarch, Don Powell, will lead the tour and fill you in the history of these giants and of the history of the nursery. There will also be wine and food for purchase, live music and even prizes to win!
One of the highlights will be a talk by Willi Galloway. Willi just finished her book ‘Grow, Cook, Eat’, which makes growing food simple, productive and fun. This is not just a book on gardening or a simple recipe book. This book tells you how to make growing an organic garden easy and then it gives you options for using ALL of the plant, from roots and leaves to seeds and flowers. She will be speaking at 2pm.
There is so much going on, you should stop by and enjoy some of the fun, and help Garland celebrate this great anniversary!
Bauman’s Greenhouse Gallery
Spring is here and it is time to dress up the garden. We stopped by Bauman’s Farm and Garden (503-792-3524) to see how they are dressing up. To celebrate the beginning of spring the Bauman’s are having their annual Greenhouse Gallery this weekend. Brian Bauman invited us out to meet Sarah Northcraft Martin and some of her work. She said she is an artist who dabbles in welding, but if you see her pieces they are great! We really loved the gourd shaped piece that you can add lights to and make it a backyard lantern.
One of the big draws to this year’s event is the ‘Farm at Table’ display. Bauman’s has partnered with Annie Kirk of Red Bird Design and Kevin Schindler of Autumn Leaf Landscaping to build this beautiful display. Parts of this new landscape include a ‘table’ that is planted with vegetables and includes a water feature. A sitting area with a fire pit and pergola, and a water feature made of recycled farm equipment. Bauman’s will hold classes out here during the summer and can offer you help if you are looking to do something similar in your own garden. It will be unveiled this weekend! If you are out and about on the 21st or 22nd you should stop by and check out this new display garden and find some art pieces you can use to decorate your home or garden!
KinderGarden – Bamboo Chimes
Getting your kids excited about anything in the garden can be challenging. But what if you could get their attention with a little noise? This week’s KinderGarden segment is a little craft that will let your little gardener ‘raise a ruckus’. The project is the making of a bamboo wind chime. Amy from Al’s Garden Center (503-981-1245) in Woodburn joined us to show us how easy it is to make your own chimes. Amy just bought bamboo from the nursery and cut it to length. The longer the piece, the deeper the sound. Next she drilled holes in the bamboo. Then she ran string through the bamboo and tied it to a pole or other support. You can even paint the pole or support to customize it… and you are done! This bamboo project is just an example of what type of projects you will find at the Al’s Kids Club. Check the Al’s website for the complete listing of Kids Club activities.
