Chic Daisy

Summer!

2010-07-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

This morning, I opened to the door to put the Netflix envelope in the mailbox, the air smelled like summer. Warm and dusty. Don't you love the way scent takes us back to a time and place in such clarity?

Starting from age 11, I worked for local farmers. We picked strawberries: pole beans; boysenberries; and thronless, evergreen blackberries. We also weeded newly planted fields and 'trained' the blackberries. (Training blackberries consisted of grabbing a cane, bending it under the first tension wire, tying it to to the top tension wire, and clipping off the end of the cane about six inches above the wire.)
Farmer Robert C grew the berries and hired a group of us junior and high school girls to weed and train as well as pick the berries. Other farmers used squads of boys or hired migrant workers. Bob just said he got his monies worth with the girls. We laughed, sang, flirted with the irrigation boys, told jokes, got into arguments and in the end.......GOT THE JOB DONE!
Mom was our boss. She ran a tight ship. You goofed off too much and she would just have a talk with you and you didn't goof off anymore. She knew when we needed a break from the work and would set up a surprise with Bob of some pop or ice cream at the end of the day. She was fair, even, and furnny to work with.
I earned enough money to buy a nice school wardrobe and set aside a growing savings account. Good memories and times.
Cherries are available now. That means boysen, marion, and young berries will be available very soon. Yum, cobblers and pies! I've got the get Mom's recipe for 'Tar and Rocks' from Debbie, I've misplaced mine. I'll post it over on Cooking in Nana's Kitchen in the next day or so. You will love it!
Summer's here and I'm keeping cool! Hope you are as well.

What's Blooming This Week

2010-07-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hollyhock, Alcea sp.

Pot-Marigold, Calendula officinalis

Two different cultivars.

Summer Lilac, Buddleja davidii

TPTB changed the spelling.

Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria aurea

To pick these flowers, just pull the entire stem.

What's Blooming This Week

2010-06-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Victorian Poppy, Papaver paeoniflorum

Yes, this is also called Opium Poppy, Papaver somniferum, but this is the variety grown by the Victorians in their gardens. This plant was here when we moved in. Over the years, this annual, has shown up all over the yard and garden.
About 25 years ago, we saw a program on how to harvest the opium and process it. So we tried it, short of actually ingesting the product. I harvest the seeds for poppy seed cake, poppy seed bread, poppy seed muffins, etc.

Oriental Poppy, Papaver orientale

My Aunt Vi used to grow these. My step-mom Dorthy gave me the start for this. If you want to transplant these, do it in August. Otherwise, it's a crapshoot for the thing to survive.

Love-In-A-Mist, Nigella damascena

This is 'Miss Jekyll' after renowned English garden designer Gertrude Jekyll.

I have no idea what this grass is. It has a pinkish cast to the flower head and I like it for that reason. Being allergic to grass pollen, I decided not to get close enough to the flowerhead to identify it. Yeah, Plant Taxonomy was a bitch when the professor pulled out the grasses!

Borage, Borago officinalis

These flowers will turn pink as they mature. It's a fun herb. I just allow it to bloom all over the garden since bees just love it!

Subterranium Clover, Trifolium subterraneum

A lawn weed. I like them because the plant fixes nitrogen and that nitrogen is released to the soil when the plant dies. Hey, it's cheap fertilizer!

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium

This came in my eco-lawn seed. I would recommend not getting a seeding mix with yarrow, it creeps into the flower beds and is highly invasive.

Mole or Gopher Plant, Euphorbia lathyris

This plant does not work against moles or gophers. It does work against me. I am severely allergic to this plant. The only reason it is growing this year is because of the foreclosure, we are not doing anything in the garden, at all! Usually I would have hit it with Round-up when I first found it growing.

Mop-head Hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla

These flowers will slowly turn blue, then fade to yellow, then dry on the plant for winter interest.

Think Wildflowers

2010-05-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the Coast Saturday. It was glorious, sunny and no wind. I had wanted to give my new camera an outing. Unfortunately, the traffic was too heavy to stop for wildflowers along the roadside.

So, we went on a short, less than an hour trip Sunday. There were many plants in bloom.

I love to use our native wildflowers in the home garden landscape. There are all the usual reasons: drought resistance, beauty, forage for native wildlife, and pretty much no-fail plants.

I tend to see the roadside plants as both weeds and wildflowers. So many of what we think of as a wild plant are just those that have escaped cultivation or come in with imported agricultural products.

I took a slew of pictures, so here are just a few of the best ones:

Wild Rose, Rosa nutkana

There was a Wild Rose growing at the corner of our lot on Hembree. The rose hips were tart but tasty.

White Oregon Iris, Iris tenax

This iris may be any shade of white, blue, lavender, purple, or yellow

Wild Iris and Teasel heads, Dipsacus fullonum

Teasel is an European import. It was used to 'tease' the wool before spinning.

Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum

At first I thought this weed had been hit by an herbicide. On closer inspection, the white veins are natural. This is an European import and considered a noxious weed here in Oregon. It looks vicious. By the way, say the name out loud, "Silly Bum." Those old biologists did sometimes have a great sense of humor.

Mule's Ears, Wyethia amplexicaulis

Scott's eagle eye saw this plant. I didn't see it until he pointed it out!

Scotch Broom, Cytisus scoparius

This plant is highly invasive, as are all brooms. The seed heads are spring-loaded. When ripe, the seeds are flung far from the mother-plant. They make a 'popping' sound.

The One and Only Real Trailing Blackberry, Rubus ursinus

You will find male and female plants. Don't ask which this is. All other blackberries: Himalayan and Evergreen are invasive imports. (I used to work on a farm with Thornless, Evergreen blackberry fields. I thought the flavor was okay. Himalayan better, and Trailing the best ever!) If you are lucky to come upon a patch of these natives in fruit, stop and pick. You will have a blackberry pie that will spoil you forever.

If you are doing your own scouting for wildflowers in the wild, here are some books I recommend:

There are great botanical tomes on Plant Taxonomy, but I feel those are best left to the botanist. Since wildflowers are sometimes quite regional, it is best to check with your local bookstore, Extension Office, Wildflower Societies, community college or university botanists for their recommendation of identification books.

What's Blooming This Week

2010-05-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Red-hot Poker, Kniphopia sp.

with Shasta Daisies in the background

Forget-me-not, Myosotis ramosissima

California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica

all four sisters remember these and purple vetch going on the railroad right-of-way in front of the little house on Hembree.

Bachelor Buttons, Centaurea cyanus

Blue above and Pink below

Oregon Iris, Iris tenax

Looked in the garden and what did I see? Poison hemlock living next to me!

2010-05-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Poison Hemlock, Conium maculatum

I have been battling this extremely poisonous plant for nearly 29 years! It grows in damp ground, like down at the creek that flows about 100 yards away. The cats used to bring its seeds up to the house, along with Queen Anne's Lace, Bedstraw,Galium, and other 'sticky' seeds. I don't know how many pairs of socks we had to throw away after Selene went 'hiking' through the field and orchard that used to sit between us and the creek.

Anyway, this is the plant that killed Socrates. A prefered method of death penelty of the ancient Greeks. It will bloom into lovely umbrels (umbrella shaped) of small flowers, like a loose version of Queen Anne's Lace, Daucus carota. The stems are streaked, spotted and sometimes all over colored with purple. The stems are hollow. AND THE ENTIRE PLANT IS POISONOUS!

I donned my gloves and pulled up a patch about 2 ft square. I have kept after this plant yearly. We have not had a cat in over 10 years who brought up the seeds from the creek. So these seeds are at least 10 years old. Yes, some seeds are viable for a VERY long time.

I taught Selene about poison hemlock when she was just four years old. In terms of, 'If you put any part of this plant in your mouth you will die. There is nothing that will save you.' We kept at the warnings clear through grade school. If she found a plant in the garden, she would come get her Dad or me to pull it.

Even if the smallest part of of the plant is ingested, get the person to medical help immeadiatly! There is no home cure.

This is not meant as medical advice or plant identification. If you find a plant you cannot identify, see your local Extension Office. If someone ingests an unknown plant call your Poison Contol Hotline with as much of the plant avaiable as possible to identify it.

What's Blooming This Week

2010-05-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

Cranesbill, Geranium

This plant reseeds prolifically but I still love it!

Jacob's Ladder, Polemonium

Multiflora Rose, Rosa sp.

Growing beside the shop, this multiflora produces bouquets of flowers on a single stem.

Peony, Paeonia

These long-lived plants don't like to be disturbed. I love the cut flowers, such a clean scent!

It's Warming UP!

2010-05-07T02:33:00.000-07:00

I love reading all the home garden blogs. Seeing the creative ways people across the world grow their gardens. Some of the bloggers are telling of their early vegetable gardens and others will wax on about their gorgeous borders and unique plants. It is a joy to share a passion with others.

Like you all know, there is no vegetable garden here this year. We couldn’t prepare the soil if we tried. It has rained so much this spring; the ground is like soup at times. This weekend is supposed to be lovely with temps in the high 60’s to low 70’s! Oh, we are looking forward to some real sun!

I am sure local gardeners are chomping at the bit to get some veggies in the ground. But wait; check out the texture of the soil first, please. If your garden soil is still wet and sticky, refrain from tilling until the soil has time to drain out. Working the soil before it is dry enough can damage it and it will take years to restore your tilth. Best to watch when the local farmers are plowing their fields and time your tilling to coincide with them.

About 30 years ago we lived out in Perrydale. It was a great old farmhouse with a great-sized garden. Our landlords lived next door and plowed up extra garden space for us. We planted our garden a bit at a time; watching the air and soil temperatures to make sure we got the optimum seed germination. While the landlords replanted beans and corn several times, the spring was cold and wet like this one, we only planted once.

Back then, we watched The Victory Garden every week, gleaning what we could. Of course, we subscribed to Mother Earth News and Organic Gardening. We read Ruth Stout, Square Foot Gardening, Rodale's Organic Gardeningand many more.

We’ve tried some strange garden items; like kohlrabi before anyone we knew were eating it, turban squash that were not seen in the stores (Hubbard was the only squash most stores carried), seedless watermelons that astonished everyone, luffa that rotted before it dried enough to make a scrubber, etc.

We fell in love with the idea of growing plants in beds rather than rows. With beds about 3’x6’ we had less ground going into aisles and more going into production. We just cast seed out into the bed, keeping the plants at the right spacing when we thinned the crop. I think the root crops were easier to harvest since the ground around them was never walked on. Because corn is wind pollinated; if you plant a long row you won’t get many ears. Planted in a square or rectangle you will get more ears.

The message here is simple: Do your homework before getting out to play in the dirt. Pay attention to the details of soil and temperature so you don’t waste money on ruining your soil or paying for more seed than you need to.

The Bees are Here!

2010-05-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

Bee! I'm expecting you!
Was saying Yesterday
To Somebody you know
That you were due --

The Frogs got Home last Week --
Are settled, and at work --
Birds, mostly back --
The Clover warm and thick --

You'll get my Letter by
The seventeenth; Reply
Or better, be with me --
Yours, Fly.
Thanks to Emily Dickinson

Today I had to run by the City Offices to pay the water bill. While I was there I caught sight of my first bumblebee this season! She was just too busy to stop and talk as she drank nectar from a lovely Rhododendron ‘Alice’ at the corner of the building.

