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The INDEPENDENT, November 16, 2011
Can You Dig It?
By Schann Nelson
Columbia County Master Gardener
ground, where they will (hopefully) dry out and go dor- them unless you mow over them or poison them.
mant for a couple of months. OR I could put in a small Eventually they make big clumps that have to be dug
amount of effort and staple a piece of my trusty frost up and divided, giving you ever more daffodils to
I’m having a terrible time blanket material along the sunny side of the house to spread across the landscape. I wish I had more deter-
figuring out what to write about create a microclimate that gives me that critical one mination to propagate the forsythia – I think if I put it
this month. I mean really, it’s heat zone. All of this effort to avoid the nasty mess on the road side of the hedge (major undertaking) I
November and the there are they make all winter long as they gradually lose their might be able to get a wall of bright yellow in spring –
still soooo many leaves on the needles onto whatever is under them. I’m hoping that extending the daffodils currently up there and accent-
trees. Even the maples I can start watering them some time in February and ed by the blooming forsythia. Amazing if they all
haven’t completely lost their get nice foliage that will stay intact until it’s time for bloomed together.
leaves, not to mention the big next summer’s vacation. Wish me luck!
One more caveat about daffodils – I’ve learned not
cherry trees next to the house.
If you want blooms indoors this winter, you can to plant them as deeply as recommended. It’s usually
They are losing their leaves so “force” many bulbs to do your bidding. A good start is recommended to plant them 6-8 inches deep and I like
slowly that, so far, the worms have been able to keep with three healthy daffodil bulbs in a five-inch round mine better at about 4 inches. In my heavy damp clay,
up with pulling them under the earth. It looks like it’s pot. Cover them lightly with soil and water them in. they bloom earlier and are easier to dig up to divide
been raked but I don’t think it has. Or it could be that Then store your pots in a cool, dark place until the when needed. I’ve had to dig down over a foot to get
the grass is quite long, since the mower died. Fortu- bulbs begin to grow. Bring them into the sun when bulbs out after several years of mulching. You will
nately, it expired just as the grass was becoming truly they emerge from the soil. Decorative materials can know they need to be divided when you get a big
summer dormant and now it will be too wet to mow un- also be used as long as you maintain the water level clump of foliage in the spring with only one or two
til spring. Yet another narrow victory over the forces of and do the whole process in bright light.
blooms out of it.
chaos.
Forcing does not feed bulbs the same way that
Happy cleaning up – outside and in, keeping the
Not that you can ever really get ahead. There’s al- growing in the ground does. This is especially true if vermin out of the house, and getting ready for the hol-
ways another project you can get started on. I still you want to try the dramatic presentation of bulbs idays.
have begonias in the ground that I hope to get out, grown seemingly out of thin air from a bed of marbles
P.S. The night I completed the draft of this column,
and several cuttings and or repotting that needs to be or stones. There are even special glass vases for we got a cold snap, just before we are supposed to get
done. Though there was one day this month that was amaryllis that allow the bulb to sit just above the sur- a big dose of rain. With a little wind and rain, the re-
a virtual flurry of bringing in the plants, it’s been very face of the water beneath. Sometimes they will grow maining leaves should fall so we all can finish our rak-
mild. The ground has not frozen yet and everything successfully in the garden strongly enough to flower ing!
just continues to turn brown and slimy. Not much fall again in the future, if they get lots of sun
color this year, though there is more at higher eleva- and fertilizer. The problem of course is
™
tions. It certainly feels to me that we get closer and that, after they flower, those bulbs want to
closer to a zone 8 than a zone 7 every year.
grow lots of thick juicy leaves and they
The OSU Master Garden- management, weed identifica-
For example, my asparagus ferns are still outside in simply can’t do that when crowded into a er™ course will be offered in tion and management, pesti-
their pots, one is hanging and the other, a sturdier pot. I’ve had amaryllis rebloom successful- St. Helens starting Monday, cide safety and plant propaga-
rounder structure called “Foxtail”, is in a standing pot. ly after a summer in the garden (on their January 9, through March 12. tion.
