Seminar Details for Saturday, February 13, 2010

02/13 10:30 AM

Decorating Eden: Personalizing Your Garden

Speaker: Lucy Hardiman
Room: B 110-112

Just as it takes more than a hammer and nails to create a home it takes more than just beautiful trees, shrubs and perennials to make a garden. We want our outdoor spaces to be a reflection of our personalities, spirit and sensibilities. Join Lucy for a journey down the garden path into the heart of the garden.

Lucy Hardiman was to the garden born and is a fifth generation Oregon gardener. She is the principal of Perennial Partners, an award-winning garden collaborative group, recognized for their innovative approach to garden design. Her garden and those of her clients have appeared in many magazines and books. Most recently she was featured in the May 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. A popular speaker who lectures and teaches throughout the country, she also writes for regional and national publications and is a contributing editor for Horticulture Magazine. You can read her blog at www.lucyflora.com. She is on the Great Plant Picks Committee, is vice-president of the Friends of the Rogerson Clematis Collection and is a past president of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon.

02/13 10:30 AM

Rain Gardens for the Disconnected Downspout

Speaker: Amy Whitworth
Room: B 113

Beautiful rain gardens are becoming part of the mainstream in Portland – don’t be left behind! Learn what rain gardens are and why they are important storm water management tools. Find out how to determine whether rain gardens are appropriate for your site. Gain the knowledge needed to locate, build and plant a simple rain garden and see some creative ides on how they can be integrated into your existing landscape. Stop using pipes and start creating effective rain garden features for water quality and enhancing habitat.

Amy Whitworth, owner of Plan-It-Earth Design, has been helping her clients to craft earth friendly gardens for 16 years. Her background combines horticulture and fine arts. She has received numerous awards for her educational and habitat gardens as part of The Garden Design Studio, and is a Rain Gardens 101 Presenter for E. Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, as part of their Sustainable Urban Landscape Program.

02/13 11:00 AM

Solutions for Everyday Garden Problems

Speaker: Ed Hume
Room: B 110-112

If you have problems with moles, voles, deer, moss, squirrels, weeds, lichen and so forth, Ed Hume has some easy practical steps to help you solve them. Ed also gives you some practical ideas and advice on how to pinch, pull, and shear plants to keep them in perfect shape.

For the past 45 years Ed has been host of “Gardening in America”, the longest running gardening television show in America. He is currently heard on 6 radio stations in the northwest and has written for numerous garden publications regionally and nationally. Ed has been inducted into the Garden Writer’s “Hall of Fame’ and has been awarded the ‘Silver Circle’ by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Ed has written seven books, the latest entitled Gardening with Ed Hume, Northwest Gardening Made Easy. Check out his website at www.humeseeds.com.

02/13 11:00 AM

Growing Food in Containers

Speaker: Rose Marie Nichols McGee
Room: B 116

Create container plantings to grace your deck, patio or front yard. Fill them with your favorite edible plants and enjoy a gardener’s feast. This presentation includes when to use transplants, when to direct seed and how to select the best varieties. The basics, including potting soil, watering, fertilizing, insect control, pruning and harvesting are also covered, along with selecting the right pot for the right plant.

Rose Marie Nichols McGee grew up on her family’s nursery with a book in one hand while weeding with the other. This has led to a career in plants, gardening and words. She is the president of Nichols Garden Nursery, a family owned mail order seed company and nursery. McGee is co-author of the Bountiful Container, the bible for small-space gardeners who want to grow what they eat and author of Basic Herb Cookery. She is an OSU Master Gardener and when not at the nursery or in her own garden she blogs about cooking and gardening on The Gardeners Pantry.

02/13 12:00 PM

Trees, Shrubs, Vines and Perennials for Year-Round Effect

Speaker: Dan Hinkley
Room: B 110-112

Dan Hinkley will take us through the calendar with a look at his current favorite varieties that allow for interest every season of the year. With effects from foliage, fruit, bark, form, flower and fragrance, many of these plants are underutilized in gardens in the Pacific Northwest and deserve more attention by the gardening community of our region.

Daniel J. Hinkley lives and gardens at Windcliff. He is a noted plants man, author, plant collector and lecturer. Dan has horticulture degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Washington. As an educator he was a professor of horticulture at Edmonds Community College and is a consultant on many television shows, including as a garden consultant for Martha Stewart Television. Dan has carried out design projects across the United States and has been featured in numerous magazine publications. His books include The Explorer’s Garden: Shrubs and Vines from Four Corners of the World and Rare and Unusual Perennials (Timber Press) and Winter Ornamentals (Sasquatch Press). Winner of many national and international awards, Dan received the coveted Veitch Memorial Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain in 2007.

02/13 12:00 PM

Bulbs: The Supporting Actors in Our Gardens

Speaker: Fred Weisensee
Room: B 113

Learn how bulbs add seasonal beauty and change with little care, often proving to be drought tolerant and surviving poor soils and neglect. Bulbs discussed are represented by an exciting diversity of selections and species. Fred will bring example of actual planted bulbs and possible companion plants.

