Meet Rob
Meet the "Tree and Shrub guy". You've probably seen him zipping around if you've been to the nursery in the last few years. Rob is from Maryland. Oregon's climate is similar so he feels at home. Rob is currently attending OSU, majoring in Botany. He'd eventually like to go into research Botany. With his strong work ethic and positive attitude, we know he'll do well in his career. In his spare time, Rob enjoys mountain climbing. |
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Rainy Day Fun
By Charlotte
On
rainy days I really enjoy my houseplants, but they know it's winter and
some of them don't look their absolute best. As the days get longer
and brighter in April and May I know they'll all perk up, but in the
meanwhile I want something beautiful. It's amazing what even a small
green plant can do to add a relaxed, congenial atmosphere to a room.
This is a great time to enjoy bulbs like amaryllis or hyacinths.
Sturdy Anthuriums have interesting, long-lasting blooms that come in
pink, white, burgundy and orange as well as the typical red.
Kalanchoes and double-flowered Calendivas are ruffle-leaved
succulents. Their profuse clusters of small flowers come in a rainbow
of colors, white, pinks, yellows, oranges, reds and bicolors. Orchids
are especially appealing now. Spectacular Cymbidiums, durable
Dendrobiums, fancy Phalaenopsis and all kinds of exotics are delightful
on a winter day as a gift or just to enjoy. New succulents are coming
from FLEETFOOT and FOULWEATHER on February 25th. Let us help you
select the right plant for your space. |
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Out With the Old - In With the New
By Brenda Powell
This is an exciting
time of the year for the Garland Nursery garden accessories and gift
departments. Christmas is packed away. The new seeds are here. Erica
and Kathy have been busy redisplaying the entire garden store and gift
shop. The trucks with new products and new stock of our favorites have
been arriving daily. In the last two weeks we have received Gardner N
Bloome planting composts and Seed starting Mix, Dr. Earth fertilizers
(including new, resealable plastic bags), yard decor from Giftcraft,
and pottery. Arriving any day will be concrete fountains, birdbaths
and benches from Campania; more pottery; Espoma fertilizers and soils;
and a new pest solution line from Bonide with a stronger emphasis on
organic solutions.
Also, we're changing the location of
some of our products. The terra cotta pots and glazed ceramic pot feet
are now in our "courtyard", near the Bonsai department. Lightweight
containers will be moved in there soon. So, come out and take a look.
See the new displays. Browse the new items. If you can't find
something, just ask. We'd love to help you locate just what you're
looking for.
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 Life's Simple Pleasures
By Karen Hopson
The
gardener's life is a good one, inspired by the beauty of nature,
nourished by the freshest, healthiest fruits and vegetables and touched
by the kindness of fellow gardeners. Few other pursuits in life bring so much pleasure.
Every January I cut back the rich green leaves of my Hellebores to expose their plump, promising flower buds. As I work I find the first open snowdrops of the season, dangling their sparkling white, honey-scented flowers. I snip a few snowdrops, sprigs of fragrant sweet box (Sarcococca) and three marbled leaves of Arum to put in a small vase on my kitchen windowsill. Soon the intoxicating scent of Daphne will emanate from its swelling pink buds. Already the spidery yellow blooms of witch hazel are brightening the gray days of winter. The winter blooming camellias are lovely, sporting silky white and pink flowers.
Gardeners benefit not only from the serenity found in the garden but also from the exercise of keeping the garden in shape and the health benefits of eating the freshest, tastiest, just-picked fruits and vegetables. Late winter is the best time to prune existing fruit trees and berries and to plant more health-giving fruits in your garden. If you are in doubt about how to prune your plants, local nurseries and the OSU Extension Service can give you the advice you need.
Bare root berries and fruit trees arrive at nurseries this month, giving gardeners the opportunity to plant more bountiful gardens. The Willamette Valley provides one of the best climates in the world for growing blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and a host of other small fruits. Apples, cherries, nectarines and peaches, European and Asian pears, persimmons, plums and prunes are all tree fruits one can grow. If you have not had time to prepare a spot for the bare root plants, or choose not to dig when it's been so wet, you can buy bare root plants and put them in pots with potting soil until the weather improves for planting.
By growing more of our own food we can help be better stewards of the earth. We can ensure our food is grown as organically as possible. We can eat fruits and vegetables in season rather than importing them from halfway around the world. If you don't grow much of your own food try to purchase as much as possible from local growers. We are so lucky to have our farmer's markets, the First Alternative Coop and Richey's Market providing so much local fresh produce.
I try to work out in my garden during any dry breaks in the weather. When it's too wet and blustery to venture outside, it's a great time to sit with a cup of tea and plan your vegetable and flower gardens. Seed racks will soon be here, offering a wide array of delectable choices. I usually buy my sugar snap and snow peas to plant later this month, both of which are delicious in salads and stir fry. Sweet peas are also good to get in the ground early, producing their ruffled silky flowers with a delightful orange blossom scent by early summer.
