Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 17, 2016 9A
Put rose pruning on the calendar
Now that Valentine’s Day
has come and gone, it’s time
to pay attention to your
roses.
On the west side of the
Cascade Range, mid-Febru-
ary is generally time to start
thinking about pruning, ac-
cording to Amy Jo Detweiler,
a horticulturist with Oregon
State University’s Extension
Service. Take your cue from
the plants. When the buds
begin to swell and get ready
to break open, pull out your
pruners.
Detweiler recommends
using bypass pruners rather
than anvil because they cut
more like scissors and won’t
crush the stems. Make sure
they are sharp. Have some
rubbing alcohol on hand for
dipping the blades in be-
tween cuts, especially as you
move from rose to rose.
As you get started, stand
back and survey the rose.
First cut out any dead, dis-
eased or damaged wood
(also called canes). Remove
anything smaller than a pen-
cil. Then find three to five of
the healthiest canes and clip
those back uniformly to 14 to
16 inches above the ground.
Make your cut just above a
K YM
P OKORNY
Barton
PHOTO from OSU Extension Service
A beautiful rose depends on appropriate annual prun-
ing, which is easy with a little practice.
dieback might indicate dis-
ease. Also, make sure the
roots aren’t winding around
inside the pot or growing
thickly out the bottom
drainage holes.
Dig a generous hole, twice
as wide as the pot the rose
came in and as deep. Mix to-
gether one-third organic
amendment such as plant-
ing compost and two-thirds
native soil that came out of
the hole.
Place plant in the hole
and fill in with soil and com-
post mixture. In milder cli-
mates, make sure graft line
is above ground. Water well.
Mulch with 2 to 5 inches of
organic mulch, such as bark
chips or compost. Keep it
level and even, not like a
volcano.
MI TOWN
Our February weather pro-
vides us with more twists and
turns than a Monte Carlo
road rally. One day we’re out
working in the yard without
even a light jacket — and the
next, we’re curled up in a big
chair by the fire, wondering
when the warmth will begin
to soothe our chilled bones.
For those of us who venture
out on these spectacular sun-
rise mornings for a trek
around MI Town, the rewards
are numerous, and the feel-
ing of accomplishment can
quickly replace thoughts of
doom and gloom on a mid-
winter day.
—
It’s easy to envy friends
and family members who are
away for this season — soak-
ing up sunshine beside the
pool or walking on warm
sands beside tropical waters.
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
But when Mr. Sun makes his
infrequent appearance in the
midst of a clear blue sky, it is
wonderful to walk outdoors
and see the crocuses and daf-
fodils, and to listen to bird-
songs everywhere. We all
have faith that our beautiful
Willamette Valley will soon
wake up from a long winter’s
nap, even though in the next
few minutes the rain will
again be upon us.
—
With all the pre-election
activities going on around
the country, primaries and
caucuses and candidate vis-
its, we Oregonians won’t have
the opportunity to vote until
May – and so many people
are commenting that the na-
tional presidential candi-
dates will be all but decided
by then. All politics begin at
the local level, and we have
the opportunity to visit city
council and county commis-
sionor meetings on a regular
basis. Fifth District U.S. Rep.
Kurt Schrader will be appear-
ing at a town hall meeting at
Loucks Auditorium, 585 Lib-
erty St. SE in Salem this
evening from 6 to 7 p.m.
Here’s your opportunity to
hear what Schrader has to
share with his constituents,
and to let him know your
concerns. For more informa-
tion, please call 503-588-
9100.
—
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
di’s son John came from
Vancouver to cheer for the
Broncos, as well as did his
sister Michelle Unger and
her family. She, husband
Aaron and their five children
Andrew, Nick, Lexy, Ethan,
and Emma all came from
Salem. Ethan had come out
on Friday so he could spend
Friday night and Saturday
with grandma and grandpa
before the rest of the family
showed up on Sunday.
—
Darrel and Shirley Mc-
Beth had their sons Barry
and Bob over on that day,
not only to watch the Super
Bowl, but to celebrate
Barry’s 47th birthday which
was on the fourth. Darrel’s
brother Sam and Terry were
also there. All were glad to
see the Broncos win for Pey-
ton Manning.