Don’t you love all the creative bicycle racks showing up? This one is in front of City Hall.

Lavender Trees

2010-05-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

permission to use copyrighted material granted by holder

Oh Joy, my Paulownia kawakamii is blooming! Such lovely blooms! And I can’t get a decent picture because my digital camera broke and I only have a camera phone now. So, here’s a picture of Paulownia tomentosa from the OSU Landscape Plants website. P. kawakamii has lavender flowers with a white throat speckled in purple.

I planted this tree in about ’98. It was broken off several times (trick or treaters got it once, an angry teen another). It is now about 20’ tall. It should top out at 25’ – 35’.

There are mixed reviews of this plant. Some people see it as a weed; while others see it as a beauty in their yards. I love that it is fast growing and produces a lot of shade during the summer. The fragrant flowers make it an ideal spring specimen. On the down side, it sheds leaves all summer, there is no fall interest (the leaves turn brown and drop), and it produces copious seed heads.

The Victorians grew many of the Paulownia species for their leaves. The immature plant produces huge, almost elephant ear size, heart-shaped, fuzzy leaves. By cutting the plant back every year, you can have a specimen of about 6’ that will stop traffic. Literally, people stopped their cars and asked about the plant when it was very young! Of course, you sacrifice the flowers for the leaves, but what a choice. I think I would love to have at least two of these trees. One for flowers and the other for the leaves!

P. kawakamii is an extremely endangered plant back in its native Taiwan, China, and Japan. Loss of habitat is to blame. It is also touted as one of the great carbon sink trees. (Carbon sinks are plants that take up carbon from the atmosphere and hold it until the plant dies.) The tree is drought resistant – no need to water during our usual summer drought here in the PNW.

P. kawakamii is one of up to 17 species of Paulownia. As with any tree, research to find the one that will fit your space at full maturity. After all, it is better to spend the time in research than to spend it cutting down the tree and waiting the years for another to fill the void.

Who Ordered the Weather?

2010-05-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Will it ever warm up? Our days are hovering in the low 60’s and the nights in the low 40’s. Presumably our last frost date is about May 9. We may have no more frosty weather, but it sure is not balmy by any stretch of the imagination.

It has been so wet that no one can put in a garden yet, not to mention most veggie seeds need warmer soil than we have now. Low lying areas are still retaining water; of course the duckies love that. It’s nice the aquifers are being recharged and the dams are full for the summer drought. Yet, I WANT TO PLAY IN THE DIRT!

There have been a few days warm enough for the bees to be about. I haven’t seen a bumble bee, yet; but there are scads of honey bees this year! What a joy!

With Global Warming all the rage these days, I thought I might just list off some of the strange sights I’ve seen over the years:

Roses blooming on Christmas – on the sheltered south side of a neighbor’s house, circa 1965
18” of snow during Spring Break, 1960 – It covered the blooming daffodils!
3’ of snow in Eugene, OR January 1969 -- It closed down the city since Eugene never did get much, if any snow
There was at least one foot of snow on the Willamette Valley floor at least once a year up until the early ‘70’s. Then, there was almost no snow until the mid 80’s. Snow was intermittent for the next 20 years. Now, we pretty much expect a week of subfreezing weather and snow in January or February every year.
We usually plant our garden on Memorial Day. One year it was so hot, the rain turned to steam in mid-fall. What a sight! The rain clouds were visible through a fog. Selene was just little and she spent most of the day on her back, in the grass, watching the sky change with each passing minute.
Memorial Day flowers – cool Spring we set out peonies, warm Springs get roses.
Unusual flower combinations are frequent in Spring. Flowers that bloom based on day length may combine with those that bloom based on temperature. You never know what you may get.

Reminder, Mother's Day is Coming!

2010-04-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hi, just a reminder, Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9th. As we are not going to do anymore gardening this year due to the move; Scott and I were reminiscing about our garden of the past 29 years. One thing that sticks out in both our minds are the years he bought me mushroom compost (many neighbors complained it was stinky – I told them to be thankful he didn’t get the pig manure), hemlock bark to finish off the beds (no slivers like douglas fir bark and it is a wonderfully deep brown hue), and a load of ‘washed’ dairy cow manure (my favorite, we had tomatoes the size of a cat’s head and those were just the cherry tomatoes!)

Anyway, this is just an explanation of what each company listed on the side of my blog brings to the table and why I have chosen to have their advertising. Yes, I have chosen these companies because I believe the in products they have to sell.

So, if the Mom in your life is a gardener, here are a few businesses you might find useful in getting her a gift! Amazon has books, DVDs, and magazines for the gardener. I searched: sustainable living and green living beyond just the printed matter and came up with thousands of useful products any mother would love to receive.

Terrain – has unique products for the home and garden. I love the antique looks of their line. Many items are handcrafted from industrial parts making them an artistic way of recycling. There are antiques, unique shaped enamled cooking pots, furniture and there is a collection of Heirloom Seeds in packets that would inspire me to use them for a large framed piece. Imagine: a burlap covered board with old time seed packets displayed in groupings. Seeds scattered about. All framed in a gorgeous copper antique frame.

Gardens Alive – is an environmentally responsible gardening company. I have bought their products for years and enjoy reading their catalog for more information on sustainable gardening. From responsible pest control, they have the cutest toad house, to organic seeds and fertilizers I have always found just what I’m looking for at Gardens Alive!

GenericSeeds.com was chosen because the seeds are guaranteed to be non-GMO. I liked that there is more seed per packet than many other seed sellers. Plus they have so much more to offer gardeners.

Whites Flower Farm – I have been buying plants from Whites for about as long as I can remember buying plants. They have quality plants at great prices. And I love being able to find cultivars that many companies do not have.

Worx – no emission tools. What green gardener would love to have that! As we age, we have found that using our old muscle powered tools is getting harder and harder. We have been looking for a green alternative and Worx tools seem to be one of the best. These battery powered tools really do work. And when the battery expires we can recycle them at our local landfill.

How the program works: You view the site for products you like. Take your time to think it over and when you want to make a purchase, just enter the site from my blog. That way, I will make a small commission on the products you buy. Plus anytime you want to purchase through Amazon, again enter the site from my blog, and again, I make a small commission.

I see this as a ‘win-win’ for the both of us. I get to make a little ‘pin money’ on the side and you, my dear readers, get to read my literate and informative blog. AND if you want to buy a useful garden item, you know I have used the business and recommend it (disclaimer – while I recommend the businesses, I in no way imply a guarantee, refund, or anything of monetary value other than being an advertiser.)

Make the gardening Mom of your choice a happy person this Mother's Day! Take her out to breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or all three!) and give her a lasting gift for playing in the dirt!

A Time for a Change

2010-04-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

With the changes going on, I thought I would change the looks of my blogs to something a little different. I hope you like the changes as much as I do. Right now the Olde Timey look suits me. Wait a couple of months and then we’ll see what feels right at the time.

Officially, we are moving house on August 1. That means all garden plans are now changed. I will be digging a few of my plants to take with us. Our planned patio garden is scaled back to just a couple of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and basil. There will be a very few pots of color. Keep it simple for the move.
Until then, I will continue to keep you apprised on what is blooming, how you can have a simply beautiful garden, and rant about those things I see fit to rant about!

What's Blooming This Week

2010-04-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Either Brussells Sprouts or Cabbage, Brassica oleracea

I will save seed for next year and see what I get!

Rhododendron 'Cindy'

I always think brides should use Rhodys for their bouquets. Just the right shape and size.

Columbine, Aquilegia × hybrida

I love to let the plants go to seed just to see what new combinations happen.

I dropped a package of Shasta Daisy, Leucanthemum x superbum (AKA Chrysantemum sp.), seed in the squash bed last spring. Imagine my delight to see these! Did you notice the 'Jewel' on one bloom?

RANT - OVERUSE OF GARDEN CHEMICALS, PART TWO

2010-04-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

Okay Part II; if you missed it, here’s the link to Part 1.

Today we are going to talk about the overuse of pesticides, both herbicides and insecticides. And yes, I am counting both organically produced and laboratory produced in this one.

We use pesticides to rid our gardens of unwanted guests. Whether it is that nasty aphid infestation or those pesky dandelions we reach for the fastest, most effective of blasting them out of existence.

Eradicating Crane Fly:
Recently I overheard a conversation between two men about the European Crane Fly. This large mosquito-looking insect lays its eggs in our lawns. The resulting larvae eat root crowns of the turfgrass. This damage is noticeable by the thinning of the turf in irregular patches of the lawn.

These men were talking about what would be the best solution for dealing with the Crane Fly. I had to join the conversation with a question about how bad their infestation was. They replied they did not have an infestation; rather they were seeing the Crane Fly about and wanted to do something preventative. They were planning on applying an insecticide, double strength, to the entire lawn to kill off the bugs.

I was intrigued by their decision to pour their money down the rat hole and told them so. Nicely, of course. I recommended they do a check for the ‘leatherjackets’ (that’s what Crane Fly larvae are called) by looking for a thinning patch of lawn. No thinning patches of lawn, no crane fly! No further action needed. By the way, the only time a homeowner needs worry about applying insecticides for Crane Fly is April 1 to April 15. It is the only time the application will be effective. Applications of insectide in August when then the Crane Flies are emerging and mating are NOT effective and cost homeowners too much money for zero in return.

If there are thinning patches in the lawn; cut a one foot by one foot shallow square in the lawn, remove the square and count the number of larvae in the sample. If you find less than 25 crane fly larvae in the sample you are golden, don’t waste your money. If there are more than 25 larvae then treat that one spot with an approved insecticide for Crane Fly and for heaven’s sake READ THE DIRECTIONS AND PRECAUTIONS CAREFULLY! Some of these insecticides are dangerous to children, pets, and bees! Bee responsible.

If you have lawn damaged by Crane Fly, overseed with the same grass right now. By June, you will have a great looking lawn!

Learn more about Crane Flies, knowledge is power and often saves you money!

RANT - OVERUSE OF GARDEN CHEMICALS, PART ONE

2010-04-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, so sorry about posting this month. We have been hit with illness almost every other day! First, we got sick right after Easter for a few days. Then, the next week our entire extended family was sick after Selene’s 30th b-day. I celebrated 60 and then got sick again. I am still not Tom Terrific but am better.

During my lucid moments, I got to thinking about it being Spring and everyone wanting to get ahead on their garden chores. Here in the PNW, it has been raining and cold. Upside: all the flowers are lasting longer then ususal. Downside: it is too cold and wet to get into the garden. In fact, I was trying to corral the dogs one morning and fell into one of last year’s compost piles. Chasing dogs + wet clay = one fat woman face down in fragrant, completed compost. If I wasn’t so mad at the dogs for fussing over a possum I would have laughed harder than I did!

I would like to address the overuse of garden chemicals, both pesticide and fertilizer. That’s right folks, just a few well expressed thoughts on our environment and your pocketbook all rolled together into one HUGE MOTHER OF A RANT!

Our environment, health, and pocketbooks are paying the price for the runoff from the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers.

Now, don’t you go saying it is the farmers and golf courses that are responsible; because they are not. No, professionals know that not only is it against EPA regulations to overuse chemicals; overuse of said chemicals costs them more money with less return. It is pure economics for the professional.

People, it is the home gardener who is doing most of the pollution and overpaying for what they do not need. Really, take a good hard look at your own use of garden chemicals.

