Timely Topics | Egan Gardens of Salem, Oregon

Went to Plant What

Lots of new and even not-so-new gardeners have trouble knowing when it’s safe to plant. Weather varies greatly from one spring to the next, so it’s not always possible to give planting time by date, but rather it may be better to go by daily high and nightly low temperatures. Watch those nighttime lows! It’s easy to get fooled by sunny days, and think that it‘s safe to plant annuals, and not realize until your new baby plants look limp and black that it was freezing every night because of those clear skies.

Here’s a basic, pretty reliable, best-guess list of what can be planted in what conditions.

Any time the soil is neither frozen solid nor baked solid:

Pansies and Violas (virtually indestructible plants!)
Perennials
Bulbs in their seasons

March – as long as it’s not freezing every night. It might still be best to keep these in planters on a protected porch.
All of the above plus:
Alyssum
Bacopa
Cineraria and Senetti
Cyclamen
Dianthus and Carnations
Martha Washington or Regal Geranium
Osteospermum (African Daisy)
Primroses, including Fairy Primrose (P. malacoides) and Obconica Primrose
Ranunculus
Snapdragon
Trailing plants like Diascia, Verbena, Creeping Charlie, Creeping Jenny, Lamium and Dwarf Ivy
Culinary herbs except basil and dill

April – nights in the upper 30s to upper 40s, days in the 60s:
Anything listed above, if still available, plus:
Cold tolerant vegetables –lettuce and other greens, peas, spinach, broccoli and cabbage
Wax begonia
Dahlia
Fuchsia
Gazania
Geranium, upright and ivy
Lobelia
Marigold
Mimulus
Nemesia
Nicotiana
Petunia
Phlox

May – Nights in upper 40s to 50s, days in 60s to 70s:
All of the above, plus:
Most vegetable starts and seeds – tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis, carrots, corn, basil, dill etc.
Tuberous Begonia
Browallia
Coleus – wait ‘til late May when it’s reliably warm
Heliotrope
Impatiens – wait ‘til late May when it’s reliably warm
Lantana
Salvia
Globe Amaranth
Portulaca (moss rose)
Torenia
Vinca
Zinnia

Remember there is no such thing as “average” weather. Averages are reached by going to all extremes and then pooling the results. There will be those times when extreme cold or heat will catch even the most experienced gardeners off guard. That’s how we become those old folks who reminisce, “Remember that bad freeze in May of 1987?” “Remember 1998 when it didn’t quit raining ‘til August?”

Happy gardening,
Ellen Egan

What's Happening at Egan Gardens in 2010

	Mar.5 thru 7	Spring Re-Opening Weekend Free pansies (with coupon), cookies and coffee, plant-your own flowers for kids, nursery tours, good stuff on sale.
	Sat. Mar. 13, 2 pm	Waking Up Your Roses for Spring Vance, who’s a very knowledgeable rose-lover, will describe and demonstrate feeding, pruning, disease prevention and anything you care to ask about. No charge.
	Sat. Mar. 27, 2 pm	Great Gardens of the Northwest Vance gets the spotlight again, to tell you about his favorite public gardens to visit, how to get to them and what to see there. Since there’s no dark room where we can show slides, it will be speaking and handouts. (No anticlimax when you see the real gardens that way.) No charge.
	Sun. April 4	Easter We will be closed.
	Sat. April 10, 2 pm	The Delicious World of Herbs You get the benefit of Ellen’s growing experience and love of cooking, as she explains how to grow, harvest and use culinary herbs. Recipes included! No charge.
	Sat. April 24, 2 pm	Planting Mixed Flowering Baskets Plant your own basket with guidance from Ellen on color choices, balancing shape and textures, and plant care. Charge for materials only, usually around $35, depending on your choices.
	Sat. May 1, call for time	Vegetable Gardening Basics Master Gardener Ken Meier really is a master, an experienced old-time gardener. He will share his vast knowledge in a talk simple enough for beginners and detailed enough for the moderately experienced vegetable growers. $5 per person
	Sun. May 9	It's Mother's Day, don't forget Mom!
	Sat. June 5, 2 pm	Patio Water Gardens Vance will demonstrate ways to create easy, no-plumbing water features and mini-ponds, and the plants to use in and around them. No charge.
	Sat. June 19, 2 pm	Making Hypertufa Trough Planters Trough planters are wonderful for miniature gardens of dwarf plants and succulents. In this hands-on workshop you can make your own stone-look planter from Hypertufa, a concrete mix that looks like stone, but is lighter weight. $20 charge to cover materials used.
	Sat. June 26, 2 pm	Oh Deer! How toThwart Bambi. Maia has been rapidly gaining more experience than she ever wanted in dealing with deer. She’ll share her results with various repellants, restraints and resistant plants. No charge.
	Sun. July 4	We will be closed Independence Day
	July 9 thru 11	The Annual Annual Sale – Buy one, get one free No, that’s not a typo, we put all the annuals on sale the weekend after 4th of July every year. This year we’ve expanded the selection to include the more expensive premium annuals, like the Proven Winners and Goldfisch plants. Such a deal!
	Sat. July 24	Planting Living Succulent Wreaths Live art works you can hang on your garden wall! Misty will guide you through planting your own wreath of sun, heat and drought-tolerant plants. Charge is for materials used, anywhere from $40 on up, depending on your plant choices.
	Sat. Aug. 7	To be Announced – it'll be good, though.
	Sat. Aug. 28, 2 pm	Too Many Pears - Canning, drying and Pear Face Painting If you’ve been out here in August you know that the remnants of the mighty Bartlett orchard that once covered the whole nursery area are dropping fruit in mass quantities. Misty’s Mom, a good farm wife, will cover juicing, drying and canning, while Misty and Maia help the kids paint them for fun. You’re welcome to pick pears if you’ll also take a box or bag of them to Marion –Polk Food Share. $5 per family
	September	Will there be Le Tour des Plants? We’ll know by then.
	Sat. Oct. 16, 2 pm	Putting Your Roses to Bed for Winter Vance will tell you how to tuck in your roses safely so they wake up healthy next spring. Pruning, disease prevention, cold protection and any questions you’d like answered. No charge.
	Sat. Oct. 17, 2 pm	Putting Your Perennials to Bed, too. On our last official day open for the year, Ellen will talk about what perennials need – or don’t need- in the way of cutting-back, feeding, mulching, etc. for good winter survival.