Fred Weisensee, a long-time resident of Oregon (on his family’s farm in Polk County), completed his medical training with an internal medicine residency at Providence Medical Center. A move back to Polk County enabled Fred and his partner to develop Dancing Oaks Nursery, known for its extensive display gardens, including thousands of bulbs and hundreds more each year. So many bulbs, so little time…

02/13 12:30 PM

Techniques and Inspiration for Designing and Building Water Gardens

Speaker: Eamonn Hughes
Room: B 117-119

Eamonn’s seminar will inspire you to build a water feature in your own garden. He will show techniques for the construction of ponds, streams, waterfalls and even small water bowl features for your deck or patio. If you are at all interested in water gardening then do not miss this seminar.

A native of Ireland, Eamonn Hughes has been designing and constructing water features in Europe and the United States for 36 years. Since moving to Oregon in 1987, he has built hundreds of naturally beautiful water gardens in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, Eamonn has developed Hughes Water Gardens, a 10-acre retail nursery and garden center near Wilsonville where he grows pond plants and sells a full line of pond construction and maintenance supplies.

02/13 12:30 PM

How to Dig, Hoe, Rake and Prune Without Pain

Speaker: Bob Denman
Room: B 116

Treat your body well! This demonstration session will show you how to choose a tool that fits your body’s style and performance level. You will learn proper technique, ergonomic principles applied to each garden task and consider modifying your tools for easier use.

Bob Denman is a tool designer, inventor, writer, and purveyor of fine implements. He is arguably the only blacksmith in the US specializing in the forging of garden tools. Along with his wife, he is proprietor of Red Pig Garden Tools, providing hand-forged implements to home gardeners, nurserymen, landscapers, and farmers. A former journalist and copywriter, Denman is a regular contributor to Fine Gardening and Compass magazines. He provided the text basis for the tools section of a recent edition of the Sunset Western Garden Books. Along with being the subject of many national and regional garden magazines, the Denman’s have also been interviewed on television, including the DIY Network.

02/13 1:30 PM

The Secrets to Successful Vegetable Gardening

Speaker: Ed Hume
Room: B 110-112

Ed shares the secrets of growing vegetables, including ideas on making planting easier and your harvest more bountiful. Learn the basics from soil preparation to harvest!

For the past 45 years Ed has been host of “Gardening in America”, the longest running gardening television show in America. He is currently heard on 6 radio stations in the northwest and has written for numerous garden publications regionally and nationally. Ed has been inducted into the Garden Writer’s “Hall of Fame’ and has been awarded the ‘Silver Circle’ by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Ed has written seven books, the latest entitled Gardening with Ed Hume, Northwest Gardening Made Easy. Check out his website at www.humeseeds.com.

02/13 1:30 PM

A Nurseryman Goes to South Africa

Speaker: Burl Mostul
Room: B 113

This presentation is part travelogue and part plant hunting. Specialty nurseryman, Burl Mostul of Rare Plant Research, travels to South Africa looking at public and private gardens and nurseries looking for plants for Northwest gardeners.

Burl Mostul founded Rare Plant Research, a specialty nursery, in 1987. In the early years the nursery focused on plant research, collector plants and varieties new to science. About ten years ago the nursery shifted focus to garden plants and now Burl travels the world looking or new plants as well as developing new hybrids for Northwest gardeners. Rare Plant Research is open to the public only one or two weekends a year and become an event attracting 1,000 or more people. His latest project is building a stone chateau modeled after a 12th century Romanesque church, surrounded by ponds and garden featuring many rare and unusual tropical and temperate plants.

02/13 2:00 PM

Great Plant Picks: Focus on Foliage

Speaker: Richie Steffen
Room: B 117-119

The backbone of any good garden is the careful selection of good foliage plants. Learn what some of the best Northwest nurseries have to offer from the bold and beautiful to the refined and graceful. Garner information about interesting selections providing year-round interest or bright splashes of seasonal color. The new 2010 list of Great Plant Picks will be available along with copies of the new poster and additional handouts focusing on foliage for various garden sites.

Richie Steffen is the curator for the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden where he manages the rare plant collections and heads the acquisition of new plants for the garden. He has been actively involved in the horticultural community currently serving as a committee member of the Great Plant Picks program and as a board member of the Hardy Fern Foundation, Northwest Horticultural Society and the Rhododendron Species Foundation.

02/13 2:00 PM

Gardening Bloopers Panel: Expert Gardeners Confess Their Worst Bloopers

Speaker: Barbara Blossom, Robb Rosser and Dulcy Mahar
Room: B 116

Even when you read all the books and sign up for garden classes, there’s no substitute for hands-on experience in the garden. But maybe you can avoid some future mistakes, or just plain feel emboldened by listening to stories of our worst downfalls. Whether you take our advice to heart or just enjoy laughing along with us, come hear about our perilous journey down the garden path. Not that these mistakes have discouraged us from pursuing our passion – we’re still gardening on, with gusto.

