McMinnville
Garden Club
PO Box
386, McMinnville, OR
503-434-4344
March 15, 2010 – MEETING
Hillside
Retirement Community “Activity Room” at the Manor
900
N. Hill Road McMinnville, OR 97128
PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO
PARK IN THE CHURCH PARKING LOT
9:30a.m. - 10:00a.m.
- Social time:
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Business
Meeting and FUN:
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Speaker: Becky
Wright Sell
Becky
will do a demonstration on how to make a living succulent wreath, also, how to
plant a container of succulents. She will give a brief description of the
plants she will bring. She will also have a variety of plants available for
purchase. Payment by check will be the easiest.
Flowers to Share
Don't
forget to bring your yard cuttings! This can include flowers, branches,
bulbs, etc. There will be a flower container for you to add your finds to
and help arrange. During the meeting, we’ll select someone to take home
the great bouquet all ready for their house.
*Remember: “The
Making a Difference Campaign” is a national garden club project. Our Pioneer District is collecting inkjet,
laser printer cartridges and cell phones that will be recycled. If you have any that you wish to contribute
to the project please bring them to a meeting and we will forward them to the
Pioneer District. They take clean bottle caps, the plastic ones that
DON’T bend. No medicine bottle caps.
*Also bring your magazines to
share with others.
March President’s message
“Dig In”
Develop Skills, Increase Civic Service, and Grow Friendships
by
Involvement & Nurturing
Here it
comes! The parade of activities (Nursery tours, garden field trips, plant
sales and of course, YARD WORK) to enjoy as the Earth awakens and our senses
take in the rebirth occurring all around us. Speaking of rebirth, don’t
be in too big of a hurry to whack back plants you think have died during the
cold this past winter. I made that mistake last year to my fig
tree. It is recovering but is only two feet tall now instead of
five! As our plants stretch to reawaken their
March 13th Saturday, 9:00AM to 3:00PM
The Washington County Small Woodlands Association has scheduled
its ninth annual Native Plant and Tree Sale
Bales Thriftway Store at 17675 SW
Farmington Rd., Aloha.
Native plants require less water and fertilizer, and attract
wildlife. They are a perfect fit for those interested in both cost saving
and “green” landscaping.
ADDED FEATURE: Pre-order
selected plants online at www.wcswa.org
For further information, contact Bonnie Shumaker (503)324-7825
March 20-21 Lovely
Spring Ohara Ikebana Exhibition at Portland Japanese Garden
To
learn more about these and other upcoming events at the Portland Japanese
Garden, visit www.japanesegarden.com/events
or call 503-542-0280.According to Diane Durston, the Garden’s Curator of
Culture, Art, and Education, “Just as the Japanese Garden itself, the traditional
art of Ikebana has so much to teach contemporary artists and designers
about simplicity, asymmetry, and balance. Anyone interested in learning more
about the Japanese sense of beauty will really enjoy this exhibition.” Separate Ikebana exhibitions by four ikebana
schools and one by the International Ikebana Society occur throughout the year
at the Portland Japanese Garden. All ikebana exhibitions are free with paid
Garden admission.
April 3rd through May 23rd - Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00 a.m. until
4:00 p.m 5065
Raybell Road, St.Paul, Oregon, 7/10ths of a mile west of Highway 219 between
St. Paul and Newberg
Cecil
and Molly Smith Garden - This three-acre natural woodland setting
features choice trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and bulbs, including Cyclamen,Trillium,
Erythronium, Azaleas and Narcissus which complement the over 600 world
renowned rhododendron collection. Established in the early 1950's, the garden
contains many rare species grown by Cecil Smith from seeds Imported from China
and cuttings from England, as well as hybrids he developed. A selection of plants featured in the garden
are available for purchase. There is a modest admission fee of $3.00. Due to
the sloping site the garden is not considered handicap accessible. The garden
is located at. Turn west on Champoeg Road (look for the blue Heirloom Roses
sign) and continue straight on to Raybell Road to the garden. Parking and
entrance are on the right just past the house with the garden address. This
spring, don't miss this hidden gem which has been featured in Horticulture
magazine and several television programs.
Monday, April 12 / possibly Tuesday, April 13
Save the date. It’s time for our annual “Bag Ladies” Third
Street Cleanup. We REALLY need lots of
workers this year. More info at the meeting. Lunch at Golden Valley on Monday! Meet
9:00 parking lot across from Macy’s with your gloves, clippers, brooms, etc.
April 3rd – Saturday - Gardenpalooza
www.gardenpalooza.com/
Daffodil Festival in
Amity April 10-11
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YARD OF THE MONTH
The McMinnville Garden Club was organized in 1926.
The Club’s beautification projects are visible throughout the city from hanging
flower baskets to the kiosk on Third Street, the décor-ative bench at the
Police Station to the pink dogwood trees planted on Linfield campus in 1943.
