Make the McKenzie Connection!
Make the McKenzie Connection!
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Plant galls By Peg Herring Oregon State University plans to use a $3 million grant to study two groups of bacteria that result in millions of dollars in losses annually to the nation’s nursery industry. Researchers will study Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Rhodococcus fascians, which deform hundreds of common landscape plants, including hostas, Shasta daisies, petunias and pansies. These bacterial pathogens are of particular concern in Oregon, where the greenhouse and nursery industry contributes more than $745 million to the Oregon economy a...
Pears By Kym Pokorny Face next season’s fruit tree disease and pest problems by making a preventative strategy now. Since late winter is a good time to plant bareroot trees, the first line of defense is to choose a resistant variety. Otherwise, look to sanitation and low-toxicity sprays such as dormant oil and copper to keep trees healthy. First up, be vigilant about removing dropped fruit and leaves that might be harboring pests. Follow that with appropriate sprays to get at those pesky insects, fungi and bacteria that like to make a home i...
Tulips By Kym Pokorny Paperwhite narcissus bulbs, because of their fragrance, are popular to grow in pots indoors, but nearly all bulbs sold in the fall work well in pots that stay outdoors. “It’s easy to create a stunning display that begins to grow in the fall or middle of winter, then bursts into bloom in the spring or early summer,” said Heather Stoven, Oregon State University Extension horticulturist. “In fact, if you choose the right plants, you can create a bulb display that extends through the seasons. “Although you can put each kind...
Cherry Drops By Kym Pokorny Once a week from June 14 to mid-September, Harry Olson and Tobie Habeck commuted from Salem to Silverton to tend a U-shaped plot at The Oregon Garden. As they weeded and watered, the duo would hear docents tell their trams full of visitors about the little-known grafted vegetables overflowing from the raised beds and spilling onto the mulched aisles. The two longtime Master Gardeners with the Oregon State University Extension Service would look at each other and smile. This was why they toiled. People need to know, O...
salad greens By Kym Pokorny October is a perfect time to sow salad greens for harvest throughout the fall and winter months. "If you live in the warmer, wetter regions of the state, you can plant lettuce and other greens now," said Oregon State University vegetable breeder Jim Myers. "In the colder areas of the state, a cold frame or cloche can help lengthen the harvest season into winter." If you harvest through the winter, protect your greens from late fall and winter downpours. Leafy greens tend to rot. For salad lovers, plant a row of...
Hebes By Daniel Robison If you like to prolong color in your landscapes through the summer and into the fall, consider planting evergreen shrubs called Hebes (pronounced HEE-bees) for vivid color in both flowers and foliage during summer and fall. “Most Hebes flower in the summer, but others bloom in late fall,” said Neil Bell, consumer horticulturalist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. “Some have colorful foliage that lasts through autumn. They provide an interesting change from the usual asters and maples we custo...
Tomatoes By Daniel Robison Late blight, a fungal disease that infects tomatoes, usually shows up in Oregon gardens as weather turns wet and humid, and it’s dispersed by the wind and rain. This devastating disease kills tomato and potato plants, as well as peppers and eggplant, and usually does not arrive until mid-August or September. According to Ross Penhallegon, Oregon State University Extension horticulturist in Lane County, the disease is holding off because of the current warm weather. Once it turns wet and cool, start looking for late b...
Sweet peas By Tiffany Woods As fall approaches, consider letting some of your annuals go to seed. If the winter isn't too harsh, they may pop up next spring. Annual plants are inherently programmed to set seed and die in one year. During the summer, you can keep them blooming and postpone seed development by deadheading and fertilizing them, said Brooke Edmunds, a horticulturist with Oregon State University's Extension Service. But come September, let the meticulous care go. Allow the flower heads to dry and droop. The wind and birds will...
Deadheading By Tiffany Woods Deadheading is a gardening chore that many people find pleasant – by pinching off fading flowers, you can beautify your landscape and keep some plants blooming longer. But is it necessary? Deadheading makes sense for repeat bloomers such as roses and highly modified annuals, such as marigolds, to keep them blooming, said Heather Stoven, a horticulturist with Oregon State University's Extension Service. For most other plants, she said, it is a matter of appearance and the personal taste of the gardener. Plants...
Spinach Plant fall and winter vegetables now By Daniel Robison In mild parts of western Oregon and along most of the coast, it is possible to grow a succession of garden vegetables throughout most of the year. Gardeners can extend the season well into fall in many parts of the Pacific Northwest with a little knowledge and protection of their plants from the elements. When space becomes available after harvesting the last spring-planted peas or greens, keep those veggies coming. Even though your summer vegetables are growing like mad, July...
Watering By Tiffany Woods Ross Penhallegon, a horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, recommends watering during the early morning hours. That's because there is usually less wind to affect the soaker hose, drip or sprinkler pattern. Plus, the temperatures are lower in the early morning, meaning more water gets into the soil and doesn't evaporate. Also, if you are on a community or city water system, pressure is usually better in the early hours, so you can cover more area with your watering. If you have an automatic...
Sweet corn By Denise Ruttan Could your spotless peppers or flawless flowers have what it takes to claim the blue ribbon at your local or county fair this summer? With some insider tips from Lynn Long, you could make this your year to test their mettle. Long, a horticulturalist for the Oregon State University Extension Service and county leader for the OSU Extension Service in Wasco County, previously served as a judge at the Wasco County Fair and Rodeo for several years. During that time, Long saw contestants gain so much more from the...
Flowering currant By Denise Ruttan If you don't have much space to plant shrubs, you'll want to keep an eye out for Oregon Snowflake, a new flowering currant developed by Oregon State University that is smaller than other currants. This low-growing shrub is the first cultivar to come out of OSU's new ornamental plant breeding program, according to Ryan Contreras, a plant breeder and assistant professor in OSU's Department of Horticulture. OSU released the cultivar in March, but don't expect to see it in nurseries until spring 2015, he said....
