Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 11, 2015 9A
Pamper fuchsias, geraniums and dahlias in winter
Just like perennial plants,
some garden questions
come up year after year.
How to keep geraniums,
fuchsias and dahlias from
dying over winter is one of
them.
“Some plants are what we
call tender perennials and
are living outside their har-
diness zone,” said Brooke
Edmunds, horticulturist for
Oregon State University’s
Extension Service. “In most
places in Oregon, that in-
cludes geraniums and fuch-
sias. If we get a cold snap,
they’ll have problems and
most likely die.”
To keep that from hap-
pening, bring potted plants
into shelter for winter, she
said. But keep in mind each
plant needs different condi-
tions.
Geraniums — more accu-
rately pelargoniums — con-
tinue to grow throughout
the cold season, albeit slow-
ly. Fuchsias go dormant in
cool weather so need less
fuss. Dahlias, which are tu-
bers, need even less atten-
tion and can be dug up and
stored like potatoes.
For geraniums, Edmunds
advises moving them into a
bright spot in the house or
greenhouse where the tem-
perature doesn’t get above
70 degrees. They won’t toler-
ate too much moisture on
the roots, so leave off water-
ing until they dry out almost
Hafner
K YM
P OKORNY
Harper Pierce Hafner was born to T.J. and Jayme Hafner
of Independence at 8:43 a.m. on Oct. 31 at Salem Hospital
Family Birth Center.
He weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces and was 20 inches
long.
Harper is the couple’s first child.
Grandparents are Lucy McClellan of Hillsboro; James
Pierce of Bremerton, Wash.; Ted and Margaret Hafner of
Aumsville.
Your
Garden
completely, about once a
month. Fertilizer isn’t neces-
sary. To get geraniums to fit
in the space you have avail-
able for storage, pruning is
OK. Don’t, however, get too
severe. Be sure to leave
some leaves and green
stems. Be aware they won’t
be very attractive as they
take a winter break.
The hardiness of fuchsias
depends on the cultivar.
Many can survive in western
Oregon in a protected spot,
Edmunds said. Those
bought in hanging baskets
are usually more tender. If
you still have the label,
check that for information.
Or, if you’re not too at-
tached, an experiment
might be in order. Leave the
plant out this year, see what
happens and keep a record.
If it dies, switch to a hardier
variety next year that will
survive outside.
To keep fuchsias safe
from too-cold temperatures,
move hanging baskets or
pots into a cool spot be-
tween 40 to 50 degrees. A
cold frame or cool green-
house will work, and, since
fuchsias don’t need as much
PEDEE NEWS
Bring tender perennial potted plants into shelter for
winter.
light as geraniums, a garage
or shed will accommodate
them. A cool room in the
house is fine, too. They’ll
want more water than gera-
niums, so check often to
make sure the soil is moist,
but not soggy. Pruning isn’t
necessary, but will allow
plants to be stored closer to-
gether. Don’t over prune and
cut off all the green wood,
however.
“Lots of people treat fuch-
sias and geraniums like an-
nuals and don’t go through
the trouble of bringing them
inside,” Edmunds said. “But
if you want to baby them a
bit, they’ll come back to life
in spring.”
Many people dig up
dahlias in fall, more because
of rot than cold, Edmunds
said. Before digging, cut
plant down to soil level. Be
sure to use the shovel care-
fully as nicks and scratches
will cause them to dry out
faster. Wait until spring to
s e p a ra t e t u b e r s. St o re
clumps of dahlia tubers in a
dry, dim spot in a cardboard
box with plenty of air circu-
lation. Check periodically
and remove any tubers
showing rot.
In spring, fuchsias and
geraniums should be
trimmed back, fertilized and
moved back outside. Plant
dahlia tubers when all threat
of frost is over and soil has
warmed up to about 60 de-
grees (use a soil thermome-
ter available at garden stores
to check), usually from mid-
April through May.
