Polk County Social
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 1, 2017 11A
Amaryllis needs push for luscious bloom
The big, beautiful blooms
of amaryllis are a wintertime
tradition and persuading
them to flower couldn’t be
easier.
Native to Peru and South
Africa, the genus Amaryllis
comes from the Greek word
amarysso, which means “to
sparkle.” Some botanists be-
lieve bulbs were brought to
Europe in the early 16th
century and arrived in Eu-
rope in the 1800s, later mov-
ing on the U.S.
The trumpet-shaped
blooms in red, pink, salmon,
white and multi-colored
form atop tall stems that
grow rapidly from these
large lily bulbs. Strappy fo-
liage accompanies or fol-
lows the flowers.
Brooke Edmunds, a horti-
culturist with Oregon State
University Extension Serv-
ice, has advice on coaxing
an amaryllis from bulb to
flower, an easy proposition
from start to finish.
This time of year, bulbs
are commonly available al-
ready potted and growing,
in kits, or as bare bulbs.
Choose bulbs with bright
green new growth and with-
out spots or visible damage,
she said. Some bulbs may
have an offshoot growing
from the base. This will
eventually grow into a new
bulb and can be removed
and planted separately.
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
If you are starting with a
bare bulb, find a heavy well-
draining pot (lightweight
pots will fall over) about 1
inch bigger in diameter
than your bulb. Fill the pot
two-thirds full with rich,
porous soil, preferably with
some peat moss and com-
post. Plant the bulb, keep-
ing the upper one-third of
the bulb exposed. Water
sparingly until growth ap-
pears. Keep the plant above
60 degrees in a sunny area
of the house.
New growth will appear a
few weeks after planting.
When a green shoot
emerges, the plants will
grow rapidly if watered
freely. When the pot be-
comes filled with roots,
apply a dilute, complete liq-
uid fertilizer once a month.
The stalk will grow toward
the sun or light source, so
rotate the pot and stake the
stem if it grows more than
20 inches tall. Keep your
p l a n t a w a y f ro m h e a t
sources such as furnace
vents and wood stoves.
In five to eight weeks after
planting, the amaryllis will
https://flic.kr/p/S4N3zq
Sensational amaryllis bring beauty to gray winter days
and are easy to grow.
bloom. Plan for blooms dur-
ing a particular time by
counting back the weeks
and planting your bulbs ac-
cordingly, Edmunds said.
To keep the bulb healthy
for many years, keep the
plant growing once it has
bloomed. Cut off spent flow-
ering stems and continue to
water and fertilize it through
the winter and spring. In
summer, place the potted
plant outdoors and contin-
ue to water and fertilize.
In October, stop watering
to allow the pot to dry out.
The foliage will gradually
turn yellow. Cut off the
leaves to within two inches
of the soil line. Leave the pot
undisturbed. Water only if
the bulb begins to shrivel.
New growth should appear
from the top of the bulb.
Then follow the instructions
above from the start.
Refrain from repotting
your bulb every year, as the
plant seems to bloom better
when pot-bound. Some
growers repot about every
three to four years, or add
new fertile soil to the top
one-third of the pot each
year.
MI TOWN
How quickly the days fly
by — we’ve turned another
page on the calendar and it’s
already November. It seems
like we were just talking
about summer activities and
garden projects, and now
conversation has turned to
Thanksgiving and Christmas
plans.
—
Tax statements arrived in
last week’s mail, and while
our market value increased,
our taxes were less than last
year. Even though that was a
good thing, many of us can’t
resist the temptation to
grouse about and complain
about taxes, and wonder if
we indeed are getting our
money’s worth. This year, I
read just where all the
money goes, and I must
admit — we are getting our
money’s worth.
—
Tax funds support Central
School District, Chemeketa
Community College and
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
Willamette Educational
Service District, and provide
good and positive educa-
tion experiences to every-
one in MI Town and sur-
rounding areas. When I see
the children waiting at the
bus stop every morning, I
know that I’m helping them
to learn what they need to
know to become successful
adults. Students of all ages
who are continuing with
their education or returning
to school to follow new ca-
reer paths also benefit from
contributions to Chemeke-
ta, and Willamette ESD
helps students with special
needs.
—
Polk County provides gov-
ernment services for ap-
proximately $300 per year;
our Polk County Fire District
No. 1 gives us fire and med-
ical help almost instantly for
about the same amount. We
would be between a rock
and a hard place without
these public servants who
are always there for us.
—
Library services are worth
their weight in gold and cost
just pennies. MI Town’s
cities run smoothly and pro-
vide us with good govern-
ment, clean streets and safe
sidewalks for less than $700
per year. The very small
amount we pay for the new
4-H and Master Gardener
programs is comparable to a
nice lunch out, and provides
so many benefits to every-
one. After taking the time to
really think about where our
tax money goes and all the
good things it pays for, I’m
not so grumpy after all.
—
All community members
were invited to meet-and-
greet the four finalists for
the Monmouth senior cen-
ter director position last
week. Candidates were all
very easy to communicate
with and shared their indi-
vidual ideas during the af-
ternoon.
—
The community breakfast
is scheduled for this Satur-
day at the Monmouth Sen-
ior Center, where your entire
family can enjoy all-you-
can-eat pancakes, scram-
bled eggs, sausage, biscuits
and gravy at a reasonable
cost ($6 for adults, $3 for
children younger than 12).
—
It’s Homecoming at West-
ern Oregon University, and
the Wolves meet Azusa Pa-
cific at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Please check the WOU web-
site for more information
about all the activities.
PEDEE NEWS
More than 100 family
members, friends, and
neighbors honored Darrel
and Shirley McBeth at their
50th anniversar y open
house on Saturday after-
noon. Among other family
members all three sons,
Bob, Monte, and Barry,
were there as well as Dar-
rel’s mother, Dorothy Mc-
Beth, and two of her sis-
ters, Anna Mae Waller and
Charlotte Hart, and
Shirley’s mother, Elizabeth
Stout. Darrel’s cousins
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
Hazel and Wilma came
from Newport and brought
a beautiful table runner
and placemats that they
had made themselves.
They have a bed and break-
fast in Newport, called the
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
“Shack By The Sea.” On
Sunday, Darrel and Shirley
went to Depot Bay for the
night, and said the weather
was absolutely beautiful,
unlike Saturday.
—
Alvina Wright and friend
George Thompson went to
see the movie “Lucky” last
week, as Alvina’s cousin,
Director David Lynch, was
in it. Lynch is a well-known
writer and director and has
directed several movies
you’d all recognize, as well
as creating his own televi-
sion series with a friend,
the popular murder mys-
tery Twin Peaks, and its se-
quel. Look him up on
Wikipedia — impressive.
—
On Oct. 21, I went to
granddaughter Christina
Odell’s concert in Salem. She
is a violinist in the Salem
Philharmonia Orchestra,
and at 17 one of their
youngest members. She is a
senior at Sprague High
School in Salem.
Keep Up On
Your Community!
Online subscriptions
ONLY $20 for an entire year!
• 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 10A
—
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8
• 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 Warren St. S., 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.
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Stephen
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