This flowering tree is on the upswing, thanks to disease resistance and all-season beauty Crabapples have enjoyed a bumpy history. Originating in the mountains of Kazakhstan, crabapples’ spring flowers landed in Chinese palace gardens and were carried along the Silk Road to Europe. Beyond their beauty, crabapples can act as a blanket pollinator for an […]
Unsung perennials
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A treasure trove of options is available for those who want to go beyond the staples Thousands of books are written about them, as are poems, and there are even songs sung about the flowers we know as perennials. Perennials are the backbone of most garden designs and some container gardens, as well. Consumers adore […]
Nature is in the house
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A back-to-earth ethic fuels the lust for new, classic and collectible house plants In the 1970s, it seemed like everyone decorated their indoor space with a pothos (Epipremnum aureum) winding around the ceiling and a dusty-looking Coleus on the windowsill, but houseplants fell out of favor during the more technology-driven ’80s. Now they’ve come roaring […]
A tree with a peel
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Despite some pest issues, birch trees provide a distinctive, well-loved look Sales of popular birch trees in Oregon plummeted in the early 2000s when the bronze birch borer made its way across the country and began attacking susceptible plants up and down the Willamette Valley. The voracious insect had been plaguing states in the Midwest […]
The impervious barberry
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These top-selling shrubs are durable, beautiful and deer resistant Oregon is the number one producer of barberry, selling $7.7 million worth in 2019, according to the USDA Census of Horticultural Specialties. That’s 39% of a nearly $20 million national market, mostly attributed to Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), a plant that has taken a hit with […]
A hotter trend
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Widespread wildfires prompt greater demand for fire-safe plants and landscaping As the wildfires of Labor Day 2020 tore through Oregon, the impacts on homes and forests were sevbere. The flames devoured a million acres of forestlands, and destroyed more than 4,000 homes. The impacts are something foresters, landscape professionals and nursery operators must pay attention […]
A hearty appetite for edibles
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Growers find they can’t grow enough edible plants, and retailers can’t keep them in stock In March 2020, U.S. governors began rolling out stay-at-home orders, including in Oregon, because of the coronavirus known as COVID-19. Not long after, Americans in lockdown turned their attention to edible gardening any way they could — in containers, in […]
Flowering cherry trees then and now
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Flowering cherry trees remain popular, from old mainstays to new selections, with more on the way It’s March, and soon showy displays of Japanese flowering cherry trees will trumpet their annual announcement that spring has arrived. Thus, consumers will be prompted to head to garden centers with hopes of adding the ephemeral beauty of these […]
Tough and beautiful
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Spireas are mainstays of the shrub world, thanks to their gorgeous blooms and steadfast demeanor Timing is everything with Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica). The time is now — as in no later than early March for a hard pruning — for this tough, summer-flowering shrub that blooms on new wood. Yet, pruning can be a […]
People’s Choice Award winners announced for the 2020 Farwest Show New Varieties Showcase
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Three plants and four runners-up were chosen as People’s Choice Award winners this year for the 2020 New Varieties Showcase, presented by the Oregon Association of Nurseries and the Farwest Show, and sponsored by Hip Labels. This year’s Farwest Show did not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting closure of host […]