Hedges PDX

06/27/2023

I’m loving this Achillea millefolium ‘New Vintage Red’

05/13/2023

We are expecting 90s this weekend in May and this one decided it was time to bloom. Does anyone know what day it is??

05/02/2023

I planted a lot of white tulips this year and the doubles are always my favorite.

04/22/2023

Happy Earth Day! Now go outside!!

04/18/2023

Just stuff it! Overloaded Spring planters for the color we need.

04/07/2023

Hello Spring! The Snowboard daffodils are showing up! Come on ☀️!

02/25/2023

Kaneko in the Portland Japanese Garden was a spectacular exhibit and I wish I would have gone more than once.

11/09/2022

🤬

This transparent little bug feeds on Oregon white oak leaves, causing them to turn yellow or brown earlier than normal. An invasive from eastern North America, the oak lace bug has been in the state since at least 2015. However, there was noticeably more damage to oaks this year. Drought and attacks from other insects, such as leaf-mining caterpillars, can also damage leaves. So can squirrels digging at twig galls for grubs. The good news is that most oaks should recover next spring with a flush of new leaves.

10/31/2022

Happy Halloween! 🎃 🦇 👻

10/05/2022

Late bloomers are so special.

10/04/2022

I ❤️ how this looks like a glass sculpture.

07/12/2022

🥲Bad news for ash 🌳

Oregon dad, invasive species biologist spots first emerald ash borers on West Coast during summer camp pickup in Forest Grove EditorJuly 11, 2022 Agriculture, Announcements, Breaking News, Logging & Forestry, Nature & Outdoors, Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) FOREST GROVE, Ore – On June 30, Domi...

07/07/2022

🌲🎞

07/07/2022

Doing tree inspections from the ground is so much easier with a .

06/17/2022

It’s all in the details!

04/10/2022

I hate landscape fabric.

THE MYTH OF LANDSCAPE FABRIC
Should you use it?
For more information, please visit Dr. Chalker-Scott’s web page at http://www.theinformedgardener.com.

The Myth
Increased concern over indiscriminate use of herbicides has caused landscape professionals and consumers to look closely at non-chemical alternatives to w**d control. Mulches are increasing in popularity as w**d control strategies and have a number of additional benefits, including water retention and soil protection. Mulches may be organic, inorganic, or synthetic and often can bring an aesthetic quality in tandem with their principal role in plant health maintenance. Synthetic mulches, including
geotextiles, are of interest to many consumers and professionals because they are perceived as nonbiodegradable, permanent solutions to w**d control.

Initially developed for agricultural use, geotextiles have found their way into ornamental installations as landscape fabrics. These fabrics, a vast improvement over the impermeable black plastics still (unfortunately) used for w**d control, are woven in such a way that water and gas exchange can occur but light pe*******on is significantly reduced. Hence, they are effective in reducing w**d seed germination in areas where soil disturbance would otherwise induce germination of a horde of w**ds. Such fabrics have been so effective in reducing w**ds in vegetable and ornamental crop production that they have been applied to more permanent landscape installations.

The Reality
Like the perpetual dieter searching for a permanent weight loss pill, so we as landscape professionals and consumers continue to seek permanent w**d control solutions. Unfortunately, there is no such permanent fix. We must remain “ever vigilant” in our battle with w**ds and cannot rely on a product to do this passively. The fact is that w**d control fabrics are not permanent and will decompose, especially when exposed to sunlight. Such fabrics are effective in agricultural situations, in annual planting beds, or where the landscape is regularly disturbed and the fabrics can be replaced when needed. For permanent landscapes, however, they are not a long term solution and in fact can hinder landscape plant health.

Some of the documented drawbacks of these fabrics are listed below.
• Geotextiles degrade in the landscape in as little as one year if unprotected from sunlight.
• Any organic matter or soil on top of the fabrics will hasten their colonization by w**ds; this
precludes covering the fabric with anything but inorganic mulch like pebbles. It also requires
continual maintenance to keep the fabric free of debris.
• Weeds will eventually grow on top of and through these fabrics, making their removal difficult.
• Landscape plant roots can also colonize fabrics, and they are damaged when the fabrics are removed.
• The aesthetic quality of landscape fabrics is minimal; it becomes worse as the materials begin to degrade.

The Bottom Line
• Geotextiles are not effective w**d control solutions for permanent landscapes
• Landscape fabrics used in permanent landscape installations will eventually become a high maintenance issue in terms of appearance, w**d control, and landscape plant health
• Organic mulches are preferred alternatives for permanent landscape installations as they can be reapplied throughout the life of the landscape without damaging the existing plantings.
https://bit.ly/3b9lcwN
via s3.wp.wsu.edu

03/07/2022

Temperatures are warming up, and pollinators are coming out.

02/23/2022

The hellebores don’t seem to mind the cold! Winter beauty!