Polk County Social
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 18, 2017 8A
Pot up some bulbs and dream of spring
In fall, gardeners settle
bulbs under a blanket of soil
and wait for spring to watch
them flaunt their beauty.
“It’s easy to create a stun-
ning display that bursts into
bloom in the spring or early
summer,” said Heather
Stoven, an Oregon State
University Extension horti-
culturist. “But bulbs don’t
have to be in the ground to
be effective. A pot works just
as well.”
In fact, bulbs often do
better in pots than in the
ground because pots pro-
vide better drainage, critical
for their long-term survival.
Also, gophers and other un-
derground creatures will be
foiled since they can’t find
their juicy favorites, espe-
cially tulips.
Don’t be afraid to pack a
pot full of bulbs, Stoven said.
Plant a lot of bulbs at differ-
ent, overlapping levels. You
can easily put 20 to 30 bulbs,
sometimes even more, into
a pot that is 14 to 20 inches
across. Use bulbs of many
different sizes for an inter-
esting display and longer
seasonal appeal.
“Although you can put
each kind of bulb in a differ-
ent pot, mixing them up
provides an extravagant dis-
play,” she said.
For longest bloom, look
first for crocus. Tulips of all
kinds work well. Some of
Stoven’s favorites are the
“species tulips” and their
cultivars. Species tulips,
often available in garden
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
centers, are sometimes
shorter than the taller bed-
ding tulips and tend to
come back year after year
unlike the larger, more fa-
miliar tulips that fade away
after the first couple of
years.
Narcissus and daffodils
also are stellar pot bulbs.
Choose both early and later
blooming varieties for con-
tinued bloom. The taller alli-
ums also work well, but
shorter alliums can some-
times take over. “I avoid
grape hyacinth, which also
tends to dominate,” Stoven
said.
Branch out a bit, Stoven
advises, and try brodiaea,
hyacinths, fritillaria, dwarf
iris or other bulbs. Dwarf
iris, like tulips, often do bet-
ter in pots than in the
ground because of their
high drainage requirements.
Plant bulbs with their tips
pointing upward and, gener-
ally, follow directions for
planting depth on the pack-
age. Use regular planting or
potting soil, recently pur-
chased if possible. “If you
reuse older planting mix, be
sure to add bulb fertilizer,
and be advised of the risk of
potential carryover of plant
diseases, which can affect
PHOTO: iclipart
Tulips grow great in pots, either by themselves or mixed
with other bulbs.
the health of your new
bulbs,” Stoven advised.
“Fill the container a little
more than halfway full of
soil, then add a layer of large
bulbs such as narcissus (daf-
fodil). Leave only a little
space between them; about
half an inch is OK. Add more
soil and plant the next larger
bulb, such as tulip. Repeat
adding soil and bulbs alter-
natively, placing the small-
est bulbs like crocus at the
top, covered with another
inch of soil. Water well and
place in a protected spot out
of the rain.”
It is best to leave the pot
outside so that the bulbs get
a cold period, which stimu-
lates growth and flowering.
Be sure to bring the pot in-
side temporarily when tem-
peratures dip below about
28-30 degrees overnight.
Bigger pots are safer than
smaller ones because it
takes longer for the soil
mass to freeze all the way
through.
Once green spikes of fo-
liage being to poke through
the soil make sure the
plants get plenty of light. A
good time to add fertilizer is
when plants are blooming;
preferably a slow-release
type.
After the flowers have
bloomed, leave the foliage
to die back on its own. Then
remove the bulbs and plant
them in the garden in the
fall, or simply leave them in
the pot for the next year.
The bulbs will remain dor-
mant and need water only
when the autumn cycle be-
gins anew.
MI TOWN
The late President Lyndon
Baines Johnson once said
that people you could go to
the well with were treasures
above everything else. When
pressed for an explanation,
he spoke of the Texas fron-
tier in the 1800s when there
were dangers lurking every-
where, and when the early
settlers went to the well for
water, they depended on
trustworthy people to pro-
tect them from wild animals
and unsavory people. Their
lives and the lives of their
loved ones depended on it.
—
These days, when we
need water it’s simply a mat-
ter of turning on the tap,
and the days are long gone
when we fear wild animals
or scary people when we’re
thirsty. When we want to
read a book or the newspa-
per, a simple flick of a switch
floods our room with plenty
of light. Our communities
are protected from dangers
by police and firefighters
and we can live safely com-
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
pared to those folks who
long ago bravely set out for
lands unknown.
—
In MI Town, there are
many people you can “go to
the wel” with. Our commu-
nities abound with men and
women who are willing to
lend a hand and help when
it’s necessary. People who
stand up and do whatever it
takes to help lessen a bur-
den or walk a dark mile be-
side you. People who offer
to work on their scheduled
day off so a coworker can
attend a funeral. People
who roll up their sleeves
and pitch in to do the heavy
lifting when others are un-
able. No amount of money
or fame can even begin to
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
compare to having people
in our world who we can
truly step up to the task at
hand. We are blessed to live
in our caring and giving
community.
—
Unfortunately, there are
those in MI Town who — for
whatever reasons — don’t
take a few minutes to toss
half-empty coffee contain-
ers or other debris in the
nearby receptacle, and it
ends up on the sidewalk or
in a parking lot. Our mer-
chants and their workers are
busy providing good cus-
tomer service, and certainly
shouldn’t have to pick up
after everyone as well.
It doesn’t take but a mo-
ment to properly dispose of
trash and litter, and our
community is better for our
extra efforts. Remember
when we used to keep litter
bags in our cars? Let’s all
work together to keep our
streets and neighborhoods
clean and neat.
—
The return of the rains
and the change of seasons
give us even more reasons
to be careful when driving,
whether on city streets or
on the nearby freeways. Re-
cent crashes have caused
even more heartache and
tragedy for families of those
killed or seriously injured.
After even one drink of alco-
hol, our reflexes and actions
aren’t nearly as sharp as be-
fore, so if you choose to
have a couple beers or a
glass of wine, please arrange
to have someone else do the
driving.
—
It’s time to sample and
enjoy the best homemade
soups and pies in our neck
of the woods. Thursday is
the soup and pie sale at the
Monmouth Senior Center.
Hours are from 11 a.m. until
1:30 p.m. If you’re looking
for extra special gifts for
friends, family or for your-
self, Crafter’s Corner will be
open for browsing and buy-
ing during the day.
• 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
Celebrating 35
Years of Service
Pastor Ron Sutter, his wife
Marijo, and his family were
honored at a special worship
service at Bridgeport Com-
munity Chapel on October 8.
We are blessed by his true
heart for God along with his
love and care for each and every one. Pastor Ron is a
dedicated servant and it is a joy to witness his passion as
he shares the beauty of Christ in a challenging world.
We can help!
Solution on Page 6A
Pencil
us in!
www.polkio.com
The Itemizer-Observer will be publishing a
comprehensive list of all the holiday bazaars and
art & crafts sales in Polk County on Wednesday, Oc-
tober 25th. This feature will be designed for our read-
ers to keep throughout the holiday season.
We will publish the information for your event
at no charge. Deadline to submit your event
information is Wednesday, October 18th!
So get your bazaar information to our office today!
Event organizers who want more exposure
than will be provided in the October 25th issue are
encouraged to call Karen Sanks at 503-623-2373.
If you wish to have your bazaar published
any other time during the holiday season
you must purchase an advertisement.
Call Dawn Ohren 503-623-2373 ext. 101
or e-mail: dohren@polkio.com
Itemizer-Observer • 147 SE Court St., Dallas