Who Says Garden Art Has to be Beautiful?

By Gardennia nutii

Oh what a beautiful weekend; the sun was out in full and I took the opportunity to start on some fall cleanup and weeding. This weeding included continuation of a project to eradicate my yard of the wild strawberries that have taken over a large patch in my front yard. While pulling up these torturous plants I discovered two pieces of "garden art" left by the prior owners: a cement squirrel and a small ceramic frog.... complete with bubbly warts.

I promptly threw the squirrel away, but as the morning progressed I found myself continuing to look at this ugly little frog and laugh. Something in its eyes dared me to dig it up from the strawberries.... Let's just say that it won the staring contest and I now have a visible little green frog peering out from the ever-present strawberries. Is this something I'd ever purchase - let alone put in my yard? No. Is it something that makes me chuckle? Absolutely. Just makes you realize that life can surprise us in small beautiful (not always on the surface) ways.

Do you have a piece of garden art (with or without warts)? Let us know!

Pruning Sumac

I planted 'Tiger Eyes' Sumac three or four years ago. In fact, I planted three, I was so smitten with the foliage color and smaller size compared to the species. I've already pulled one out due to space constraints (wishing a plant will stay compact isn't an effective garden design strategy), which found a good home at a friend's house. The other two have lovely foliage on top of two or three four-foot "sticks." That definitely was not the look I was going for so I was contemplating removing those, too, because of their lanky looks. Before I took such drastic measures, I thought I’d try pruning the beasts but didn't know where to start so I asked an expert: Anne Taylor, certified arborist and garden designer. We'll see if I can get them back into shape so my fuchsia can continue to intertwine with the chartreuse leaves and velvety stems.

Anne's advice on pruning sumac:

• Don’t prune more than 1/3 of the plant away at any time. Removing too much wood can cause extra stress on the plant.

• If you are drastically pruning the shrub to get it back in to place or shape, fall and winter are a good time to do this. If you are pruning a few branches for shape, summer is a good time for that.

• When pruning, start with removing any crossing branches and dead branches then continue removing branches to get the shape you are looking for. It is best to prune both sides, going from one side to the other, and back and forth so the shrub does not become lopsided (unless that is the look you desire).

• Make the cuts where the branch attaches to a stem. Do not cut the branch in the middle! You will get strange growth that way.

• Sumac branches that touch the ground will root when they rest on soil, so if you do not want this, prune to keep the branches from touching the ground.

• Sumac shrubs tend to sucker. The only thing that can be done about this is to keep it in a container, or remove the suckers by cutting them, as they pop up around your yard. Spraying Roundup or any other killing spray, will not prevent the suckers from growing and it can harm the mother plant, so don’t do it!

• Wear gloves and wash them afterwards! Sumac sap can irritate the skin. Make sure you do not touch your eyes because you could inadvertently get the sap in your eyes.

A Kid’ll Eat Ivy Too, Wouldn’t You?

By Gardennia nutii

When I hike along Oregon trails or look at many yards a little song from my childhood pops into my head:

'Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy...a kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you?'

If I had the digestive tract to eat ivy I'd be happy to try consuming it, but for now I'll be content removing it.

If you're not already aware, there is a big movement to remove Hedera helix (English ivy) from yards, parks and common areas. The No Ivy League is a group trying to restore the native habitat of Forest Park by removing invasive plants. English ivy is invasive and it transforms natural areas into monocultures, thus taking away habitat from native wildlife. The No Ivy League has drop-in work parties the first and third Saturdays of each month, and they are hosting a 2010 No Ivy Day on October 9.

Interested in removing English ivy? Read more about best known methods here.

Creating Naturalistic Bulb Designs

I made a late trip out to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm last fall to buy Leucojum aestivum (Summer Snowflake), but also succumbed to the other beautiful bulbs they still had in the store. I was particularly happy with the tulips I purchased and wished I'd planted more in the ground and in containers. I'm curious how well they will bloom this coming spring. I inadvertently dug some up while planting some new plants in the garden and the bulbs looked healthy and viable so I'm optimistic I'll have beautiful blooms again next year.

I came across an article titled "Naturalistic Bulb Design" by Bobbie Schwartz, FAPLD, an Ohio-based landscape designer and garden writer. I’ve always planted my bulbs in groupings of five to 10 bulbs and hoped they looked "natural." However, planting in groupings and large swaths leaves holes in the garden after the bulbs finish blooming. Bobbie suggests we should consider another approach, one advocated by Dutch designer Jacqueline van der Kloet: combining bulbs in a wheelbarrow and tossing the bulbs into the perennial garden, and planting them where they fall. If you have large bulbs and smaller bulbs, mix the large bulbs together, toss and plant, then repeat with the smaller bulbs. According to van der Kloet, this technique assures random patterns that imitate the way bulbs grow in natural habitats.

