We are now open everyday {except Monday} from 11:00 to 7:00

So come on down for a Christmas tree, wreath or beautiful winter blooming perennials!

As night time temperatures and dropping and our gardens are going to sleep for the winter we find ourselves much less interested in working outside in the cold. But you can still get your gardening fix inside!

Here are a few tips on keeping healthy houseplants:

Light:
Light needs vary from plant to plant so choose the right plant for the right spot in your home. The majority of houseplants are tropical varieties that will prefer to be within about 3 feet from a window in order to get enough light. A great rule of thumb is that if you can comfortably read in the spot there is most likely enough light for your average plant.

Water:
Water needs can also vary so while one plant may need water twice a week another plant might prefer water twice a month. Most plants are going to benefit from drying a bit in between waterings. Just feel the soil to test wether it is time to water again. After a while you will get a sense of how often to water each plant.
Remember that during the winter months houseplants are not growing as actively so will not need as much water. You can expect to cut your watering in half.

Fertilizer:
Potted plants are always going to need a bit more fertilizer than one planted in the ground. Choose a good organic brand and be sure not to overdo it. Even when you apply the correct amount of fertilizers salts and chemicals can build up in the soil and cause damage. It’s a good idea to give your plant a shower once a year. Set your plants in the shower. Set the temperature to luke warm. Let the water completely fill the container to overflowing and then let it drain, flushing all the buildup with it.

Pests:
There are many common pests attracted to houseplants. Often the best way to deal with insects is to simply wash them off under the kitchen faucet. If this isn’t effective try one teaspoon of biodegradable dish soap in a quart spray bottle and mist over the affected areas, you may need to repeat once a week for a month or so. If those pesky pests are still a nuisance try Neem oil or another horticultural oil. Pesticides should always be your very last resort especially since it’s your home environment that you will be using them in.

Are you thinking about re-landscaping your yard or adding a vegetable patch? Now is a fantastic time of year to remove sod and prepare beds for easy Spring planting.
There are several ways to reduce your lawn area and make way for landscape or vegetable beds:

Unfortunately a lot or homeowners and landscape professions are still using chemicals to kill grass lawns. This may seem like an easy approach but the hidden costs are hefty. These toxic chemicals not only kill your lawn but all the good organisms and healthy mycorrhiza that live in the soil. These organisms help to build the framework for a productive garden – you can’t have a healthy garden without healthy soil. My advise is don’t be tempted by the story of a quick fix and sacrifice the long term heath of your soil nor risk the health of your family, pets and all the little critters that live in our urban wilds. The other downside to using chemicals is that you often have to wait months before you can plant in the treated area because the chemicals linger in the ground and will kill anything you try to plant.

Another option is to manually remove the lawn with a sod cutter or shovel. It’s a bit of a job but the nice thing about this method is you can plant immediately so it’s instant gratification. Sod cutters are fast and can be rented by the hour but they are heavy and a bit cumbersome so be prepared for a  core workout ! Removing lawn by hand is a chore, you can try to look at it as a labor of love but it’s still a lot of work so be realistic about how much you take on at once. Some jobs are worth hiring a professional for or at least bribing friends into a pizza/garden-work trade. After removing the grass the soil will need to be turned with a shovel or rototiller because of compaction, it is also a good idea to spread compost or new top soil to help build up the soil. You also need to take into account what you are going to do with all that leftover sod. If you use a sod cutter you can often find someone on craigslist who will come pick it up but having it hauled off can be expensive.

My favorite approach is called sheet mulching or lasagna composting. It’s organic, relatively low labor, inexpensive and produces the most beautiful healthy soil.
Here’s how:

- Mark the outline of your new garden area with twigs or a garden hose so you can visualize where everything will go.

- Mow the area as low to the ground as possible and rake off seed heads.

- Spread at least 3 to 4 inches of hot compost or manure on top of lawn and water it in well. (The company you order materials from can help you figure out how much you need based on the square footage of garden beds you are adding)

- Add a layer of cardboard and be sure to overlap each box so that there are no open spaces. Regular old corrugated is best – don’t use stuff with a heavy gloss finish as it won’t break down as well.

