SHOW ARCHIVE

Episode 353 • April 25, 2015

VIDEO ARCHIVE

Cooler weather has returned and we are FREEZING! I guess the drawback to the warmer weather is that we are not ready for the normal temps we are supposed to get this time of year. The silver lining to this cooler weather is that the blooms are slowing down. In our garden we barely saw some of our favorite plants blooming. Some of my favorite tulips came and went before we could even enjoy their wonderful color. Even with the cold we can still enjoy our garden; with caution. We have heard that some people have actually planted their vegetable gardens, including some tender plants, already. Now is the time to start planting all those temperamental plants like tomatoes and peppers, but we still believe that it would be a great idea to protect them until the end of May.

If you missed the great GardenPalooza event a few weeks ago, you can still get a start on your gardening season at Subaru Garden Dayz. We will have our 2nd annual event at Capitol Subaru on the 16th of May. We hope to see you there!

This week we featured...

The Wall

The Wall

If you have a sloping garden lot, you have probably dealt with uneven surfaces, rain run-off issues or a lack of gardening space. One way to solve those problems is with a retaining wall. We have watched the guys at The Wall (503-735-9255) and they seem to have it all figured out. Judy met with Rick and we talked about how a well-designed hardscape, including walls, patios and steps, can solve a lot of problems in your garden and make it beautiful at the same time. Rick had his crew working on a retaining wall at a home in Lake Oswego. They were getting rid of a slope in front of the home that was going to give the homeowner a larger front lawn. The crew was using large rocks that were found on the property. These rocks actually gave the wall a more ‘natural’ feel and made it fit in better with the rest of the landscape, and it kept the price of materials down too! The Wall just doesn’t reuse rocks, they are known for the ways in which they use recycled concrete in some of their work. They can come in and break up an old driveway, pour a new one, and then use the old concrete to build a beautiful retaining wall. They can also use new materials, like bricks, concrete and pavers to build as well.

They also have a designer on staff to help you through the process of making your yard and garden more beautiful. Give them a call if you want to take care of a slope issue or if you want to add some structure to your garden.

Sharpening Tools

Sharpening Tools

As you start pulling out your garden tools for the coming season, it is a good time to give them a good cleaning and sharpening. Clean and sharp tools will make your garden chores much easier. Some tips to follow include using alcohol and steel wool to scrub them clean and disinfect them. Then you want to use a sharpening stone to give a good sharp edge to them to make the cutting easier. Remember to only sharpen the beveled edges of the blades! Also, if you have a pruning saw, take it to a professional or buy a new one. They are just too dangerous to attempt on your own. Your local garden center has all the tools you need and they can even demonstrate how to do it correctly. Do a little sharpening now and all your spring garden clean-up will be a breeze! We found all the tools that we needed for cleaning and sharpening at the Portland Nursery (503-231-5050) on 50th and Stark, but you can find these same tools at most of your local independent garden centers.

Al’s Spring Fragrant Plants

Al’s Spring Fragrant Plants

Most people love the first blooms of spring because of the color they bring, but there are a bunch of plants that can also bring fragrance to your garden in the spring too. To get a scents (sense) for some of these great plants we stopped by Al’s Garden Center in Sherwood (503-726-1162). Mark had quite a few to choose from but he brought over some of the most popular in the garden center. First we saw some great lilacs. The first was ‘Charles Joly’ which had dark purple blooms and an intense fragrance. Next to that one was Mark’s favorite, ‘Miss Kim’. This one was budded up and covered with thousands of blooms ready to burst. Besides the blooms it is also very disease resistant. The final lilac was a new one to the market called a ‘bloomerang’. There is a meaning behind the funny name. It has that name because the blooms keep coming back. It will bloom now and then over and over again in the summer. Then we moved over to the daphnes that Mark had pulled out of his stock of plants. ‘Eternal Fragrance’ is a great one because it will keep blooming all summer long. It also loves the full sun. Daphne ‘Somerset’ was next in line and it was covered in fragrant blooms and is a repeat performer as well. There was one plant that was trying to hide on the table and that one was a hardy gardenia called ‘Kleim’s Hardy Gardenia’. This one will stay compact and will not get so big that it will take over your garden. Finally, we saw one of William’s favorites, ‘Heliotrope’. This plant will just keep on giving you color all summer long with a fragrance that will knock you out. The only drawback to this one is that it is an annual and will die if left out in the cold next fall, but it will really perform in the summer garden and well worth adding to your favorite plants. If you would like to see these and a whole lot more color and fragrance plants stop by Al’s Garden Center.

