Tag Archives: gardening tips

Attracting Pollinators: Part 2

Posted on by

 Grow Organically

Pesticides, even organic ones, can be toxic to bees, beneficial insects, birds, animals and other organisms.  If you must use pesticides then take the organic approach, it’s a safer method.   You can also work with nature to control pests and diseases by using plant ecology and soil management, such as planting disease-resistant plants, practice companion planting, rotating your plants in the vegetable garden, and applying organic fertilizers and mulch. These methods create a healthier garden thereby creating strong plants and creating unfavorable conditions for pests.

Shelters

All pollinators need shelter to hide from predators, get out of the elements and rear their young.

Ways to create shelters:

  1. Leaving a dead tree standing for butterflies, native bees and birds to make homes.
  2. In the fall don’t rake your leaves out of your flowerbeds. Many beneficial insects use leaves for winter protection. You can shred your leaves then put them back into your flowerbeds as mulch, this benefit plants, worms and insects.
  3. Also in the fall, leave dead flowers standing. Many beneficial insects hibernate or lay eggs on flower stems and leaves. Birds also feed on the seeds, so wait until spring to clean out your flowerbeds.
  4. Provide undisturbed spaces for pollinators to overwinter. Leave a log, or a pile of pruned branches lying on the ground in a sunny location, even a pile of leaves can create a winter shelter.
  5. Providing a natural habitat is best, but creating artificial nesting boxes are can be helpful to pollinators, especially in the case of Mason bees, bats and some birds.
    • Mason bees will use a wooden block for nesting if it has the

      Insect house in Parkend, the Forest of Dean, UK (photo from Wikipedia)

      proper-sized holes drilled into it, or you can build a fancier Mason Bee House.

    • For mosquito control buy or build a Bat House.
    • Click here for Birdhouse Plans
    • Butterfly houses can be built or purchased but they are less successful than creating natural habitats.

Deer – Resistant Salvias

Posted on by

Attract Hummingbirds, Butterflies, Moths and Bees. Waterwise easy care plants. Flowers colors vary:  white, red, pink , orange , purple, blue, cream  and a mixture of these  colors. Exposure: Full Sun,/Part Sun.

Salvia Microphylla

 Salvia Microphylla:  aka Baby sage.  Outstanding plants with stunning flowers.  Prolific bloomer from spring until fall.   Low water needs.  Height 24-36, depends on variety. USDA Hardiness Zone: 7-11.   Varieties to look for:  ‘Hot Lips’, ‘Red Velvet’, ‘Kew Red’,   ‘Killer Cranberry’, ‘Mesa Azure’

Salvia nemorosa:  aka- Woodland Sage or Balkan Clary. Easy to grow, drought tolerant,  but plant blooms better with average moisture.  Blooms spring, summer, and fall depending on variety.  Height 16-36 inches. USDA Hardiness Zone 3-8. Varieties to look for:  ‘Pink Profusion’, ‘Violet Profusion’, ’White Profusion’ , ‘Pink Dawn’, ‘Caradonna’ (purple) , ‘Blue by You’.  

Salvia elegans Scarlet

Salvia elegans: Pineapple Sage – Bright red exotic flowers attract hummingbirds! Leaves can be used as a culinary herb and have a slight pineapple or citrus taste.   USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10.

Fall Blooming Tall Varieties: Pineapple scented leaves. USD Hardiness Zones 9-10. Variety favorites:  ’Scarlet Pineapple’ 36”Tall,    and  ‘Rockin’® Golden Delicious’  (yellow leaves),  48” tall.

Spring Blooming/Shorter Varieties:  ‘Honey Melon’, 24” tall, blooms late spring, small leaves have a wonderful fruity scent similar to honeydew melon. USDA Hardiness Zones 9-10

’Tangerine Pineapple Sage’ 18” tall, small citrus-scent leaves, blooms mid-spring through fall.  USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10

Salvia greggii:  aka Autumn Sage.  Native to the SW Texas. Good for hot sunny locations and low water gardens, prolific bloomers.  Blooms summer through fall.  USDA Zone: 6-10.  (Hardiness varies by variety.) Best known variety Furman’s Red Texas Hardy to 150F.   Other varieties: Cold hardy Texas Pink, Wild Thing, Mirage™ Deep Purple.

