Wild Ginger Farm News Blog

2012 Mail Order Catalog

2012-01-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

Our online mail order catalog has been updated for the 2012 spring shipping season. One of the advantages of having an online catalog, compared to a printed one, is the ability to update it throughout the season.

Garden Renewal

2012-01-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when we tend to take a moment to reflect on past accomplishments and plan for the future. For avid gardeners, this can take the form of scouring plant and seed catalogs, placing orders

Plant Lover

2011-12-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

One of the joys of growing plants is that I get to fall in love every year. Usually several times. The object of my affection this time of year is the lovely Cyclamen. It all starts in late summer when the

Best of 2011 - WGF on Facebook

2011-11-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

Wild Ginger Farm is now on Facebook. We have selected a plant photo for each month of 2011 and posted them on our new Facebook page. Check them out and let us know your thoughts!

‘Ling Ling’ Panda Face Ginger

2011-10-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with Asarum maximum ‘Ling Ling’, the Panda Face Ginger? This very attractive evergreen wild ginger forms a clump of large dark green leaves that can be up to 8” long in mature plants. The

Pacific Coast Irises in Fall

2011-10-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

Iris douglasiana Fall is the time to move or divide Pacific Coast Irises. PCI’s are very particular about the timing of root disturbance. As many gardeners have learned, trying to divide them after spring flowering or during the summer months results in dismal failure. Trust me on this, I’ve tried it and have been spectacularly unsuccessful. What begins as a beautiful green fan quickly

Fall Update

2011-09-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Fall season always brings a flurry of activity around the nursery. In addition to an array of plant propagation tasks, we will continue to have regular open hours through October until cold weather and rain close us down for the season. You can always check our website for our current open hours. The late season flower of Crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet' We will also

Autumn Gentian

2011-08-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Autumn Gentian One of our favorite fall flowering perennials is the Autumn Gentian, Gentiana sino-ornata. It forms a low mat of rooting stems with grassy foliage from which upward facing, trumpet shaped flowers open in late summer to early fall. Autumn Gentian flowers most commonly occur in alluring shades of blue from sky blue to a deep marine blue. They are

Saturday Class "Plant a Succulent Container

2011-08-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

Lewisia longipetala hybrid Summer is the perfect time to enjoy drought tolerant and easy to grow succulent plants and we invite you to join us this Saturday, August 13th for a class entitled “Plant a Succulent Container”. You can bring your own pot or buy one here. We will provide potting soil, 4 plants and accent rocks. The fee for this class is $15. Sign up by

Tufa - The ultimate crevice rock

2011-08-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Tufa is a porous limestone rock useful in growing many alpine and lime loving plants. Not to be confused with hypertufa, a cement-based imitation used to create troughs and other lightweight containers, authentic tufa is a calcium carbonate mineral precipitate that occurs around lime rich bodies of water. We recently obtained a supply of tufa from the headwaters of the Columbia River. The

Crevice Plants

2011-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Dwarf forms of many rock garden plants make wonderful crevice plants. Crevices are those intriguing gaps between rocks where plants can grow while seeming to defy all odds. In rock gardens, we often intentionally create small spaces between rocks in which to tuck our plant treasures. Alpines and other rock garden plants are ideally suited to grow in these spaces as they often do in nature.

Alpines and Trough Planting

2011-06-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Trough building has become very popular in recent years and most gardeners I know have at least a trough or two in their gardens. We are no exception. We have a collection of large and small troughs and have grouped them together into a trough garden. Some of the larger troughs are new this year and we are still in the process of planting them. Planting a trough is a creative process.

Vancouveria hexandra

2011-06-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Vancouveria hexandra, Inside Out Flower, is a noteworthy N.W. native woodland groundcover. It has pretty green foliage with interesting ternate leaves, giving it another common name, Duck’s Foot. The delicate sprays of distinctive white flowers in late spring resemble it’s close relative, Epimedium. Both are herbaceous members of the barberry family that also gives us other interesting

Summer Classes

2011-06-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

We are offering a series of classes at the nursery this season. The first class “ Western Native Plants” is scheduled for Saturday, June 11th at 1 pm. We will be taking a closer look at the definition of native plants and how to evaluate your garden situation and select appropriate plants for it. Site preparation, ongoing care and maintenance issues will also be

Lewisia cotyledon

2011-05-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Lewisia cotyledon is a spring flowering, evergreen succulent found in the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Vigorous hybrid varieties have been developed with colorful spring flowering displays and an extended flowering period. Lewisia mound in rock garden Lewisias are found in rocky crevices in nature and work well in alpine gardens, scree