Barbara Blossom gardens on two-third of an acre where something blooms every day of the year. She has written six garden books, most recently Married to My Garden, about her love affair with plants. She’s been writing the garden column for the Portland Tribune since 2004 and has also contributed to many garden magazines.

Robb Rosser gardens on a large lot outside Vancouver, Washington, that he enjoys opening for visitors. He shares his experiences as the garden writer for the Columbian. Robb especially enjoys adding art to his garden and sharing his passionate gardening sense with the public.

Dulcy Mahar writes a weekly column for The Oregonian’s Home and Gardens of the Northwest, where she gives us an unblinking look at the triumphs and tragedies of her Southeast Portland garden. Dulcy’s garden is often open for events and fundraisers and the public is always delighted to visit and see her horticultural delights.

02/13 3:00 PM

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Plants

Speaker: Kym Pokorny and Mike Darcy
Room: B 110-112

Mike Darcy, host of “In The Garden with Mike Darcy” on KXL 750 AM radio, and Kym Pokorny, garden writer for The Oregonian’s Home and Gardens of the Northwest, engage in a friendly debate about their favorite plants of the moment. From trees to annuals, the list is exciting and eclectic. Let the battle begin!

Kym Pokorny grew up on her dad’s wholesale nursery in Northern California. She studied journalism and environmental science in college and graduated with a degree in journalism. She’s been the garden writer for The Oregonian for 13 years. Kym has served as a regional director of the Garden Writers Association and as chairman of its Foundation Board. She’s won a Quill & Trowel Award, two Garden Globes and the Herald Award from the American Nursery & Landscape Association.

Mike Darcy is well known to Portland area gardeners. He has been broadcasting his garden radio show on KXL radio since 1981. He has done garden television programs for OPB, KPTV, and KATU. He writes a bi-monthly column ‘What I’m Hearing’ for Digger, the trade magazine for the OAN. He is a member of many local plant societies including the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, Salem Hardy Plant Society, Portland Rose Society, Rogerson Clematis Collection, and the national Garden Writers Association. He has a degree in horticulture and has been in the garden industry most of his life. His hobby is gardening and he and his wife Linda frequently open their garden to garden clubs and other non-profit organizations.

02/13 3:00 PM

Designing Your Outdoor Room

Speaker: Mike Curtin
Room: B 113

Learn about stylish ways to pull together your outdoor living space. The presentation includes before and after examples of budget- and eco-friendly designs that are both practical and appealing.

Mike Curtin is the store manager of Dennis’ Seven Dees Landscaping & Garden Centers Cedar Hills location. A Certified California Nursery Professional, Mike has lived all over the country and worked for organizations like The Smithsonian Institution in his 12-years of experience in horticulture. Mike is an avid gardener – growing everything from veggies to orchids.

02/13 3:30 PM

Some Like it Hot: Growing Heat-Loving Veggies and Herbs in the Northwest

Speaker: Willi Galloway
Room: B 117-119

The Pacific Northwest is a great climate for gardening, but growing heat-loving vegetables and herbs can be challenging. This practical seminar reveals simple tricks for successfully growing warm season crops, including how to warm up soil earlier in the spring, build a mini hoop house and use other essential season-extending techniques and products. She also gives step-by-step growing tips for maximizing the harvest of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash and basil.

Willi Galloway is the west coast editor of Organic Gardening magazine and the founder of DigginFood.com – a website that serves up organic gardening and cooking inspiration. She also serves as a home and garden consultant for eHow.com, a division of Demand Media. Willi has grown food in backyards, in containers on balconies and rooftops, and in two Seattle-area community gardens. She is a weekly guest on Seattle’s popular NPR gardening call-in show “Greendays” and volunteers as a Master Gardener and for Seattle Tilth, a non-profit that teaches urbanites how to garden organically. She is currently at work on her first book – a vegetable growing guide.

02/13 3:30 PM

Sedums with Everything: Planting Garden Art

Speaker: Brian Bauman
Room: B 116

Brian Bauman shares with us the step-by-step process on how to select the right sedum and then how to plant them successfully – in interesting and unique planters. A few lucky attendees will go home with the planted containers!

Brian Bauman is the co-owner and retail manager at Bauman's Farm and Garden, located in the heart of the Willamette Valley at Gervais, Oregon. Brian's family has been farming in Oregon since the late 1800's. His parents dream of selling fresh local produce and plants directly to the public became a reality when they opened a small roadside stand. Today, that small roadside stand has transformed into a multifaceted operation that includes a Bakery, Cider Press, Produce Market, Gift Store, and Nursery. Brian's passion for plants and dedication to a quality helped him become the Oregon Association of Nurseries Retailer of the Year in 2006. His unique vision and willingness to step outside of the box helped him win the Yard Garden and Patio shows Container Fashion Show in 2006. His infectious spirit is a true inspiration to gardeners and non gardeners alike.