Salvia officinalis – Common culinary sages – Evergreen Perennial Herb – Grayish leaves with blue to purplish flowers.

Salvia officinalis Berggarten

Popular Salvia officinalis Varieties:

‘Berggarten’ 16″ tall x 24″ wide. Robust plant with large silver and gray variegated leaves.  Purple spike flowers appear in early summer. USDA Hardiness Zones 5-11.

Golden Sage – 16″ tall x 24″ wide- Dark green leaves with chartreuse-yellow edges, a small compact plant. Good ornamental plan. Whorls of lavender-blue flowers spikes appear in late spring. USDA Hardiness Zones 6-10.

Purple Sage –16” tall x 12 wide- Gray-green leaves suffused with steely-gray purple producing a unique pungent flavor and aroma.  Showy violet-blue spikes.  Good ornamental and culinary plant. USDA Hardiness Zones 6-9.  Does not like wet roots!

Tricolor Sage – 18″ tall x 24″ wide – Ornamental herb with colorful grayish green leaves marbled with white, pink and purple. Lavender blue flower spikes appear in summer. Leaves produce strong aromatic scent. USDA Hardiness Zones 6-10.

Article and Photos by:  Carlotta Lucas, AGC Board Member

Willow Water

Posted on by

Why & How to make Willow Water

Willow bark contains a natural plant growth hormone called, auxin hormone.  You can use this hormone to stimulate root growth on propagation cuttings by making a home-brewed solution called, ‘Willow Water’.

20190224_133553-e1551045316148.jpg

Willow Twigs

First, you collect first-year twigs from any willow species (Salix spp.); these twigs will have green or yellow bark. Older willow growth has brown or grey bark, so don’t use those. The willow leaves are not used, so remove all the leaves from your twigs and toss them into your compost.  Take these willow twigs and cut them into 1-inch to 3-inch long pieces. You will need approximately 2-cups of twigs to make ½ gallon of willow water.

 

Extracting growth hormone from willow twigs:

20190224_133709

Steeping Willow Twigs

Method A – Place the 1-inch willow twigs in a container and cover with ½ gallon of boiling water, let them steep for at least 24 hours, then strain the liquid into another container to remove twigs.

Method B– Place the 1-inch willow twigs in a container and cover with tap water. Let twigs soak 48 hours, and after 2 days strain to remove the twigs.

The willow water is now ready to use.

How To Use:

First method: Pour some willow water into a small jar, and then place the cuttings you want to root into the willow water like flowers in a vase, soak the ends overnight. After soaking, plant the cuttings in a propagation medium.  Planting medium suggestion is ½ vermiculite and ½ Coir (coconut fiber) or peat moss.  Please note: coir is a sustainable planting medium, while peat moss is not.

Second method:  Plant the cuttings you want to root in a propagation medium, then use willow water to water these cuttings.  Watering the cuttings with willow water twice should be enough to help them root.

How To Store Willow Water:

Store willow water in a jar with a tight fitting lid and keep refrigerated. Label the jar with Contents, Brew Date, and Expiration Date. Willow water keeps for up to two months if refrigerated, but freshly made willow water is more potent, therefore the longer it is stored the less effective it becomes.

Submitted by: Carlotta Lucas

Resources:

Deep Green Permaculture  https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/home-made-plant-rooting-hormone-willow-water/

Garden Know How  https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/projects/making-willow-water.htm

Resolutions for Gardeners

Posted on by

Good read!

Article by Kier Holmes for Sunset Magazine

10 New Year’s Resolutions for the Gardener

I really like #10 – Increase Gratitude: “…spend more time mingling with and appreciating the flora and fauna…”

https://www.sunset.com/home-garden/garden-basics/growing-gardens#non-toxic-garden-resolution

Planting Veggies in July!