Recently I have had the privilege to speak with many home gardeners about their landscapes and gardens. So many people are doing things that are so wrong, I decided to write about it and share my feelings.

Fertilizing the lawn:
Your lawn needs, at the most, one pound of Nitrogen (N) per 1000 square feet per month during the growing season, April to October. The calculation is simple. The first letter on the fertilizer bag is the percentage of Nitrogen content per pound of the fertilizer. Say, you buy a bag of 27-0-4. One pound of the product contains 27% Nitrogen. Easily, 4 x .27 =~1; now figure square feet, just multiply length x width. 40 feet long x 25 feet wide = 1000 square feet. You would spread 4 pounds of that product over the 1000 sq ft of lawn.

New lawns, diseased lawns, and weed choked lawns can do with 1.5 pounds N per month until they are lush and healthy.

By mulch mowing, you can cut back on N by 1/3. That means in our above example, you can reduce the amount applied from 4# per sq ft to 2.5-3# per sq ft. Saves you money and saves on finding a way to dispose of the debris. Total cost is 18 pounds of Nitrogen a year.

Mulch mowing does not add to thatch, that impermeable layer of old grass roots that is not good for you lawn. You are adding the moist, nutrient-rich tips of the grass blade which decompose in a matter of weeks. On the topic of thatch, unless you have an old bent grass lawn you don’t need to thatch every year or even EVER. More on that another day.

The mid-point of fertilizing is to use your fertilizer only three times a year; June, August, and October. Use the above formula for one pound of N per 1,000 sq ft. If you mulch mow, reduce N by 1/3. That means you only need to use a total of 9 pounds of fertilizer per season,. To just keep your lawn, you may opt for a one time application of 1#N/1k sq ft. in June and that means only 3 pounds of fertilizer per season!

And of course, many lawns go without fertilizing at all. I don’t fertilize my lawn, my dogs do. Oh, and we mulch mow. Our lawn if lush, thick, and grassy to the extreme!

I recommend Fertilizing Lawns, an OSU Extension bulletin by T. Cook and B. McDonald. Tom Cook taught me what I know about turf. And that is a lot of information! There is a great picture of the Lewis Brown Farm where Tom Cook, Professor Emeritus, designed and installed golf green years and years ago. Turfies, those students studying Turfgrass Science, used that green to become great putters. Oh, and really great golf course managers!

Besides pollution, when you over fertilize you are just pouring your money down that proverbial rat hole! Think about it. Please, think about it. If you are still wanting to throw your money to the wind trying to have the best lawn on the block; at least learn a little about the what, why, and how to get that perfect lawn! The chemical companies do have good information. And so does the Oregon State Extension Service: free, at your fingertips, saving your money, health, and environment!

Next time – OVERUSE OF PESTICIDES.

Birthday Flowers

2010-04-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

Dad & Dorthy took me out for dinner last nght to celebrate my 60th! 88 year old Dad, gave me a dozen apricot roses for the occaision.
Right now the dining room smells so good. These long-stem roses are fragrant with a real rose scent. Add that to the Easter lily fragrance and it is almost overwhelming.

What's Blooming This Week

2010-04-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Columbine Aquilegia x hybrid

Lilac Syringa x hybrid

This one has no fragrance at all, just gorgeous purple blooms

It was a gift from my father

One lone tulip Tulipa x hybrid

This is the only tulip to survive dozens planted about 20 years ago

Here's a small portion of the Candytuft on our parkway. We have about

40 feet of it!

ETA:

Spanish Bluebells Hyacinthoides hispanica

These are growing around a hazelnut (filbert), Corylus sp. tree the blue jays planted for me. I also see there is a dandelion I missed.

Tuesday Morning

2010-04-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

Good Tuesday morning! It is overcast with just a hint of blue among the grey clouds. More rain is on the menu. The neighbor’s flowering pear, Pyrus calleryana, is beginning to bloom. It is a variety bred by an Oregon State University professor; and for the life of me, I can’t remember the varietal name. The tree leafs out before it blooms. The flower buds are a red color before opening to pure white flowers. Not one of my favorite flowering trees, but still pretty.

The Easter lily buds were closed on Sunday, when we left for Debbie & Rob’s. One was open when we got home and a second opened this morning. I have decided to try to produce some lily seed. I will just dust the white stigma with a yellow anther and wait for nature to do her thing.

Unfertilized Lily - no pollen on the white stigma

Fertilized Lily - see the yellow pollen on the stigma?

On a side note, the dogs cornered an opossum this morning. So nasty. I got them back inside and it wandered off. I found the hole under the fence where they come and go. Have to find something to block it now.

While gettig to the dogs, I fell in the clay mud. Landed on my knees in an old compost pile (from last season) so there was no damage done to me. Just muddy pants, shoes and socks; what a way to start the morning.

ETA:

Easter lily four days after fertilizing.

I removed the anthers on all the lily blooms after taking this picture. The pollen was doing a number on us, as well as Max and Wolf. The two poor cats were sneezing constantly. I was ready to buy some Benedryl for them!

ETA -- The ovaries on the Easter Lily are dried up and do not have any seeds. Oh well, Debbie will love having it to add to her lovely lily bed. She can really enjoy the blooms and fragrance next year.

Joyful Easter -- ETA New Pictures of the Mature Bloom!

2010-04-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Wakerobin, Trillium ovatum, is a joy in the spring. In the forests, it grows in little colonies and is as much a harbenger of spring as the daffodills in our gardens

Virginal Trillium ovatum

Trillium ovatum

after being pollenized, see the blush?

In the wild, it it best not to pick Trillium flowers. Picking Trillium flowers sets the plant back, the green bracts are the only source of chlorophyl for the roots. By picking the flower, there is no food for the roots that year and it takes several years for the plant to make up the loss of food.
When the local Soil and Water Conservation District holds it's plant sale, I am always in the front of the line. Love to pick up wild plants for a reasonable price; while supporting a great resource.

ETA:

Fully blushed trillium

When we get our retirement house, I plan on using trillium like daffodils! Think of it, white blooms followed by the lovely pink blush!

ETA: about four weeks old, the trillium is truely a one-flower show!

A New Plant and Pot

2010-04-02T23:39:00.000-07:00

When I was in the Rainbow Market (Grocery Outlet), I found some cute, cup shaped pots with matching saucers. There were also these wonderful pinkish plants I knew would look great in the burgandy dining room. So I bought both! Isn't it a great pair? Love it with my bohemian decorating scheme.

Echeveria Metallica

I also picked up an Easter lily with four unopened blooms, three sedums, a bronze fennel and a small pot of chives.

The liner is one my late MIL had. I find it cheery and spring-time right! I refinished the cabinet that was in my parents old kitchen.

Another trip to the store is in order. I am out of potting mix. I am going to refurbish my strawberry pot filled with sedums and sempervirens. It's only been about 12 years since I put it together. There are some hens & chicks my mom gave me, that look spectacular; they will need special attention so I don't ruin that look. I should have it done by Monday or Tuesday. And of course, I will post the before and after.

Rethinking the Front Yard

2010-03-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

It is raining and stormy again today and will be until Thursday or Friday. To help keep myself entertained, I was looking through the BiMart coupon book. Six pack annual flowers are on sale. That got me thinking.

Instead of buying annual flowers, why not buy some vegetables to take their place? Yup, grow your veggies in among your flower garden. Not a far-fetched idea.

Think of lettuces growing as a front of the border plant. I love the Territorial Seed Gourmet Lettuce Blend of five different leaf lettuces. Instead of picking the entire plant, my dad always had us pick just the outside leaves leaving the core leaves to continue to grow.

How about putting your asparagus and rhubarb together in a corner bed? Harvest them in the spring and then have the show of the huge rhubarb leaves with the feathery asparagus tops waving high above them.

I have sown my carrots among my winter squash plants. The feathery tops of carrot in contrast with the yellow blooms and green leaves snaking through the bed look so tropical. Add the maturing fruits and you have a colorful bed for the summer into fall.

My neighbor always puts up a bamboo pole wigwam with scarlet runner beans every summer. The grandkids play in it by the hour. He says it’s the only reason anyone uses his front garden.

Growing up, people in our neighborhood planted fruit and nut trees for shade. I remember Lois and Joe putting in a flowering cherry. The entire neighborhood was abuzz with the reasoning why, these two extra frugal, people put in an ornamental tree and not a food tree. It was a sign that the Great Depression mentality was on the wane.

I remember several neighbors, with shady backyards, putting their vegetables in the front yard flower beds. Tomatoes by the front porch, corn planted as a hedge down the property line, sweet peppers and marigold lining the front walk, potatoes in their own little fluffy bit of a bed, giant cabbages squashing down the weeds, and all inter-planted with vibrant flowers to bring in the bees.

If doing a full-scale vegetable garden in the front yard is too much, just take a few baby steps towards your own sustainable garden habit.

What's Blooming This Week

2010-03-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

I dashed outside inbetween rainshowers to get the following pictures of what's blooming this week.

A seedling Cherry in the neighbor's yard, overhanging our yard.

It probably was planted by a bird from our old, Prunus avium, 'Royal Anne'

Candytuft (and candy wrapper)

Iberis sempervirens

Red Flowering Current

Ribes sanguineum

There were also two blossoms on the wild strawberries, but I couldn't get a decent picture. Maybe next week they will be more showy.

Grow Green with Ecolawns

2010-03-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

If you believe the television commercials, then you need to add synthetic fertilizer to your lawn to make it lush and dark green. Adding a broadleaf herbicide to that fertilizer will allow you to have a pure turfgrass lawn, just like the local golf course. Having the greenest lawn on the block should be your life’s goal.

Balderdash! First, having a lawn is a choice. I did away with my front lawn years ago. It is a shallow yard, so I decided to spray it out with glyphosate (I used herbicide since our lawn was creeping bent grass and that is notoriously hard to kill) and be done with mowing and watering. I now have a simple, mostly native plants with reseeding annuals, and low water requirement garden. I haven’t regretted it for a minute since.

When I remodeled my backyard, 17 years ago, I reduced the turf to 20’x 30’. It’s just the right size for games and easy care.

Turfgrass needs one pound of nitrogen every month during the growing season. You can cut that amount by one third just by using a mulching mower. You can also cut down to fertilizing in March, June, and October, if you aren’t crazy about mowing constantly. I covered how I fertilize my lawn (once a year) in another post here. DO NOT OVER FERTILIZE! The excess fertilizer is carried by runoff into our streams and lakes; killing off aquatic life.

Lawns need one inch of water per week. That’s easy to do. Just choose one day a week and water your lawn until you have filled a tuna or cat food can full of water. In very hot weather you might want to add an extra half-inch of water. It is considered best to water early in the morning to reduce evaporation and the chance of disease. Don’t overwater; you are wasting your time and money!

Check with your local Cooperative Extension for the type of turfgrass that works best in your area. I was one of the first people in my circle to try out ‘ecolawns.’ These turfgrass/flower blends are a way to enjoy a lawn filled with the herbal look of old English estate gardens. The lawns at Queen Elizabeth’s garden parties are known for the chamomile mixed into the turf. It is that fragrance everyone identifies with meeting the Queen at the party.

