Polk County Living
10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 5, 2017
Know your weeds before waging war
Summer has arrived and
so have the weeds to take
over our gardens and make
us tear our hair out in frus-
tration.
Ed Peachey, Oregon State
University Extension Serv-
ice weed specialist, can re-
late. He sees weeds every-
where and has plenty of ad-
vice to share. The first line
of defense is identification.
“If you don’t know what
you have, you don’t know
what to do,” he said. “Each
species has unique charac-
teristics and vary in how
they are controlled.”
Even those who sub-
scribe to the philosophy of
there are no such thing as
weeds just plants in the
wrong place have to admit
that some get out of control.
They out-compete desirable
plants and quickly take over
vegetable gardens, flower
beds and lawns.
Perennial weeds such as
Canada thistle, dandelion
and bindweed are the hard-
est to control, but many an-
nuals have the ability to dis-
perse their seeds far and
wide, whether it’s by wind,
wildlife or, as in the case of
western bittercress, send
their seed flying for many
feet.
“Some annual weeds are
not that big of a deal,”
Peachey said. “Their com-
petition with other plants is
fairly minimal. But it makes
a difference how many
seeds are produced and how
long they live in the soil.”
How he kills them is de-
termined by the weed. For
annuals, digging them be-
fore they go to seed is effec-
tive. If, like pigweed and
lambsquarters, they have
tap roots, it’s good to get
them early while the root is
still short. Scuffing them
with a hoe, pulling by hand
or using an herbicide,
whether organic or synthet-
ic, can be effective. Mulch
K YM
P OKORNY
These Polk County groups would welcome individuals
who have time or expertise to volunteer. Organizations
that would like to be added to this list should call 503-623-
2373 or email IOnews@polkio.com.
Your
Garden
helps to rob weeds of sun-
light and will help kill them,
but seeds will still blow in
and germinate. Laying black
plastic helps control weeds
by preventing light from
reaching weed seedlings,
but will not be effective on
established perennial weeds
that will sometimes poke
through plastic. Weeds must
be removed first and the
plastic left for three to six
months.
Two popular organic her-
bicides are Suppress and
Avenger, which kill by con-
tact. Remember, though,
that just because a product
is organic doesn’t mean it’s
are safe.
“These herbicides can be
very useful to homeowners,”
Peachey said. “They give a
quick burndown, usually
within two to three days.
Their main advantage is that
they don’t injure perennial
plants in the landscape that
gardeners want to keep. The
downside is that they only
kill small annual weeds.”
Many homeowners opt
for Roundup, which is effec-
tive on many weeds, but
also may damage desirable
plants it comes in contact
with. There are a couple of
pre-emergence herbicides
such as Preen that can be
used in the landscape with-
out much risk to plants.
On the whole, unless a
homeowner is dealing with
a large garden, Peachey
doesn’t recommend herbi-
cides. For those who do de-
cide to use one always fol-
low the instructions and
safety precautions on the
label.
Of the many weeds out
HTTPS://FLIC.KR/P/O4E1xT
Northern willowherb (Epilobium ciliatum) is an upright
perennial weed with oval- to lance-shaped leaves. Small,
light purple or pink ray-shaped flowers have four petals,
though they look like eight because they’re so deeply
cut. Foliage and stems are covered in bristly hairs. Downy
seeds can float for long distances.
there right now, Peachey
identifies these five as some
of the most common.
Learning to identify them
will make controlling them
more effective.
Northern willowherb
(Epilobium ciliatum) is an
upright perennial weed with
oval- to lance-shaped leaves.
Small, light purple or pink
ray-shaped flowers have
four petals, though they look
like eight because they’re so
deeply cut. Foliage and
stems are covered in bristly
hairs. Downy seeds can float
for long distances.
Sharppoint fluvellin
(Kickxia elatine) forms a
ground-hugging mat.
Leaves are egg-shaped to
heart-shaped and are cov-
ered with soft hairs. Tiny
flowers, which appear June
through September, have
two lips; the top is violet, the
bottom is yellow. It can be
confused with bindweed
(wild morning glory), but is
much smaller. Like
bindweed, it spreads by
roots and seeds.