The committee searches for different styles of
gardens. Some are mature and some are in their youth. Gardens are sought from
every area of the city. A unique feature, such as hardscape, pond, specimen
plant or art, provides a point of interest.
As you drive
around town and notice front yards that are real “stand outs”, please contact
this year’s Y of the M Chair, Mildred Reppetto. Be sure to look for
articles about the honorees in the Homes section of the News Register and watch
for the Yard of the Month sign in a
front yard from April through September.
CONSTRUCTING RAISED
BEDS - Norma Parker
Every year, top up the contents with
bulky organic matter and you should end up with rich, fertile soil that is
well-structured and free draining. For the project you will need:
Ø Edging boards, at least 3½" wide and 1½" thick
(nominal 2 x 4)
Ø Wood corner posts, at least 12" long and 1½" x
1½" (nominal 2 x 2)
Ø Hammer and nails
Ø Level, string and two bricks
Ø Mixture of topsoil, garden compost and/or farmyard manure
The benefits of raised beds:
Ø Soil conditioners and fertilizers can easily be added to the
target areas
Ø Crop rotations will be straightforward to incorporate into
specific beds on you plot
On shallow chalky or stony soils the
extra height of soil increases rooting depth
Less ground on your plot has to be
dug, as pathways become more permanent
Custom-made tunnel cloches or frames
can easily be erected over the beds. There's no need to walk on the soil,
therefore compaction is eliminated
Your crops are easily accessible,
making weeding and harvesting simpler
The bed will drain freely and,
additionally, will warm quickly in the spring.
Additional
tip:
If your plot is on heavy clay the
structure of your soil may be poor and it will retain water, making it slow to
warm up in time for spring sowings. Making a double height raised bed
containing soil enriched with well rotted organic matter is the
perfect solution.
Backyard Habitats –
Marilyn Coats
FEEDING THE BIRDS (Part 1)
There
is a variety of bird seeds and mixtures.
The best all-around seed would be the black-oil sunflower seed. However, if you get tired of pulling up all
the growies, the hulled hearts or chips are better. They are a little more expensive, but worth
it in the long run. The other kind of
hulled seed that my birds seem to love is millet. Regular millet grows rampant under my
feeders, so I was happy to find the hulled millet (even though it costs more
also).
Safflower
seed is a common preference (according to the charts). But when I tried it, my birds didn’t seem the
least bit interested and I finally just threw it away!!! Other varieties include cracked corn, peanut
pieces, peanuts in shells and, of course, niger for the goldfinches. Niger doesn’t grow when dropped on the
ground, but it can certainly grow fuzzy mold with a little moisture!
Some
sources indicate that it is better to have one kind of seed in a birdfeeder, as
the birds are searching for their favorites and the seed gets scattered all
over the ground. However, I combine all
of my seed together in my two covered platform feeders. Since I use the hulled seed and scatter it
around the platform, there is very little that ends up on the ground.
There
are many wild bird mixes with a lot of filler seeds that the birds don’t
eat. I
buy the hulled seed and better mixes at Dundee Garden Art, Wilco, or
Buchanan Cellars.
Make sure you clean your birdfeeders
regularly to keep the mold away. Also
store the seed in a cool, dry place and check often for mold. Do not use seed that has been stored for an
extended period of time and dispose of any that is questionable. Keep the birds happy!
Here are a few tips for those of you
who are starting your seeds indoors. Soaking hard shelled seeds overnight
in tepid strong black tea will help them sprout. The tannic acid in the
tea etches the hard shell just enough to give them a boost. Never
fertilize a starting mix. A plant needs to have two sets of true leaves
before it receives any fertilizer. Always strive for balance between
light, heat and water. Using chamomile tea for watering seedlings helps
prevent damping off.
Plant momentum (steady growth progress) is
essential for healthy productive plants. If a plant’s momentum has been
stopped, because it was set out in the cold ground too early or because it was
left in a pot too long and became root bound, it will never achieve its optimum
growth or beauty. When growth momentum is stopped, the plant exudes
chemicals which invite aphids or other harmful insects. Plants stressed
because their momentum has been interrupted are also susceptible to disease.
Maintaining steady plant momentum is
why it is important to feed plants slowly and steadily. A sudden burst
from too much fertilizer may create an abrupt growth spurt which will do more
harm than good in the long run. Plants that may need an acid type fertilizer
in March are your rhododendrons, camellias, and azaleas. This also
is an optimum time for fertilizing cane berries.
Internet Links
Pioneer
District Newsletter
http://gardencentral.org/oregon/pioneerdistrictnewsletter/
State
website
http://oregongardenclubs.org/default.htm
Composting http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/sw/compost/applycompost.htm
Oregon’s March garden chores http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/calendar/
Raised Bed Gardening http://www.raisedbedgardeningtips.com/
Cleaning Outdoor Furniture http://www.howtocleananything.com/Docs_articles_spring/htca_spring_outdoor_furniture.htm