In the Garden
Portland’s Rose Gardens
PORTLAND’S ROSE GARDENS & THE INTERNATIONAL ROSE TEST GARDEN In 1888, Georgiana Burton Pittock, wife of pioneer publisher Henry Pittock, invited her friends and neighbors to exhibit their roses in a tent set up in her garden. Thus began the annual rose show for Portland Rose Society. Jesse A. Currey, a former Rose Society president, convinced city fathers to inaugurate
May Gardening Tips
GENERAL TASKS & GARDEN MAINTENANCE Beware treacherous late frosts and keep vulnerable plants and new shoots protected at night if frost is forecast. Don’t be tempted to put out tender bedding until the middle of the month and even then be prepared to cover it if necessary.Continue with the spring cleaning. Hoe your borders to get rid of weeds before
Gardening Tips
SNAP HOOKS FOR BASKETS: Like cheap solutions to common gardening problems? Anyone who’s grown a hanging basket or pot knows that unless you regularly turn the container, your plants grow better and fuller on the sunnier side and sparser on the shadier side. It’s fairly easy to rotate pots a quarter of a turn every few days to keep the
Wheat country – An Amazing Landscape design
In wheat country in the Columbia River basin, they gathered to celebrate dryland farming MORO — The rolling hills of the Columbia Basin, the expanse just east of the Cascade Range, must have looked all right to the homesteaders who arrived in the 1870s. The lush land along the rivers and in the Willamette Valley was snapped up decades earlier
Lawn Aeration Benefits
Lawn Aeration Benefits Semi-annual aeration is advised for all lawns on heavy clay soils, those with a thatch buildup, and any lawn that needs to be “thickened up. Controls thatch Promotes thicker turf growth Strengthens turf against weeds Prevents excess compaction Improves the soil structure Helps create growth pockets for new roots Establishes deeper and healthier root system Allows more
Proper Mulching
Proper Mulching Mulching is one of the best things you can do for the health of trees, shrubs, and flowers, especially newly planted ones without strong root systems. But it’s important to do it right! To correctly apply organic mulches, such as shredded pine bark, to trees, start at least three inches from the base working out to the desired
Farmers Almanac Spring Forecast
TWO MONTH WEATHER FORECAST MARCH 2012: temperature 45° (2° below avg.); precipitation 3″ (1″ above avg. north, 3″ below south); Mar 1-4: Rain and wet snow, cool; Mar 5-11: Sunny, then rainy periods, mild; Mar 12-23: Rainy periods, cool; Mar 24-27: Sunny, nice; Mar 28-31: Rain, then sunny, seasonable. APRIL 2012: temperature 46.5° (3.5° below avg.); precipitation 2.5″ (0.5″ below
Gardening Tips for March 2012
Patience, Provisions,and Planting for Beneficials I. TIPS ON TIMING Love those early warm spells, but don’t be in a rush to plant warm season vegetables. Warmer soil temperatures are important for the success of veggies like corn, beans and squash. If the soil is too cold and wet, germination will be slow and, worst case, seed may rot. Tomatoes, peppers
When Does Spring Begin?
THE OLD FARMER’S ALMANAC The seasons are determined by changing sunlight (not heat!)—which is determined by how our planet orbits the Sun and the tilt of its axis. On the first day of spring—the vernal equinox—day and night are each approximately 12 hours long (with the actual time of equal day and night, in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring a few
Tips on Timing Your Garden
I. TIPS ON TIMING Love those early warm spells, but don’t be in a rush to plant warm season vegetables. Warmer soil temperatures are important for the success of veggies like corn, beans and squash. If the soil is too cold and wet, germination will be slow and, worst case, seed may rot. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are really tropicals