Apparently, the most crucial factors in perennializing and naturalizing bulbs is excellent drainage and lack of summer watering. According to the article, "in their native habitats, most bulbs are in soil that is wet in the winter and dry in the summer. Therefore, inter-planting bulbs with drought tolerant perennials and grasses will contribute to their longevity." So I guess we can add spring bulbs to our list of drought tolerant plants. That was news to me.

Bobbie goes on to suggest "naturalistic bulb design is more effective if the bulbs can be planted in a setting where they will be highlighted. One example is a meadow-like grouping under a late foliating tree...Another example is a number of trees or shrubs that can be connected to one another by a meandering stream of bulbs...Quantities of at least 50 to 100 will be needed to create a naturalistic feeling and more would be even better." That sounds like a lot of bulbs, but I ended up planting more than 100 bulbs in my groupings and it can be done in a few hours.

I tried naturalizing crocus in the lawn, which worked great the first year but the environment was too wet for them to return in great numbers the following year.

In addition to our wonderful, local Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, I've heard several gardeners rave about Brent and Becky's Bulbs out of Virginia. I had the opportunity to meet Brent and Becky at the July Perennial Plant Symposium that was held in Portland. Lovely people.

What's your bulb planting strategy? Do you have a favorite bulb you'd recommend to other readers? Or a favorite plant combination using bulbs?

More Garden-related Events for you to enjoy

Saturday, September 25, 11am-4pm — “Green on Green” Garden Tour benefiting the Portland Reading Foundation. Tickets are $20 and are available online and at Portland Nursery-Stark Street, GardenFever!, Oxalis, Market of Choice and Cornell Farms. Stunning gardens in southeast Portland, Eastmoreland, Garthwick and the Burlingame neighborhoods are showcased on this tour paying homage to the season of fiery foliage and fantastic flowers.

Saturday, September 25, 1-4pm — Celebrate Honey Bee Week with Portland’s first “Tour de Hives!” Visit a variety of Portland’s backyard beehives and beekeepers and fall in love with the honeybee. Tour stops in NE, SE and N Portland. See different hive set-ups and learn from new and experienced beekeepers. Free. Register by September 23 with Lauren at Tourdehives@gmail.com with your name, phone, and the number of people in your group. Maps of the tour stops will be emailed on Sept. 23.

Through October 3 — Queen of the Sun, a documentary film juxtaposing the catastrophic disappearance of bees with the mysterious world of the beehive. The film looks at the heart-felt struggles of beekeepers, scientists and philosophers from around the world, revealing both the problems and the solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature. Showing at the Hollywood Theater, Portland. For more information visit www.queenofthesun.com.

Friday, October 8 & Monday, Oct. 25, 6:30-8:30pm— Lore of the Bees: from ancient times to today, a multi-media presentation about the bonds between bees and people. Core Source Studio, 4821 NE 14th Ave., Portland $5-15 (includes honey treats). Also at New Seasons (7 Corners, 1954 SE Division) on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 7-9pm (no charge).

Saturday, October 30, 2:30-5:30pm—Introductory Beekeeping class covering bee biology, hive equipment and clothing, the beekeeping “calendar,” disease and treatment (with an organic/biodynamic focus), beeswax and honey production, hive styles, etc. Other classes scheduled for Nov. 13 and Dec. 11. Portland Bee Center at Livingscape nursery. To register, call (503.248.0104) or email (pdxbeecenter@gmail.com).

18 Noteworthy (Strangest?) Gardens

I like peeking into other people's gardens so when my co-worker Whitney Rideout (you know her as Gardenia nutii) sent me a link to a collection of the world's most noteworthy (aka strangest) gardens and landscapes, I was intrigued.

As it happens, the Eureka, California garden of Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities is one of the 18 gardens. I'm very excited to announce that Amy will be appearing at the 2011 Yard, Garden & Patio Show, February 18-20 (you heard it here first!). She also is a founder of Garden Rant, an intriguing and active gardening blog.

Also appearing in the list is Portland's own 1000-year-old, wind-toppled Douglas fir from the Bull Run watershed—the municipal watershed of Portland—and all the fungi and flora that had started to grow on it. This "garden" grows in front of the Oregon Convention Center. The tented irrigation system pulls from the Bull Run watershed, which means the massive Douglas fir is drinking from the same source it was more than a millennium ago. Very cool!

