Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 26, 2017 7A
Color up the garden with evergreen Hebes
If you like to prolong
color in your landscapes
through the summer and
into the fall, consider plant-
ing evergreen shrubs called
Hebes for vivid color in both
flowers and foliage.
“Most Hebes flower in
the summer, but others
bloom in late fall,” said Neil
Bell, consumer horticultur-
alist with the Oregon State
University Extension Serv-
ice. “Some have colorful fo-
liage that lasts through au-
tumn. They provide an in-
teresting change from the
usual asters and maples we
customarily rely on for au-
tumn interest.”
Native to New Zealand,
Hebes (pronounced HEE-
bees) have hundreds of cul-
tivars, but only a few are fa-
miliar to American garden-
ers.
“The plants may have ac-
quired a reputation for lack
of hardiness because some
of the most popular culti-
vars introduced here are not
hardy in very cold winters,”
Bell said. “However, many
Hebes do well in the Pacific
Northwest if grown in a
sheltered spot.”
Large-leaved Hebes can
be injured by temperatures
below 25 degrees and are
less hardy than those with
small leaves. Rather than
avoid buying large-leaved
shrubs, consider putting
them in a sheltered spot or
Rak-Weaver
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
in a container you can move
indoors temporarily if it gets
cold. For showy purple
flowers in the fall, Bell sug-
gests cultivars “Amy” and
“Alicia Amherst.” “Purple
Picture” blooms in June but
flowers profusely again in
October and November.
Some red-flowering Hebes,
such as “Hobby,” provide
color through November
and even through Decem-
ber in a mild year. “Bowles
Hybrid” produces lavender
flowers in summer, but will
bloom again in the fall, even
into January.
“Except for ‘Bowles Hy-
brid,’ which is hardier, all
these hybrids are suscepti-
ble to cold,” Bell said. Plant
them against a sheltered
wall or tucked between
other shrubs. Be prepared to
give them a little extra cover
if the temperature threatens
to drop suddenly.”
Several small-leaved
Hebe cultivars that are
hardy west of the Cascades
have beautiful and unusual
foliage. Some are common-
ly sold in the Pacific North-
west. “Quicksilver,” as the
name suggests, has small
HTTPS://FLIC.KR/P/WCDYPG
With great bloom and red shoots in winter, Hebe ‘Sap-
phire’ has much to recommend it.
silvery leaves. “Boughton
Dome” has grayish foliage.
“James Stirling” has ochre
leaves and resembles a
small conifer.
Another unusual charac-
teristic of some Hebes is a
noticeable change in foliage
color from summer to win-
ter. Some cultivars take on a
purplish or reddish cast
during winter. Perhaps the
best known is “Caledonia,”
which turns purple. “Sap-
phire” has shoots that turn
bright red at the tips in the
winter.
Several of the variegated
cultivars are beautiful and
unusual, but are large-
leaved and require a pro-
tected spot if you want
them to survive the winter.
They include Hebe speciosa
“Variegata,” “Tricolor” and
“Andersonii Variegata.”
In addition to a protected
location, Hebes need at
least partial sun, well-
drained soil and water dur-
ing the summer months.
Most do well without much
pruning, and annual mod-
erate pruning after they
bloom works well.
For more information,
refer to an OSU landscape
evaluation of Hebes.
MI TOWN
Yikes! Is anybody else
wondering how quickly our
wonderful summertime
days and evenings are going
by? It seemed like we were
just getting out picnic bas-
kets and yard furniture to
celebrate Memorial Day —
and now it’s the last week
in July. In our Willamette
Valley, we still have several
months of good weather on
the horizon for outdoor ac-
tivities. It’s good to be opti-
mistic about future adven-
tures and opportunities for
good times as summer con-
tinues.
—
It’s time to get your coun-
try on at Main Street Park in
Monmouth this evening, as
Jenny Don’t and the Spurs
are set to entertain from
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. as part of
the 2017 Music in the Park
Series, sponsored by the
WEDDING
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
Monmouth Business Asso-
ciation and many of MI
Town’s businesses and or-
ganizations. Pack up a pic-
nic basket, bring the family
and enjoy a free summer
evening with your friends
and neighbors. These con-
certs have something good
for everyone. Vendors are
available for purchase of
food, beer and wine, too.
Please remember to leave
the family pooch at home
where he or she will be
more comfortable, as dogs
aren’t allowed at public
events in the park.