- Next add 2 to 4 inches of compost materials like dried leaves, chipped tree prunings, or lawn debris (that is weed and seed free). If you don’t have these things available from your own yard you can use a 2 inch layer of compost delivered from a soil company.

- Finally add a decorative cover layer like wood chips, bark or plant a cover crop of vetch, lima or clover that will winter over and give you something to look at. If using bark be sure to use a composed variety that is sliver free.

The beds will have to remain damp in order to break down the grass but this is never really a chore in Portland winters. In about 3 months (just in time for Spring planting season) you will have beautiful healthy worm ridden and microbe teaming soil!

The weather seems to be holding so we will be open this coming weekend!

It’s a wonderful time to be out in the garden with warm days, bright blue skies and soil just moist enough to work. Get in another round of veggies and herbs or plant those bare spots in the garden. Next summer you will be glad to did it in the cool of Fall and so will those healthy well-established plants.

This is our last weekend open before we close for the season and we still have lots of lovely plants on sale! It’s a great time of year to add a little Winter interest, Fall blooming perennials or to stock up on some new houseplants to enjoy all winter long. Come visit us this weekend for 30% off all plants!

And don’t forget – we will reopen on Thanksgiving weekend for Christmas trees and holiday cheer!

Anything that goes in the ground now will have all that winter rain to keep it healthy which means YOU won’t have to do so much work! Plus winter hardy plants that go in the ground now will have more developed root systems so that next summer they will be stronger, and more able to withstand the dry period and that means better blooms and all around healthier plants!

Autumn is a great time to divide anything that is getting crowded. Iris, bulbs, crocosmia and day lilies among others can really benefit from a little thinning, plus you can move your new clumps into other areas or better yet – trade with your neighbors for something you don’t have.

It’s also time to plant bulbs – and we just happen to have a shipment coming in next week. We will have some lovely and unusual tulips, jonquils, alliums and more! We will also have some narcissus and amaryllis for winter forcing so you can have a little burst of Spring over the Holidays.

Don’t forget about adding new veggies. There is still time to plant a round of lettuces and cold hardy greens like mustard, kale, spinach and arugula. And now is the best time for root crops like carrots and beets as the cold days coming will condense the sugars in those veggies making them super sweet and delicious! Broccoli and cabbage can also go in as well as onions and garlic. Or if you are ready to be done with tending the veggies consider planting a cover crop like clover, vetch or fava which will help suppress weeds over the winter, provide a little visual interest and best of all – they are a great way to get extra nitrogen into your soil!

September is the time to swap out any tied looking annuals with Fall interest. And it’s a great time to access which areas of the garden need a little pick me up. Summer isn’t over yet and we have all sorts of beautiful fall bloomers like echinacea, salvia and clematis. We also have tons of interesting evergreens that will keep your garden gorgeous year round, hellebore that blooms mid winter, evergreen grasses and succulents, some lovely conifers. Oh – so much more – come take a field trip to thicket today!

We just discovered this lovely blog and they just happened to write us a sweet review along with a very touching story – you can read it here:

http://saralovesportland.com/thicket/

Yes it sounds like a B Horror movie but if you are a squash, a pumpkin cucumber or maybe just want to grow them – then powdery mildew is a HORROR!

The mildew is a fungus, there are several species but they all basically have the same effect on your veggies. White powdery spots appear on leaves, undersides of leaves and stalks. If left unchecked they can spread to form a dense layer of thick white powdery spores. Eventually the mildew will cause leaves to turn yellow, die and fall off – it looks a lot like an icky alien infection.

Powdery mildew often affects cucumbers, lettuce, melons, parsley, pumpkins, potatoes, peas, eggplant, pepper, tomato, strawberries, beans, grapes, and tree fruits but it’s most favorite victim is squash!

The fungus acts fast so your best defense is to act quickly. First – remove any damaged leaves. These spores can easily spread to other plants so wash any tools you use afterwards since the spores could be hiding and waiting to be carried to their next host plant. The spores can also winter over in the soil or on plant debris so it’s a better idea to dispose of infected leaves in the trash as opposed to your compost bin.

