What's old is new again in the plant kingdom

Sometimes "old" is better than new. In the horticulture industry, new plant introductions come at us fast and furiously. The introductions of the new varieties are put on the market as fast as possible to (1) be the first out with a certain attribute, which positions the company or nursery as a trendsetting breeder and/or (2) to satisfy the public’s seemingly insatiable desire for new plants—at least that’s what we tell ourselves. Not all the newest introductions are vigorous, however; vigor may come in the next generation or two for some plants.

Gardeners respond to certain plant attributes that stoke the impulse to buy. I fall prey to this impulse time and time again. A recent example is the Penstemon heterophyllus 'Electric Blue' (and it truly is brilliant blue!) even though I've never been very successful with the genus. In this case, the color was impossible to pass up. I'm the same way with hydrangeas, which is why I have 23 varieties in my garden (and I still regularly give into the impulse to add more even though I've run out of their preferred "morning sun, afternoon shade" situations).

Mercilessly, if they survive, the non-performers are routed out of my garden, either given away to someone willing to nurture them along to maturity or they become compost. A good example is 'Blushing Bride' hydrangea. It was floppy in my garden so away it went to a friend and apparently it is happier with her than with me. I am thrilled to have my old fashioned, excellent performing, brightly colored 'Glowing Embers' hydrangea and the new introduction 'Expression' hydrangea billow out of the spot instead.

I volunteered in the Marina Wyton garden, a garden on the 2010 ANLD garden tour. The plants most often asked about in the front garden weren't the newest introductions, but rather the Queen Anne's Lace and Joe Pye Weed. Both are vigorous plants that attract beneficial insects, a key to the garden's wildlife habitat certifications. They are tried and true, old fashioned plants that added interest to the garden.

If Queen Anne's Lace, Joe Pye Weed, hydrangeas, rosey-smelling roses, hens and chicks and so many other "old" plants are still intriguing gardeners, perhaps the fashion adage "what's old is new again" is also true in the garden.

Do you have an "old" plant you and your garden can't do without?

Free Watering Gauge Kit

This past week in the Pacific Northwest was a hot one and everyone I talked to was concerned about keeping their plants alive during the sudden heat wave. I don’t have a sprinkler system or even drip irrigation or soaker hoses on a timer. That means I hand water everything from pots to new plantings.

During the dry spells, I try to water the landscaped areas of my yard only when needed; however, I have lots of new plantings that I water regularly to help get them established. And then there are all my containers. A few years back, I attempted to scale back the number of containers on my deck, porch and patio because it can be time consuming to water, especially when one has to get to work in the morning! Instead of scaling back their numbers, they keeping multiplying—beautiful pots and beautiful plants are more than I can resist, apparently.

Time commitment aside, I enjoy watering my garden by hand. I find it very calming—a wonderful way to start or end the day. It let’s me see my garden up close so I pay more attention to plant combinations I particularly like (see photo). The health of the plants gets noticed and I can see clearly what needs my attention. And I water only those plants and areas that seem to need it most, hopefully saving water. (I don’t know about you, but each time I turn on the hose to water, I am very conscious of the amount of water I’m using and its source. I wish I were able to use grey water or water from a large cistern filled with rain water rather than using our pristine drinking quality water. The cistern is on the list of projects.)

How about you? Do you have a sprinkler system or do you hand water? Not sure how long to run your sprinklers? To help you figure it out, get a free watering gauge kit and use the Weekly Watering Number.

Many people over-water their yards and lawns. Established turf requires an average of one inch of water a week to stay healthy. (Some think the hay color of dried, un-watered lawns is beautiful!) The trick is figuring out how long it takes your sprinkler to water one inch and then creating a weekly watering schedule so your lawn and shrubs get the water they need - but not too much. The Regional Water Providers Consortium is offering free watering gauges and timers this summer, which will help you keep your lawn and shrubs healthy while conserving water.

You can request a free watering gauge kit by contacting the Consortium at 503-823-7528 or by sending an e-mail to RWPCinfo@portlandoregon.gov.

The Consortium also provides a Weekly Watering Number on its website at www.conserveh2o.org. The number indicates how much water - measured in inches - your lawn, shrubs, perennials or vegetable garden needs that week.

Sneak a Peek at Nine Gardens

The annual Association of Northwest Landscape Designers (ANLD) garden tour is Saturday, July 10, 10am-4pm, and you don't want to miss it! Visit www.anld.com/GardenTour.asp for details on where to buy tickets. It's definitely worth the $20 price, and the funds support scholarships for landscape design students. Gardens are in Northeast and North Portland and east Vancouver (with easy access from I-5 and I-205).

You'll see gardens designed—and in many cases, owned by—local garden designers. See what they've done with small urban lots and a few larger spaces. Natives are used extensively in several of the gardens. If you're interested in veggie gardens, you'll find several that will inspire you. Or if it's intriguing plant combinations or ideas for stone work and pathways, you'll find that, too. Each garden features artwork by a local artist who will be on hand to tell you about their work (pieces are for sale).

These gardens offer a place to relax and enjoy the talents of the designers, homeowners and artists…and to find a lot of inspiration.