May is for Memorials

Plants naturally stir memories. Scents unlock them—think of your California grandmother’s jasmine… 

Let your garden remind you of  people, events and places:

⫷  Note who gave you a seedling or cutting in your garden record.  Plant your Dad’s favorite flowers.  As you walk around your garden, people will spring to mind among the ferns.

My sister’s morning glories…

⫷  When you move, take some of your favorite plants to recall your old garden.  Ask the former owner of your new place for plants’ stories.  Knowing that this lilac was grown from a cutting from a lilac that came over the Oregon Trail, or that these white flowered Lunaria sprang up after a young daughter’s tragic death surrounds you with memories. 

⫷  Bury your dog’s collar under a plant that reminds you of him.

⫷  On vacation, collect a plant, buy seeds, pick up some driftwood or stones and make a vacation memory vignette back home.  Or buy a plant which you’d first seen on vacation and attach your memories.

⫷  Enjoy plants as private jokes, like the Chaste tree-Vitex- you gave your

daughter on her 13^thbirthday…

⫷  Honor a long married couple with a collection of plants with names of their children & places lived.  Daylilies, Iris, Roses, Hostas etc. have many named cultivars.  A little research will put it together.

⫷  If your mother loves a certain plant, or you share a special memory associated with one, plant it in her honor.   After the 4^thtime Mom had to tell me what that stunning plant was on our plant tour, she said “Why can’t you remember Weigela?” Now I remember her with this one:

from the Evening Garden Club

www.corvalliseveninggardenclub.org

CBUF will be at the Spring Festival on May 6th

INTERESTED IN
CIVIC BEAUTIFICATION
AND URBAN FORESTRY?

CBUF, the Civic Beautification and Urban Forestry Advisory Committee to the Corvallis Parks & Recreation Department, will have a table at the Spring Garden Festival, to be held on Sunday, May 6 at the Arts Center Plaza in Central Park.

CBUF and the Parks & Recreation Department help the community in many ways. Here are some of them:

·     Heritage Tree Program

·     Riverfront Park & downtown planter bed improvements

·     Central Park Plantings

·     Arbor Week & Tree City USA

·     Beauty Grows Here awards

·     Fall Bulb Sale

·     NPK posting kiosks

·     Public education

Stop by and say hello to CBUFon May 6 from 9 to 4. Learn about the Corvallis urban forest, park improvements, downtown beautification, and more. We’ll be happy to see you and to be    of help! 

Looking for Seeds to Plant?

Looking for Seeds to Plant?

Here’s Where to Find Seeds Locally

Adaptive Seeds, Sweet Home

Heirlooms and “rare, diverse, and resilient” seeds from around the world adapted for the Pacific Northwest.  www.adaptiveseeds.com   541-367-1105

Boondockers Farm, Beavercreek

Over 50 varieties of heirloom tomato seeds. boondockers.sharepoint.com  

503-632-7934

Decker Rd. Seeds, Philomath

Vegetable, herb, wildflower, and cover crop seed.  

www.deckerrdseeds.com www.deckerrdseeds.com   503-250-2506

Fertile Valley Seeds, Corvallis

Varieties developed by Carol Deppe as described in her book The Resilient Gardener.  E-mail for seed list.  www.caroldeppe.comwww.caroldeppe.com

First Alternative Co-op, South Store

Seeds from Territorial, Adaptive Seeds, Peace Seeds, Peace Seedlings, and others. 541-753-3115

Peace Seeds, Corvallis

Public domain plant breeders of many vegetables,

flowers and Native American medicinal/food plants.

peaceseedslive.blogspot.com

Peace Seedlings, Corvallis

Public domain plant breeders specializing in Andean root crops and local varieties of flowers and vegetables.  peaceseedlingsseeds.blogspot.com

HOUR Seed and Plant Swap

Held annually in the spring. hourexchange.org 541-224-7752

Wild Garden Seed, Philomath

(Frank Morton) Certified organic open-pollinated varieties adapted for the Pacific Northwest. www.wildgardenseed.com  541-929-4068  karen@wildgardenseed.com

What to do in the Garden in April

 Planning                                          

- Prepare raised beds for vegetables if drainage is a problem.  Soil can just be dug from paths into the beds to raise them, but a structure helps to keep it there.                                              

 -Vegetables that can be planted outside now include broccoli, Brussel’s sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, chives, endive, leeks, lettuce, peas, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, spinach, and turnips.





Maintenance and Clean Up

-Allow foliage of spring-flowering bulbs to brown and die down before removing.



-Apply compost to berries and perennial vegetables.  Mulch to prevent weeds and moisture loss.

 

-Continue dividing herbaceous perennials until soil dries out if you want to spread or share them.  

Fertilizing sustainably

-Make your own compost from yard debris and kitchen waste.

-Mulch with leaves, clippings, or wood chips.

-Use organic fertilizer or compost. 

-Don’t fertilize when heavy rain is likely. That can wash fertilizer into streams where it becomes pollution.

-A soil test shows which nutrients and amendments would be most helpful.  Click here for an extension article that includes lots of information on soil testing.

Slugs                 

Use traps or safer iron phosphate baits for slug control near susceptible plants.  See blog for details.