The North Willamette Research and Extension Center has hired a new bilingual extension educator in nursery plant health. Dr. Luisa Santamaria will be introduced at a reception from 2-6 p.m. Friday, March 6 at NWREC, 15210 N.E. Miley Road, Aurora, Ore (directions). Dr. Santamaria is currently working as a post-doctoral Research Associate with Tennessee State […]
Sean Hogan interviewed
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Sean Hogan, co-founder of Cistus Nursery (Portland, Ore.), has a new book out called Trees for All Seasons: Broadleaved Evergreens for Temperate Climates. Kym Pokorny, garden writer at The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) recently interviewed him in conjunction with that book release. I particularly liked his answer to the question, “Why plant trees?”: An 88-year-old man […]
Borderline hardy plants
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Oregonlive.com gardening blogger Kym Pokorny has musings on borderline hardy plants, how the current weather may affect them, and what gardeners may do if these plants don’t survive this year. She includes paraphrased comments from Cistus Nursery owner Sean Hogan.
Bye bye butterfly (bush)
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Nursery operators have known for some time that cultivars of the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) are on the way out of Oregon nurseries, deemed invasive by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Nurseries can’t propagate it, and they have until the end of 2009 to get rid of their remaining stock. Now the word is getting […]
The incredible, edible … yard?
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That’s right. Edible yard — as in fruit trees, berry shrubs, vegetable starts and the like. We’ve been hearing for a while now that edibles are the hot and happening thing, and the Capital Press (Salem, Ore.) is the latest to report on it: “My clients are asking for edible plants,” landscape designer Liz Frances […]
A delicious oxymoron
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Words such as “jumbo shrimp” and “bittersweet” are considered oxymorons, but that doesn’t mean they don’t represent something real. They do. And you can add “pink blueberry” to the list. The folks at Briggs Nursery have introduced Vaccinium ‘Pink Lemonade’ – yes, an actual pink blueberry – for 2009. The plant bears firm, delicious pink […]
Master Gardener course returns to Portland
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It’s been six years since Master Gardener training was last offered in Portland, but now, the drought is over. An 11-week course will be taught from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. every Thursday, starting Jan. 8 and ending March 19, at Central Lutheran Church, 8120 N.E. 21st Ave (directions), Portland. Registration is underway online. The deadline to […]
How to bring nature home
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University of Delaware professor Douglas Tallamy wrote in his book, “Bringing Nature Home,” that gardeners have the power to encourage wildlife and sustain natural ecosystems. How? By including native plants in their landscapes. Tallamy, profiled recently in the New York Times, will be one of three speakers at “Native Plants to Beautify Your Garden and […]
Gall mites cause problems for growers
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A microscopic mite about .01 inch long is giving nurseries fits because it is destructive, yet difficult to detect, the Capital Press reported. According to Robin Rosetta of the OSU Extension Service, the eriophyid mite, also known as the gall mite, can cause galls, scarring, discoloration, wrinkling and malformation on growing shoots. The tiny bugs […]
Genetic discovery holds promise for growers
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When it comes to the mysteries of plant growth, scientists have long seen the dark – yes, the dark. It was Charles Darwin who first reported more than 125 years ago that plant growth spurts often happen at night, not during the day as one might assume. But now, scientists are finally learning more about […]