You know how when you chop off the arms of a zombie they just keep coming after you? It can be very similar when dealing with powdery mildew, simply removing leaves seldom keeps the problem in check for long but there are solutions for staving off the hoards of advancing spores.

Milk:
Several recent studies have shown that 10% milk mixed with water and sprayed on leaves works just as well as synthetic fungicide or sulfur. Applications should be made once a week to keep the fungus under control.

Baking soda:
Mix 1 Tablespoon baking soda with 2.5 Tablespoons of horticultural oil and spray on leaves. This solution will also need to be applied weekly.

Garlic:
Garlic extracts should be diluted 1:10 with water and applied to leaves. This also works on vampires but the concentration needs to be much higher.

Oils:
Vegetable oil mixed 2.3 Tablespoons per gallon of water and a teaspoon of biodegradable liquid soap. Neem oil diluted 2 teaspoons per gallon can be applied every other week. Mint oil and Rosemary oil can also be very effective. Again weekly applications to the leaves is best.

As a last resort there are commercial fungicides treatments available but are those zucchini really worth the real life horror stories of the long term effects of fungicide use.
Fungicide residues can wash off and find their way into our aquatic systems where they wreak havoc. They also build up in the soil resulting in an accumulation of copper that can pose risks to the long term fertility of the soil and have adverse effects on the organisms and microorganisms like earthworms that help maintain healthy soils healthy gardens healthy people and healthy communities.

As the arsenal of chemicals that humans use to control the environment continues to expand I sometimes wonder if we are the monsters in this horror flick!

Now that summer is in full swing our gardens are bursting with veggies. But that doesn’t mean that you cant plant more! Now is a great time to start thinking about fall crops and even planting for spring harvests next year. We are blessed to live in such a wonderful climate that with a little planning allows for almost year round vegetable gardening. Here are a few tips on what you can plant now:

Once greens have bolted in the heat replant with arugula, asian greens, collards, kale, mache, spinach, mustard or lettuces.
Now is a great time to freshen up your herb garden, replant basil that has been damaged by slugs (or fervent caprese makers), do a second seed sowing of cilantro or dill. You can also fill in areas with something new like terragon, lemongrass or pineapple sage.
Short season crops like beets, radishes and carrots can be planted now for a fall harvest. And don’t forget that the greens of radishes and beets are delicious all on their own.
You can also plant hardy vegetables that will last into the cooler season: brussel sprouts, broccoli, raab, cabbage, cauliflower, fava beans, leeks and turnips are all great options.

Many plants that have bolted in the heat become bitter but they can still be tasty. The flowers themselves are delicious – Toss the flower heads of lettuces, broccoli, cabbage or radishes in a salad for a bit of color or texture. Even bitter greens can be yummy – saute lightly with a bit of soy to accent the intense flavor. If they are to far gone find a chicken or duck – they LOVE greens! And once harvested you will have more room for new plantings.

While you can plant almost year round here in Portland it’s best to avoid these super hot days. It’s perfectly fine to keep your new plants in their nursery pots safe in a shady spot just as long as you keep them well watered (which means every day – in this heat)!

For existing plantings that are already in the ground here are a few tips to keep your landscape healthy!

Soaker hoses or automatic watering systems work best. Many plants like tomatoes prefer regular watering schedules and dislike overhead watering on their leaves, which can cause blossom end rot!
Water early in the morning or later in the evening. This can help conserve water as less is lost to evaporation and most plants will be feeding during those times.
Avoid misting plants in the heat of the day, overhead watering can burn plant’s leaves if applied in direct sun. Plus you are more likely to end up with burned shoulders as well. Some plants such as Rhododendrons curl their leaves to conserve water – don’t be tempted to mist wilted leaves until the cool part of the day.
Potted containers in direct sun will most likely need to be watered every day. Pots cannot hold much moisture and are generally way hotter than soil under ground so they will dry out much faster. It’s almost impossible to overwater a pot!
Even drought tolerant plants will need to be monitored their first summer until their roots are established.
Plants that have been stressed by drying out are much more susceptible to disease and pests so keep those plants watered.