Honeybee By Denise Ruttan Consider adding some flower power to your landscape to bring in the buzz of pollinators to your garden. "Floral abundance is one of the strongest ways to promote bee diversity in gardens," said Gail Langellotto, the statewide coordinator for the Oregon State University Extension Service's Master Gardener program. “Also, bees forage better for nectar and pollen in warm, sunny spots.” A showy blend of flowers can charm birds and butterflies as well, she said. But which kinds of flowers should you choose? Langellotto rec...
Big pumpkin By Denise Ruttan Halloween may be months away but if you are hoping to grow monster pumpkins, now is the time to start planting. The world record monster pumpkin of 2013 weighed in at 2,032 pounds, according to the New York Botanical Garden. Maybe you won't achieve quite that size of a pumpkin, but choose the variety ‘Dill's Atlantic Giant’ and you, too, can grow the great pumpkin of Charlie Brown's dreams, said Jim Myers, a vegetable breeder for Oregon State University. "I've had these types growing in fields and without doing any...
Blueberries By Denise Ruttan Plant blueberries now for a great crop of sweet, healthful fruit in the future. Three categories of blueberry plants are best-suited for Oregon climates: Northern highbush varieties, rabbiteye varieties and half-high varieties, according to Bernadine Strik, a berry specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. Cold-hardy Northern highbush blueberries are some of the most commonly planted in the United States, Strik said. These 4- to 6-foot tall plants grow well in any region in Oregon, she said. Of...
Pear fungus By Denise Ruttan As the blossoms fade in your apple and pear trees this spring, keep an eye out for a fungus that flourishes in warm, wet weather, cautions the Oregon State University Extension Service. "The longer this spring stays wet and the warmer it gets, there are more chances that we'll see problems with apple and pear scab in our fruit-growing areas such as the Willamette Valley, Hood River, Milton-Freewater and the Medford and southern Oregon areas," said Jay Pscheidt, a plant pathologist for the OSU Extension Service....
Vege starts By Denise Ruttan When the first daffodils bloom to let us know that spring is around the corner, it is time to start vegetable seeds indoors or in the greenhouse. It's best to start cool-season crops such as lettuce, cabbage, kale and chard in late February to early March in western Oregon, said Weston Miller, a horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. Warm-season crops such as tomatoes and peppers should be started in late March to early April. Tomatoes should be "stepped up" from flats into a four-inch...
OSU tomatoes By Denise Ruttan As you pore over seed catalogs in these cold winter months, you'll likely include tomatoes in your vegetable garden dreams. Oregon State University's vegetable breeding program has developed several varieties over the past 40 years that are now mainstays in many Pacific Northwest gardens. Perhaps you know of Indigo Rose, the novelty purple tomato that OSU debuted in 2012. But did you know about the other varieties that the program has created? "In the past, the whole idea behind the breeding program has been to bre...
Blackberries By Denise Ruttan When you're planning this year's garden, don't overlook one of the unsung heroes of the fruit world – the blackberry. "Many people don't want to plant blackberries in their yard because they think it's an invasive weed," said Bernadine Strik, a berry crops specialist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. “But they're actually thinking of the Himalaya blackberry, which is an invasive weed introduced to Oregon in the late 1800s that is very difficult to kill.” Cultivated varieties do not bec...
Mummy berries By Denise Ruttan Watch your blueberries this spring for a type of fungus that has zombie-like qualities. A fungus called Monilina vaccinii-corymbosi can infect blueberry fruit with a disease called mummy berry. Fruit falls on the ground and withers into shriveled-up berries that seem deceased. But it turns out those "mummies" are actually the fungal version of the fruit — undead berry corpses, if you will. "Mummy berry has an interesting life cycle, it's truly like a zombie," said Jay Pscheidt, a plant pathology specialist f...
Winter plants By Denise Ruttan When you think ornamentals, flowers may immediately come to mind. But consider shrubs with vibrant leaves to add interest to your landscape all year. "Always look for different textures," said Barb Fick, horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service. "I'm always looking for plants with different colors of foliage. Flowers are great but they don't flower all year and it's good to have diversity other times of year. When it's a time of year when flowers aren't in bloom, your eye is drawn to the...
By Denise Ruttan Your trees may still need attention even in the coldest days of winter. In the life cycle of a tree, winter is the time when trees go dormant and growth slows down, said Paul Ries, an urban forester with the Oregon State University Extension Service. The strongest parts of a tree are its trunk, branches and roots, so they normally survive winter weather quite well. In the spring, new growth emerges in the form of twigs, buds and leaves. But the success of this new growth depends in part on the tree over-wintering well, Ries...
Lettuce By Denise Ruttan Is this dry winter making you anxious to dig in the dirt again? There's some good news if you garden in western Oregon and are an optimist. Cool-season plants can be directly seeded into the ground in March in the Willamette Valley and southern Oregon, said Bob Reynolds, the Master Gardener coordinator for the Oregon State University Extension Service in Jackson and Josephine counties. Cool-season crops include peas, arugula, carrots, cabbage, cilantro, fava beans, kale, kohlrabi, spinach, chard, turnips and lettuce. Re...
Riparian replanting By Judy Scott The health of fish and wildlife and the quality of the water they call home depend in large measure on the trees and shrubs that grow in riparian areas along streams and riverbanks. Although the task is not easy, riparian areas that are damaged can be replanted. Six manageable steps are detailed in a comprehensive Oregon State University guide written by OSU Extension foresters Glenn Ahrens, Max Bennett and Brad Withrow-Robinson. The 27-page booklet, "A Guide to Riparian Tree and Shrub Planting in the Willamett...
