Nursery industry innovator Jack McConkey passed away Sept. 3, 2008 following a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 86. His association with the nursery industry began in 1964, when he purchased McLean Bulb Farms, which was just then starting to pioneer the development of plastic containers. He changed the name of the company to […]
Kousa dogwood IDd as P. ramorum host
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USDA APHIS officials indicate they are planning to add the Kousa dogwood, Cornus kousa, to the list of plants that have been identified as hosts for Phytophthora ramorum, the destructive plant pathogen that’s also known as sudden oak death. The species of dogwood will now come under federal regulations designed to combat the spread of […]
An Oregon gem shines
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It’s hard to believe, but the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Ore., is seven years old. And following some early struggles, now may just be the garden’s time to shine. Moonstone Hotels is about ready to open the Oregon Garden Resort, a 103-room hotel complete with restaurant, spa and wedding facilities. Although construction is slightly behind […]
No beer, just bugs
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There will be no oom-pah music, no beer and no lederhosen, but there will be much to celebrate every Thursday in October as the North Willamette Research and Extension Center observes OktoberPest. Every Thursday in October, from 9 a.m.-noon, there will be a workshop at NWREC, 15210 N.E. Miley Road, Aurora, Ore. Seminars include “Outwitting […]
Light brown apple moth detected, quarantined
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Two light brown apple moths have been newly detected in California and as a result, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has established a 19-square-mile quarantine in an area straddling Sonoma and Napa counties. It’s now illegal to move any nursery stock, cut flowers, host fruits or vegetables, or plant parts within this area […]
Two Oregon nurseries ‘REAP’ benefits of energy efficiency
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Two OAN-member nurseries were among 18 Oregon recipients who were awarded Section 9006 energy grants by USDA Rural Development, the agency announced last week. Northwoods Nursery of Molalla received a $30,490 grant to help make energy efficiency greenhouse improvements, while McKenzie Valley Bamboo of Springfield was granted $10,000 towards a small solar project. The grants, […]
China Forbes says, ‘Amado Tree-o’
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To many music fans, the bestselling lounge/world music ensemble Pink Martini is the pride of Portland. But to Pink Martini vocalist extraordinaire China Forbes, the pride of Portland may in fact be the city’s celebrated tree canopy.Forbes will appear in a Friends of Trees ad in the Sept. 7 issue of the Sunday Oregonian, in […]
Interested in nursery management?
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Clackamas Community College will offer a newly revised nursery management class this fall. Designed to meet industry needs, the class covers nursery management practices including container, pot-in-pot and field growing. Other topics include crop scheduling, inventory and shipping, people management, marketing and sustainability. How develop a hazard communication or safety program will also be discussed. […]
Rural wind power workshops coming up
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The phrase “free as the wind” is sounding more and more tempting to energy users beset by the ever-rising cost of oil, natural gas and other energy sources. And although wind power isn’t free, either, it is a key part of Oregon’s push for renewable energy. It may also offer an opportunity for rural landowners. […]
Spray night promises full coverage
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Scientists from the USDA Application Technology Research Unit will present “Spray Night in the Nursery,” a workshop on sprayer technology, from 8-10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9 at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Nursery in Boring, Ore. They will demonstrate various sprayer types and configurations by spraying fluorescent dye on crops, then using black lights to […]