Shiny geranium (Gerani-
um lucidum) resembles
stinky herb Robert (G. rober-
tianium), but doesn’t give off
a bad odor and has shiny fo-
liage that isn’t as deeply cut
as herb Robert. Both have
dark pink flowers similar to
cultivated geraniums only
much smaller. Herb Robert
flowers are three to four
times the size of shiny gera-
nium. Spreads by seed.
Western bittercress (Car-
damine oligosperma) is a
tiny weed that forms a
rosette. Young leaves are
round but as the plant ages
new leaves further up the
stems are arrow-shaped.
The long, upright stems
hold white flowers that give
way to pods that can release
thousands of seeds that
“pop” many feet away.
Purple dead-nettle
(Lamium purpurem) fea-
tures slightly hairy, spade-
shaped foliage that is tinged
purple, especially those
leaves closest to the top of
stems. Like all members of
the mint family, stems are
square. Flowers, which ap-
pear in spring, are lavender
and look like tiny snap drag-
on blooms. Spreads by seed.
MI TOWN
We celebrated America’s
birthday yesterday in grand
fashion — with flags and pa-
rades and fireworks and
barbecues — and hopefully
everyone took the time to be
grateful to all who have con-
tributed their time and en-
ergy and abilities to create
our United States of Ameri-
ca. Our gratitude to those
who serve in our armed
forces, police officers who
protect our homes and
streets, men and women
who respond to fire and
medical emergencies, and
all who work and volunteer
in so many organizations to
keep MI Town a wonderful
place to live.
—
Every Fourth of July, we
try to choose our favorite
group, organization or par-
ticipant in the parade, pon-
dering over the many en-
tries, but this year’s choice
was easy. Grand Marshal
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
Margaret Johnson was one
of the first people I met
when we moved here almost
17 years ago. Her enthusi-
asm and determination to
help build a community of
dedicated volunteers is
boundless. Margaret’s con-
tributions and dedication to
the Friends of the Library
book sales are legendary,
her time and energy work-
ing with the Monmouth
Garden Club has always
been appreciated and her
creativity is admired. Any-
time there is something pos-
itive happening in MI Town,
Margaret Johnson is usually
right in the middle of organ-
izing, volunteering and par-
ticipating so that it will be a
success. She has a wonder-
ful sense of humor and I am
grateful for her friendship
over the years.
—
I was walking along Main
Street in Independence last
week, when I glanced at
newspapers covering the
windows of a building locat-
ed to the left of the mural.
What a wonderful treat it was
to read old Salem Statesman
stories from the late 1960s,
telling of Bobby Kennedy’s
decision to run for president,
of various events in Salem,
and grocery advertisements
with prices nobody could
imagine in this day and age.
Meier & Frank (remember
that wonderful store) had ad-
vertisements for their latest
summer sales, featuring T-
shirts for 88-cents, among
other bargains. If anyone
wants to take a trip down
Memory Lane, please take a
few minutes to just enjoy a
blast from the past. Hopeful-
ly, they will stay up a few
more days.
—
David Rosenfeld, a first-
generation immigrant of
German-Jewish parents, will
share stories of his family’s
experiences during World
War II on July 24, at noon at
the Monmouth Senior Cen-
ter. This interesting histori-
cal program about the Holo-
caust is free to the public,
and light refreshments will
be served.
—
This evening is the first of
the Summer Music in the
Park events in Monmouth.
The Shinkle Family Band
will entertain with folk and
country music from 6:30 to
8:30 p.m. Bring a picnic or
buy food and drink from
various vendors. See you
there.
PEDEE NEWS
Dorothy McBeth attend-
ed the Abercrombie family’s
annual reunion last week at
Avery Park in Corvallis.
There were around 50 peo-
ple in attendance, including
her sister Charlotte who cel-
ebrated her 90th birthday at
the reunion. Dorothy’s three
living children, Darrell, Sam,
and Sandy were there, as
well as niece Marguerite
Nice and her husband Mel.
