Polk County Living
10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 6, 2017
Clematis climb into a special place in the garden
As they climb up trellises
and trees unfurling large,
lusciously colored flowers,
clematis put on a special
show in the garden.
These garden favorites
need a little special handling
at the start but once estab-
lished clematis (clem-ah-tis
or cla-mat-is) grow and
flower year after year.
Clematis vines have three
main requirements to thrive
– sunlight on their stems
and leaves; cool and moist
but not wet roots; and sup-
port for climbing, according
to Oregon State University
Extension Service experts.
To provide ample sun-
light, plant the vine where it
will get at least six hours of
daylight. Filtered shade
during the hottest part of
summer will help keep
dark-colored blooms from
fading. For a cool root zone,
use mulch or organic com-
post, or plant low-growing
shrubs or perennials that
will shade the base of the
vine. For support use a
fence, trellis, small tree, tall
shrub or another vine, such
as climbing rose or wisteria.
The diversity of clematis
is stunning. There are ever-
green and deciduous. Some
have large purple, white or
pink blossoms; others are
small, creamy and fragrant;
others have yellow or
cerulean blue bell shaped
flowers. Bloom time varies
from once-bloomers in
spring or summer, twice
bloomers in spring and fall,
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
or only in fall.
Deciduous clematis are
hardy in all Oregon cli-
mates. Evergreen varieties
like sweet-smelling, winter-
blooming Clematis ar-
mandii, are more sensitive
to the cold and perform
best in western valleys and
the coast.
When planting clematis,
give roots plenty of room:
Dig a large hole, 2 feet deep
and nearly as wide. If the
soil is very heavy or has lots
of clay, add fine bark, ma-
nure, compost and/or peat
moss. The more organic
matter, the better. Add lime
if the soil is acidic.
If your garden tends to-
ward clay, rough up the
sides of the planting hole to
prevent “glazing,” which
can keep the roots from
growing beyond the
smooth sides of the plant-
ing hole into the surround-
ing soil. The roughing up
can also keep water from
pooling in the planting hole
during the wet season.
Set the plant in the hole
with the crown two to three
inches below the soil sur-
face. Stake the vine until it
has grown enough to reach
its permanent support. A
new clematis should be
https://flic.kr/p/mJYoAn
Once you get them going, clematis like ‘The President’
are show stoppers in the garden.
w e l l - w a t e re d , b u t n o t
overfed. Once established,
it will respond well to rose
or tomato food, or any fer-
tilizer in the range of 5-10-5
or 5-10-10 or good compost
or chicken manure. Feed
three times a year in spring,
summer and fall.
As clematis like to keep
its feet cool, insulate the
root zone of your clematis
with a thick mulch of straw,
leaves or bark. Or plant a
low-growing perrenial or
place a rock on the south
side of your clematis to
help keep the root area
shaded.
Pinch out the tips of new
shoots once or twice during
the first growing season to
encourage branching near
the base of the vine.
Most clematis will per-
form better with an annual
pruning. Those that bloom
during summer on new
wood need heavy pruning
in winter or early spring, or
they will look thin and
stringy. The kinds that
bloom in the spring on last
year’s wood can do without
pruning, but are better if
cut back lightly after they
have finished flowering in
the later spring or summer.
If given a good start, and
a little maintenance, your
clematis can live for a long
time.
MI TOWN
As we turned the calendar
to a new page and wel-
comed September this
week, it just doesn’t seem
like many days have passed
since we were all talking
about plans for Memorial
Day weekend. We were all
looking forward to days at
the beach, swimming in the
river and picnics at our local
wineries. Remember when
we were so tired of the
seemingly endless rain-
storms and wished for the
return of sunshine and
warm weather? Right about
now, a rainy day would be
very welcome.
—
All those big yellow school
buses will be sharing the
roads with us in the early
morning and late after-
noons, carrying their pre-
cious cargo — our children
and grandchildren — for the
next several months and we
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
all need to be extra careful
while driving in our com-
munities. It’s time to watch
for students of all ages as
they walk to and from
school. School zone speed
limits are also in effect, and
since our law officers can’t
be everywhere all the time,
it’s necessary that we ob-
serve those speed limits and
dr ive carefully in and
around school zones.
—
We enjoyed the Concerts
in the Park series during July
and August — and we will
miss those special Wednes-
day evenings gathering with
friends and neighbors, while
listening to good entertain-
ers and enjoying picnic sup-
pers or snacks available
from our local merchants.