This gardener is thankful for life's simple pleasures-good food, good health and the beauty of nature all around me. I hope you are similarly blessed. |
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Answers to Some Common Questions About Mason Bees
By Sharon
Mason bees are becoming increasingly popular for pollinating fruits and berries, and with so many people growing their own fruits, naturally some questions arise. Here are some of the more commonly asked questions I've gotten, and the answers I give. Hopefully this will help you understand mason bees and decide if you want to take the steps to encourage them in your yard.
Q: What exactly are mason bees?
A: Mason bees (Osmia lignaria) are native bees that are smaller than honey bees and are primarily black in color (males have white hairs on their faces). They are not aggressive, are active in cooler weather than other bees, and prefer fruit and berry blossoms for their food source (pears and blueberries are their favorites).
Q: Why are mason bees recommended for fruit pollination?
A: Our typical Pacific Northwest springs are cold and drizzly about the same time that most fruit trees and blueberry bushes are in bloom. Mason bees are spring bees so they don't mind working in the cool weather as much as some other bees. Honey bees do better in warmer weather and don't venture out in the rain as much.
Q: How can I get mason bees in my yard?
A: Mason bees are available at Garland Nursery. They are sold in paper straws with 10 bees per package.
Q: If mason bees are native, why would I want to purchase them?
A: Mason bees have a rather short range. Some bees will fly long distances for food, but mason bees have a range of only about 100 yards from their nest site. If you are farther than that away from an established nest site, they may not find you.
Q: So how do I make sure they stay in my yard?
A: If you provide for their needs, they will stay around. They need a food source (fruit trees, blueberry bushes, etc.), a nest site, and a source of mud to seal the egg chambers (preferably near the nest site).
Q: You said they don't live in hives, what do you mean by "nest site"?
A: Mason bees nest in holes. In the wild they use tunnels made by other insects, or natural holes like the hollow area inside some plant stems. But you can provide a "mason bee house" for them. Garland nursery carries a couple different house styles to choose from. The attractive wooden houses contain several tunnels that are just the right size for the bees and can be opened and cleaned if necessary.
Q: Isn't it dangerous to have bees nesting in my yard?
A: Mason bees are not aggressive. They are solitary bees, meaning they don't live in a colony or hive. Because they have no hive to defend, they aren't aggressive. They won't even defend their nest box. If you get too close to it, they will simply fly away from it, or crawl back into the tube and wait for you to leave. The males don't have stingers, and the females only sting in self defense (like if they get caught in your shirt or if you step on one bare-footed).
Q: What about the winter? Do I have to do anything special?
A: You don't have to. If you place your bee house in a protected area (like under an overhanging roof where it won't fill up with rain water) the bees are fine to stay out all winter. If you want to time their hatch, or are concerned that it's too cold out (like last December), you can bring them indoors and store them in the refrigerator. But if you choose to leave them alone, they should be fine too.
Q: Do I have to worry that other insects like hornets or more aggressive bees will move into my bee house?
A: No. The house is designed as a series of tubes that are just right for mason bees. Hornets and other hive nesters can't use the tunnels, and the tunnels are the wrong diameter for most other tunnel nesting bees.
Q: I hear a lot these days about mites and things that affect the local bee population, do mason bees have the same problems?
A: Not really. Mites are more of a problem with hive nesters. While mason bees can pick up mites when they visit the same flowers visited by infected bees, because they are solitary bees, they don't infect others as easily as hive nesters would. Sometimes mites can be left behind in the egg chambers to infect the developing young. If your bees don't come out of their tubes in the spring, it could indicate a mite problem. In this case, simply open the chambers, clean out all the debris and wash with soap and water.
Q: I purchased a bee house last year and I was watching when the bees hatched, and at first they seemed to hang around the nest, but then they all went away. I never saw them again, now the holes are full of mud and I haven't seen a bee for months. Is there something wrong?
A: No, that's what's supposed to happen. The male bees hatch first and hang around the front of the nest waiting for the females to emerge. Then they mate and go their separate ways. The males don't live very long, but the females return to the holes to lay their eggs. They seal each egg chamber with mud. So, even if you didn't see them they did come back and lay their eggs.
Q: I don't have fruit trees, but I do put in a large vegetable garden each year, should I get mason bees to pollinate it?
A: No. As I mentioned earlier, mason bees are spring bees, which means they only live for about 6 weeks in the spring. They come out of their nests just as the fruit trees are beginning to bloom. They gather pollen and nectar from fruit trees and early blooming berries like blueberries then lay their eggs and die off. The eggs hatch into larvae and grow over the summer, then wait out the fall and winter as pupae and emerge as adults in the spring.
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