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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2015)
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 22, 2015 9A Polk County Living Ten great shrubs for water-wise gardens Hotter-than-usual tem- peratures and longer stretches between measura- ble moisture this year mean plants need more water from the end of a hose. Choose plants that re- quire less water and you’ll save time and money and help sustain Oregon’s water supply, said Amy Jo Detweil- er, a horticulturist with Ore- gon State University’s Ex- tension Service. Detweiler recommends these 10 plants for water- wise gardens: • Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa): A compact decid- uous shrub that grows about three feet tall and five feet wide and sports sunny yellow flowers from June until frost. Best in full sun, but will tolerate light shade. Hardy to Zone 2. • Fl owe r i n g c u r r a n t (Ribes sanguineum): Hum- mingbirds and butterflies flock to this large shrub that gets about 10 by five feet. Long clusters of dark pink flowers drip from branches in May and June. Give it full to partial sun. Hardy to Zone 5. K YM P OKORNY Your Garden • Globe blue spruce (Picea pungens “Globosa”): A small conifer with striking silver-blue foliage that grows slowly to five to six feet. Plant in full sun for best color. Hardy to Zone 2. • Manazanita (Arc- tostaphylos): A large genus of evergreen shrubs that run from two to 12 feet. In- teresting in all four seasons with often twisting, ma- hogany bark and hanging clusters of bell-shaped white to pink flowers in late winter to early spring. Hummingbirds love it. Har- diness varies by species and cultivar. Check your local nursery for those appropri- ate in your area. • Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius): Domes of white flowers in early sum- m e r s h ow b e a u t i f u l l y against the mid-green fo- liage of this six- to 10-foot deciduous shrub. It has the added attractions of peeling bark and superb fall color. Birds, bees and butterflies love the blooms. Two culti- vars of note are “Dart’s Gold” with char treuse leaves and “Diablo” with purple foliage. Hardy to Zone 2. • Spirea japonica “Little Princess”: Clusters of pink flowers in summer prove irre- sistible to birds, butterflies and bees. A compact, mound- ing deciduous shrub that tops out at about three feet tall and six feet wide. Plant in full sun. Hardy to Zone 4. • Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia): Fragrant, grayish-green foliage distin- guishes this three- to five- foot tall shrub that needs full sun. Spires of airy, lavender flowers bloom midsummer to fall and are good candidates for bou- quets. Hardy to Zone 4. • Serviceberry (Ame- lanchier): Here’s a shrub that has it all: showy white flowers in early spring, edi- ble purple-red berries that attract birds and stunning red and yellow fall color. Wants full sun to perform its best. Grows six to 10 feet tall depending on the species. Hardy to Zone 2. • Snowberry (Symphori- carpos): In spring, small, bell-shaped blooms appear at the end of branches on this five-by-six foot, decidu- ous shrub. The best part, though, are the white berries in fall. Birds love the berries. Bees, humming- birds and butterflies are at- tracted to the flowers. Plant in full to partial sun. Hardy to Zone 3. • Wayfaring tree “Mohi- can” ( Viburnum lantana “Mohican”): Flat-topped clusters of white flowers come out in spring and are followed by fruits that start out pink, turn to red and then to black. This seven- by eight-foot, rounded decidu- ous shrub turns deep purple in fall. Give it full to partial sun. Hardy to Zone 3. To learn more, consider taking WaterWise Garden- ing: Choosing the Right Plants, an online course of- fered by OSU’s Professional and Continuing Education. MI TOWN This summer has brought about its own special chal- lenges — lots of good days filled with sunshine and blue skies, but the need to get up early to water gardens and flowers, and to be sure to keep the bird baths full of water, add more tasks to an already busy day. Gabriel and Lady, our resident gold- en retrievers, are disappoint- ed to miss car rides when we run errands. It’s more com- fortable in the backyard, since dogs and hot cars are a bad idea. The good news about hot days is that MI Town’s li- braries have all kinds of ac- tivities for kids of all ages. It’s not only a cool and comfort- able place to be on a hot summer day, but you can also beat the heat by discov- P ATTY T AYLOR D UTCHER Columnist ering new and different things and travel the world — or even into outer space — by opening a book and getting lost between the pages. I can’t remember when I didn’t know how to read, and finding a library wherever I’ve lived has al- ways been a top priority. We are so fortunate here to have the Western Oregon Univer- sity library close by, too. Check either the Monmouth or Independence library websites to see what is new this week, and all through the summer. The Western Oregon Uni- versity campus was a regular tent city during the recent visit from Cycle Oregon par- ticipants. Lots of sunshine combined with lots of bike routes through communities and rural areas made it a fun experience for those who traveled quite a distance to enjoy our wonderful Willamette Valley. Everyone had an opportunity to visit local restaurants and winer- ies, as well as other busi- nesses in the area. These events give us an opportuni- ty to showcase our area and to encourage tourism. Summer is also a great time for class reunions. Even if you haven’t kept up with your classmates over the years, it’s always so much fun to spend an afternoon or evening