Summer Nursery Hours

2011-05-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

Whew! We survived another hectic spring plant sale season with off site plant sales nearly every week. Each spring we look forward to these sales but after six extremely busy weeks, it is also fun to have more nursery time. Wild Ginger Farm nursery It should be a good year at the nursery. We have lots of new plants in propagation and some will be ready for sale within a few weeks. The

Spring Has Sprung

2011-04-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Viola adunca, Early Blue Violet We have finally, finally gotten a little welcome sunshine. We can see the flowering plants in the nursery and gardens respond within hours to the extra light and warmth. Of course, weeds do too but we won’t think about that right now. It is such a busy time in the nursery that they will just have to wait. Tulipa 'Little Beauty' loves a

Himalayan Blue Poppies: 3 Keys to Success

2011-04-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Meconopsis betonicifolia We hear a lot of oohs and aahs when customers touring the nursery reach the flowering Himalayan poppies. This awe inspiring sight often leads to questions about how best to grow these sometimes temperamental plants. Meconopsis betonicifolia 'Alba' Here are our 3 Keys to Success: 1. SITE - Plant in a cool, bright location.

Plant Sales This Weekend

2011-03-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

Tulip 'Lilac Wonder' We kick-off the plant sale season at two area plant sales this weekend. On Saturday, you can find us at Gardenpalooza, a large carnival style event at Fir Point Farms in Aurora, located mid-way between Portland and Salem. There are dozens of vendors at this sale, all under the cover of big tents. We will be easy to find since our display is located

Propagating Hardy Perennials from Seed

2011-03-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Ascelpias tuberosa seed capsule Arisaema flavum berries Sooner or later most serious gardeners dabble in plant propagation and we receive frequent requests for tips on how to grow hardy perennials from seed. While we grow hundreds of perennials from seed every season, it is important to understand that our protocol is based on our Western Oregon Zone 7b-8a climate. In warmer climates, there

Dwarf Irises

2011-03-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Iris chamaeiris Many of you know about our interest in Pacific Coast irises but we also have a growing selection of species iris of other types. The earliest flowering group is the Dwarf Bearded Irises and we have several already in bloom at the nursery. Miniature Dwarf Bearded irises are the smallest of all irises, no taller than 8 inches, and are perfect for alpine

March & April Nursery Hours

2011-03-10T17:24:00.000-08:00

Iris chrysophylla For those of you who enjoy visiting nurseries early in the season, we are going to be open during the next three weekends. We will be open 10 – 4 this Saturday and Sunday and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday the following two weekends. native Penstemons In April, we will be open for a total of five days because of off-site plant sales. Regular summer

The Pasque Flower, Pulsatilla vulgaris

2011-03-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

Pulsatilla vulgaris Pulsatilla vulgaris is one of our most reliable and striking early spring flowering perennials. The Pasque Flower is a native of Europe where it grows in meadows and grasslands. It also thrives in many areas of North America. As the common name implies, this member of the Buttercup family flowers in spring around Easter. Mixed colors The Pasque

Crazy Weather

2011-02-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

Iris douglasiana in snow We feel like we dodged a bullet this week when an Arctic Blast swept through the nursery. Our temperature yesterday morning was a frightful 13 degrees F. These are temperatures we occasionally reach in December and January but not late February when so many of our plants have begun their early Spring push. We were particularly concerned about

Alpine Treasures: Dwarf Cushion Saxifrages

2011-02-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

A group of Cushion Saxifrages in the winter sun Dwarf cushion saxifrage species and hybrids (Section Porphyrion) are amazing winter and early spring flowering alpines. These tiny cushions begin to form flower buds in late fall to early winter and, just after the new year, the first in a succession of flowers appear. Saxifraga 'Maria Luisa' is the first to flower In our

Dwarf and Miniature Conifers

2011-02-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

This year we have an exceptional group of Dwarf and Miniature Conifers to share with our customers. They include some of the most miniature conifers available today. With extremely slow growth rates and tiny size and scale, the miniatures are great for use in alpine gardens and troughs, bonsai, fairy gardens and in model railroad gardens. We also have a select group of

Flowers in Winter

2011-02-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

Plants that flower in winter and early spring are a delight to the senses and such a surprising sight. The Hellebores are setting flower buds in the garden but the potted plants in the nursery are already in full bloom. Here is a photo of my current favorite, a seed grown double flowering Helleborus x hybridus. You can be sure we will be propagating this one for future