I used ‘Fleur de Lawn’ a mix of dwarf PR8820 Dwarf Perennial Ryegrass, Lolium perenne, O’Connor’s Strawberry Clover, Trifolium fragiferum, Sweet Alyssum, Lobularia maritimaand, Dwarf Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, Wild English Daisy, Bellis perennis, and Baby Blue Eyes, Nemophila menziesi. It is a mix I would recommend, although any mix with Yarrow needs to be watched, as it travels into flower beds.

English Daisies in 'Fleur de Lawn' Hobbs & Hopkins Ltd.

The bag recommends seeding at 1lb per 1000 sq ft. Double that, Ryegrass is a clumping grass and needs to be seeded thicker to make a full stand.

The Sweet Alyssum and Baby Blue Eyes bloom the first year while the lawn is establishing itself. The Strawberry Clover, Dwarf Yarrow, and English Daisies continue on for years. I think the Daisies died out about eight years ago. There isn’t much Strawberry Clover left, but the Ryegrass and Yarrow are chugging along!

The best part of the lawn is that being a dwarf ryegrass, only six to eight inches high, you really don’t need to mow! Really, it is a nice sort of shaggy lawn that can also be kept mowed and looks very neat.

Nichol’s Garden Nursery in Albany, OR has an assortment of ecolawn blends that Rosemary Nichols and Tom Cook, a retired professor at Oregon State University, have perfected over the years. I found other ecolawn mixes at Hobbs & Hopkins, Ltd. Just type ‘ecolawn’ in your search engine to find alternatives to traditional turfgrass lawns.

No Grand Garden, Just Pots

2010-03-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

The decision has been made. We will not be putting in a garden this year. Instead I will be doing a lot of container gardening.

I have some larger pots for a few tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. As I come up with the plantings, I will share them with you. I found my old hanging planters behind the shop. I’ll fill those with shade lovers for the front porch, along with the giant pot Debbie bought me for Christmas several years ago.

One year I grew a salsa garden in a strawberry jug. Tomatoes grew out of the top – choose a determinate variety like Oregon Spring. In the side pockets I planted a tomatillo, garlic, green onions, and cilantro. Another year I just planted an herb garden in the jug. The parsley was left to go to seed. I still find volunteer parsley next to the shop, an ongoing gift!

The strawberry jug now holds my sedums and sempervirens. It’s great, I don’t have to remember to water it and when I do, I just soak the whole thing in a 13 quart bowl. That’s the pet’s outdoor water bowl as well.

As I have been taking care of outdoor chores, I noticed two shrubs that have not fared well. Uncle Henry is a Japanese Aucuba, Aucuba japonica Variegata, the Gold Dust Plant.

Our other plant is a Japanese Pieris, Pieris japonica Variegata.

This is damage from weather. Last summer was hot and we didn’t remember to water either plant regularly. This winter included an Arctic Blast that again dried out the leaves even worse.

Moral of this story: Keep tender shrubs well watered in the summer and don’t plant them on the western side of the house. During icy weather, cover the plants with an extra blanket or cotton painter’s drape.

I will be pruning them to remove the dead leaves and stems in the next couple of days.

Finally, the last three violets from the flower beds. In just the few minutes they have been inside, the entire room is filled with their fragrance.

Starting Seeds and Repotting Plants

2010-03-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

Now is the time to start seed for summer flowers and crops. Thousands of garden writers out there, each with their way to start seeds. So, here’s my two cents worth:

Use a quality potting mix. Using garden soil bring in fungus and insects you don’t want or need. Also, garden soil is dynamic and needs to be in the garden. Removing garden soil from its natural environment, is the same as cutting off your hand. No longer attached to your body, it will die.
Potting mix is sterilized and formulated for container use. It does not pack, have fungus, or disease.
I have known people to use a special, seed starting mix in conjunction with special seed starting flats. I use regular potting mix in old six packs gathered from friends and family.

Rules for using old containers:

Rinse the container to remove old potting mix and spider eggs.
Submerge the containers in 1 part chlorine bleach to 9 parts cool water for 30 minutes.
Rinse the containers well with cool water.
Now, you may use them.

While I was starting some basil, I thought I would pot up my window garden as well. I have been growing rosemary, thyme, a Christmas cactus, and a Snake plant on the windowsill all winter. It was time to move them from water to potting mix.

My plants before potting. The sage died before I could pot it.

1 sheet of TP in the bottom of a pot.

The old saw was to put an inch of gravel, broken pottery, or other such in the bottom of the pot for drainage. That has been disproven. It has been found that gravity works! Instead, just put a piece of 1 ply TP in the bottom of the pot to contain the potting mix until the roots form a ball. TP will rot quickly and still allow for drainage. Otherwise the rocks take up space that the roots need.

Soaking a clay pot before planting.

Clay pots need to be soaked in water before you plant in them. The reason: Clay pots are dry (duh) and will syphon off the water from your potting mix. By soaking them for 30 minutes prior to planting, the plant gets to use the water and there is less transplant shock.

Also, when watering plants in clay pots, it is best to soak the plant and pot for at least 30 - 60 minutes. This ensures the potting mix will take up as much water as possilble. Soaking a plant in water, for short periods, will not damage it. Trust me!

The gorgeous Olde Worlde Pote has no drainage hole. I am using the clay pot as a liner.

Soaking freshly potted plants.

After potting plants, it is a good idea to give them a long drink. I just allow capillary action to fill the pot with water. I then drain them on the edge of the sink, before putting them in the window.

Here are my plants, ready for home decor or the kitchen window.

The herbs are in the kitchy sleeves. I found them at the Dollar Tree and couldn't resist! They look just joyful in my turquoise kitchen (adding Hunter Green to Pale Spring Leaf Green does not equal a darker Spring Leaf Green. I forgot Hunter Green is really bluey.)

The Christmas cactus has a home in the living room, next to the 10 ft long picture window!

Soaking the basil seed.

I planted 18 basil plants. I will start them on the air conditioner shelf, outside the bedroom window. That way, if cold nights are forecast, I can cover them to shield them from the cold. I planted another pot for the windowsill in the kitchen. Since that one will be warmer, I should have basil available in about six weeks.

I will buy my other starts are the Farmers Coop. Just not enough room. And, the dogs are sure to knock over any starts while they play.

Soils and Plant Nutrition

2010-03-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Plant Nutrition goes hand in hand with Soils. After all, with the exception of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, all the other plant nutrients come from the soil.

Plant nutrients are classified by how much a plant needs to grow. The macro-nutrients, needed in large amounts, are carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and silicon. Micro-nutrients, needed in very small amounts, are: iron, molybdenum (molly be damned, if you are a James Garner fan), boron, copper, chlorine, nickel, zinc, sodium and manganese.

In areas where the plants are undisturbed, like a forest or prairie, the nutrients cycle from the dead plant materials left to decompose on the soil. The nutrients are then taken up by the growing plants; dead plant material falls to the soil to decompose, etc.

In our gardens, we remove the dead plant material because it is unsightly (in our eyes) and it can lead to fungal diseases and insect infestations in our growing plants. Because we remove the dead plant material we need to add fertilizer to ‘feed’ our plants.

Plants are not able to discriminate synthetically produced nutrients from organically produced nutrients. Nitrogen is nitrogen to a plant. It is the soil that is damaged from the use of synthetic or even condensed organic fertilizers because there is nothing for the biota to feed on. We need the animals, whether large or microscopic, to burrow through the soil making pores for air and water and roots.

Like I said in Part 1, soil is a dynamic system, ever changing.

About 20 years ago, an older gentleman of my acquaintance, had an infestation of European Crane Fly, Tipula paludosa, larvae. The local farmers coop recommended a synthetic insecticide. The gentleman was so concerned about the patches of bare lawn, he doubled the dose.

The next morning he was astonished to see the lawn covered by dead worms and insects. Oh wow, what had he done?

I suggested he get a load of compost and spread it over the entire lawn, raking it down to the soil. Then, buy a couple of pounds of worms and scatter them about. Water about one inch a week and let nature take its course. I also advocated the use of coffee grounds sprinkled about for worm feed. He ignored me, choosing instead to over fertilize and over water. I got to see first-hand what dead soil looked like, it wasn’t pretty!

It took years for the soil to rebound. It compacted due to no animals living in it. The gentleman tilled and replanted the lawn at least twice in five years. The grass did not grow well at all, even with over fertilizing with synthetic fertilizers. Thanks, in part, to the gentleman learning about composting and his applications of compost to the flower beds running around and through his acre of landscape.

The moral of the story, soil needs the biota (living and dead plants and animals) to support its health. And to that end, I suggest using compost to feed your soils.

I covered how to make compost before. You can also buy compost from nurseries, farmers coops, or businesses that specifically deal in soil amendments.

Spreading three to four inches and tilling it into your veg garden every year, will feed your soil and your plants. I add compost to my landscape beds about every three years. I use hemlock bark to ‘finish’ my beds and it will last about three years before I need to add more. I spread the compost, dig it and the remaining bark into the soil, and finish with the hemlock (a dark brown color and it doesn’t have the splinters doug fir has.)

I use a slow release fertilizer every spring. Yes it is synthetic. I don’t apologize for that. The plants need a little extra nitrogen because of the hemlock using nitrogen to break down

Adding compost to the lawn is so simple. Just toss it about with a shovel, best not done on a windy day. You are only going to put down about an inch or less. Rake the compost into the grass and water one inch per week for the growing season. I do this every year along with using a mulch mower. I have one of the greenest lawns on the block.

I also spread one pound of Epsom salts per 1000 sq ft, over my entire property. The Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate. Plants use magnesium the same way we use iron. Iron is the center of our red blood cells. Magnesium is the center of the chlorophyll cell.

We have slugs. Everywhere. When we bought this house, the slugs were so large they looked like dog poop! And they climbed the trees! I have tried wood ash in small amounts, copper strips, and deadly poisons to no avail. Upon reading about iron phosphate, I stocked up and use it. It’s safe for kids and pets, kills the slugs, and fertilizes the plants.

The past ten years I have been dusting the entire property with lime, calcium carbonate. I put down less than ¼ inch to help raise the pH of the soil. I don’t test the soil; I do know from my studies that using nitrogen fertilizer increases the pH of the soil. By adding either lime or dolomite (calcium, carbonate, magnesium) you will raise the pH. If you want to use dolomite, I strongly urge that you do not use Epsom salts as the dolomite already has magnesium.

Feeding the soil feeds you plants by feeding the living critters that live in it. Compost helps to loosen clay and to increase water retention in sand.

Just a reminder, over fertilizing leads to run-off into our lakes and streams. That run-off causes algae blooms which lower the oxygen levels in the water. Lower oxygen levels kill off the fish and other aquatic animals. Please be a concerned gardener and remember, ‘Moderation in all things.’

Soils

2010-03-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to talk to you about soil. Not dirt, soil. Dirt is what we track into the house from the garden. Soil is a dynamic system containing solids (minerals and biota) and pores (filled with gases and liquids) on which we build and in which we grow.

In my graduate class, Applications of Soil Science, our professor asked us to define ‘soil.’ That’s pretty much what I wrote above. A soils graduate student sitting in front of me wrote for 10 minutes (I read a book) and was peeved when the professor called ‘time.’ When the professor gave his definition it was slightly longer than mine and nowhere as long as the grad-student’s.

The professor wanted to make a point. To the general public the definition of soil is simple. And that was what the class was about; using our knowledge of soil science to work with the public regarding soil management.