together reminiscing about the good old days — even if they weren’t so long ago. For those of us of a cer- tain age, nearly everyone agrees that the 50th reunion was just about the best. Lots of political discus- sions going on in MI Town and just about everywhere else in our land, and that gives us an opportunity to make our voices heard — at town halls or other gather- ings — and to let our elected officials (whether they are city, county, state or nation- al) know our thoughts and wishes. If you have a prob- lem or concern, call those who can help can make a difference. And please — register to vote! PEDEE NEWS Judy Guida spent last week in New Mexico where she attended the “Conspire Conference,” developed by the Center for Action and Contemplation, a group based in Albuquerque. After the 2-1/2 day conference, she spent a few days with her cousin Melinda Snod- grass, a science fiction au- thor who lives in the moun- tains above Santa Fe. While there, she and Melinda visit- ed George RR Martin, the author of “Game of Thrones,” since he is a close friend of Melinda’s. The last few days in New Mexico, Judy stayed with friends Mark Petrie and Sheryl White, where they hiked to see local petroglyphs, ate wonderful southwest cui- sine, and went to a Lady An- tebellum outdoor concert. A RLENE K OVASH Columnist — Reese Bennett, 9, son of Jim and Julie Bennett of Salem, spent the week with his grandparents, Pete and LaVerne Bennett. They went to the Oregon Coast Aquari- um and the Hatfield Science Center in Newport. Reese re- ally liked the otters at the aquarium and enjoyed all the hands-on activities at the science center. They finished off the day at the Yaquina Lighthouse. They spent an- other day at Fort Hoskins hiking some of the trails. Part of the trails were closed be- cause of some logging. — Steve and Audrey Cameron have spent a lot of time on the road this sum- mer. First they were off to Nampa, Idaho, with daugh- ters Stephanie and Ana to visit Steve’s stepmother who was suffering from a termi- nal illness. Next they were off to Cottonwood and An- derson, Calif., with son Clay- ton to visit his fiance Jen- nifer Harman’s family. Then, at the end of June, they spent four days in Southern California with son, James, and Jenny and granddaugh- ter, Eliana, to go to Disney- land and play on Laguna and Manhattan beaches. Coming home, they flew into PDX just in time to meet granddaughter Caitlin ENGAGEMENTS Quiring-Golden Julia Michelle Quiring of Mon- mouth and Isaac Cory Golden of Mo n m o u t h a r e planning an Au- gust wedding. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Ken and Ruth Quiring of Inde- pendence. Her fi- ance is the son of Milton and Lea Golden of Bandon. Ju l i a , a 2 0 1 0 graduate of Santi- am Christian High School in Adair Village, graduated from Corban University in Salem in 2014 with a Bachelor of Sci- ence. She works at Corban University in Salem as an ad- junct professor. Isaac, a 2010 graduate of Bandon High School, is a stu- dent at Western Oregon University working toward getting his degree in psychology. He works at Western Oregon University as a rock climbing specialist. The wedding is set for Aug. 28 at Ron’s Pond in Mon- mouth. BIRTHS Peek Jillian Pearl Peek was born to Richard and Stephanie Peek of Dallas at 2:53 a.m. on July 2 at Salem Hospital Family Birth Center. She weighed 10 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 22 inches long. Jillian joins Lucas, 4. Grandparents are Ed Manchester of Dallas, and Don and Maggie Peek of Newcastle, Calif. Great-grandparents are Shorty Karlsen of Veneta, and Maria Resendes of Newcastle. AlshaikhJ Zainab Jafar AlshaikhJ was born to Jafar AlshaikhJ and Fatimah Alzaher of Monmouth at 2:50 p.m. on July 13 at Salem Hospital Family Birth Center. She weighed 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 20 inches long. Zainab is the couple’s first child. Music in the Park Main St. Park • Monmouth Every Wednesday through August 26 ~ 6:30pm MUSIC, FOOD, BEER & WINE GARDEN Look for Music in the Park Series on Face- book for more in- formation about this year’s artists. Performing Tonight July 22 Carried Away Trio (Rhythm & Blues) Kelley and her family, and brother Chris who had driv- en up from Texas. After going to the Fourth of July parade in Monmouth with Chris, Caitlin, and Zach, and great-grandchildren Nicholas and Addi, they went with the Texans to As- toria to visit relatives and spend a day at the beach, which was a pleasant relief from the heat in the valley. — I just heard that Steve Waller, a former neighbor for several years and founder of the Sawtooth Mountain Boys bluegrass band, died of a massive heart attack on June 26. What I remember most about him is his annual bluegrass “pickin’ party” in the field next to ours, which was great fun. What’s YOUR neighbor up to? FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC For More Information Contact: Mark Fancey 503-751-0147 Bring your chairs and blankets and we’ll see you in the park! 10 Year Anniversary! presented by Performing July 24th Show begins at 7:30 TED VAUGHN BLUES BAND Blues/Rock Find out in the Itemizer Observer. You may find your neighbor, your boss, your friend or yourself in the pages of the Polk County Itemizer-Observer. Local stories on local people—that’s our specialty. Lawn Seating — Bring blankets & chairs Solution on Page 12A This Week’s FREE MOVIE: Showing July 23 • 9:30 SIXTEEN CANDLES (Comedy, Romance) NEXT WEEK Concert: JUKEBOX HEROES Foreigner Tribute Band - 7:30 PM Movie: UP! - 9:30 PM Pencil us in! www.polkio.com • VENDORS • BEER & WINE GARDEN Riverview Amphitheater, Independence, OR Visit our website: independenceamphitheater.com