Garden Shows Herald Spring

You can really get excited about the upcoming garden season as you walk through the display gardens at our two big garden shows.

First up is the Yard, Garden & Patio Show (presented by our own Dave Etchepare's Dennis' 7 Dees) from February 18th through the 20th. There are innovative garden designs and lots of booths with new garden plants, art, and tools. Save the date!

The following week in Seattle, the Northwest Flower & Garden Show fills the Washington Convention Center with green roofs, water gardens, terrific seminars, garden-related jewlery, plants, seeds, garden hats, and on and on. For many people, it's a must-do each spring.

The Multnomah County Master Gardeners take about 40 people up to the show each year. The bus trip lets you arrive refreshed and the cargo compartment will hold all the goodies you find. If you'd like to hop on board, it's on Wednesday, February 23rd (first day of the Show). For all the details, contact June @ 503-477-8698.

And while I'm mentioning garden-inspired jewlery, I'm going to mention my favorite designer - Nature's Creations. You can see them in Seattle or right here.

Freeze Damage in the Garden

I did get the grapefruit into the garage and covered the less hardy pots outside. All the leaves got raked into the beds to cover most of the perennials. But I didn't get to everything before the freeze hit.

Once again the bananas froze. Oh, the crown and roots are fine and will put up banana "pups" come spring. But, one day I will find a way to protect the stalk enough to grow it taller than the eight feet I usually get. This year I just didn't get out there in time.

If some of your plants got caught out, as well, you may not be able to tell how bad the damage is until spring. We'll just have to wait and see whether that shrub or perennial leafs out. There will be more cold weather before planting season comes again, so take another look around the yard.

--Get the pots in close to the house or cover them with a "freeze blanket." Check your local garden center.

--Wind can dry out the leaves or needles of evergreens and roots can't take up water in frozen soil. Think about covering exposed plants - in containers or in the ground.

--Check on plants placed close to the house under the eaves. They may need water during winter dry periods.

The Cold is Coming

Dire weather warnings are in every newscast. Winter weather will arrive any day. Yes, we need to get ready. But, take a moment to enjoy any last bits of fall. My tuberous begonia carries on blooming - seemingly oblivious of the frosty temperatures on the way.

The dahlias were so late starting in spring that they just didn't get all their blooming in over the summer. They still carry on, as well. I hate digging them up to store for the winter when there might be a few more flowers in the offing.




No other flowers are left in my yard, but there is still plenty of interest for the birds and if you know where to look.

Here's what's out in my garden . . .

You've probably heard Mike mention that I bring various clippings from my garden into the studio to show off or to be a reminder. Well, I thought everyone would like to see what we are talking about.

Turn left before you get to . . .

Have you ever gotten that advice? By the time you get to the tree (or gas station or Safeway), you've missed the turn!

Well, we do that in the garden, too. OSU Extension Plant Pathologist, Jay Pscheidt, says, "The phrase is 'spray before the fall rains'. Folks always ask when that occurs. The time would be now!"

As we get these last days before the rain starts in earnest, use a copper spray (Lilly Miller Microcop or Kop-R-Spray) for shothole fungus and brown rot on apricots and for apple anthracnose (sunken dead spots on branches and bulls-eye spots on fruit).

There are some other clean-up tasks to do before fall rains make gardening a soggy affair. Don't leave diseased fruit or leaves on the ground. This just allows the disease spores to blow or splash around the garden all winter. Get them out of the garden now!

Two Garden Doctors!!

This week is Apple Tasting at Portland Nursery and both your Garden Doctors will be on hand. Dave will be doing the show and I will stop by for a visit. Here's your chance to see us and attend a fun event.

This is the 23rd year Portlanders have had the opportunity to try out a bushel-ful of apples and pick their favorites. Once you've decided what you like, you can take home a bag for pies or table. Gardeners can even buy a tree to grow their own.

There'll be music, cooking demonstrations, cider pressing, and a scavenger hunt for the kids. Oh, yes. There will be also be lots of plants, too. Check out the sales for your October garden projects.

So, come by to see your Garden Doctors, ask that fall gardening question, and have a glass of cider!

Birds and Berries

Last Saturday a caller asked about red berries for birds. I thought of Nandina with it's brilliant berries, but was later challenged on that recommendation. My research went in two directions.

It seems that in some states nandina is considered invasive because birds eat the berries and disburse them - everywhere. But it’s not considered invasive in Oregon. Other information says that birds won’t eat nandina berries, anyway.

Carl Grimm and the folks over at Metro suggest that even if it isn't a particular favorite of the birds, it is a great landscape plant because of its hardy nature and water sparce ways. And it's not on any Oregon "problem plant" list.

Meanwhile, I'll also suggest pyracantha (fire thorn) . My mom had a fire thorn that always looked great against the brick front of the house with the dark leaves in summer and red berries in winter. And these days there are many types to choose from.

You can find brilliant, vigorous Mojave, the tiny (2 ft by 2 ft) Red Elf, and many in-between. The berries can be fire-engine red, a more orange-red, or really-orange. There's even a ground cover type called Low Boy. A variety to suit every bird lover's landscape.

Other shrubs offering red berries to the birds are kinnikinnick, red elderberry, some of the barberries, and the native red currant.

Photo thanks to Monrovia. Credit: Doreen Wynja