Posted on by

In Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley, you can plant the following veggies in July and August for fall & winter harvesting:

agriculture biology close up color

Photo by Fancycrave on Pexels.com

Brussels sprouts – all month through August
Chinese Cabbage – Until August 10th (later is better to help mitigate cabbage maggot damage)
Late (purple) broccoli-  To over-winter and harvest in March/April

Direct Seed:
Winter beets – after 7/15 through 8/15, plant in 1-2 week intervals
Late broccoli (purple) – Can be direct seeded, too.
Chinese Cabbage – all month to 8/15 (later is better to help mitigate cabbage maggot damage)
Kale – 7/15 through 9/20 for October and winter harvest
Turnips- August all month for late September-October harvest
Bush Beans –  For September – October harvest
Winter variety carrots – 7/15 – 7/31 – harvest in October and all winter ( not Nantes )
Cauliflower –  to 7/15
Mid-season Leaf Lettuce – all month
Parsnips– to 7/15 to dig after hard frost and all winter
Enation-resistant Peas – all month, mulch to keep plants roots cool
Rutabaga – all month, for September harvest
Scallions – to 7/15 to pull all winter.

Transplant:
Fall Broccoli – 7/15 -8/10
Late Cabbage– 7/15 – 8/31
Late Cauliflower – 7/15 to 7/21

Information from: Gardening Year ‘Round , Month by Month in the Rouge Valley, A guide to Family Food Production by the Jackson County Master Gardeners Association

April Gardening Tasks

Posted on by

April 14th is National Garden Day!

  • Use a soil thermometer to help you know when to plant vegetables. Some cool Pansy_Redseason crops (onions, kale, lettuce, and spinach) can be planted when the soil is consistently at or above 40°F.
  • Spread compost over garden and landscape areas.
  • Prune gooseberries and currants; fertilize with manure or a complete fertilizer.
  • Fertilize evergreen shrubs and trees, only if needed. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal.
  • If needed, fertilize rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas with acid-type fertilizer. If established and healthy, their nutrient needs should be minimal.
  • Prune spring-flowering shrubs after blossoms fade. Early-spring bloomers, such as lilac, forsythia, and rhododendron, bear flowers on wood formed the previous year. The best time to prune them is late spring — immediately after they finish blooming. If pruned later in the growing season or during winter, the flower buds will be removed and spring bloom will be decreased.
  • Fertilize cane berries (broadcast or band a complete fertilizer or manure).
  • Remove spent flowers of large-flowered bulbs, such as tulips and daffodils, as soon as they fade. This  channels the plants’ energy into forming large bulbs and offsets rather than into setting seeds. Allow foliage of spring-flowering bulbs to brown and die down before removing.  Do not remove bulb foliage while it is green; the green leaves nourish the bulb and next year’s flower buds, which form during summer. Cut or pull off leaves only after they yellow. Do not braid leaves to get them out of the way. Braiding reduces the amount of sunlight the leaves get and hinders growth.  Allow smaller bulbs (like: muscari and puschkinia) to set seed, so they self-sow and form ever-larger drifts.
  • Cut back ornamental grasses to a few inches above the ground, in early spring.
  • Prune and shape or thin spring-blooming shrubs and trees after blossoms fade.
  • Plant gladiolus and hardy transplants of alyssum, phlox, and marigolds, if weather and soil conditions permit.
  • Fertilize Lawns. Apply 1-pound nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn. Reduce risks of run-off into local waterways by not fertilizing just prior to rain. Also do not over-irrigate and cause water runs off of lawn and onto sidewalk or street.
  • April is a good time to dethatch and renovate lawns. If moss was a problem, scratch surface prior to seeding with perennial ryegrass.
  • If necessary, spray apples and pears when buds appear for scab. And spray stone fruits, such as cherries, plums, peaches, and apricots for brown rot blossom blight.
  • Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees.
  • Plant container and bare-root roses.
  • Prepare garden soil for spring planting. Incorporate generous amounts of organic materials and other amendments.
  • Divide and replant spring-blooming perennials after bloom.
  • Plant fall-blooming bulbs.

Article by:
Terra Gardens Nursery & Bark
Salem, OR