Extend the Gardening Season!

Photo taken mid-July at Dancing
Oaks Nursery. The white biennial
campanula relative Michauxia
tchihatchewii contrasts beautifully
with Sedum 'Queen Bee.'

Late summer is a great time in the Northwest to be out enjoying the garden. Le Tour des Plants isn't happening this year, however, there are other activities that can keep us out enjoying the garden. Pull out/up your calendars, call friends and family and enjoy living outside!

August 28, 29, 30 & September 4, 5, 6 – Swan Island Dahlia Festival
Indoor Display Hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Field Hours 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Grab your camera for this Canby event! Forty acres of dahlias are in bloom and over 400 floral arrangements of dahlias are on display. For more information visit www.dahlias.com/annualdahliafestival.aspx.

September 9-12 – Garden Palooza-The Tour

This free-to-the-public event is similar to Le Tour des Plants in that garden centers and specialty nurseries in the Willamette Valley and Southwest Washington are offering helpful how-to workshops. Some that look interesting include the Tomato Can Can Workshop at French Prairie Garden on Sat., Sept. 11 at 10:30am. Carol Westergreen, owner of Out in the Garden Nursery, is offering two workshops on Sat. and Sun. of the event: Simple Garden Vignettes and Compost Happens. Tsugawa Nursery will help you learn how to create a mosaic stepping stone on Friday, Sept. 10. Click
here for details and a list of events (more events will be added in the coming weeks).

September 18 & 19 – Hardy Plant Society Plant Sale & Garden Festival
Portland Expo Center, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

More than 85 plant and art vendors, book sales and garden experts will tempt you to enhance your garden spaces. Bring someone along to help carry your irresistible purchases (there is a plant check area for your shopping convenience), help you find only those plants on your list (this approach has never worked for me), or tempt you with the latest must-have wonder of the plant world.