Alright. Soil is a dynamic system; it is always changing. Containing solids: minerals; sand, silt, and clay; and biota; living and decomposing organic material (plants and animals.) Pores: open spaces between the solids filled with fluids like water; and gases like air, methane, etc. On which we build housing, roadways, etc. In which we grow plants (and we also build in the soil; tunnels, basements, etc.)

What most of us gardeners are concerned about our soil is the amount of sand, silt, and clay; and the pH, potassium, and phosphorus levels. I will discount the nitrogen levels since those are ever-changing as nitrogen in the soil moves from ammonium (NH4+) to nitrates (NO3-) back to ammonium back to nitrates etc. etc. etc. quickly and constantly.

The amount of sand, silt, and clay determines how easily our soil can be worked, how water retentive it is, and what we can grow. Sand is easily recognized by its’ visible size. Everybody knows sand. Silt is recognizable by wetting the soil and rubbing it between your fingers. If you can feel the particles then it is silt. Clay (not the pottery mineral) is slippery when wet.

An aside about clay. Our soil is clay. When it is dry it is as hard as a rock; great cracks form when it is not irrigated during the summer. When it is wet, it is like trying to walk on a slip ‘n slide. The day I ruptured my Achilles tendon; I tripped over the hose with my right foot, slipped in the clay mud with my left foot, falling face first in a mud puddle, and feeling the'window blind roll up’ in my left calf. It was the third time I had to wear a cast in August. Good times.

There are also mixtures of sand, silt, and clay based on the percentages of each found. For the most part, home gardeners just need to know their soil type so they can adjust their growing methods to the soil. Adding two to three inches of compost to your garden every year helps to ameliorate your soil and make growing conditions just right for your plants. If you have more questions about your soil check with your Cooperative Extension Office or the U.S. Geographical Survey web site.

To check for pH, just get a simple pH kit like Luster Leaf 1612 Rapitest pH Soil Tester. Most fruit and vegetable garden plants want to be in the neutral to slightly acid range. Adding compost and nitrogen fertilizer to any soil will reduce the soil’s pH and make it more acid. Just dust on lime (like the dusting of sugar on a sugar cookie) every year if your soil is too acidic. Raising a soil’s pH is a long term project. If you try to move too fast you may very well ruin your soil.

A friend of mine used to dump her wood stove ash on her garden area. After several years, she began to notice the garden was just not producing as well and her plants looked sickly. When the County Extension agent was over to check on their mint fields, she mentioned her garden. The agent was only too happy to look and see what the problem was.
One look and the agent told her the soil was too alkaline. Which was really odd since their farm was on some of the most clay soil around. Clays tend to be acidic. It took her several years of adding sulfur, nitrogen in the form of blood meal and bone meal, and mint compost to get her garden back to a closer to neutral reading. She had to make an ‘ash dump’ on her land. It is just a pit where she dumps her wood stove ash. It is away from her well and where it will not affect their mint crop.

Moral of the story: Moderation in all soil amendments!

To be continued……………..

What's Blooming This Week?

2010-03-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

This week’s bloomers include a couple of ‘weeds.’ Definition: a weed is a plant, not intentionally seeded, growing out of place, that has an economic cost ie the need for herbicides or the labor to remove them.

Some weeds are our own garden plants that have escaped into the wild, see my post Invasive, Noxious, Uninvited. In the garden we tend to think of aggressive, self-sowing plants that crowd out our desired plantings as weeds. Many weeds are just the local native plants enjoying our superior soil and water.

Cheerfully yellow booms

Taraxacum officinale

Henbit - member of the mint family

Lamium amplexicaule

So fragrant, we need a bouquet for the house!

Narcissus sp.

I can't remember the name of this lavender star-shaped flowering bulb

It is just so clever and has multiplied slowly.

Who can't resist grape hyacinth's purply blue?

Muscari sp.

This is the violet a friend gave me. I have purples and mixed, too.

Viola sp.

I do apologize for not posting this past week. I have been under the weather. Here's hoping for blue skies ahead!

What's Blooming this Week

2010-02-25T23:54:00.000-08:00

Daffodils are so sunny!

First bloom on the Candytuft, Ibertis sempervirens and Pin Oak, Quercus palustris, leaves.

A close, close-up of the tiny flowers of Sarcoccoa, Sweet Bay. Wish I could send you the fabulous odor! Almost as good as Daphne odora!

Pronounced wil LAM et

2010-02-24T05:11:00.000-08:00

We have been watching the History Channel’s How the Earth was Made this season. We really enjoyed the first show that was a 90 minute documentary about how the Earth was formed and how old it is. We have not been disappointed in the series that was spun-off that documentary.

Last week was Glaciers in North America which led me to a line of thinking. Back when I was in high school, we were taught that the great glaciers came down into the Willamette Valley. This was evidenced by the ‘erratic rocks’ found throughout the valley. Then, we would see pictures of Yosemite and the European Alps showing u-shaped and hanging valleys. Of course, I would mention that I had never seen a u-shaped or hanging valley in or around the Willamette Valley. The teacher would reply that erosion had changed the valley floor; which I never believed!

In the late ‘70’s and into the ‘80’s documentaries started showing up about plate tectonics, glaciations, and the Missoula floods and I was hooked. All of a sudden I was seeing explanations for the Cascade volcanoes, the earthquake-volcano connection, how glaciers form and move, and best of all --- where those erratic rocks came from!

Turns out during the last ice age the glaciers did not come south far enough to enter the Willamette Valley. The Willamette River flows north, like the Nile, so if a glacier came far enough south to plug up the Willamette there would have been evidence of a lake or a new river bed flowing towards the east or west. And there is no such evidence.

Erratic Rock State Park

The cause for the erratic rocks ---- The floods from Lake Missoula! Lake Missoula formed, during the last ice age, behind an ice dam in present day Montana. The lake was so big it reached up into Canada. When this massive amount of water broke the ice dam it flowed over the ‘Scablands’ of Eastern Washington, scouring the soil down to the bed rock; over ‘Dry Falls’ a waterfall that out did Niagara Falls by a lot; following the current Columbia River course to the Columbia River Gorge, where it forged through the narrow canyon; on to the wide mouth of the Willamette River and on to the Pacific Ocean.

When the water, full of the soils it had just lifted off as well as chucks of ice from the ice fields, reached the Willamette River it flowed up river; such was the force. As the back water sat in the valley the suspended solids began to fall out. In the Portland area the soils are sandy and some areas are downright rocky. Heaviest solids fall out first. The area down to about Salem has wonderful silty soil. South of Salem to Cottage Grove has increasingly clay soils.

The erratic rocks were carried on the ice chunks. They are found on a shelf around the edge of the valley. If you ever want to see one of the rocks, try Erratic Rock State Park off Hwy 18 between McMinnville and Sheridan. There is another on Brownlee Road, between East Ellendale Road and Orrs Corner Road, just outside Dallas.

(Dallas was named for the VP of President James Polk. It is the county seat of Polk County. You are welcome.)

Invasive, Noxious, Uninvited

2010-02-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

In case you haven’t heard; Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac; Buddleia davidii is now considered an Invasive Species in Oregon. Just like Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, a popular water garden plant; butterfly plants have escaped into the wild and are crowding out our native plants in the wild.

I am beyond overjoyed that English Ivy, Hedera helix, is also on the Invasive Species list and as soon as stocks are sold out will no longer be available. One look at Deepwood Park in Salem or Forest Park in Portland is enough to sour you on how it can take over and crowd out native plants our native animals depend on to live. (I am saddened because I love Ivy as an indoor plant.)

What the new classification means to home gardener is this: These plants are no longer for sale in Oregon and they may not be shipped or brought into the state. Gardeners are also requested not to share plants, cuttings, or seeds.

Back 15 years ago, when I was going to school, we discussed the use of a great many plants. I think all my professors were saying that some plants were so aggressive that their use in the garden should be banned and most of us students agreed. It makes no sense to use plants that escape and endanger our native flora and fauna.

Having said that, I absolutely love my Buddies. I have one that was a present from my mom and another that was bred just for me. This wonderful grad student bred a bunch of Buddleias and named them for a group of us ‘older’ women getting their degrees. Since I love yellow, he named his best yellow for me and gave me a start. I love my ‘Suzie’ plant to bits.

Buddleias can produce thousands and thousands of seeds; or just a very few. If you find seedlings around your yard, you have one of the aggressive varieties. Just dig and throw the seedlings into the garbage. Be sure to keep your plants deadheaded (removing flower heads before they go to seed.) Pick up the clippings when you trim the plant. Either burn them or send to your local composting service if you cannot put them in the garbage. DO NOT dump your clippings. Buddleias regenerate from clippings and that is the most common way of releasing the plant into the wild.

There are plenty of other garden plants that have escaped to the wild. Some from tasty fruit that the birds eat and poop out the seeds along with a fresh fertilizer packet; English Holly, Ilex aquifolium; European Hawthorne, Crataegus monogyna; Himalayan & Armenian Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus, R. discolor, R. procerus By wind sown seeds; Bachelor’s Button (I thought it was a native), Centaurea cyanus; Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare; Salt Cedar, Tamarix ramosissima; Tree of Heaven (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (P.S.) one of my all-time favorite books), Ailanthus altissimo. Tomato seedlings are found where ever sewage sludge is spread.

It is up to us gardeners to keep up on what is escaping from our gardens and go the extra mile to keep that from happening. To that end I would like to recommend some books and websites where you can get more information about being a thoughtful gardener.

I read Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards when it first came out 15 years ago. It is still relevant today. The second book is Planting Noah's Garden: Further Adventures in Backyard Ecology as good as the first.

I would direct you to your Land-grant College or University and your state Department of Agriculture for more information on Noxious and Invasive Plants and Weeds. The USDA Plants website is a plant nerds heaven with links for Invasive and Noxious Plants as well as links for Natives, Endangered, and Recommended Plants for your area. Here in Oregon, you can go to the following sites: ODA Plant Division Noxious Weeds, OPB Silent Invasion Special, Garden Smart flyer, or Oregon State Extension.

Late Winter Joys

2010-02-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

Icy cold this clear and beautiful morning. The lacy, bare branches against the sunrise sky are reminders that it is still winter.

Yesterday, one of the neighbors was mowing his lawn. A few clear days and everyone starts seeking outdoor chores in the late winter sun.

I went grocery shopping yesterday. I like to shop about a 15 minute drive from home. On the way, I saw daffodils blooming; duck weed in the drainage ditches forming large mats; Redbud, Cercis canadensis, just opening; Candytuft, Iberis sempervirens, in bloom; Indian Plum, Oemleria cerasiformis , the first native shrub to bloom every year; grasses and grains reaching for the sun; and a couple of horses just horsin’ around.

We took time to cut back our bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra. It was causing problems for the neighbor. It looks like hell now, but in a couple of months it will have new growth and fill out. And what a difference in the light on the east side of the house. That bamboo has been growing there for 26 years! It took ages to fill in and get its hieght. I didn't realize how much shade it cast. We'll miss it on sleep-in days and this summer when the sun gets hot. But in the interest in neighborly friendliness, it had to be cut back.

While we were working it was hard not to enjoy the Hellebore, Helleborus sp. The one in the front yard is white. They are the same plant. I took a cutting off the front yard plant to plant in the side yard. I am thinking it might be the amount of sunlight.