These events don’t just hap-
pen by themselves, and a
hearty thank-you to those
who worked so hard to pro-
vide special evenings for all
of us. We can all remember
to patronize our local busi-
nesses and merchants who
do so many good things for
all of us in MI Town.
—
Mark your calendars for
September 22, when every-
one is welcome to the Mon-
mouth Public Library at 6:30
pm, for Family Fun Night.
Singer-songwriter Okaidja
Afroso will be visiting from
Ghana, West Africa to share
lively music and activities.
All ages are encouraged to
attend for an evening of
good fun.
—
For everyone who has
been waiting for those won-
derful apples — it’s that time
of year. Whether you choose
from the varieties available
from local supermarkets,
booths at farmers’ markets,
or picking from your own
backyard trees to make your
very special cider, pies or
applesauce, it’s definitely
the season. Our Willamette
Valley apples provide all the
goodness of the seasons in
one crisp bite.
—
These beautiful mornings
and cooler evenings remind
us of the transition in sea-
sons, and can also remind
us of what pleasure there
can be in a good walk
around the neighborhood or
through our downtown
areas, to visit with friends
along the way and welcome
new folks to our community.
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
started and equipment
running to do their part in
alleviating hunger in that
area. If you’d like to con-
tribute to their mission,
call the church for details.
—
Nic and Cassandra
Heller are expecting a new
baby, due in March. Older
sister Mercy will be delight-
ed, even if she doesn’t
know it yet.
—
I got home last week
from several days visiting
my sister Vicki Massey and
her family in Mesa, Ariz. I’d
gone with daughter Lor-
raine Odell, mainly to par-
ticipate in the area quilt
shop hops (don’t ask).
While there we harvested
prickly pear fruit and made
jelly and syrup out of the
resulting juice, which was
beautiful if not flavorful.
We also kayaked down the
Salt River with my 28-year-
old nephews Sterling
Massey and Owen Allen.
T h e y w e re s u c h g o o d
sports to offer to take us,
but we didn’t even get
dumped while shooting the
rapids. Kayaking helped
make the 111-degree tem-
perature seem cooler.
—
The Pedee women’s Bible
study will start up again
Sept. 15 at Pam Burbank’s
house just south of the cov-
ered bridge. They will be
studying Isaiah.
Help and encouragement after the death
of a spouse, child, family member or friend.
Celebrating 5 Years!
And
N OW TUESDAYS! 2PM - 7PM
Especially for our neighbors
and community with
user friendly hours.
to
Close
Home!
Please join us for a 13 week seminar and support group
that meets weekly to help you face the challenges of
grief. Each session focuses on a specific topic and offers
a DVD presentation and small group discussion time. A
personal workbook is included for taking notes on the
presented material and On Your Own sections.
$35 registration includes workbook. Scholarships available.
First session, “Is This Normal?” begins
Hazelnuts, Fresh Produce, Artisans
Hadley Radio Bakery, & other vendors
Independence Riverview Park
Tuesdays 2-7pm
Saturday 9am -2pm
Itemizer-Observer
Tuesday, Sept. 12 • 6:30 pm
Weekday Bible Building , 1156 SE Holman Ave.
For more information
or to register please
call Kate or visit our
website.
• 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
PEDEE NEWS
Eric Schwanke is back
from his mission trip to
Moz a m b i q u e w i t h Ir i s
Global Ministries, which
was quite an experience for
him as they do things dif-
ferently there, like having
three-hour sermons. Eric
will be getting married to
Rebekah Kamerman, of
Bozeman, Mont., here at
Pedee Church this month.
They met in Montana and
reconnected in Mozam-
bique. They will be going to
South Sudan with Setfree
Ministries for three or four
weeks to help get a farm
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
503-917-1625
www.crossandcrownministries.org
Visit our website, www.polkio.com
for local news, sports
and community events.
Continued from page 9A
—
TUESDAY, SEPT. 12
• Independence Riverview Market — 2 to 7 p.m., Riverview
Park, 50 C St., Independence. 503-910-8193.
—
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 13
• Polk County Republican Women — 11:30 a.m., Murphy’s
Restaurant, 288 E. Ellendale Ave., Dallas. No-host lunch avail-
able; everyone welcome. 503-623-5759.
• Respite care — 1 to 3 p.m., 182 SW Academy St., Suite 216,
Dallas. Free child care for parents who need time to run errands,
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.
• Pickleball — 9 a.m. to noon, Roger Jordan Community
Park. Meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.
to noon. Karen Freeman, 503-871-4172.