Archive for the ‘Water Gardening’ Category

By all accounts the weather is producing a VERY early start on spring…… As I was out wandering in the nursery today I noticed the “Hall’s” hardy almonds are just about to break bud….. (dang this is early). However as I survey the the warming situation I realize we already have in stock… Walla Walla sweet onion starts, dry onion sets (red/white/yellow), along with early veggie starts of Spinach, Lettuce, Romain, Kale, Swiss Chard, and the likes….. Even sold my first tomato plant……. and so it is the march to spring has begun…. We shall see how it turns out. Meanwhile out in the nursery we have a collection of one of the nicest and most complete fruit tree selections we have ever had…… I am hoping and anticipating this will be one of the BEST springs EVER…….. Here is to “HOPING”……. regards….. doug

PS: we also have our first arrivals of certified organic “Seed Potatoes”……. lots of fingerling varieties as well

Redmond Greenhouse will be offering a free class Saturday Sept. 24th from 11:00 to 12:00. Topic of discussion will center around the “Autumn Garden and Landscape”

     Ahhhhhhhhhhh it has been a while since I sat down a offered a little garden chat…….. sorry about that… As I hit the keyboard of my new (yes my laptop hit the compost pile… dang) computer the winter season has quickly rolled up on the calendar…… a fair amount of snow, a little frost, and the gardens are all gone….. sorry to see them go, but I must admit I do love the four seasons…… San Diego is not an option in my real estate search………… Hope you all had time to apply dormant sprays and top dress your favorite garden plots……. Fertilizing can still be done if you are a user of our Cold Climate or Cascade Natural (Natures Intent) as the winter moisture will help carry it into the soil………… I must say a lot of you have been applying Corn Weed Blocker and or Treflan to help suppress your weed population throughout the garden and landscape…….. if you don’t get it down before the weeds germinate…..(and believe me they will even when its freezing cold) you will most definitely have something to do come the spring season….. dang….

     And on a holiday note don’t forget to slip out there and do a little pruning on some of our unique plants so as to have some material to make a handcrafted centerpiece of wreath… One for you and one for a special someone on your gift list……. Living trees seem to be pretty popular this year and we have a pretty good supply………… nothing to big but some very nice trees perfect for your “Green” Christmas tree……….. don’t forget to ask for a free tip sheet on caring for your “green” project….

     As in past years Redmond Greenhouse is offering lots of special Holiday traditions….. Fresh-Cut Noble fir trees up to 12′, our mail order wreath program ($29.99), poinsettias, amaryllis, paper white narcissus, some new and great blooming plants we call our “poinsettia alternatives (see the Bend Bulletin “New Home Living” for the complete article….. written by… yours truly) costume snow flocking of trees, wreaths and branches, plus lots of exciting gifts and decor………………. Hey hey………… Happy Holidays

A little windy as the new day emerged on the first day of January but other than that the weather was wonderful. One chore I found myself doing was taking down a few holiday decorations and lights to store for another year. I also checked on my garden celery and found it still growing and doing well………. not bad considering it got as cold as it did. I don’t harvest it like traditional stalks of celery, I simply clip away at the bushy base and return to the kitchen with a handful of leafy stalky greens. Very tasty with stews and winter soups. I have also been able to continue harvest on some of my kitchen herbs that are planted in a rock garden close to the house……… my oh my they are so tasty. You might want to give a few a try sometime. Many including chives, parsley, thyme, and rosemary seem to do quite well if give the proper spot for winter protection. Still enjoying my collection of winter squash that I grew this past summer. Just keeping them in a cool, dry, dark place and all is well. Won’t be long until its time to sow a few seeds……….. ahhhhhhhhhhh I can hardly wait. Hope this post finds you healthy, warm, and smiling…..

If the birds are giving you a hard time you just might want to give the product “Flash Tape’ a try. Many have found this inexpensive product works very well and much easier than traditional bird netting. Just cut small pieces of this flashy mylar tape and tie it on branches, fences or other sites. At Redmond Greenhouse we have sold this product for years with great consumer satisfaction……. Just might get an apple pie afterall…………. Doug

The first time I saw this tree, I must say I was highly intrigued. This tough and very hardy mid-sized tree is just loaded with “extras”. Unique little blooms that cover the tree after it fills it’s barren dormant  branches with small elongated green leaves leaves. Easy to transplant and equaly easy to grow, this sometimes hard to find tree is worth the search. Great for small areas of interest or possibly even a larger container I don’t think you will be disapointed with it’s ever changing nature. Late season brings on the greatest excitement as the seed pods continue to develope. Their vibrant reddish orange pod will soon explode, revealing an inner core of intense lemon orange. My oh my…….. As shown in the picture they will be a standout and I am sure just about everyone who sees them will ask the typical ???????? WHAT IS THAT TREE!!! But wait…………… the show is not over……… the leaves will soon turn  a screaming bright red and orange so make sure you have your sunglasses close by. the pods will slowly loose their color but will retain the shell throughout the winter adding yet additional landscape excitement.

What else could I say. We do try to keep this hidden secret in inventory at Redmond Greenhouse. Prices usualy range from $50 to over $100.

For those lucky gardeners that have a water feature, it may be time to do a little maintenance. Use a skimmer net to rid the pond of decaying leaves and debris.  Add fresh water to top off level. If you have fish make sure you don’t feed them until the water reaches at least 40 degrees. Use a wheat based food until early summer due to high protein content. Raise lowered water plants closer to the surface to hasten soil mass warming and dormancy break. Clean all mechanical features of your pond and waterfall. Apply a dose of Microbe-Lift “Spring” start-up to re-energize your microb base.