—
The King’s Crossing Cof-
fee Shop had their own
party on Super Bowl Sunday
and invited everyone in the
Pedee/Kings Valley area, to
watch the game and eat cof-
fee shop goodies with them
and to see what they had
going. Such a good idea; I
could see this as an annual
event for them.
—
Daniel and Heidi Russell’s
kids Allana, Alex, Abigail,
Aliyah, Ar wynne, and
Amaya were thrilled to go to
Dave and Suzanne Bur-
bank’s house Thursday night
to see their 15 new piglets
who had just been born that
Sawyer John Barton was born to John and Danielle Bar-
ton, of Corvallis, at 5:27 p.m. on Jan. 20 at PeaceHealth Sa-
cred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield.
He weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 18 inches
long.
Sawyer joins Shyanne, 9, Natalee, 8, Hollie, 7, Brock, 4,
and Connor, 2.
Grandparents are John and Cheryl Barton, of Dallas,
and Gary and Denise Brock, of Newberg.
Great-grandparents are Don and Betty Brock, of
Auburn, Wash., and Bill Diehm, of Falls City.
Steggell
Harper Renae Steggell was born to K.J. and Jessica
Steggell, of Dallas, at 8:24 a.m. on Feb. 8 at Salem Hospital
Family Birth Center.
She weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 19.5 inches
long.
Harper joins Kaylee Ann, 2.
Grandparents are Angie Robinson, of Dallas, Marvin
and Renee Gerber, of Queen Creek, Ariz., Guy and Heidi
Leppin, of Perrydale, and Kurt Wright, of Aloha.
Great-grandparents are Don and Barb Robinson, of
Alsea, John Spock, of Dallas, and Calvin and Cheri Ek-
strand, of Keizer.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Senior center pancake
baker extraordinaire and
great pal, Jack Hinkle, shared
some lost words from child-
hood that truly resonate with
those of a certain age. Who
remembers hunky dory? Or
poodle skirts? Carbon copies
have gone away, along with
hula hoops, skate keys and a
fine kettle of fish. We truly
have been blessed to live in
changeful times. For a child,
each word is like a bright and
shiny toy, timeless. We at the
other end of the chronologi-
cal arc remember there are
words that once did not exist
and there were words that
walked across the earthly
stage and are gone, except in
our collective memory. It’s
one of the greatest advan-
tages of aging. We can have
archaic and eat it too. See you
later, alligator.
PEDEE NEWS
Jacob North, son of Chip
and Linda North, just found
out that he’d won a trip to
Washington, D.C., from
C o n s u m e r ’s P o w e r .
He’d earned the week-long,
all-expenses-paid trip to
Washington, D.C., by sub-
mitting an essay on co-ops.
This annual Rural Electric
C o o p e r a t i v e Yo u t h
Tour gives more than 1,500
students from around the
nation the opportunity to
visit historic monuments
and museums, meet with
U.S. representatives and
senators, and to meet other
students. The group goes in
mid-June.
—
Super Bowl Sunday seems
to be a national holiday at
this point, judging by how
many families get together
that day to watch the game
and eat lots of good junk
food. Linda and Bill Chertu-
Edwards
AvaKay Diane Edwards was born to Nathan and Katie
Edwards, of Dallas, at 8:51 p.m. on Dec. 24 at Oregon
Health & Science University in Portland.
She weighed 4 pounds, 7.75 ounces, and was 17.75
inches long.
AvaKay is the couple’s first child.
Grandparents are Eli and Benita Walls, of Dallas, Tim
and Anita Lipnos, of Tigard, and Dene and LoraLee Ed-
wards, of Dallas.
Your
Garden
bud that faces outward and
prune at a 45-degree slant.
“You want the shrub to
grow outward so that the
center remains relatively
open,” Detweiler said. “That
increases air circulation and
reduces the chances of dis-
ease.”
Be sure to clean up and
remove all debris.
Detweiler’s directions
specifically apply to modern
roses such as hybrid teas,
floribundas and grandifloras,
but also pertain to old-fash-
ioned and shrub roses,
though those can be pruned
taller — just a third of the
plant’s size. Roses that bloom
just once a year should be
pruned right after blooming.