The Candytuft is still in its winter color. While I noticed some blooming; mine is not quite ready. We have been teased that when it is in bloom it looks as though we dumped snow on the parkstrip. I love this hardy plant. It is very drought tolerant. I don’t water it at all during the summer. Since we don’t get much, if any, rainfall from mid-June to late August this plant is pretty dry.
After it blooms I run the lawn mower over it to remove the seed heads and force new growith in the middle. Otherwise, it gets bare in the middle of the plant and looks 'leggy.' I prefer it to look tight and lush.

My favorite Camellia japonica

Feed 'n Seed

2010-02-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

Take me to the local Feed & Seed store and I am in as close as nirvana that I ever will be. The first thing I love is the smell: Grains, salt licks, hay, straw, and the sweet tang of molasses tying it altogether.

Now it wasn’t always that way. When I was 10 my friend Judy gave me a guinea pig. When Mom took me to the feed store it took all my being not to gag and vomit. I couldn’t stand the smell. I told her to buy five pounds of rabbit feed and a small bale of alfalfa, and then I rushed out of the store.

I could hear Mom and the store owner laughing over my rush and my order. Seems five pounds of feed would feed a guinea pig for a life-time and then some. The store owner kept an alfalfa bale for small farm animals. He would just pull off some for kids, no charge.

Then, one day I walked into a feed store and fell in love. All the little goodies for rabbits, I have owned six, the whatnots for dogs and cats, doohingees for cattle, baby poultry in the spring, and the seeds. Oh, the seeds. In the 100 pound bag, bulk by the scoopful, in packets; it is a Horticulturist’s dream come true. I can plant acreage, lawns, flower borders. There’s organic fertilizers and petro-chemical as well. I steer clear of the petro-chemical pesticides, allergies you know.

I love the selection of seeds. Organic and treated, which ever you wish. I love buying my bean seeds at the feed store. I can get the 1 pound bulk of Blue Lake pole beans we prefer far cheaper than those in the packets. (We prefer the good ol’ Kentucky Blue and Kentucky pole beans but the strings are a real pain.)

Last year I found starts and full sized plants for way less expensive than the garden centers or gigantic home center/hardware/lumber/garden center places. I am going to the Feed and Seed this year for my plants. I don’t do my own starts. Every time I do, one of the cats either eats them or uses the tray for a litter pan. It’s just not worth the work.

If the current winter weather has you down, stop by a feed and seed to dream a little dream of spring.

Voodoo Lilies

2010-02-09T00:47:00.000-08:00

So I was perusing a new perennial catalog the other day. In fact, I perused two. But this one kind of set the hair on the back of my neck to tingling. The room got all watery and swirly; this weird music started playing. I was back home on 10th Street. Peggy and I were about 10 and 11; we had been sent over to Mrs. Shipley’s house to cut back her hedge.

We had the clippers and a ladder. We were discussing whether or not we’d find a bird’s nest or maybe a paper wasp hive. We both had noticed a new plant growing next to Mrs. Shipley’s garage. It had strange black strap like leaves. And overnight a funny looking flower had emerged. It was purple and had a long yellow wand sticking out of it.

Out of curiosity we ventured over to look. Oh, how I wish we had just walked away. The closer we got, the worse the smell got. Oh my, stinking, rotting meat smell. Mr. DePaola, who lived just to the east of Mrs. Shipley came out and told us that was a lily that only bloomed every once in a while. He and Mrs. DePaola had complained for years. But Mrs. Shipley would not get rid of it. She said it was a treasure; a very expensive plant that had been handed down to her from her mother.

He told us if we took the plant out he would pay us. We ran home to ask Mom what to do. (Mom was paid by Mrs. Shipley’s son to shop for her, take her to the beauty shop, have me mow the lawn, Shelley and Debbie to clean her house. Mrs. Shipley had the beginnings of ‘senile dementia’ now known as Alzheimer’s disease. We cared for her like she was our Grandma.)

Mom was in the bathroom gagging. Seems some horrid smell was getting to her very weak stomach. We told her about the plant. She told us to dig it up, put it in a garbage bag and put that into Mrs. Shipley’s garbage can. We knew Mrs. Shipley wouldn’t remember it. She still thought of her son as a little boy.

Armed with hoes, shovels, and rakes we went to work. Or rather Peggy went to work. I was too busy gagging and chocking. I watched from our front yard as Peggy chopped the plant to smithereens and dug the bulb. She gathered the debris into a bag and tied it shut. After dropping it in the garbage can, Mr. DePaola came out and paid her $20 (a fortune.) I let her keep the whole amount. Peg took off her clothes in the basement and put them directly in the washer set on hot water with bleach. She wrapped in one of Dad’s old shirts he used for painting and ran to take a bath. I don’t know how many times she washed her clothes or bathed. Dad’s shirt went directly into the garbage.

Back to the future, the plant that brought all this on was the Voodoo Lily, Typhonium venosum. There are many plants that have the same characteristics: Dark brown to purple coloration; a yellow or maroon flower stalk, and stink.

They are known collectively as ‘carrion flowers.’ These flowers are fertilized by flies and other carrion eating insects. Usually the bloom lasts less than two days. But those two days can be agony for people who can’t stand the smell.

They reproduce by seed and bulb. Some are regular bloomers. Others bloom irregularly. They like a rich soil that is moist; but not waterlogged. Shade is the preferred sun requirement. Usually vigorous in zones 5 to 10. If you live in a cold weather area you will need to lift the bulbs every fall and replant in spring. Be warned, the bulbs can stink as much or more than the flower. Be aware that every part of these carrion flower plants is extremely poisonous. Something to think about if there are young children in the area.

When I was a student at Oregon State University, a graduate student brought in an example. As other Horticulture students gathered around to look at this 'Outer Limits' plant. I hung back about 300 feet. The grad student thought I might really want to see this plant. I told him my story. He understood. At the end of the day, I saw the plant still in the same place. I walked clear aound the greenhouses to get to my car, just to avoid that plant.

February Chores

2010-02-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Garden things to do in February:

Rent a blower and clean up the leaves from the Pin Oak, Quercus palustris
     This 60’ to 70’ tree spreads to about 25’. Ours is about 28 years old. It was a gift from Scott’s sister Heather. We planted it too close to the house. Subsequently, we have to clean the gutters more often and sprinkle moss killer every year. My real grouse about this tree; it holds its’ dead leaves over winter. I love the autumn red leaf show. It’s a real stand out. We planted it on the south side of the house for the summer shade.

Prune any excess growth low on the Princess of China tree, Paulownia kawakamii.
     This fast growing tree only gets to about 30’. It has heart shaped leaves (The Victorians used to cut the tree down every year so as to get the extremely large leaves. It is quite a garden sight.) And light lavender flowers with darker spotted throat. The fragrance is pleasant. Just remember to prune only on days it is above freezing, otherwise you will damage your plant and leave it open to disease and insects.

Lightly rake over the bark in the front yard.
     And make sure to pick up the Camellia japonica blooms. If left behind they will rot, unsightly, and pass a fungus on to the plant. That fungus will ruin next year’s blooms. Just removing the debris will break the cycle.

After they bloom, prune back the camellia and the Rhododendron sp. 'Cynthia'.
     The camellia needs to be ‘thinned out’. I prune out some of the inner growth so the bush tits can get in to eat the scale and air can circulate reducing the mildew on the leaves. Cindy, the rhody needs to be cut back every year. She is in the wrong spot, she is just too large.

Pull up the tiny holly bushes the Cedar Waxwings, Bombcilla cediorum, plant every year.
     Many ions ago, some neighbors got together and planted male and female holly trees in their front yards. Now, the cedar waxwings show up in late spring to eat the berries. The birds roost in my pin oak every night until they move on to the next forage. In the meantime, they poop out the seeds wrapped in nice birdie fertilizer. I love their ‘zeet zeet’ call.

Plant seeds.
     Yes, I will be planting seeds in the chill of winter. I choose seeds from annuals that reseed every year. You know the plants I’m talking about: ‘Love in a Mist’, larkspur, calendula, bachelor buttons, California poppies, cosmos, poppies, zinnia, and nasturtium among others. Just read the back of the seed packet. If it doesn’t say not to sow or transplant until the danger of frost has passed; then you have a plant that will weather. I am planting these in the front yard. Usually, I look for starts to add color. This year for less than $10 I will have color that lasts all summer long.

That takes care of the front yard. I don’t want to think about the backyard right now. Other than I will choose a spot on the edge of the garden for a couple of rows of peas. Washington’s Birthday, February 22, is the date to plant peas. I might add a hill of potatoes so we can have creamed potatoes and peas on Father’s Day.

Okay, I need to clean up the mint bed.
     Get the dead stems out. I also have Harlequin Glorybower, Clerodendrum trichotomum , to thin out. This is the ‘peanut butter’ plant. If you brush up against it, it smells like peanut butter. In August it has fragrant white blooms, not at all like peanut butter. In the fall, hot pink calyxes open to show one metallic blue berry. It suckers, a lot, freely. I need to get in and dig up a few. Planted in a yard you can keep down the suckers by mowing.

I’ll buy some more flower seeds to fill in the flower bed along the side of the shop. And by the garage. Oh, and to fill out the big English boarder. Scott will till the garden area and we’ll plant a garden. The lawn is a disaster; I’m going to overseed with annual rye grass. Fast growing, it will help fill in and take the abuse two doggies can dish out.

Well, I see we are now getting in over my head. Have fun in your garden.

Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T03:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Groundhog Day! Today we will find out if there are six more weeks of winter or if spring will start in just six more weeks

While shopping, I noticed the plant racks outside many stores. Colorful racks of primroses, tiny daffodils, and cyclamen. There were onion, garlic, and pea starts available as well. Onions and garlic, I might buy a few since I didn’t start any last fall.

I chuckled at the pea starts. The old timers, which I am becoming one day by day, always said to plant peas on Washington’s Birthday, February 22nd. I think I will plant a row or two of peas. I love to eat them raw or steamed for a couple of minutes with mint.

The mint garden is getting green. Here’s a hint for growing mint (poet and don’t know it.) Grow it in a contained space. I have a bed right outside the back door that is surrounded by cement. It is perfect for keeping mint contained. I also keep the lemonbalm in the same bed. Makes it handy for mint juleps and lemony ice tea. A friend counseled other gardeners to grow their mint contained in an old tire. Then, use hemlock bark to cover the tire. The first time I planted mint it grew into the lawn. It sure smelled nice whenever I mowed!

I like to buy cyclamen, daffodils, and primroses to use in the house. I line a basket with plastic. Then I un-pot the daffodils and primroses arranging them for the best color and height. I fill in between the plants with a quality potting mix (I mix a slow release fertilizer in with the potting mix) When the plants are finished blooming, I just lift the plastic liner and incorporate the plants into my flower beds.

Here in USDA zone 8, regular cyclamen will grow in the garden. I plant them when they finish blooming, remembering to use slug bait so I can enjoy them again next year. Otherwise, keep them in filtered light, water to keep moist, and you may have a new show next year. I found a pink with white stripes. The leaves have a lovely silver pattern. I have hardy cyclamen as well. These little guys just keep going and going.