Tip for Controlling Root Weevils



Photo courtesy of
Portland Nursery

 I had time to work in the garden last week and noticed that I have several species of plants—rhododendron, salal, and bergenia—with notched leaves, a sure sign of a root weevil infestation. I don’t use chemicals in my garden so I was perplexed as to how to address the issue. I’ve tried beneficial nematodes in the past, but I don’t have confidence that I’m applying them correctly. However, they are touted to be effective against a number of pests that live in the soil, including weevil larvae.

Sticky barriers such as Tanglefoot is also a non-chemical option but this method of control will not work if there are access routes other than the stem to the plant such as other plants, fences, etc., which is the case in my garden because I have a tendency to pack plants into my garden spaces.

As it happens, I was flipping through the summer issue of the American Rhododendron Society Journal and saw this root weevil tip (reprinted from the Vancouver Chapter March 2010 newsletter): “Chuck Floyd, of the Peace Arch Chapter, stated that he controls weevils by spreading birdseed under his rhodos [sic]. The birds are attracted to the seed, and presumably eat the weevils and other pests at the same time.” I like that idea! He also suggests using non-sprouting seeds, which means you’ll probably need to microwave or heat the seed to prevent germination. It certainly would be easier than spending the night in the garden with a flashlight looking for various forms of weevils on your plants.

For more information on the life cycle and control of weevils, check out this excellent article: www.rhododendron.org/v54n4p195.htm. I learned that while the leaf damage adult weevils make isn’t detrimental to the health of the plant, just its aesthetics, that’s not the case with the larvae, which can damage the root systems.

Gardening Goodness Never Ends in the Northwest

Hardy Plant Society Fall Sale – Sept. 18 & 19, 10am-3pm at the Portland Expo Center (Hall C). Visit http://www.hardyplantsociety.org/ for details.


Native Plant Sale – Looking for native plants for your garden? Visit the Tualatin Hills Fall Native Plant Sale, Saturday, October 2, 10am-2pm at the THPRD Nature Park. Use the Native Plant Finder to decide which plants will suit your landscape before you go and get a free poster to help identify species.

Making History: Eight Japanese Garden Masters Speak
The Portland Japanese Garden is extremely proud to introduce eight of the top Japanese garden designers in the world who are in Portland as part of a reunion celebration of the years each of them spent directing the construction and maintenance of the gardens for which Portland is known internationally. All eight of the original Garden directors and Sadafumi Uchiyama, our current Garden Curator, share their thoughts on the development of the Portland Japanese Garden and provide insight into the evolution and current direction of the art of Japanese garden design.

Wednesday, October 13
7-9pm, Fields Ballroom, Portland Art Museum
Free and open to the public
Reservations required, space is limited
directorsreunion@japanesegarden.com or (503) 542-0287
www.japanesegarden.com/events/reunion

Change: The Passage of Time in the Garden
Sydney Eddison, nationally recognized garden writer and author of seven books including her newest, Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older (Timber Press, 2010), will share a wonderful array of stories and insights gained from a lifetime of gardening and tell us about the adaptations she has made as an aging gardener as she works to simplify her two-acre Connecticut garden. Painful joints, an aching back, and the loss of her husband made it impossible for her to maintain the garden as it once was.

Hardy Plant Society Autumn Lecture Program
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Moriarty Auditorium, PCC Cascade Campus
705 N. Killingsworth, Portland 97217.
Program begins at 10:00 a.m. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. for plant, book and seed sales
$20 for HPSO members, $30 nonmembers.
http://www.hardyplantsociety.org/ to register

Gaillardia ‘Oranges and Lemons’

Late October last year, I was taking Barney (my adorable golden retriever) for his morning walk when I noticed a Gaillardia putting out blooms as if it was still August. That's pretty impressive! Since that time, Gaillardia has been on the list of plants I want for my sunny border. It seems I'm not the only one that feels that way. Each time I stop into a garden center, I look to see what compact Gaillardia's they have. Most often their stock is low or they don't have a variety that strikes my fancy. I'm envisioning a swath of them. Their bold blooms will provide wonderful contrast to the fine foliaged plants I tend to gravitate toward. It's probably too late for this year (though I'll keep checking).

According to the PlantHaven Web site, ‘Oranges and Lemons’ (US Plant Patent: #17,092) is truly a stellar performer!

Photo courtesy of PlantHaven

“It is super long-blooming, extremely floriferous (up to 75 blooms per plant at a single time), and easy-to-grow! This determined perennial will grow in poor soil and withstand heat, humidity and even drought once established. ‘Oranges and Lemons’ was chosen as one of Garden Design’s “Way Hot 100” exciting plants for 2006.