In Western Oregon, prime
planting time is coming up,
Detweiler said. When you go
to the garden center to buy a
rose, look for a plant with
stems that are green and
healthy. Dead branches or
BIRTHS
day to Nosey, a very big
mother pig. Wynnie wasn’t
quite brave enough to touch
one, but the other children
were happy to get a chance
to pet them. Abigail was first
to the pen and last to leave,
as she is all about baby pigs.
Continued from page 8A
—
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutof Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Yoga in the Hopyard — 6 p.m., Rogue Farms Micro Hopy-
ard, 3590 Wigrich Road, Independence. Ofered on the last
Wednesday of every month. Free; bring your own yoga mat.
503-838-9813.
• Painting, Canvas and Cocktails — 7 p.m., The Boondocks,
318 N. Main St. Fall City. All supplies, paint, canvas and instruc-
tion provided. No experience necessary. $30, snack and cocktail
included. 503-787-2700.
• Brew and BS: The Old Testament — 7 p.m., St. Thomas
Episcopal Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. A lecture series
on the Old Testament. Bring brew of choice — cofee, tea, chai,
beer, wine, cider. 435-503-4304.
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 Feb 19 - Feb 20
ZOOLANDER 2 (Digital) (PG13)
RACE(Digital) (PG13)
KUNG FU PANDA 3 (Digital 2D) (PG)
THE REVENANT (Digital) (R)
RISEN (Digital) (PG13)
DEADPOOL (Digital) (R)
HAIL! CAESAR (Digital) (PG13)
STAR WARS:
THE FORCE AWAKENS (Digital 2D) (PG13)
HOW TO BE SINGLE (Digital) (R)
(12:20 2:40 5:05) 7:30
(12:50 3:50) 6:50
(12:10 2:35 4:50) 7:10
9:50
9:35
(11:45 2:15 4:45) 7:20
(11:30 2:00 4:30) 7:00
(12:00 2:25 4:55) 7:25
9:15
9:40
9:30
9:45
(12:20 3:25) 6:30
(11:40 2:10 4:40) 7:15
9:30
9:55
Sunday February 21
ZOOLANDER 2 (Digital) (PG13)
RACE(Digital) (PG13)
KUNG FU PANDA 3 (Digital 2D) (PG)
RISEN (Digital) (PG13)
DEADPOOL (Digital) (R)
HAIL! CAESAR (Digital) (PG13)
STAR WARS:
THE FORCE AWAKENS (Digital 2D) (PG13)
HOW TO BE SINGLE (Digital) (R)
(12:20 2:40 5:05)
(12:50 3:50)
(12:10 2:35 4:50)
(11:45 2:15 4:45)
(11:30 2:00 4:30)
(12:00 2:25 4:55)
7:30
6:50
7:10
7:20
7:00
7:25
(12:20 3:25) 6:30
(11:40 2:10 4:40) 7:15
Monday - Thursday Feb 22 - Feb 25
ZOOLANDER 2 (Digital) (PG13)
RACE(Digital) (PG13)
KUNG FU PANDA 3 (Digital 2D) (PG)
RISEN (Digital) (PG13)
DEADPOOL (Digital) (R)
HAIL! CAESAR (Digital) (PG13)
STAR WARS:
THE FORCE AWAKENS (Digital 2D) (PG13)
HOW TO BE SINGLE (Digital) (R)
(2:40 5:05)
(3:50)
(2:35 4:50)
(2:15 4:45)
(2:00 4:30)
(2:25 4:55)
7:30
6:50
7:10
7:20
7:00
7:25
(3:25) 6:30
(2:10 4:40) 7:15
RECYCLE
A little effort.
A big difference.
West Valley Housing Authority will hold their
Work Session Meeting on Wednesday Feb-
ruary 24, 2016 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at 204
SW Walnut in Dallas, Oregon. The Regular
Meeting will be held on Wednesday Febru-
ary 24, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at 204 SW Walnut
in Dallas, Oregon. An Executive Session
pursuant to ORS 192.660 will be held imme-
diately following the Regular Meeting, if re-
quired.
Agenda for the meeting is posted on the Hous-
ing Authority website at www.wvpha.org. The lo-
cation for the meeting is handicapped
accessible. Please advise the West Valley
Housing Authority if you need any special ac-
commodations to attend the meeting. For infor-
mation, please call 503-623-8387, TDD
1-800-735-2900.
w w w. p o l k i o. c o m