Diane Meyers zone 6/7 Or.'s Page

Well the signs of spring are here, I went to the first garden show in the Willamette valley of Oregon and it is one of my favorite. The Good Earth Show. I found a Peony I have been looking for, a bush type called Memorial Day, a double bright true red, it's an American heirloom variety grown in pioneer days and often used to decorate Civil War graves. I also found a disturbing practice where some bulb growers were selling (at a high price) tulip, daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs that s… Continue

Well the leaves are falling so I have a question for all avid gardeners, do you clean up the beds in the fall or wait until spring? Perhaps like me you are selective in what you prune now and what you leave for winter interest. Do you remove dead vegetables and plant a cover crop or do you just leave it over winter and till it in in the spring? I have seen it done both ways so I don't think your garden cares much. I cut down most perennials in the fall, prune some shrubs, clean up all my lillies… Continue

I am already in full fall mode because if I wait I would never get everything done. I am at the trimming/pruning stage now and I actually enjoy the process. I usually prune all of my bushes by one third or more depending on what it is and when it blooms. My roses get dead headed unless they produce nice rose hips, then I leave them alone. Some perennials get cut down now, giving them a chance to produce a nice low carpet of green (shasta daisys etc), some are left until the first frost kills the… Continue

Well today it's over 100 outside and no AC so what have I been doing all day, I've been canning !!! Pickled Beets, Pickled Red Cabbage and pickles. My house of course smells like vinegar and it's hot. I really have no choice on when to can and I no longer do very large batches, just enough for myself and to make up a few baskets for gifts. So far I have frozen or canned four different jams, beans, corn, basil, salsa, pasta sauce,and pie fillings. I have canned all my life and even though I am al… Continue

Well today will be a busy one, I have a freelance photographer coming out this evening to take photos of my gardens. A friend called to ask me if this photographer could take some shots for an article she is writing on mid summer gardens. I try to always have color in my gardens and right now the glads, phlox, penstemon and echinacea are doing well and all of my hostas are in full bloom. The roses are almost ready to pop with their third big bloom so if she tries not to shot a few weeds it shoul… Continue