Shooting Stars

2011-01-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Dodecatheon poeticum A pollinator's view Dodecatheons or Shooting Stars are a lovely group of spring flowering perennials that belong to the Primula family. This genus is found throughout North America from Mexico to the Arctic region where plants are generally found in seasonally moist mountains meadows and grasslands. The botanical name Dodecatheon refers to the 12 gods who were thought

The 2011 Season Begins

2011-01-14T14:43:00.000-08:00

It may not seem like it, but we have turned the corner toward Spring and days are beginning to lengthen. Adding just two or three minutes of precious light to each day will make a big difference within a few short weeks. I don't know about you, but it gives me a growing sense of optimism just thinking about it. The Wild Ginger Farm Skyline in Winter Plants as well as people respond to day

New & Improved Mail Order Catalog

2011-01-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new and improved 2011 Mail Order Catalog. It is the culmination of many weeks of work and we hope it will make online plant purchases easier than ever. Our main objective in the makeover was to separate the large and cumbersome reference area of the website from the storefront. Visitors interested in buying plants can now go

Red and Green

2010-12-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Those of you who live on the West Coast probably know that we are being urged not to grow the beautiful English Holly tree (Ilex aquifolium) because it has been identified as an invasive species in our area. We’ve removed a big specimen that was growing in the center of our yard and continue to dig out its seedlings when they appear each year. We still have one more

Wild Ginger Farm on YouTube

2010-11-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

The fall and winter months are when I have time to work on our website. This year I wanted to add interest to the site by adding some slideshows and videos. It turns out that the easiest way to do this is to create a YouTube Channel and then upload the videos onto our site. The videos can then be viewed both on our site and on YouTube. So far I have put up three videos, all of which are

2010 Mail Order Shipping Ends Nov. 16th

2010-11-14T15:01:00.000-08:00

Our 2010 Mail Order Season ends Nov 16th and any orders placed online during the winter months will be shipped next Spring. Please check our website to learn when the Spring Shipping Season begins in your region. If want your order shipped earlier or later than our schedule indicates, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. The Lewisia mound at Wild Ginger Farm The

Dry Shade: Hardy Cyclamen

2010-11-11T09:10:00.000-08:00

Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest often garden beneath large, thirsty trees where the soil remains relatively dry year-round. This can make it difficult for plants to become established and is a source of frustration for many gardeners. Fortunately certain plants such as hardy Cyclamen thrive in this situation. Cyclamen grow during the fall and winter months

Visiting the Nursery: Call Before You Come!

2010-10-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

The nursery will remain open by appointment through the winter months. We welcome visitors during this time and simply ask that you call or email us before you come. Regular weekend hours will resume early next March when visitors can see many alpine plants in full flower. Saxifraga 'Walter Irving' in mid-February, 2010 You will see some changes at the nursery during your next visit. We have

Hardy Primroses

2010-10-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

I have been planting an assortment of Primroses in the garden this fall and look forward to a colorful display next season. After being inspired by the gardens at the now closed Berry Botanic Garden, I have planted groupings of Candelabra Primroses in an area with heavy soil in part day sun. These deciduous primroses originate in meadows and wet areas of Asia and are best grown in moist,

Autumn Reflections

2010-10-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

The nursery will be open a few more weeks before we revert to our appointment-only winter hours. Fall has brought a flurry of activity as we propagate plants, create new covered spaces and refresh gardens. As the sun dips lower on the horizon, the light changes and creates a dreamy garden atmosphere. On a recent day, I noticed the dappled light hitting the evergreen

Sept 18th & 19th: HPSO Plant Sale/Nursery Closed

2010-09-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Alpine Skullcap 'Arcobaleno' (Scutellaria alpina) Wild Ginger Farm nursery will be closed next weekend, September 18th & 19th. You can find us at the HPSO Plant Sale where we will have five tables filled to the brim with a wide variety of plants. The sale is at The Portland Expo Center and there will be dozens of plant vendors and garden artists. It is always a fun and exciting event.