MI TOWN
We’re barely into the
month of November and
around our house, we fre-
quently comment that the
days are going by much too
quickly. We are still getting
used to the time change and
now Thanksgiving is just
around the corner. All the
big department stores are
getting decked out for
Christmas and we still have
leftover Halloween candy in
the pantry. Call me the vil-
lage spoil sport, but I just
can’t understand why the
rush is on to begin the shop-
ping season this early.
Thanksgiving is such a won-
derful holiday, with friends
and families gathering to
share good and happy times
together, and for us to all
give thanks for our many
blessings. It would be good
to take the time to enjoy this
special time of year and not
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
be inundated by Christmas
carols and decorations.
—
Today we celebrate Veter-
an’s Day, veterans and every-
one in MI Town is invited to
a free breakfast at the Mon-
mouth Senior Center from
8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The Dis-
abled American Veterans
(DMV), AmVets 1776 Ladies
Auxiliary and the senior cen-
ter are working together to
honor all veterans and com-
munity members. As a
member of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, I’ll
be honored to welcome
everyone and to thank my
seventh great-grandfather,
Daniel Robertson, who emi-
grated from Scotland in
1775, for his service, as well
as the youngest member of
m y f a m i l y, m y g ra n d -
nephew, Thomas Martin
Taylor, a newly-minted Unit-
ed States Marine — honor-
ing friends and family mem-
bers who have served in the
years in between.
—
Are you a dyed-in-the (or-
ange and black) wool Ore-
gon State Beaver or would
you like to curl up wrapped
in a yellow and green Uni-
versity of Oregon blanket on
cold winter nights? The
Friends of the Independ-
ence Library are holding a
fundraiser just prior to that
annual football game that
pits neighbor against neigh-
bor — or in some families —
sister against brother, when
the Ducks or Beavers will
have football bragging rights
for the next year. Raffle tick-
ets are only $1 each, and the
more tickets you buy, the
better your chances are of
winning a pretty cool prize.
The drawing for winners will
be held at 5 p.m. on Nov. 20.
—
Rob Winningham, Ph.D.,
will present a program on
Brain Health and Aging on
Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in ITC
Building, Room 205. This is
one of a series of WOU
Community Lectures the
public is welcome to attend.
—
See you at McArthur Sta-
dium on Saturday, when the
WOU Wolves meet Hum-
boldt State in the last foot-
ball game of the season. It’s
been a great football season
and the fun begins at 1 p.m.
A Pleasant Place to Buy or Sell Your RV
CALL TODAY FOR A NO-CHARGE EVALUATION.
The Pedee Women’s Club
has its candy made and the
women lined up to bring
soup and pies to serve at its
holiday fair this Saturday,
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. They
usually have over 30 kinds
of soup and as many kinds
of pie for purchase for
lunch, but do run out from
time to time, so don’t wait
till too long after 1 to get
here. Candy, baked goods,
and crafts will be there till
the end, though.
—
Daniel and Heidi Russell
and their six kids spent
time at a house in Newport
with James and Jenny
Mellein, their two kids Leo
and Annika and Jenny’s
parents, Beldon and Barbie
Hedgpeth of Wren. Heidi’s
parents and neighbors Nic,
Cassandra, and Josh Heller
joined them on Saturday.
They had a grand time
playing in the ocean at the
beach and playing hide
and go seek at night with
the house all dark. Daniel
did get his deer last week
before going.
—
The seniors at Kings Val-
ley Charter School are
planning to practice the
business skills they’ve been
learning this year by open-
ing a coffee shop on Satur-
days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
at the old Kings Valley
church building on High-
way 223 just north of the
school. They will also serve
soup and sandwiches. The
shop will open the Satur-
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
day after Thanksgiving and
will include a clothing clos-
et and food pantry. They
would like to have a few
vendors in the building as
well. If you are interested in
having a table there at that
time or have items that the
students can sell for you,
please contact Diana Barn-
hart at school, 541-929-
2134, ext. 105.
—
Judy Guida’s childhood
friend Theresa Erickson
came from Eagle Point to
visit her for several days.