Lots of leaves coming up. Grape hyacinths are growing around the base of the multiflora climbing rose. When the grape hyacinth are finished blooming I just pull them up. They are such fast multipliers! I throw them in the garbage as I don’t want to find them all over the garden! By the way, you can drop some in the lawn for an early bit of color. Mowing helps to keep their numbers down.
We have many different narcissis. I love the multiheaded fragrant ones. They were here when we bought the place. I will take some with me when we move.

The leeks are growing. A couple of years ago, I threw some leek roots at the compost bowl just outside the back door, in the mint garden, they missed. The next year we got leeks. I left them alone and last year they bloomed! The parent plant is growing and I am hoping to get more leek plants from the seeds. Watch my blog Cooking in Nana's Kitchen for leeky recipes!

Daphne odora will be blooming very soon. It is the featured plant on the cover of the OAN magazine, Digger. Easy to grow in a sheltered spot. Daphne is so fragrant, people are known to follow the scent looking for the source. Growing up to four feet tall and wide, Daphne is hardy to zone 7. One young landscaper told me the secret to growing Daphne is to add lime every year. So far, my plant is doing quite well.

If you are looking for early color, now it the time to get out and see what is available in your area. I also recommend shopping through catalogs for less used perennials and shrubs to make your garden your own unique oasis.

Compost Made Easy

2010-01-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

When I teach home gardening classes there are always people who complain they cannot make compost. I always ask, “If a tree falls in the forest, does it rot?”
“Of course,” they answer.

So why do people have problems with composting? They read too many books and articles by people who try to make a simple natural process complex.

First off let’s define terms:

Compost is a finished, rotted organic matter
Composting is the process of organic decomposition speeded by humans.
Carbon rich matter ( CRM) is dry plant materials
Nitrogen rich matter NRM) is green plant materials and manure from plant eating animals
Hot compost reaches tempuratures of 140F and higher
Cold compost does not get very hot 100F is maximum
Vermiculture the science of using worms to make worm castings to enrich the soil.

To make compost all you need to do is mix Nitrogen rich matter with Carbon rich matter and add some water. Simple. Yes?

Well, not really. Too much NRM and the compost can stink. Too little and the process moves slowly. Just the same the other way ‘round; too much CRM slows down; too little CRM and you get bad odors. Too much water and the pile stagnates. Too little water and it just sits dry. Our Fire Chief issues warnings every summer to keep the compost pile watered. It cuts down on backyard fires. (Spontaneous combustion from the heat generated by the NRM in contact with the CRM.)

So how on earth do you know how much to use? Don’t you have to layer, then turn, then turn, then turn? When do I know if my compost is too wet or dry? Isn’t a composter with a lid the best? I heard you should spread the compost materials over the entire garden in fall and have compost ready in the spring? Oh, how about after spreading the compost covering it with black plastic to sterilize all the seeds? But, don’t I have to have ‘hot’ compost for the flower bed, ‘cold’ compost for the vegetable garden, and feed worms in a tub with my kitchen scraps? Don’t I have to buy a compost ‘starter’ for my compost to work? How about buying this herb combination that is said to correct all composting problems?

I learned about composting from Organic Gardening and Farming Magazine in the early ‘70’s. I read the ones at Grandpa Bill’s and Grandma Jo’s house. The articles were written by the Rodale family members, a handful of horticulturists and a great number of subscribers learning by trial and error.

It was reading the magazines that led me to building my first compost pile out on Uncle Johnny's dairy farm in 1971. We were helping out on the farm since Grandpa Bill had a heart attack and Cousin Jimmy broke his leg. Being two people down, help was needed to get some chores done.

The edges of the feed room were filled with moldering hay and feed. I took it upon myself to wheel out the unusable feed to the garden area. I would add buckets of manure from cleaning the 'manure trough' in the milking area. Grandpa Bill was a bit irritated about my endeavors. Seems piles of old hay and straw had been dumped in the garden before and those were very difficult to till in, come planting time.
I explained that OGaFM said the pile should be great organic fertilizer in by planting time in four months. The difference from before was that this pile had manure which would aid in breaking down the hay. Grandpa Bill harrumphed.
One day in August, Grandma Jo showed Scott and me the ‘bump’ in the garden. Where I had built my compost pile the plants were larger and greener than the rest of the garden. I saw that composting really does work! And it was so easy.

That first compost pile was about 3 parts CRM and 1 part NRM. It didn’t all break down, since the hay and straw were full size. But the composting action had softened up the stems so when Grandpa Bill went over with the tractor he had no problem plowing under the remains of the compost pile.

We moved into what I dubbed ‘The Volkswagen Garage.’ We later found out the building was part of the old Lewis family homestead. It was built by Grandpa Jeff as part of his Eagle Scout Award. He built it as a wood shed 15 ft wide and 25 ft deep. Later, when his grandmother wanted to give the farm house to Jeff’s dad, they remodeled it into a very small one bedroom house for her. We lived there about 18 months; right across the street from Uncle Bill’s and Aunt Ellen’s first landlady. I promise I won’t tell tales out of school!

Anyway, there was limited planting area around the house. And no room for a compost pile. Every day I put the kitchen compostables (parings, pits, cores, coffee grounds, tea bags) in a paper bag and buried it in the flower beds. I noticed on my second round of composting this way, my earliest bags were pretty much gone in about six months. An upside from this method, we had potatoes in the flower beds. No problem, we enjoyed the potato plants and robbed fresh potatoes that summer.

Have I made my point? Composting is easy. Everything rots. My favorite book on composting is, Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting (Third Edition) (Storey's Down-to-Earth Guides) by Stu Campbell. He has a down to earth view on how easy it is to make this garden staple. He is funny and informative. The book is not too long; but carries the information you need to compost.

Compost rots because of the critters that live in the soil. Worms, ants, beetles and other insects. Microbes (bacteria, microscopic insects, fungi) work to make the organic matter small enough to be useful to plant roots. The conditions have to be just right for the compost to rot. Like I said earlier, not too much of any one thing. If your pile is suffering from too much Nitrogen, add some Carbon in the form of dead leaves or straw. Too much Carbon, morning urine can really jump start the decomposition. (Yes, you heard me right. An older couple were worried about having too many leaves in their compost. I laughingly made the suggestion. Next time we spoke, the husband confessed to have tried it. It worked! Just make sure you are screened from the neighbor's view. I take no responsibility for your actions.)

I think layering came about as a way to ensure your compost pile had the right compliment of ingredients. If you want to layer, fine. I just chuck plant material into the compost pile. When it gets about two feet high, I turn it over and mix it up. Okay that is what I did before I became unable to work in the garden. Now I just throw things into a pile and let it rot. It takes six months to a year to become usable compost.

‘Hot’ ‘Cold’ Vermiculture
For ‘Hot’ compost you must shred or chop all of you components very small, and water until damp. Then put in a pile that gets turned at least once a week. The pile will heat up enough to kill most seeds and diseases. The heat is the action of the microbes eating away. I used to do this. It makes great compost but is a lot of physical work.
Cold compost doesn’t heat up very much. You can either shred/chop or not. (By making the material small you speed up the process, otherwise it may take a year to compost completely.) Everything still rots, but there might be living seeds that come with the finished compost. I had scads of seedling tomatoes in my flower beds from using cold compost. I just pulled them up and composted them.
Vermiculture in a tub is your choice. I have found worms in my compost. LOTS of worms. I compost both my garden and kitchen waste together. Worms love coffee grounds! It is not necessary to have a worm tub if you compost in your garden.

You don’t really need compost starters and herbal activators. When you are building you compost pile, add a shovel full of regular garden soil every foot or so. That should contain the composting critters to get you started. Or use some old compost. Just add enough water to dampen the pile as you build it. No need to flood anything.

If you have a problem with wet compost, turn it over leaving it fluffy to dry out. Or spread it out in the sun for a day or two. I have used umbrellas to shelter my compost bins. They keep out excess moisture.
If your compost is too dry, turn it into a new pile adding water to each level. If you try to just water from the top; think how a thatched roof works. I have used umbrellas to contain moisture in the pile.

When I used to turn the compost, I found a white, ashy material all over the grass clippings. This is a fungus that is breaking down the material. It’s good.
I’ve never found a rat or mouse or flies or other vermin in my working compost. That’s because I never, ever add fats, grease, bones, or meat to my compost. Nor do I use disease carrying human, cat or dog feces. EVER!
I have found worm masses the size of a basket ball. I was so happy; worms are a soil’s best friend. Oh, there was the baby corn snake curled up in the warmest part of a working compost pile once. I just moved it over with the rest of the material.

How does compost help your garden?

It makes clay soils less ‘heavy.’ Clays can be so dense water will not penetrate them. Plant roots cannot find room to grow. Using compost helps to loosen up the soil. The organic matter in compost helps to open up the pores of the soil; giving roots a place to grow. You must continue to add organic matter to clay as it decays or eventually the soil will compact again.
It helps sandy soils to retain more water. The organic matter fills in the pores of sandy soil making it more absorbent. Water does not drain off so fast; giving plants a steady source of water.
As it decomposes even more, compost becomes fertilizer for the garden. Plants take up nutrients through their roots. Compost supplies those nutrients needed for plant growth.

And the best part of composting: You are recycling back into Mother Earth.

Flowers Year Round

2010-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

I never knew there were so many winter flowering plants until I took 'Identifying Woody Plant Material' at OSU. That class was two hours of walking around Corvallis learning to i.d. plants in all seasons. Walking after a professor speed walking like his butt was on fire! Yes, I was in better shape back then. I think over the three terms, we learned around 600 plants!
All of this talk of school is because, over the past 14 years, I have tried to have something blooming year round. It is possible, here in the Willamette Valley, due to our mild winters. There are some very hardy flowering plants that will also bloom in the northern tier states. It just takes some research.
One of the best websites to research plant material is the Oregon State University Plant Materials page. Wish Pat Breen had finished that website when I took the class. I love Michael Dirr's Manual of Woody Plants for trees and shrubs. It is full of information on the plant growth habits, growing zone, diseases and pests. Of course the Sunset Garden Guide for your area of the country, is a wonderful resource for choosing both woody plants and perennials.

Today, when I took the garbage out, I smelled the wonderul fragrance of Sarcococca confusa ,Sweet Box. This winter flowering shrub has tiny, inconsequential flowers. Boy, do they pack a huge fragrance! Let the weather warm up just a little and they will blow your socks off! During a final exam, the professor opened the windows. Everyone's head went up. "What is that?" asked a student. All the Turfies (guys who were in my same classes, but were going to be golf course greens managers) answered in unison, "Sarcacocca." I figure more than one of them planted this shrub on the course!
The Sweet Box is a nice graceful shrub to about five feet. There is another species, S. hookeriana var. humilis, that is a low growing ground cover. It was combined with Stewartia psuedocamellia outside the Science Building at Chemeketa Community College (CCC), The Stewartia, at 25 feet, with it's multi-trunks, and gray bark makes a good planting with the Sweet Box. The Stewartia has spring, summer (blooms), and fall interest; while the Sweet Box is the winter plant of note.
I also have violets blooming, Viola sp.. I will always remember a friend I made in Intro to Botany at CCC, whenever I smell violets. We traded plants. When we move this summer, I will be taking a pot of her violets with me.
Another plant, Helleborus niger, I got from a co-worker in the 1990 Census. She called it the 'ugly plant.' Called the 'Christmas Rose' or 'Lenten Rose', mine blooms white in the winter, turns purple in the spring, and white again in the fall. There are many hybrids and varieties of this popular garden plant.