Daughter-in-law Connie
Ames said she had been at-
tending those reunions
since 1965, when she mar-
ried Dorothy’s son Dennis,
although she was unable to
go this year.
—
Deanne Maddux came
out from Monmouth to go
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
to the Pedee Women’s Club
monthly potluck last week,
and brought her sister-in-
law Mildred Birchell, also of
Monmouth, and Mildred’s
sister Judy Houston, who
came from Chicago for a
visit. Both Deanne and Al-
berta Jones graduated from
Pedee High School in 1949,
and Marguerite Nice and
Judy attended first grade to-
gether in Pedee. The club
potluck has grown into
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
quite a event, attracting
more neighborhood people
each month. It is on the last
Wednesday of each month
and all are invited. Bring a
potluck dish if you can, but
come anyway if you can’t.
—
There will be a class on
making a handy and attrac-
tive sling bag from a provid-
ed pattern on July 26, at the
clubhouse. Bring a yard of
nondirectional fabric and a
package of bias binding in
your choice of width, or if
making your own, bring two
yards. It’s a quick and easy
project.
—
Pedee Church’s first
weekly event for kids and
their families was wildly
successful. It was a lawn
camp out at Daniel and
Heidi Russell’s, with all the
trimmings of the real thing,
including dinner and a night
of singing around the camp-
fire, capture the flag in the
dark, sleeping in tents, and a
breakfast of pancakes
cooked by Pam Burbank
over the fire the next morn-
ing. Thirty one kids and
adults showed up for the ad-
venture. These weekly activ-
ities for the community are
taking the place of VBS this
year. They were at Paul and
Arlene Kovash’s last week
and will be tie-dying T-shirts
this Friday at the church,
followed by a concert by
teen band Zoe Emporium in
the amphitheater.
• AARP Foundation Tax-Aide – 503-930-7636
• After DARC — 503-623-9501
• American Cancer Society Road to Recovery
— 1-800-227-2345
• Arc of Polk County — 541-223-3261
• Ash Creek Arts Center – 971-599-3301
• Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of
Polk County Inc. — 503-623-8473
• Central School District — 503-838-0030
• City of Dallas — 503-831-3502
• City of Independence — 503-838-1212
• City of Monmouth — 503-751-0145
• Crime Victims Assistance Program — 503-623-9268
• Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce — 503-623-2564
• Dallas Fire Department — 503-831-3532
• Dallas Food Bank — 503-623-3578
• Dallas Kids, Inc. — 503-623-6419
• Dallas Police Department — 503-831-3582
• Dallas Public Library — 503-623-2633
• Dallas Retirement Village — 503-623-5581
• Dallas School District — 503-623-5594
• Delbert Hunter Arboretum — 503-623-7359
• Ella Curran Food Bank — 503-838-1276
• Falls City Arts Center — 503-559-6291
• Falls City School District — 503-787-3531
• Family Building Blocks – 503-566-2132, ext. 308.
