Written by Mike Darcy
9:00-9:30
This is time set aside to mention garden events and what is going on in my own garden and other gardens that I visit. Some events:
Fall into Gardening with OSU Master Gardeners, Saturday, October 11, 9am- 11:30am, Milwaukie Center, 5440 SE Kellogg Creek Drive, Milwaukie. Clackamas County Master Gardeners offer free classes and soil pH testing. Class schedule:
9:00 Fall Gardening in the Vegetable Patch
9:30 Bugs-the Good, the Bad, the Annoying
10:00 Common Weeds
10:30 How to Maintain and Sharpen Garden Tools
Portland Nursery 27th Annual Apple Tasting, two weekends, Friday – Sunday, 10am-5pm, October 10-12 and Friday-Sunday, October 17-19. 5050 SE Stark, about 60 different varieties to taste and purchase by the pound. Free event.
Conifer Workshop, The Oregon Garden in Silverton, Saturday, October 18, 10am-
noon. Two presentations; the first by Mary Anne Payne, executive director of the
Coast Botanical Gardens in Northern California near Mendocino, and the second by Sam Pratt (who is a guest on my program, October 11 at 10am) who will present a travelogue on his recent tour of Europe in search of new conifer varieties. The workshop is followed by a tour of the Conifer Garden with Doug Wilson as host. Tickets are $12 which includes admission to the Oregon Garden. Register; http://www.oregongarden.org/programs/garden-university/.
9:30
Jon Denney, Portland Nursery, Apple Tasting Event
I remember doing a remote broadcast at the first apple tasting event at Portland Nursery and thinking what a great idea to introduce the public to the many varieties of apples and their unique tastes. Now, 27 years later, the event continues and gives us a wonderful opportunity to taste some of the many apples that we would rarely, if ever, find in our local grocery store.
In addition to the actual tasting, there are bins of apples for sale by the pound. After you taste an apple that you like, you can then buy some to take home. Selling these apples is also a way to support many small growers that raise limited quantities of some of these specialty apples.
10:00
Sam Pratt, Conifer Kingdom
Sam Pratt has been able to make what is his hobby into a career. At an early age he became interested in conifers and now he works for a conifer nursery. Sam recently traveled to Europe to learn and search for new varieties of conifers. He is one of the presenters at the Oregon Garden Conifer Workshop.
Acer palmatum ‘Goshiki koto hime’ with early spring color and then the change to green at the end of the summer.
The beautiful needle coloration of Abies kroeana ‘Kohout’s Icebreaker’. This is one of Sam’s favorites.
Conifer Kingdom is a retail mail-order nursery focusing on dwarf evergreens and Japanese maples. It is open for visitors on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9am- 2pm. Please call in advance, 503/874-4123, to be certain there will be someone to help you, 6450 Brush Creek Drive NE, Silverton.
10:30
Hans Langeveld, Longfield Gardens
Beautiful displays of Alliums in full bloom.
Hans Langeveld is the co-owner of Longfield Gardens which is one of our top importers of quality flower bulbs. The name ‘Longfield’ comes from the Dutch word Langeveld which means ‘long field’. Hans is a third generation plants man, born and raised in Lisse, Holland and now lives and gardens in New Jersey with his wife and children. He will share tips and growing information on planting spring bulbs. For more information and to place an order; www.longfield-gardens.com
11:00
The People’s Hour
Call in with comments and questions. Please continue to send photos of plants that are looking good in your garden now.
Notes from Mike and Photos from Listeners
Lespedeza thunbergii ‘Gibraltar’ is a plant in my garden that never fails to give a great show of color in late September/early October. I have my plant contained in a ‘cage’ that is 8 ft tall and the plant reaches that height every year even though it is cut to the ground every winter. It tends to have a weeping habit and so does need some support. The plant I have gets hot summer sun and very little water and thrives. I rarely see it in gardens here but it deserves to be better known.
The Brugmansia (Angels Trumpet) on our deck has decided to give an encore performance before frost. I have never had a plant produce so many flowers at one time. The fragrance is almost intoxicating and in the evening the flowers produce a sweet perfume scent that can be enjoyed quite some distance away.
Salem gardener Dave Eckerdt sent me this photo from his garden of Clematis paniculata (Sweet Autumn Clematis). It certainly lives up to its name with a profusion of flowers this time of year with a delicate fragrance.