Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 21, 2015 9A
Fall is fabulous for planting trees
When trees get dressed
with the colors of fall, it’s
time to go shopping.
“If you’re specifically in-
terested in fall color, it will
soon be the time to start
looking,” said Neil Bell, a
horticulturist with Oregon
State University’s Extension
Service. “There are already
some trees starting to dis-
play color.”
First, though, Bell recom-
mends doing some re-
search. Walk around neigh-
borhoods, parks and public
gardens to get ideas. If you
can’t identify the trees you
like, snap good photos, pick
up several leaves or ask the
owner for a cutting. Take
them to the nursery or to
your local OSU Extension
office for identification. You
can also cut out pictures
from magazines and flip
through garden books to
find possibilities.
But wait, you’re not done.
After filtering down your fa-
vorites, be absolutely sure
about size, soil and sun re-
quirements, Bell said. You
don’t want to be stuck with
a 60-foot tree where a 30-
foot tree should have gone.
“The biggest problem
people have,” he said, “is
that a tree gets too large,
and then they are forced to
prune just to reduce the size
of the tree, which can often
look horrible. I see it all the
time.”
Topping – or cutting off
the tips of trees – is espe-
cially undesirable. It intro-
duces the possibility of dis-
ease and gives pests more
access. Topping also en-
courages weaker growth
and alters the shape.
“It disfigures the tree,”
Bell said. “That’s my main
objection.”
Before buying, also find
out if the tree needs sun or
some shade and if it re-
quires irrigation in summer.
Most do, according to Bell.
And most want sun, al-
though vine maple, katsura,
paperbark maple and
‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ dog-
wood don’t mind some
K YM
P OKORNY
PEDEE NEWS
OSU EXTENSION/for the Itemizer-Observer
If you can’t identify the trees you like, snap good photos,
pick up several leaves or ask the owner for a cutting.
Paperbark maple (Acer
griseum): Unmistakable
cinnamon-colored peeling
bark and glowing orange-
red fall color make this
slow-growing, small tree (25
feet eventually) a much-
loved specimen in any size
garden. Prefers a partially
shady exposure.
‘Raywood’ ash (Fraxinus
oxycarpa): Big and bold, this
tree grows 60 to 70 feet tall
and almost as wide, which
is a consideration when de-
ciding where and if to plant
it. But if you’ve got the
space, you’ll be happy with
its striking claret-colored
fall foliage and the equally
appealing texture of the
lance-shaped leaves.
Katsura (Cercidiphyllum
japonicum): The unmistak-
able heart-shaped leaves
emerge purple in the spring
and seem to turn buttery
yellow overnight in autumn.
Falling leaves smell wonder-
fully like burnt sugar. The
form is tall – up to 60 feet –
and rounded, just how you
think a tree should be.
Sourwood (Oxydendrum
arboreum): A little-known,
but deserving tree that has
the unusual feature of send-
ing out long streamers of
fragrant, white flowers in
fall just as the foliage turns
to heady shades of red, or-
ange and purple. At 25 to 30
feet tall, sourwood fits nice-
ly into a small garden.
‘Eddie’s White Wonder’
dogwood (Cornus kousa): A
spectacular cultivar of Kore-
an dogwood that is blanket-
ed in large, white star-
shaped flowers in spring
and strawberry red color in
fall. Its 20-foot stature
makes it ideal for small
spaces. Other kousa dog-
woods are outstanding as
well, most turning a deep
crimson-purple in autumn.
Persian ironwood (Parro-
tia persica): Another smaller
tree (25 feet tall and 30 feet
wide), ironwood is bathed
in every color of the sunset
in fall and has the bonus of
gray and beige exfoliating
bark. An easy tree to grow
that handles parking strip
situations nicely.
‘Wild Fire’ black gum
(Nyssa sylvatica): While the
straight species of black
gum can be a bit weedy,
newer cultivars such as
‘Wild Fire’ don’t go to seed.
Glossy green leaves emerge
a deep red in spring and
end the season with a spec-
tacular show of orange, yel-
low, scarlet and purple. Has
a nice pyramidal shape and
grows up to 20 feet.
MI TOWN
What fun it was to open
the I-O last Wednesday
morning and see all the great
pictures of happy kids enjoy-
ing fall sports and learning
so many good things about
teamwork and activity. For
those of us whose grandchil-
dren are mostly in or have
finished college and are out
on their own, it’s a joy to see
that youth sports continue
in MI Town and all our Polk
County communities. Read-
ing about these programs
and attending the occasional
game reinforces our
thoughts that the majority of
yo u t h a re i n vo l ve d i n
healthy activities and not sit-
ting around glued to their
electronic devices every
waking hour of every day. We
see people of all ages (full
disclosure: including me)
texting, reading email and
talking on cellphones fre-
quently, but most parents
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
have managed to raise
happy and well-adjusted
children with a balance of
studies, sports and play.
