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