Her daughter Sarah, who
is Judy’s goddaughter, is
a nurse at OHSU and
came down while There-
sa was there. She and
Judy went horseback rid-
ing together, which was
very fun.
—
I’m sure you heard that
Sgt. Mark Garton will be in-
terim sheriff since Sheriff
Bob Wolfe will be retiring
on Nov. 30, but what the
paper failed to mention is
that he grew up in Pedee
(What were they think-
ing?). His parents are Alan
and Sue Garton who still
live here. Garton will be
running for sheriff in the
next election.
Nov. 13 & 14
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Artists &Crafters
Coastal Hills Quilters
Watercolor
and Oil Paintings
Ceramics
Photography
Jewelry
Wearable Art
Wood Work
Tea Room
Hay Rides
503-876-3843
Free admission
OPEN K!
WEE
Y
7 DA S A • Sat 9-5
Mon-Fri 9-6 -4
Sun 10
Ruben 503-915-2080
Rick 503-437-5398
4075 NE Three Mile Lane, McMinnville, OR
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.
BIRTHS
www.macrvsales.com Next to the Spruce Goose Aviation Museum macrvsales@gmail.com
Solution on Page 3A
503-623-2373
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 through Tuesday Nov. 13 - Nov. 17
GOOSEBUMPS (Digital 2D) (PG)
(11:45** 2:15 4:45) 7:15
THE MARTIAN (Digital 2D) (PG13)
(12:35** 3:40) 6:45
*SPECTRE (Digital) (PG13)
(11:40** 2:50) 6:05
*SPECTRE (Digital) (PG13)
(1:30** 4:45)
PEANUTS MOVIE (Digital 2D) (G)
(12:00** 4:40) 7:05
PEANUTS MOVIE (NEC Dolby 3D) (G)
(2:20)
THE 33 (PG13)
(1:40** 4:30) 7:10
BRIDGE OF SPIES (Digital) (PG13)
(12:40** 3:50) 6:50
LOVE THE COOPERS (Digital) (PG13) (12:10** 2:25 4:50) 7:20
9:50
9:35
9:20
8:00
9:20
9:55
9:45
9:50
**Only Showing Fri-Sun (11/13 - 11/15)
Itemizer-Observer
Visit our website, www.polkio.com
for local news, sports
and community events.
Wednesday Nov. 18
GOOSEBUMPS (Digital 2D) (PG)
(2:15 4:45)
THE MARTIAN (Digital 2D) (PG13)
(3:40)
*SPECTRE (Digital) (PG13)
(2:50)
PEANUTS MOVIE (Digital 2D) (G)
(4:40)
PEANUTS MOVIE (NEC Dolby 3D) (G)
(2:20)
THE HUNGER GAMES MOCKINGJAY
1 & 2 DOUBLE FEATURE (PG13)
(4:30)
THE 33 (PG13)
(4:30)
BRIDGE OF SPIES (Digital) (PG13)
(3:50)
LOVE THE COOPERS (PG13)
(2:25 4:50)
Thursday Nov. 19
GOOSEBUMPS (Digital 2D) (PG)
(2:15 4:45)
THE MARTIAN (Digital 2D) (PG13)
(3:40)
*SPECTRE (Digital) (PG13)
(2:50)
PEANUTS MOVIE (Digital 2D) (G)
(4:40)
PEANUTS MOVIE (NEC Dolby 3D) (G)
(2:20)
THE HUNGER GAMES MOCKINGJAY PART 2 (PG13)
THE 33 (PG13)
(4:30)
BRIDGE OF SPIES (Digital) (PG13)
(3:50)
LOVE THE COOPERS (PG13)
(2:25 4:50)
7:15 9:50
6:45 9:35
6:05 9:20
7:05
9:20
7:10 9:55
6:50 9:45
7:20 9:50
7:15 9:50
6:45 9:35
6:05 9:20
7:05
9:20
7:00 9:55
7:10 9:55
6:50 9:45
7:20 9:50
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