—
Mark your calendars for
the Monmouth-Indepen-
dence Chamber of Com-
merce’s first Discover MI
Town event on Saturday.
You’ll get an opportunity to
visit businesses in both com-
munities, receive discounts
and be entered into draw-
ings for prizes. Just park your
car or walk to either
Riverview Park (Indepen-
dence) or Main Street Park
(Monmouth) where shuttle
Barba-Perry
Aaliyah Miah Barba-Perry was born to Jake Perry and
Aracelia Barba of Independence at 3:50 a.m. on Sept. 30 at
Salem hospital Family Birth Center.
She weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 19.75 inches
long.
Aaliyah joins Lexy, 15, and Ashley, 9.
Grandparents are Silvano and Maria Barba, of Inde-
pendence; and Jeremiah and Patty Perry, of Pendleton.
Great-grandparent is Elfreda Tucker, of Pendleton.
Your
Garden
shade.
Fall is an ideal time for
planting, Bell added. Soil is
warmer than in spring, so
roots get a good head start.
The weather is cool so trees
are under less stress. Rains
will start soon and reduce
the need for watering.
“All in all, fall is the per-
fect time to select and plant
a tree,” he said. “Wait for the
leaves to start changing
color and go for it.”
Here are Neil Bell’s rec-
ommendations for trees
with excellent fall color:
Red maple (Acer
rubrum): A common tree,
but for good reason. Not
much beats the vibrant
scarlet color this maple dis-
plays in autumn. Make sure
you’ve got room for it
though; red maples grow
quickly and eventually
reach 60 feet tall and 25 to
35 feet wide. At that size, it
makes a great shade tree.
Big-leaf maple (Acer
macrophyllum): An impres-
sive tree all around, big-leaf
maple stirs up attention
when its 12-inch leaves
transform into a rich yellow,
sometimes tinged with or-
ange. A large tree up to 50
feet at maturity, this West
Coast native is not appro-
priate as a street tree or in
small gardens. However, if
you can find it, ‘Seattle Sen-
tinel’ is a much smaller, nar-
rower alternative, 15 feet tall
and 5 feet wide.
Vine maple (Acer circina-
tum): Native to the North-
west, vine maple really
comes into its own in fall
when the foliage lights up in
lively shades of red and or-
ange. A useful small tree up
to 15 feet that often grows
with multiple trunks. Good
for the east side of the Cas-
cades. Not suitable for full
sun.
BIRTHS
service will be available from
noon until 5 p.m. Tickets on
Saturday are $25 per person
or $15 with Western Oregon
University student ID, or you
can save $5 by ordering
them online at www.micc-
or.org before midnight on
Friday. See you there.
—
With our backyard gar-
dens nearly finished for this
year, it was enjoyable to read
Kym Pokorny’s column
about saving and preserving
seeds. Both the peas and
green beans (courtesy of the
Monmouth Library’s seed
lending) provided us with an
abundance of good veggies,
so I am going to try to save
their seeds for next year.
Many years ago, I knew a
dear friend who had saved
and preserved corn for
many years, and it was
something we all looked for-
ward to every summer. Kym
also suggested saving toma-
to seeds, but that’s way
above my gardening pay
grade. I’ll continue to buy
tomato plants from the
Master Gardeners next
spring.
—
The Monmouth Senior
Center soup and pie sale last
Thursday was one of the
best ever, and if you missed
it — you’ll have to wait until
springtime. It was a gor-
geous autumn day with pic-
ture-postcard weather. Hun-
gry folks from all around the
area enjoyed a variety of
wonderful homemade soups
and pies, while meeting and
greeting friends and neigh-
bors. Congratulations and
best wishes to all the hard-
working volunteers who give
many hours of their time
and energy as a labor of love
to our community senior
center.
Bob and Lynda
Schnekenburger’s daugh-
ter, Chandra Chapman,
moved back home to live in
the apartment they had
built for her after a fire had
consumed the house they
had almost finished re-
modeling during the last 20
years. She has been em-
ployed at Child Protective
Services in Eugene for the
past three years and was
able to transfer to the Al-
bany office some weeks
ago. Now she will be closer
to family. Her sisters,
Megan Ciprian and Dena
Morford, live in Albany and
Philomath respectively.
—
On the last Saturday in
September, Mike McDow-
ell’s family threw a party at
the Dallas City Park for his
70th birthday. The potluck
lunch was put on by
daughter Ginger Owens
and friend Gisele Morales
and was supposed to be a
surprise but wasn’t. Many
friends and co-workers
came, as well as son Chris
and his wife, Christine, and
son Eric and grandson
Keelin.
—
The Luckiamute Valley
Charter School at Pedee
went to Tony Diaz’s farm
for a field trip where they
got to see the growing
crops and pick tomatoes,
green beans, peppers, dill,
and garlic to can as a
fundraiser. They are selling
applesauce, pear sauce,
pear butter, and pickled
green beans for $10 per jar.
