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Retail sales improve in February

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Retailers — particularly those geared toward the outdoor lifestyle — did much better in February than they did a year ago, according to new figures released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The numbers indicate that retail sales, overall, were 8.6 percent higher than February 2011. At building material, garden equipment and supplies dealers, the […]

Ahmed Hassan coming to the Yard Garden & Patio Show

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Ahmed Hassan is coming to the Yard, Garden & Patio Show Presented by Dennis’ 7 Dees, Feb. 17–19 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore. Twice daily, the celebrity landscape designer and television personality will give interactive demonstrations on the show floor that entertain and inspire people to do more with their garden. “We […]

New USDA zone map released

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released its first new climate zone map in more than new decades. The new 2012 map, downloadable here (various other versions here), replaces the previous map published in 1990. According to USA Today, the new map is much more localized — in fact, it’s accurate down to one-half mile. […]

Study indicates QR codes can drive purchases

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Do you use QR codes to help market your business? A new study by Chadwick Martin Bailey indicates they may be gaining some traction. About half of the people surveyed reported they had scanned a code, while 18 reported they had made a purchase after scanning. Of those who scanned, 70 percent said it was […]

Stuck in the husks after dusk

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If your rural garden center, pumpkin patch or other agri-tourism business includes a corn maze, you might find this worth a chuckle. A Massachusetts family called 911 after failing to navigate their way out of a corn maze before dusk. “We thought this would be fun — instead, it was a nightmare,” the mother told the […]

OSU publishes gardener’s guide to invasives

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Oregon State University has published a new guide aimed at helping gardeners prevent the introduction of invasive plants. “Invasive Species: What Gardeners Need to Know” is a free, downloadable PDF. “Biologists estimate that between 30 and 80 percent of invasive plant species introduced to the United States originated as garden plants,” said Linda McMahan, one […]

Learn about integrated pest management at Oktoberpest workshops

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It’s almost that time of year again, for beer, sausage … and bugs. That’s right — the lineup for the annual OktoberPest workshop series is all set. Sessions will be offered every Thursday in October at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center, 15201 N.E. Miley Road, Aurora, Ore. The series is aimed at helping nursery, […]

Vegetable garden declared a nuisance

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Some communities welcome vegetable gardens in the front yard. Others don’t. It appears that Memphis, Tenn. fits in the latter category. As reported in the Memphis Flyer, an alternative newsweekly, homeowner Adam Guerrero has been cited into court and ordered to dismantle his home garden. Memphis city officials declared the garden to be a nuisance […]

Join our discussion on edible plants

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Commenter Joanne Rigutto of The Little Homestead (Mulino, Ore.) chimes in with a comment on edible plants and their potential to do double duty as ornamentals: Almost any plant we grow for row crops in food production has potential for ornamental landscaping. I think one of the problems is that we normally don’t think of […]