Building a Raised Bed

Building a Raised Bed

Gardening in small spaces has grown quite a bit in the past couple of years. Because of that people are looking for ways to garden efficiently in those spaces. One way of doing that is with a raised bed. A friend of the show, Alan, recently built a new raised bed and he let us record the steps so you can see how easy it can be! When picking out a spot for a bed you will want to look for an area that gets 6-8 hours of sun a day. You will want to get it level so look for level ground or be prepared to do a little digging. Lay out the area that you want to build the bed and measure to make sure everything will fit. Try to keep your bed no wider than 4 feet in its widest part. This will help you in weeding and harvesting. Start with at least a 2x6 or a 2x8 for the sides, which will give you the depth you need for all the new soil and plants. ‘Measure twice and cut once’ is an old adage for builders and it is a good reminder for you when you get started. Remove all the soil and sod in the area of your new bed and work the old soil with a tiller or shovel. Once your boards are cut you can lay them out and make sure they are all square and level. If everything fits you can start assembling the frame. Use brass screw so they are resistant to rust and corrosion. Screw the frame together on the outside corners and then reinforce the corners with inside brackets as well. Back fill around the edges of the frame to create added stability. Once the frame is in place you will want to fill it with clean soil. If you add old top soil you will just be bringing the old problem into the bed including diseases and pests. We filled the bed with Black Gold Natural and Organic soil, but if you have a large bed you can get a bulk delivery of Garden Mulch from Grimm’s Fuel (503-636-3623). Once it is filled with soil you can plant your veggie garden. Make sure that you water everything in once you plant it since the soil may be a little too dry for planting.

If this all seems like it is too much to tackle, you can find a bunch of different ‘raised bed’ kits at your local independent garden centers. Enjoy the summer and your great harvest from this new bed and next year try adding one more for even more veggies!

Sedum Planting

Sedum Planting

One of the hottest plants on the market right now are sedums. They are popular because they do well in conditions that other plants don’t and once established they are pretty hardy for our area. Not only that, they look COOL too. To see how we can plant them into a container we met with Donna Wright from Black Gold at Little Baja (503-236-8834). The Black gold product is perfect for the sedums. They survive on the sides of cliffs and mountains and don’t handle a synthetic fertilizer very well so the ‘Natural and Organic’ product works really well. Plus it now has ‘Resilience’ a silicon enriched additive that is all natural as well and works to make a stronger plant. Plus we had the Little Baja terracotta pots to plant in. These clay containers actually allow microscopic water and air molecules to pass through the clay which helps make stronger roots. Donna was using one of their strawberry pots for her plants. These are great, not just for strawberries, but also for herbs, sedums and other small plants. William was using a shallow planter which works well because sedums have such shallow root structures. Once these are planted they can go right outside since they are acclimated to the weather already. If you would like to plant a container of your own, stop by Little Baja on Burnside and pick up everything you need.

Stem Girdling Roots

Stem Girdling Roots

Do you have a plant that seems to be looking weak? Sometimes that can mean a disease and sometimes it could be something right under your feet! To find out what that means we stopped by Collier Arbor Care a division of Bartlett, and talked to our friend Logan. He had an example of stem girdling roots to show us. These are roots that, for a number of reasons, wrap themselves around the tree and start to choke it, cutting off nutrients and harming the tree. The example that he had was a tree that had been kept in its pot too long. The roots had grown in a circular pattern around the base of the tree. Logan mentioned that this starts in the pot and if it isn’t corrected when it is planted in the landscape it will continue to grow in that pattern. This can happen even outside of the container too. It you don’t prepare the planting hole correctly you can see the same thing happen. The roots will grow until they hit a barrier, either a wall of plastic or one of compacted soil. Either way the roots will not grow out as they should. Logan took us to another location where they had found a girdling root. In cases like this they use an ‘air spade’ to get to the root of the problem. This tool uses compressed air to blow out the soil from the roots without damaging them. Then they can get in and see if they can save the tree by cutting off the problem roots. If you think you have a problem with girdling roots you will want to give Collier Arbor Care a call. They can come out and assess the problem and come up with a solution. The sooner you do it the healthier your tree can become.

Rosarian Rose Garden Contest

Rosarian Rose Garden Contest

For over 100 years the Royal Rosarians have been the official greeters to the city of Portland and have been ambassadors of good will to guests of the city and the world. Since 1938 they have also sponsored the Royal Rosarian Foundation Rose Garden Contest. Royal Rosarian and Rose Garden curator, Harry Landers met us at the International Rose Test Garden at Washington Park in the Royal Rosarian Garden to tell us about the Royal Rosarians, the rose contest and how people can enter. The contest has many categories and is open to anyone within a 20 mile radius of Pioneer Courthouse Square. Generally they ask that gardens contain at least 25 roses to enter, but there are categories for special gardens that can have as few as 12 roses. Check out the Royal Rosarian website for details. Just click on the ‘Events’ link for all the rules and an entry form. The entry period ends on the 21st of May. Judging takes place on the 31st of May followed by the awards presentation on June 16th at the Rosarian Garden.
If you get a chance you need to stop by the Rosarian Garden at Washington Park and see all the great flowers. It also contains plaques for all the Rosarian Prime Ministers to date. They also have a new statue that you have to see! And remember the Rosarian slogan… ‘For You a Rose in Portland Grows’.