Neither is hardy outside, unprotected, especially in a schedule instead of mine) and I’ve had Classes meet from 9:00 a.m. to
Students completing the
pot that is vulnerable to freezing. However, I want to daffodils that survived in the ground to re- 4:00 p.m. with an hour lunch course are expected to volun-
minimize their time indoors. This year I’m going to let bloom even though they are not supposed break.
teer at least 60 hours on com-
them stay outside until the foliage freezes to ground- to be hardy. Exotic bulbs last for only two
The program will be held at munity horticultural projects.
level, though I will have to bring the hanging one down to five years anyway.
the OSU Columbia County Ex- For more information, or to reg-
to earth and give it more shelter from the wind. I could
Most daffodils are not exotic here and, tension office in St. Helens. ister, call the extension office at
bring them inside, after cutting them back to the once you plant them, you will always have Cost of the series is $75.00. 503-397-3462 or email Chip
Topics include vegetable gar- Bubl at chip.bubl@oregon-
dening, insect identification, state.edu or Vicki Krenz at vic-
botany, plant problem diagno- ki.krenz@oregonstate.edu .
sis, fruits and berries, lawn
V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH
F IRST B APTIST C HURCH
P IONEER B APTIST F ELLOWSHIP
Master Gardener plan classes
Church Directory
Carl Pense, Pastor
850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia
503 429-1103
Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.
Children’s Sunday School
Pastor John D. Murray
359 “A” Street, Vernonia
503 860-3860
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST
Larry Gibson, Pastor
2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia
503 429-8301
Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m.
Sabbath School 9:30 a.m.
A SSEMBLY OF G OD
Wayne and Maureene Marr
662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia,
503 429-0373
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m
S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH
Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator
960 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia
503 429-8841
Mass Sunday 12:00 Noon
Religious Educ. Sunday 10:30 a.m.
V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH
Ralph Young, Pastor
957 State Avenue, Vernonia
503 429-6790
Sunday Bible Classes 9:00 a.m.
Family Praise & Worship 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday Prayer 6:30 p.m.
Thursday Laadies Study 7:00 p.m.
Nursery 10:15 a.m.
Vernonia Community Preschool
John Cahill, Pastor
939 Bridge Street, Vernonia
503-429-1161
www.pbfalive.com
Sunday School 9:30 a.m.
Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Thursday Prayer 7:00 p.m.
N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH
Gary Taylor, Pastor
Grant & North Streets, Vernonia
503 429-5378
Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Nursery available
Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m.
V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH
C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST
OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS
Sam Hough, Minister
410 North Street, Vernonia
503 429-6522
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m.
(meets in Youth & Family Center)
Various Home Group Meetings
Marc Farmer, Branch President
1350 E. Knott Street, Vernonia
503 429-7151
Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m.
Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m.
Relief Society, Priesthood and
Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.
Westport transit link now open
Columbia County Rider
Transportation and Sunset Em-
pire Transportation District
(SETD) have re-established
bus connections at Westport.
The service will run Monday
through Friday with two trips
per day. Rider pickup and drop
off in Westport is located at the
North side Bus stop on Hwy 30,
just east of the Berry Patch
restaurant.
Jay Flint, SETD’s new direc-
tor said, “The SETD Board of
Commissioners is very pleased
to announce the return of bus
service along Hwy 30 from
Warrenton to Westport, and to
link back up with the CC Rider
in Columbia County. This will
bring back some much-needed
service to many of our east
county residents.”
“By re-opening this service,
riders can again ride from Port-
land or Longview through Co-
lumbia County to the Oregon
Coast once again. We are very
excited about re-opening this
service and encourage every-
one to try it out,” said Janet
Wright, CCRider Director.
For a schedule of times,
pickup points and fares, riders
can call CCRider dispatch at
503-366-0159, or go to the
website at www.columbiacoun
tyrider.com . Information about
the service is also available
from SETD’s website at: an
swers@ridethebus.org or by
calling 503-861-7433 (RIDE).
Riders can also connect with
CCRider on Twitter @rider_cc.