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December 19, 2009

VIDEO ARCHIVE


It has only been a couple of weeks since we finished our season and we are all having a hard time adjusting to the time off. Of course, we are not missing videotaping stories out in the cold and wet. We are all in the midst of getting our Christmas shopping done. As a tribute to the late shopper we will repeat our garden gifts story from last year. Still some great ideas in the group!

This week we feature...

Gifts for the Gardener

If you have a gardener in your family it may be hard to find the right gift for them. If you are having troubles check out this list of suggestions we put together. We also brought out a bunch of different gift ideas to show you on camera. You can always pick out a big gift like a fountain or fire pit, which will last for years, or you can focus on a favorite interest for your friend. If they love birds you can pick up some bird watching/feeding items. There are also tools, books, seeds, gloves and garden accents. The main thing is to not stress out about gifts for your gardener friends. As a gardener, they love things of beauty and the fact that you are thinking of them will make them enjoy you and your gift.

Bird Camera

If you are a bird lover, you probably have feeders in your garden and enjoy watching the birds feed. That might be a problem if you can’t get close to the feeder. During the winter it is too cold to go outside and in the summer they might be too skittish to let you come near. We found a great product that will allow you to capture the beauty of your feathered friends as they visit your feeder. The Bird Camera from Wingscapes (888-811-WING) is easy to put together and get started. You can also modify it to do custom recording of the birds. To get started you just put in the batteries, set the distance, turn it on and point it toward the feeder…and you are done. It comes with an internal memory but you can also get an optional SD card for more memory. You can set it to record stills or even movies of the birds feeding. It has a photoelectric eye so it can activate when a bird is at the feeder, or you can use the remote to activate it when you see a bird at the feeder. For you flower lovers it can capture time-lapse of your favorite flowers blooming. You can find it locally at the Backyard Bird Shop (503-635-2044) or you can order it on-line at Wingscapes.

Christmas Tree Care

Thanksgiving weekend is the first big weekend for people to start getting their Christmas trees. Before you decorate your tree there are a few rules you need to follow to make sure it lasts through the season and into the New Year. Craig Lee from Lee Farms (503-638-1869) told us to always make a fresh cut on any tree you purchase from a tree lot. If you cut your own tree make sure you get it into some water as quickly as possible. Some other tips; use lukewarm water the first time you water your tree, and add an aspirin and a couple drops of bleach to the water. Remember, if it runs out of water once, it will seal up and then it doesn’t matter how much water you add. Don’t let the tree run out of water and you will have a longer lasting green tree for your holidays.

We also saw the best Christmas tree stand ever built. The Davis stand has lots of features. It installs easily in less than a minute, fits any tree and makes straightening your tree a breeze. They will even apply yours when you buy your tree.

Fall and Winter Succulents

Most plants love the northwest and that includes some of the desert succulents. You may think they like the drier and warmer conditions of the desert but Burl Mostel of Rare Plant Research showed us a bunch of plants that can handle the cold and wet of our area. Some of the plants that he liked were agaves, aeoniums and echeverias. The types and varieties that he included were some Agaves (parryii, variegata, filifera, and geminiflora), a couple aeoniums (Salad Bowl and Swartkopt) and an echeveria hybrid. Some of these take a little protection and most like quick drainage, which means they want the water to drain fairly quickly. If you are interested in trying some of these plants you can check at your garden center or you can drop Burl an e-mail to get one or two.

 
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our gardening friends from the
Garden Time crew, William, Judy, Therese and Jeff. We will see you in March 2010.
 

 
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