“Bred in England by Rosemary Hardy, ‘Oranges and Lemons’ arose in the summer of 2002 at the inventor's nursery in Hampshire, England as a single chance seedling. ‘Oranges and Lemons’ presents a unique color variation in Gaillardias. Rather than the typical bright red and yellow flowers, ‘Oranges and Lemons’ looks just like it sounds — large, peachy orange flowers with yellow tips and a gold central cone. The blue-green foliage enhances this warm coloring and the round, chartreuse seed heads extend the interest after the flowers are spent. Each flower is 4-6 inches wide and is 25% larger than its parent. The overall height and habit of a mature plant is taller and more upright and erect than other Gaillardias.

“The bushy, upright plants are the perfect size for the middle of the perennial border or as container plants and the flowers are great for bouquets. Deer and rabbits tend to avoid this particular Gaillardia, but the plant is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds.

“Gaillardia is named for Frenchman Gaillard de Charentonneau, according to Flora: A Gardener’s Encyclopedia. The species was discovered in the Rocky Mountains around 1825. Gaillardia’s common name, blanket flower, is named for a Native American legend of a blanket maker’s grave that was covered with ever-blooming flowers – a gift from the spirits.”

Hardy to USDA Zone 6. Grows in full sun with moderate water and good drainage.

Saving Electricity and Reducing CO2 One Nursery at a Time

Editor’s Note: This is Part II of a series on nurseries participating in the Climate Friendly Nurseries Project launched August 2009. To read Part I, click here.

Take one plant—say, the cheerful Gaillardia ‘Oranges and Lemons.’ It brightens many a summer garden. And it’s become part of the energy-saving solutions at Blooming Nursery Inc., a wholesale grower in Hillsboro, Ore. (You might recognize their Blooming Advantage burgundy pots in your local garden center.)

No, they haven’t figured out how to make this perennial generate electricity. But they have figured out how to reduce the electricity used to produce it.

Blooming had already improved energy efficiency by replacing inefficient boilers and installing heat retention curtains in propagation areas. An energy audit pointed to lighting as a logical next step in saving energy.

Now, lighting retrofits in the barn, shop and other buildings are reducing the electricity used by the wholesale grower each year. The retrofits have also offset 11 tons of CO2.

General Manager Michael Wisshack is thrilled because 79 percent of the project was paid for by available incentives. Those incentives came from the Energy Trust of Oregon, which performed the audit, and business energy tax credits (BETC).

“The project was simple and the payback (after incentives) of one year makes it something every nursery operation should investigate,” Wisshack said.

And the plants are still every bit as cheerful.

13 Eggs

Moana Nursery, a wholesale nursery in Canby, Ore., found what they believe are 13 quail eggs tucked inside a container spruce tree. The nursery will happily leave the eggs to hatch and the parents to raise their family.

Photo courtesy: Joe Carli, Moana Nursery

According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Web site, California Quail (Callipepla californica) “occupy a wide variety of habitats, are often associated with agricultural activities, and tolerant of human activities. When the proper food, cover and water is available, these quail can even be abundant in suburban areas. Because of these factors, California quail are the most familiar and frequently observed quail in Oregon.

Photo courtesy:
Greg Gillson, DFW Web site

“California quail, also know as Valley quail, historically inhabited only Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lake counties in Oregon. However, transplants of these birds beginning in the late 1800's have resulted in a statewide distribution. Male and female California quail have different plumage, but both have a feathered plume that droops forward and a scaled pattern to their bellies. Males have a black throat patch trimmed by white (pictured), while the female has a mottled gray face pattern.”

They are heart-stoppingly adorable birds and glad they found a safe haven at the nursery.

Warning: Pristine Gardeners Need Not Read...

By Gardennia nutii

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson, Fortune of the Republic, 1878

I’d like to introduce you to a weed whose virtues have been discovered by me this summer: Prunella vulgaris (also known as selfheal, heal-all and heart-of-the-earth). In the past this plant was the source of much angst, but this year I stopped mowing my ever shrinking lawn and the pretty purple flowers of P. v. have been allowed to flourish along with the clover and dandelions. My ‘lawn’ is a sea of blossoms which greet busy bees and provide more color for my yard.

Prunella vulgaris is part of the mint family, so I’d probably be better served ridding my yard of it, but now that I’ve seen the flowers and read about its medicinal properties I’ve become content to focus my weed pulling efforts elsewhere. From Wikipedia: “The whole plant is medicinal as alterative, antibacterial, antipyretic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, astringent, carminative, diuretic, febrifuge, hypotensive, stomachic, styptic, tonic, vermifuge and vulnerary. It is taken internally as a medicinal tea in the treatment of fevers, diarrhoea, sore mouth and throat, internal bleeding, and weaknesses of the liver and heart.”

Tonight as the sun sets, I’ll sip my ‘heal-all/clover flower’ tea blend, eat my dandelion greens, and revel in my unkempt but savory lawn.

Do you have any weeds you love? Let us know!