Of course, what winter garden wouldn't be complete with out a camellia? Camellia japonica comes in red to pink to whte. Mine is pink with random white stripes. It is just gorgeous! I am trying to get a start from it to take with me. I have two other camellias, a red and a pink. They are common camellias that someone once refered to as 'Measles Plants.' Each to their own.

If you would like some winter vegetables you might like to try a winter cauliflower or a winter broccoli. Start them in July/August to transplant in September/October. Protect them from the north and east winds, otherwise these are tough plants. We ususally had our first harvest during February. They will continue to produce for a long time. Just one plant of each, and our neighbors would pretend they weren't home whenever they saw us with a basket or bag. ; )

Well, those are my winter flowering plants. There are many other plants out there for you to choose from. Puruse the web, books, catalogs, and ask about for plants that may work in you yard.

Il pluet

2010-01-20T01:34:00.000-08:00

If this is January in the Pacific Northwest, it is raining. And the forecast is for more. This is great for the aquifer and for water storage lakes and dams. Wonderful for the ducks and beavers. We people just grab an umbrella and a Gore-tex jacket and go about our daily business.
I say the Pacific Northwest, but really it is just the area west of the Cascade Mountains. East of the Cascades is High Desert Country. The Cascades block much of the rain, leaving Central and Eastern Oregon dry with more sunny days.
Here in the Willamette Valley we have a 'mediteranean climate'. Little to no rain May through October and it pours November through April. (Nov to Apr is the best time for wind-surfing in La Ventana, BCS, Mexico)
The climate here is mild (USDA zone 8, Sunset climate zone 6) with few really hot days over 100 degrees and fewer days below freezing. While it rains and/or is really cloudy, it rarely snows on the valley floor. Here in the local, western mid-valley school district; we can have less than six inches on the ground at our house but school will be canceled. That's because we live up against the foothills of the Coast Range, where it really snows. Example, there is a hill at the southern end of our street about 1/4 mile away. One of my daughters friends lived on that hill. She called to ask Selene to go sledding with her. I was concerned, we had less than six inches here. Her mom laughed, "Just put that little Bronco in 4 wheel drive and get up here!" They had three feet of snow! So 1/4 mile away and 600 ft in elevation made a big difference!

If This Is January, It Must Be Catalog Time

2010-01-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

It seems there are seed catalogs showing up at least twice a week. Just subscribe or order from one and the next year you will be inundated with many! This is NOT a complaint, I am in Wish Book Heaven right now.

It all started the day after Christmas. Three catalogs. I now have a box half full. I have read everyone of them. I know what I want to order again and what new I want to try. Problem is, we are moving this summer. We don't know where, Scott is applying for new jobs all over the country. Even if he stays where his is, we will be moving to Marion County, across the Willamette River. A shorter commute and a chance to shake things up!
So, no garden this year. We have left gardens behind, before, But we are now too old to put in all that prep work and not harvest. I will try to start some pots of veg and fruits to take with us.

Back to catalog fun!
My favorite catalogs are local ones: Forest Farm, my step-mom Dorthy found this when looking for a fibrous begonia. She passed the catalog on to me and I was hooked. They used to have a paperback book size catalog (no pictures) but now have a magazine size catalog (still no pictures.) Their website if very colorful and has fabulous pictures of their products. I have been buying from Territorial Seeds since their inception. They have great products and the prices are just right. Again, the website is colorful and contains lots of information.
I think my first catalogs were Gurney's Seed, Henry Fields, and Burpee. All of which I found at Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jo's house along with Organic Gardening and Farming Magazine. (Okay they took most eveery Rodale Press publication way back in the early 1970's!) Gone are the extra spcecial seeds or plants at a deep discount. And they don't always offer a free plant or packet of seeds with your order. But, they have a wide variety and have been around since forever.
New, to me, catalogs this year: Raintree Nursery where you can find mini-dwarf, dwarf, semi-dwarf and full size trees. I am salivating just thinking of a mini-dwarf Gravenstein Apple growing in a pot on the deck! We lost our fruit trees to fire-blight about 10 years ago. Since that fungus is in the ground, no more fruit trees here.
Abundant Life Seeds, with a 'Moon and Stars' watermelon on the cover, has organic seed and is a sustainable agriculture advocate. They have some great old seed types.

Now, you've got your seed catalog, how do you choose which varieities to grow in you garden?

ask other gardeners in the area what they plant
take note of what is grown for the county fair
contact your local Extension office or visit their website for Extension Bulletins on home gardening*
talk with local farmers at the Farmers Market
read each varietal description carefully and make your choice from that

How ever you chose your plants have fun in seeing out the information and growing your own garden of delightful colors, shapes, fragrances, and flavors!

*Cooperative Extension Offices are wonderful ecducation resources for everyone. Check it out. I know my Extension sponsors Master Gardener Classes and they do a great job educating those Master Gardener on where to find all sorts of gardening information. Yes, before getting my degree, I was a Master Gardener.

Windowsill Garden

2010-01-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite gardens is right on my kitchen windowsill. It's the only windowsill in the house the cats don't sleep in. During the winter I fill the windowsill with starts, herbs, and other little happy things. It is a great place for plants needing daily care and brightens the kitchen.

I have grown all kinds of WG's over the years. One of my favorites is the simplest and my first. Carrot top garden. I think every school kid has cut the tops from some carrots, put them in a lid full of water and watched as the leaves grow. Even as an adult, I love these little islands. A couple of years ago I added parsnip, turnip, and rutabaga tops. Lots of foliage graced the plastic tub. I added a little fertilizer to the water, when I changed the water once a week. The islands really took off! Just some joyous greenery!

This fall, while grocery shopping, I found a ginger root with a green tip. Usually you find these in the spring. The green tip is the beginning of the leaf stalk. I put the rhizome (ginger root is really a rhizome, like an iris) in an old cat food bowl, added water, and set on the windowsill. A leaf stalk began growing. I watched the green stalk getting taller and taller. Then we had a week of arctic weather and the windowsill got too cold. The leaf stalk died. Sob, hiccup. I have kept watering the ginger, and now I notice there are even more tips beginning to sprout! I will pot up the ginger and grow it as an indoor plant. If you live in zone 10 or higher you can grow ginger as an outdoor plant. Ginger likes to be moist and warm. Light requirement is medium. After the plant is a year old, you can begin harvesting ginger root for your cooking needs.

I also have starts of herbs on the windowsill. I bought some fresh 'poultry herbs' at the market. In an effort to keep them fresh, I put them in tiny, little vases on the windowsill. Well, the rosemary and thyme have grown roots! I will pot them up and grown little plants. (Scott killed my rosemary plant when he put in the new fence. Yes, he meant to. You see we have a little disagreement on rosemary as an herb. I love it, he doesn't. Not that killing the plant was mean spirited, it was in the way and had outgrown its boundaries. I didn't really mind but one should have rosemary at the garden gate. Rosemary for rememberence.)
I am waiting to see if the basil will sprout on the sill as well. Of course, it is so easy to buy seed for fresh herbs and grow your own. Or you can buy small plants if you don't want to wait for the seed to sprout.

My favorite plant, Schlumbergera species, is a Christmas Cactus start given to me by Grandma Jo. It was given to her in the 1920's by a neighbor. At her daughter's wedding in 1947, the original plant graced the alter in full bloom. This plant blooms for Christmas and Easter. I forgot the plant I had been growing since the early 1970's was on the front porch when we had that spell of arctic weather. Yup, it died. (Christmas cactus blooms either after 12 hour light/dark cycles or after being exposed to very cool weather. Hence, I put the plant outdoors until we have our first good frost. I forgot to bring it in this year.) But I had saved some starts on the sill. The plant lives on.
I also have a start from a snake plant, Sanserveria sp., I gave Selene and Nate when grandson Lennon was born. Snake plants are very hard to kill. You can forget them forever. Just don't over water them. They love to be dry with occasional watering. That's why I gave them the plant. Perfect for new parents who are too busy to water a plant.

Past windowsill plants have been: Sweet potato vine, wrapped around the kitchen four times. Avacado seed, I had a 3 ft tall tree when a cat used the pot as a litter pan. Redwood tree bought in July, I kept it in the window until the following February (the best time to plant trees and shrubs), the dog ate it two years after it was planted in the yard. Leaf lettuce. Green onions, after cutting off the roots I planted them in some potting mix and they grew new tops. The list goes on.

Some hints for the best Windowsill Garden:

Use only potting mix for planting. Garden soil is NOT suitable for container gardening. It has fungi, bacteria, bugs, etc that will attack your houseplants. Garden soil compacts without worms and other critters to burrow through it and make new pores.
Fertilize with an organic fertilizer for houseplants. I use 1/2 the recommended amount when I water once a week.
Check for pests. These can sneak in on new plant material or through an open window or door. When you find a pest, kill it! Or remove the plant to the garbage. I mean the garbage can, outdoors, away from your other plants.
Rinse the plants under running water once a month. This freshens the plant and helps to remove dust and grime.
Add a shelf about 1/2 the way up the window. It will give you more space. To install, just attach cleats to the side of the window frame and span with a length of wood. Just make sure you don't interfer with the opening and closing of the window.
If your window doesn't get enough light, put mirrors under and between the plants to reflect light.
Have fun with your Windowsill Garden! Be a kid again!

Trust Me, I'm a Horticulturist

2010-01-15T16:19:00.000-08:00

How I got to where I am.

Back in '94, my husband Scott had decided to change his coursework at Chemeketa Community College (CCC) yet again. He started off in '88 taking classes in welding, communication, whatever he could pick up towards his training as a millwright (someone who keeps the plant machinery functioning.) After crushing his heels and ankles in an industrial accident, he changed tack to mathematics. When he took all the math offered at CCC, he started writing classes, he was going to become an author. And that is when I got a little upset. We had a deal that when he was finished with school, it would be my turn. He had now been taking classes for over six years and was not ready to transfer to a university. (He had taken 2.5 years at Linfield College before we were married.)
I announced I was going back to school. I knew I wanted to work with plants, as I had been an avid gardener since I was a child. I loved growing flowers, working in the soil, harvesting fruits and veggies, cooking same. As a teen I worked for a local farmer summers.
So I enrolled at CCC taking classes in Botany, Math, and whatever else was needed to transfer to a university. I honestly was interested in Landscape Architecture but the 90 min (one way) commute to Eugene, University of Oregon was just too much with a teen still at home. I investigated Landscape Maintenance at Benton Community College but I didn't want to be working outdoors in the weather all the time. So, I decided on the Horticulture program at Oregon State University. They had a Landscape Architect/Engineer teaching design, a world-renowned turf expert, and they would not only accept my CCC transfer classes but many of my 25 year old classes from University of Oregon.
I graduated in '98 with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture: Turf and Landscape Management. And my first job was teaching Turf Maintenance at CCC! Full circle.

I have experience in gardening in the mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon. (That's where most of the grass seed in the world is grown.) I have been an organic food gardener for nearly 40 years. I do know how to use petro-chemicals as well, but am very allergic to many of them. Oh, I am allergic to pollen as well, yeah I know.

That's enough for an introduction. Hope you enjoy this blog.

By the way, Scott transfered to Western Oregon University and graduated with a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies: Mathematics and English.