Hummingbird Care

Hummingbird Care

The spring is here and that means the return of the Rufous hummingbird to local gardens, but did you know that we have had the Anna’s hummingbird here all winter too? The Rufous are just returning to the area for the summer. To learn more about these birds and how to keep them in the garden we stopped by Backyard Bird Shop (503-620-7454) and talked to Scott. He showed us some of the feeders that they have in stock and how to use them (and protect them) so the birds can enjoy them all summer long. One of the questions we have had in the past is one that they get at the stores as well, ‘doesn’t having a feeder create a problem for the birds by getting them to rely on a non-native source of food?’. Scott told us that the hummingbirds use the feeder as only one of the sources for food. The birds usually have multiple sources for feeding and that includes flowers and small insects. They know better than to rely on one source of food, they are pretty smart that way!

He then pulled out a little swing. It was the Pop’s Hummingbird Swing. This cute little swing actually serves a purpose. Birds will sit on it near the feeder to protect their food source. It really works. If you love hummingbirds you have to stop by Backyard Bird Shop.

Spring Water Plants

Spring Water Plants

Last week we told you some tips to get your pond ready for the summer. This week we share with you some of the plants that will make that clean pond more enjoyable. Once again we met with Eamonn Hughes at Hughes Water Gardens (503-638-1709). First he talked about the benefits of having plants in your pond. The first reason is that it locks up the nutrients that are in your pond, either from fish waste to from organic material that drops into your pond. That will help prevent the growth of algae. They also provide cover for your fish so they don’t get harvested by other critters in your yard. The number one reason for having water plants is for the pure aesthetics of them. They can make a boring pond really pop! The first thing you should do when planting is to come up with a plan. You will want to make sure that the plants you choose will enhance your pond and not block it. Look at smaller plants and ground covers for the front of your pond and then middle and taller plants for the backdrop. Also make sure you have a nice mix of plants so you can get year-round interest from them. Some blooming plants for the growing season and some structure plants for the fall and winter. Also, make sure that you fertilize them. There are special aquatic fertilizer tablets that will make sure that you plants stay healthy and continue to bloom throughout the season. If you would like to learn more about water plants and how to take care of them, stop by Hughes Water Gardens.

Rosie’s Cilantro Pot

Rosie’s Cilantro Pot

Growing your own vegetables and herbs are very popular right now. So to learn how to make an herb pot we went to one of the local experts, Rosie Sullivan from N & M Nursery (503-981-9060). Rosie, and her husband Sean, grow herbs and perennials that they sell at the Beaverton Farmers Market and to local garden centers around the area. She showed us how to plant up 2 different kinds of planters, one for cooking herbs, and one just for your favorite herb, which in this case was cilantro. Rosie recommends that you keep the cilantro separate from your other herb pots. It is such a short lived annual that you should cut it and use it 4-5 times and then just compost the plant. In the culinary herb pot you can include African Blue Basil, chives, sweet basil, Rosemary, Oregano, thyme and sage. Stop by and see Rosie May 2nd when the Beaverton Farmers market opens for the summer season, then try building your own herb pot this spring and enjoy fresh herbs all summer long. You can also check out her great plants at her new retail location, 11702 Feller Road NE in Hubbard which is open now!

Tastosterone Recipe

Tastosterone Recipe

Do you know a guy who is a danger to himself and others in the kitchen? Well, we found a cookbook that might help him out. Tastosterone by Debra Levy Picard brings things down to basics. Most of the recipes are pretty simple (they even have instructions on making bacon and boiling eggs), but some of them are more elaborate and can create some really tasty dishes. We asked Chef David Musial to pick one from the cookbook to work. He picked the ‘Soft Taco Vegetable Stir-fry’. This one just uses a selection of cut vegetables (peas, broccoli, carrots, squash and onions) that are sautéed in a hot skillet on the stove. Harder vegetables go in first and once they are a little soft the rest of the veggies can go in. Once they are done (easy to fork and slightly browned) you can remove them from the stove. Place them in a bowl and add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, ¼ cup of sour cream, salt and pepper, than toss them until everything is mixed well. Just spoon this mixture into a soft taco and add a salsa and some parmesan cheese. It was wonderful! If you would like to pick up this cookbook you can find it at most booksellers and on-line at their website, http://www.tastosterone.com.

Tip of the Week - Evergreen Fertilizing

Tip of the Week - Evergreen Fertilizing

If you have wandered through the tree and shrub section of your garden center you may have noticed that they all have fertilizer in their pots. That reminded us that now is a good time to do the same at your home. Put down a good tree and shrub fertilizer and work it in around the drip-line of the plant. That is the area below the outside edge of the plant. The rain drips from the end of these branches on to the fertilizer and helps it dissolve into the soil. [SEE ALL OUR TIPS OF THE WEEK - CLICK HERE]
 

 
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