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—
For those of us of a cer-
tain age, last Thursday
brought back memories of
the first footsteps by As-
tronaut Neil Armstrong on
the moon — and the
words, “That’s one small
step for man, one giant
leap for mankind,” he
spoke as he stepped on
the lunar surface on that
date in 1969. I can remem-
ber trying to keep two very
young children (ages 5
and 8) from falling asleep,
reminding them of this
historical moment that we
should always remember.
Buzz Aldrin stepped out of
the space capsule a few
minutes later while Mike
Collins remained in the
spaceship that continued
in orbit. Back in 1945, I re-
member my parents keep-
ing me awake with the
same story, to watch the
signing of the United Na-
tions Charter, televised
from San Francisco to Los
Angeles.
—
Next month a new gen-
eration is going to join the
rest of us in yet another
historical occasion — a
total solar eclipse on
Monday, Aug. 21. Visitors
from all over Oregon and
many other states will be
here in the mid-
Willamette Valley as we
are in the “path of totali-
ty.” We’re getting advice
from all kinds of sources
on how to plan ahead by
stocking up on groceries,
prescription medicines
and even changing ap-
pointments for that day
because of the high vol-
ume of road traffic pre-
dicted. Scores of parents
and grandparents will be
reminding another gener-
ation of children to try to
remember this historical
event as well. It’s what we
do.
Nikki Weaver, of
Salem, and David Rak,
of Salem, were married
on July 15, 2017, at Ad-
divia.
Nikki graduated from
Dallas High School in
2012. She is the daugh-
ter of Jeannie and Brad
Weaver, of Rickreall.
She graduated from
Western Oregon Uni-
versity with a bache-
lor’s in business and
works as an office spe-
cialist at the Polk County Fairgrounds & Events Center, as
well as at the Polk County Veterans Service Office.
David graduated from Sprague High School. He is the
son of Daniel Rak, of Salem. He works on the grounds
crew at Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center, and
served in the United States Army.
ENGAGEMENT
Brumley-Anderson
Margi Anderson, of
Dallas, and Rob Brum-
ley, of Wilsonville, an-
nounced their engage-
ment. The couple is
planning an Oct. 28,
2017, wedding.
Bride-to-be Margi
graduated from the
Oregon Health and Sci-
ences University-Ore-
gon Institute of Tech-
nology in 2016 and
works at Salem Hospi-
tal.
Groom-to-be Rob graduated from Oregon State Uni-
versity in 2014 and works at Nike Headquarters.
The wedding will be at Langdon Farms.
ANNIVERSARY
Norfleet - 50th
Bill and Nathelle
(Kirkman) Norfleet
reached their 50
years of marriage
on June 18, 2017.
They were mar-
ried in Ventura,
Calif., after meet-
ing on the beach in
1965. While Bill
was in the U.S.
Navy, his subma-
rine duty took
them to different
parts of the West Coast.
After moving to Oregon in 1977, the couple settled on a
small family farm just south of Dallas. Once their two
children (Bill and Hanna) went to college, they sold the
farm and built a home close by, where they are loving the
quiet country life.
They spent their anniversary at the Sister’s Rodeo, and
will travel to Ventura to celebrate with family and friends.
They are both retired and enjoy spending any free time
with their two grandsons, Noah and Evan.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 6A
—
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 2
• Senior meals, Dallas — 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday,
LaCreole Manor, 204 SW Walnut St., Dallas. Free, but $3 dona-
tion suggested. Reservations required. 503-623-6232.
• Senior meals, Monmouth — 11:30 a.m. Monday through
Friday, Monmouth Senior Center, 180 S. Warren St., Monmouth.
Free, but $3 donation suggested. Reservations required. 503-
838-2084.
• Scrabble with Betty — 1 p.m., Independence Public Li-
brary, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. Scrabble games first
Wednesday of every month. Free; refreshments and prizes
available. 503-551-7687 or 503-838-1811.
• 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.
• Yarning for Others — 3 to 5 p.m., St. Thomas Episcopal
Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. Knitters and crocheters
gather to make clothing and accessories for those in need on
the first Wednesday of every month. 503-689-7222.
• Pickleball — 9 a.m. to noon, Roger Jordan Community
Park. Meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.
to noon and Sundays and Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. Karen Freeman,
503-871-4172.
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