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Warm winter is a matter of degrees

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It’s been a warm first couple months of 2010 in Western Oregon, no question. You might be surprised just how warm. Here’s some information from Robin Rosetta that puts it into perspective: With our warm spring, you might want to consider using degree days (heat unit accumulation) to monitor the phenological status of your crops […]

State of Perfection Clip 5: Hans Nelson and Sons Nursery

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Clip 5 in our State of Perfection videos features Hans Nelson and Sons Nursery in Boring, Ore. Company president Dan Nelson talks about the company’s Korean dogwoods. You can read profiles of all of these nurseries by downloading our State of Perfection story (PDF) from the January issue. Next week we will post the final […]

State of Perfection Clip 4: Bountiful Farms

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Clip 4 in our State of Perfection videos features Bountiful Farms in Woodburn, Ore., which is known for its sculptured plants. Todd Nelson, co-owner, talks about the company’s signature tree screens, which can be used to create outdoor “rooms” and other private areas. Check it out. We’ll be back soon with two more videos – […]

Rogerson Clematis Collection attains National Collection status

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Congratulations are definitely in order for the Oregon-based Rogerson Clematis Collection, which was recently awarded National Collection status. It’s quite an honor: The Rogerson Clematis Collection, the most comprehensive gathering of the genus clematis in the United States, has recently been granted National Collection status by the North American Plant Collections Consortium. Located at Luscher […]

Native plants can solve Willamette Basin problems

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When people think of an unhealthy river, chemical discharges may be first thing that comes to mind, but other conditions in the water can also be a problem for fish and wildlife. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality just released a 650-site assessment of the Willamette River basin which concludes in part that high water […]

Suitable for work?

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If you’re at all involved in growing, marketing or selling flowers, then this week’s Doonesbury strips have been hilarious. (The link sends you to Wednesday, then clicking “next” will bring up Thursday and then Friday.)

APHIS considers regulating wood in shipping

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The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is considering proposed rule changes involving wood packaging material used in domestic commerce, such as crates, pallets and sticks. Nurseries commonly use pallets and sticks when shipping plant material, but such wood material unwittingly could transport unwanted and dangerous hitchhikers, such as the emerald ash borer and […]

Practically green

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SPROut, the Sustainable Plant Research and Outreach Center, is offering a couple of upcoming all-day workshops of note. The details: Ecological Design Principles for Water Treatment – Saturday, Sept. 26Ecological design principles have been the basis for many commercially-available, plant-based engineered systems for water treatment such as Living Machines, Eco-Machines, and Lake Restorers. Applications of these […]

Pay by scam

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Increasingly, mass market retailers are paying wholesale nurseries for plants only when (and if) they are sold to the consumer. It’s called “pay by scan” (excuse the typo in the headline). The grower absorbs the cost of any plants that die or are stolen, and they also pay to keep them alive on store shelves […]