“You can eat it fresh out of
the jar or cook it in some-
thing else” is their selling
point. Tony’s produce
stand is on Kings Valley
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
Highway at Bridgeport
Road.
The Pedee Church youth
group is going bowling on
Sunday evening. If you are
in high school and you’d
like to join them, contact
Diana Barnhart at 541-929-
4111 or tdbarhart@aol.com.
On Oct. 4, Pedee Church
sponsored a cider-making
party for the community
and 25 people showed up
and pressed enough apples
to make 50 gallons of cider.
It was so successful that
they’ll invite you all again
next year. A big thank you
to a neighbor who let them
pick several bags of apples.
—
The Woods family at the
corner of Kings Valley
Highway and Pedee Creek
Road has an impressive
Halloween display that son
John and his family put up,
both inside and outside of
the house. It will be lit
every night until Halloween
and is fun to see.
—
It’s almost time for
Dancing Oaks Nursery on
Maple Grove Road to go
into winter mode. Their
last day of regular retail
hours is Oct. 31. However, if
you would like to visit the
nursery during the winter,
don’t hesitate to call them
at 503-838-6058 to make an
appointment. All purchas-
es are 20 percent off until
Oct. 31, by the way.
A Division of Ernst Irrigation • CCB# 185365
• Residential Electrical • Agricultural Electrical
• Well Pump Service and Replacement
• Solar Water Pumping
• Variable Frequency Drives
Now serving all of Polk County
Fall & Winter Discounts Available
Brock Blacklaw, Electrician
Mobile: 503.757.8382 • Phone: 503.633.1111
Fax: 503.633.1122
www.ernstirrigation.com
Matinees are all shows
before 6pm. New pricing for
matinees are: Adult $7.25
Children $6.75 • Senior $7.00
Pricing does not reflect
3D showings.
Friday & Saturday October 23 - 24
CRIMSON PEAK (Digital) (R)
STEVE JOBS (Digital) (R)
LAST WITCH HUNTER (Digital) (PG13)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:
THE GHOST DIMENSION (Digital 2D) (R)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:
THE GHOST DIMENSION (NEC Dolby 3D) (R)
THE MARTIAN (Digital 2D) (PG13)
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS (Digital) (PG)
BRIDGE OF SPIES (Digital) (PG13)
GOOSEBUMPS (Digital 2D) (PG)
(1:50 4:35)
(2:00 4:40)
(12:00 2:30 5:00)
7:20
7:10
7:25
(12:45 5:15)
7:30
(3:00)
(12:20 3:25)
(1:15 4:00)
(12:20 3:25)
(11:45 2:05 4:35)
6:35
6:45
6:30
7:05
9:55
9:45
9:50
9:40
9:30
9:25
9:25
9:30
Sunday October 25
CRIMSON PEAK (Digital) (R)
STEVE JOBS (Digital) (R)
LAST WITCH HUNTER (Digital) (PG13)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:
THE GHOST DIMENSION (Digital 2D) (R)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:
THE GHOST DIMENSION (NEC Dolby 3D) (R)
THE MARTIAN (Digital 2D) (PG13)
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS (Digital) (PG)
BRIDGE OF SPIES (Digital) (PG13)
GOOSEBUMPS (Digital 2D) (PG)
(1:50 4:35)
(2:00 4:40)
(12:00 2:30 5:00)
7:20
7:10
7:25
(12:45 5:15)
7:30
(3:00)
(12:20 3:25)
(1:15 4:00)
(12:20 3:25)
(11:45 2:05 4:35)
6:35
6:45
6:30
7:05
Monday - Thursday October 26 - 29
CRIMSON PEAK (Digital) (R)
STEVE JOBS (Digital) (R)
LAST WITCH HUNTER (Digital) (PG13)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:
THE GHOST DIMENSION (Digital 2D) (R)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:
THE GHOST DIMENSION (NEC Dolby 3D) (R)
THE MARTIAN (Digital 2D) (PG13)
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS (Digital) (PG)
BRIDGE OF SPIES (Digital) (PG13)
GOOSEBUMPS (Digital 2D) (PG)
(1:50 4:35)
(2:00 4:40)
(2:30 5:00)
7:20
7:10
7:25
(12:45 5:15)
7:30
(3:00)
(12:20 3:25)
(1:15 4:00)
(12:20 3:25)
(2:05 4:35)
6:35
6:45
6:30
7:05
Ben Meyer, AAMS ®
Bob Timmerman
Financial Advisor
Financial Advisor
503-606-3048
503-623-5584
193 E. Main Street Mon-
mouth, OR 97361
159 SW Court Street
Dallas, OR 97338
Kelly K. Denney
Financial Advisor
503-623-2146
244 E. Ellendale, Suite 2
Dallas, OR 97338
But as a business owner,
you’re already planning for it!
Let us help you out...
Advertise in the
Holiday Gift Guide!
Contact Heidi,
Rachel or Karen.
503-623-2373
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