A Grower Perspective

Go out into your yard today and clip a little of this and a little of that, you might be surprised at your own creativity and with the beautiful arrangement you produce. That’s exactly the kind of arrangement you see pictured here. Many of the plants you see here are common landscape plants, like wax leaf privet, pieris and lavender. Throw in some Spirea japonica ‘Shirobana’, Hemerocallis ‘Siloam Fairy Tale’, Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, and an Italian sunflower and viola! A fabulous arrangement without the trip to the florist’s shop!

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Go to your local farmer’s market for no other reason than because it is just fun. For me it is pure pleasure with tasty treats added on top. My local market is in Creswell behind the library off the main street, Oregon Street. It is on my way home and conveniently open from 4 – 7 p.m. I can’t wait to get there and see who is selling what and have a chat with my ‘market friends’. This is a very small market, maybe twenty vendors. This is the second year it’s been going on and some of the same folks have come every time to sell their goods and come they do, whether they make much money or not. The showing up every time is what eventually will make them ‘successful’. Success at the farmer’s market comes in many forms. One is not there to ‘get rich’ so there has to be some other benefits. One of the most successful vendors is the cute old guy, Jim, who makes bird houses, ‘guaranteed to house birds’. He also started making boxes and shelves, items that the other vendors buy to display their wares. I noticed he is now making cash boxes. I don’t think he had a grand plan for this is just worked out like that and he has enough money to go fishing with his buddy. Michelle, my co-worker, meets me at the market and sometimes some other friends stop by. One has to look carefully and ask questions and enjoy the process, find out about the sellers, what they like to grow or make, what is the best thing they have today. I found some Meyer lemons, brought up from California, no not locally grown, which is difficult at best, and I bought all three of them for 75 cents each. What Michelle and I like to do is buy a little from each booth or at least say hello and admire their wares.

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  When is a good time to plant? This is a common question that I am asked by customers and random people at cookouts and dinner parties. Many people think that you only plant in fall or spring. In my experience this isn't the case. I have planted in July and August and the plants have grown and done well. If you plant in summer the key is to water the root ball once every three days to the point of saturation. I usually turn the hose on very low and lay it at the base of the plant and let it run for about an hour. This allows for a deep watering that will sustain the plant through the warm summer days. With a little fastidiousness you can plant when you are inspired and not by the seasons.

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 We started doing something new at our weekly company meetings at Pleasant Hill Nursery.  At each meeting, someone has to bring in a plant from the nursery and educate everyone about that plant.  The goal is to help those with less knowledge to become more educated about plants.  Truth is, we all learn something. 

It was my turn this week and I chose Rosa rugosa.  It was one of my mom's many favored plants.  Dave remembers her collecting seed and starting her own Rosa rugosas.  (I'm grateful he has these memories from her days being around her in the nursery.) I researched this plant and had great fun sharing my new findings with the group.  Here's what I learned about

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For those of you who only shop nurseries in the spring, you are short-changing yourself. It is really ideal to visit nurseries several times throughout the year. If you make an annual pilgrimage in spring, you are only seeing the things that bloom or look their best at that time. If you don't shop nurseries in, say March, you might miss the beautiful blooms of Pieris. The same goes if you don't shop nurseries in June, July or August. Miss this summer window and you miss the color offered by Cistus, Crocosmia, daylilies and Rudbekia. And the list goes on.

Another thought - visiting a nursery like ours (Pleasant Hill Nursery) or any other commercial grower-type nursery in late spring may seem

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