A Grower Perspective

Next week is the annual Oregon Association of Nurseries’ Farwest Show (8/26-8/28).  We have been an exhibitor at this show for many years and always find it to be a great source of business leads and a good chance to catch up with our customers and fellow nursery and industry professionals.  We head into this year’s show with some uncertainty due to this dreadful economy.  We’ve heard that there will be less exhibitors this year - not a big surprise given the times. I’m guessing we’ll see less attendees too with people cautiously guarding every dollar they spend. 

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 A blueberry the size of a quarter! That's the nursery discovery of the day. Even though we grow a lot of blueberry plants of many different varieties- we don't normally see a lot of blueberries in the nursery. That's because we remove the berries so the plants put their energy into growing a strong healthy plant instead of producing berries. Every once in awhile though, a few blueberries sneak past. And what a surprise it is to see that 'Draper' Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Draper') produces such a large, flavorful berry! Other blueberry varieties that produce large berries are 'Spartan' and 'Blueray'. 

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Memorial Day through Labor Day is the time to harvest lavender and to prune the lavender plant.

First, grab a handful of lavender, and using a hand scythe, cut the flowers from the plant. Repeat until all the lavender has been removed.

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Even though I work in the office, I try to get out into the nursery at least once a day, and I'm always glad I did because I find something exciting. Today that exciting thing was the Oregon Grape, Mahonia aquifolium. The berries are ready to be harvested! This is good news for me because it means that I will be making Oregon Grape Jelly soon. Oregon Grape, the state flower of Oregon is a native plant that is useful and beautiful in the landscape. It grows freely in sun to deep shade and tolerates all types of soil. In the early spring, it blooms with bright yellow flowers that contrast nicely with the deep purple leaves. It will grow to 6 feet tall to about 5 feet wide. The berries are ready to be harvested in the summer when they turn a nice deep blue.

Back to the grape jelly. Lucky for me,

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It’s always exciting to learn something new about a plant. We all know that flowering cherries are gorgeous while they are blooming in the spring time, but who knew that they can be adorned with teeny-tiny cherries in the summer for the birds to enjoy? I certainly didn’t know that, but I noticed it this morning while out in the nursery. The beautiful ‘Snow Fountain’ (Prunus serrulata ‘Snow Fountain’) blooms white in the early spring on weeping branches that sweep to the ground. Right now, in late June, the bright green leaves set the stage for darling miniature, ornamental cherries that are ripening to deep red. The tree eventually grows to 15 feet tall, making it an ideal choice for small gardens. Plant one in your yard and enjoy the year-round beauty of this unique tree.

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