• Friends of the Dallas Library — 503-559-3830
• Gentle House Gardens, Monmouth — 503-838-2995
• Girl Scouts of Southwest Washington and Oregon
— 1-800-338-5248
• H-2-O — 503-831-4736
HART (Horses Adaptive Riding and Therapy)
— 971-301-4278
• HandsOn Mid-Willamette Valley — 503-363-1651
• Heron Pointe Assisted Living — 503-838-6850
• Independence Health and Rehabilitation
— 503-838-0001
• Independence Public Library — 503-838-1811
• Kings Valley Charter School — 541-929-2134
• Luckiamute Watershed Council — 503-837-0237
• Luckiamute Valley Charter School — 503-623-4837
• Meals on Wheels — 503-838-2084
• Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce
— 503-838-4268
• Monmouth-Independence YMCA — 503-838-4042
• Monmouth Public Library — 503-838-1932
• northwest Human Services — 503-588-5828
• Oregon Child Development Coalition — 503-838-2745
• OSU Extension Service - Polk County — 503-623-8395
• Perrydale School District — 503-623-2040
• Polk Community Development Corporation
— 503-831-3173
• Polk County Community Emergency Response Team
— 503-623-9396
• Polk County Museum — 503-623-6251
• Polk County Public Health — 503-623-8175
• Polk County Resource Center — 503-623-8429
• Polk Soil and Water Conservation District
— 503-623-9680
• Relief nursery Classroom — 503-566-2132
• SABLE House — 503-623-6703
• SALT (Sheriff’s Auxiliary & Law Enforcement Together)
— 503-851-9366
• Salvation Army — 503-798-4783
• SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) — 503-391-8423
• Salem Health West Valley Hospital — 503-623-8301
• Victim Assistance Program-Polk Co. District Attorney’s
Office — 503-623-9268 x1444
• Willamette Valley Hospice — 503-588-3600
• WIMPEG Community Access Television — 503-837-0163
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 9A
—
TUESDAY, JULY 11
• Overeaters Anonymous — noon to 1 p.m., Salem Health
West Valley, 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. Support group
meets in the quiet room/chapel immediately inside the emer-
gency entrance on Clay Street. Dee Ann White, 971-718-6444.
—
WEDNESDAY, JULY 12
• Respite care — 1 to 3 p.m., 182 SW Academy St., Suite 216,
Dallas. Free child care for parents who need time to run er-
rands, pay bills, etc. Free. Open for children ages 6 weeks to 5
years. 503-877-8473 to reserve space. Diapers are provided.
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutoff Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Free Blood Pressure Check Clinic — 2 to 3 p.m., Salem
Health West Valley (surgery admitting area), 525 SE Washington
St., Dallas. 503-623-7323
• Monmouth Senior Center Music Jam — 6:30 p.m., Mon-
mouth Senior Center, 180 S. Warren St., Monmouth. Open to
the public; musicians of all types welcome. 503-838-5678.
• Dallas American Legion Post No. 20 — 7 p.m., Academy
Building, Room 108, 182 SW Academy St., Dallas. 503-831-3971.
PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
SOLID WASTE COLLECTION
RATE INCREASE
PURPOSE OF THE HEAR-
ING:
The Polk County Hearings
Officer will be considering an
annual solid waste collection
rate adjustment, fee proposal,
and service area consolidation
request from Republic Servic-
es. Republic Services serves
the South West Polk County
solid waste collection fran-
chise area. Republic Services
is requesting a 2.1% rate ad-
justment increase in their resi-
dential and commercial rates,
new fees for miscellaneous
services, and the consolida-
tion of 4 customer service
areas into 2 service areas
along with an associated rate
adjustment.
DATE AND TIME OF HEAR-
INGS: Polk County Hearings
Officer
Thursday, July 13, 2017,
2:00 p.m.
LOCATION OF HEARING:
850 Main St., Polk County
Courthouse, Dallas, Oregon
97338, 1st floor hearing and
conference room.
STAFF CONTACT:
Jim
Solvedt, Environmental Health
Supervisor
The location of the hearing
is handicapped accessible.
Please advise the Community
Development Department, 503-
623-9237, if you will need any
special accommodations to at-
tend or participate in the meet-
ing. The staff report will be
available for inspection at no
cost and copies may be ob-
tained at reasonable cost. A
copy of the staff report will be
available for inspection seven
days prior to the hearing. The
staff report will also be avail-
able on the Polk County web-
site at www.co.polk.or.us.
Any person desiring to
speak for or against this re-
quested rate adjustment may
do so either in person or by
representative at the public
hearing. Written comments
may also be directed to the En-
vironmental Health Division of
the Polk County Community
Development Department, 850
Main St., Polk County Court-
house, Dallas, Oregon 97338-
1922. Written testimony may
be submitted prior to the hear-
ing in the Polk County Com-
munity Development Depart-
ment. Oral and or written testi-
mony may be rendered at the
public hearing.
(July 5, 2017)