For those of you unable to get into Saturday’s mason bee class (sorry for the too-small classroom while we are under construction!!  Good things  are coming, we promise!), we have a second session scheduled for Saturday, February 20th at 11 am.  Beth Rose, from Farmington Gardens, loves talking about these bees, and it shows - this was by far our most popular class last year. 

The interest in mason bees keeps growing, even as problems with honey bees persist nationwide.  This docile native bee is a great friend in the garden, pollinating like crazy.  Just a few simple steps will encourage mason bees to inhabit your garden.  If you have any fruiting plants in your garden, then having these helpers nearby is a very good thing. 

This is a free class, but since space is limited, we ask you to call to register:  503-649-4568; or email us at events@farmingtongardens.com.

Why does pruning seem so perplexing?  We coddle our favorite plants, and are afraid we will damage them with inappropriate care or incorrect pruning!  Well, if this is you, then we’ve got just the class for you.  Lyle Feilmeier from Collier Arbor Care will be here to  share the basics  -

• when to prune
• where and how to make the cuts
• the right equipment for different tasks
• as well as the underlying reasons why we sometimes need to prune 

You will leave with the confidence you need to maintain your garden throughout the year! 

Bring your tools in for sharpening – we’ll have a professional on site.  First 50 people will get one pruner sharpened free; additional tools at reasonable prices.

This class is free, but space is limited – and only a few seats remain; please register with your name, phone number, and number attending at events@farmingtongardens.com or call us at 503-649-4568.

After an unprecedented winter closure, we are opening again on Friday, January 29th.  We have been busy doing some much-needed improvements to our store, and have expanded our retail footprint as well.  This means a much more comfortable shopping experience for you, as well as more room to carry more of the unique and beautiful plants you have come to expect from us. 

New plants will be coming in every week, so please consider this your personal invitation to stop in and say “Hi”.  We’ve missed you, and  look forward to seeing you soon!

Now that the holiday festivities are behind us, the house seems a little colorless and dreary.  If you are looking for a way to bring some life to your home but don’t want to wait for spring bulbs, then here is a simple solution:  forcing branches into blossom!   These simple bouquets are elegant and easy, giving us hope of the spring ahead.  If you don’t have a couple of these in your garden, you really should find a place for them.

What does ‘forcing’ mean?  Basically it means to speed up the blooming of woody trees and perennials.  Many of these set their buds months earlier, but have a long period of dormancy during the winter.  By cutting and bringing these bare branches into a warm home environment, we can bring them out of their dormancy and into bloom sooner than they would in the outdoors.

As for how to force branches:  it is super easy.  Simply prune branches with  buds and place indoors in a vase with water and floral preservative.  Give a clean cut at an angle, and keep the water clean,  as you would for any flower arrangement.   Then relax and enjoy watching their buds unfurl!  Often, these blooming branches will retain their blossoms for a week or more.  And by staggering your cuttings, you can have blooms for several weeks.

Best choices for forcing:

• Forsythia
• Cornelian cherry
• Filberts
• Fothergilla
• Witch hazel
• Cherries
• Beeches
• Birches
• Eastern Redbud
• Lilacs
• Magnolias
• PJM rhododendron
• Quince
• Serviceberry
• Willow

Frankly, January is a pretty good month to stay inside and read a gardening book.  Or peruse beautiful seed catalogs and envision the garden of your dreams.   But for those of you who would like some additional suggestions, here are some productive things you could be doing this month:

• If you’ve been keeping a garden journal, this is a good time to pull it out and reflect on the past year.  What went well for you and what did not?  Are there lessons to be learned that you could apply next season?
• Take hardwood cuttings of deciduous ornamental shrubs and trees for propagation.
• Assess which ornamentals need to be replaced this spring – either through cold weather losses or varieties which are not as disease resistant as you would like.
• Clean pruners with rubbing alcohol, and sharpen those and other tools as needed.
• Winter wind is is very drying for plants – place windbreaks around plants that are sensitive to cold, dry winds.
• Stay off lawns as much as possible, as it causes soil compaction and kills turf.
• Don’t forget to occasionally water plantings  that are protected from winter rains under eaves.
• Use dormant sprays of lime sulfur or copper fungicide on roses for general disease control.

Don’t you feel better having a list?  Now, back to that book and comfy chair by the fire!

One of the markers of the start of every new gardening season is the annual Yard, Garden and Patio Show, produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries.  What a visual extravaganza of sights and fragrances to bolster the spirits on these cold winter days.  It is an inspiring experience to see the plant combinations used in the many display gardens, and to see some of the new garden gadgets available.  I always peruse the speaker schedule, finding several that pique my interest.

Farmington Gardens will be showcasing some of our favorites, so stop in and say hello.  And pick up an FG discount coupon to bring back here for your spring shopping.

Oregon Convention Center, February 12 – 14

Tickets are available at the door, or online at http://www.ygpshow.com/.

Why is it that spraying trees or shrubs seems a little scary?  We frequently get inquiries from people seeking more information about ~ 

• what plants benefit from seasonal spraying
• how to do it
• what to use
• and the timing of the spraying 

We will demystify this whole topic on Saturday, February 6 at 11 am.  Tom Combs will cover many options for you to consider, whether you are interested in gardening organically, or whether you are okay with ‘conventional’ remedies.  There are excellent options for everyone.

A little preventive care now for roses, lilacs, cane berries, grapes, and fruit trees will result in a much easier and more productive season for you!  It is important to give these plants at least a February spraying – come and learn what to use and how.

This is a free class – please reserve your space by either calling us at 503-649-4568, or emailing us at events@farmingtongardens.com with your name and phone number.

Our 2010 series of classes  begins soon, and we are as excited as ever to bring you all the information you will need to enjoy being a savvy, knowledgeable, and creative gardener.  This will be another great year for our educational programming – we’ve got some great speakers scheduled for you to meet.  Keep checking this blog for updated information on scheduled classes, or pick up a class brochure when you are in the store.

Our first class is coming up on Saturday, January 30 at 11 am.  Ernie Carlson from Botanical Interests will share his best tips for seed starting.  Whether you are growing vegetables or flowers, this is the most economical way to have those favorites you love to grow.   It is also a great strategy for trying new varieties.   Make plans now to get a jump on the season!

This is a free class; however space is limited, so please register to save your space – call us at 503-649-4568, or email events@farmingtongardens.com, with your name and phone number.

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and are ready to start the new gardening year off on the right foot.  I don’t know about you, but I have had spotty success with achieving my New Year’s resolutions.  So it seems a little odd that I continue to set these goals year after year, but for some reason I like the process of assessing what’s going well and what needs improvement.   Therefore, I encourage you to give some thought to your past gardening successes and failures, and to write down a few things to focus on improving in 2010.  I’d love to hear about your own resolutions; here are just a few of mine:

• I will finally pot up an olive tree for my patio.
• I will donate more surplus produce to the Sunshine Pantry through our Plant a Row for the Hungry program.
• I will incorporate more edibles into my existing landscaping.
• I will be more diligent keeping my garden journal.
• I will grow a new vegetable that I’ve never grown before.
• I will prune when I should – before the wisteria engulfs the garden.

Here’s to an abundant, successful gardening season for us all!