Salem Hardy Plant Society Plant Sale

2010-09-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

We are busy this week getting ready for the Salem Hardy Plant Society Plant Sale being held next Saturday, September 11th from 9 to 3 at the Polk County Fairgrounds in Rickreall. Visit the SHPS website for details. To help get the word out, Truls will be interviewed by Mike Darcy on Saturday morning just after 9 am during his radio program In the Garden with Mike Darcy. We will bring a large

Fall Planting

2010-08-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

Our Garden Helpers It seems like every year about this time we get involved in a big garden project. Last year we created a new moist woodland garden that I am still in the process of planting. It hasn’t been easy with two young dogs who consider the area their personal romping ground. It is an ongoing battle of wills but l have high hopes that the garden will

Hardy Gingers: Late Risers of the Plant World

2010-08-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that it would take until August for the last of the hardy gingers to emerge from dormancy? Cold hardy gingers are members of the true ginger family, Zingerberaceae, and overwinter as dormant rhizomes when grown in temperate climates like ours. They can have a very long dormant period. What follows is the timeline we have experienced this year in our Portland, Oregon area

More About Public Gardens

2010-08-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Kalmiopsis leachiana I recently wrote about the closing of the Berry Botanic Garden but there are many other public gardens in our area that you can visit. The Leach Botanical Garden has partnered with Portland Parks & Recreation and is supported by Leach Garden Friends who put on the annual spring plant sale where we participate as vendors. Plantswoman Lila Leach created this garden and

Support Your Local Botanical Garden

2010-08-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

Plant lovers from around the Pacific Northwest are making their last visits to the Berry Botanic Garden, a public garden in SW Portland. A casualty of tough economic times, the garden will close permanently on October 1st and the property will be sold. The garden’s mission will live on with a conservation and seedbank endowment to Portland State University. Read more on

Succulents in the Garden

2010-08-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Succulents are one of the highlights in our mid-summer garden. We feature sedum species at dry garden edges where they thrive and put on a pretty flowering display. Pollinators such as honey bees and tiny native bees are attracted to the flowers and growing succulents helps maintain this important group. Sedum ellacombianum is a particular favorite. It is extremely cold hardy as well as

Nepal Lily

2010-07-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

One of the new plants we are growing this year is the rare and spectacular Nepal Lily, Lilium nepalense. I recently had to leave the nursery for several days and was reluctant to go because the lilies were budding up and almost in bloom. The Nepal Lily has large funnel shaped flowers that are lime green with a prominent burgundy center. The petals (technically tepals) are reflexed and

Plant Sale in Salem This Weekend

2010-07-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Stop in and see us at the Salem Art Fair and Festival this weekend at Bush Pasture Park. The Plant Sale is located at the Bush Street Entrance behind the Bush Barn Art Center. The sale is a benefit for the restoration of the Bush House Conservatory. Hours are 10 am to 7 pm Friday & Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm Sunday. The weather forecast is great!

Class Reminder - Sunday July 11

2010-07-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

The 'Create an Alpine Container Garden' class will be held this Sunday July 11th at 1 pm at Wild Ginger Farm. You can read more about it on our website. Space is limited so be sure to contact us if you would like to attend. The class area is shaded and cold drinks will be available to help keep you cool. Hope to see you there!

28 Plants Added This Week

2010-06-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

This was a big week for plant additions to our online mail order catalog. We also had to remove a number of plants from the catalog that are too big to ship and are available only at the nursery during the summer months. New Plant Additions: Allium spirale, Corkscrew Allium, is a compact perennial with twisting leaves and pink flower clusters. Androsace sarmentosa, Rock Jasmine, has tiny pink,

Roscoe's Hardy Ginger

2010-06-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Roscoeas are among our favorite summer flowering woodland plants. They emerge from dormancy in late spring and flower during the summer months after many other spring flowers have faded. Roscoeas produce colorful orchid-like flowers on leafstalks up to a foot high, making them ideal for the front edge of the garden. Over time some species naturalize and produce drifts of

Saturday Class at WGF - update

2010-06-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

A large and enthusiastic group turned out today for our class "Create a Rock Garden". It was a diverse group that included both experienced and novice rock gardeners, some with small garden spaces and others with large expanses to fill. The goal of this 'kitchen sink' class was to provide an overview of how to plan, build, plant and care for a rock garden. It was a lot to cover and we hope

Saturday Class at WGF

2010-06-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Join us this Saturday at 1 pm for a class on Creating a Rock Garden featured as the Pick of the Week in this week's edition of The Oregonian Home & Garden Calendar. The class will be a practical how-to session with demonstrations and displays of materials. Plan to attend rain or shine! Call 503-632-2338 for more info.

New Plant Additions

2010-06-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

One of the ways we want to use this blog is to keep you informed of new plants as they become available at the nursery and in our mail order catalog. Recent Mail Order Additions Acaena saccaticupula - Blue Goose Leaf Creeping groundcover with blue-gray foliage from New Zealand Lesquerella arizonica - Arizona Bladderpod Small, dryland cushion plant with gray foliage and lemon yellow flowers A

The Welsh Poppy

2010-06-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Subtitle: A Tale of Two Poppies The Welsh Poppy (Meconopsis cambrica) is another popular garden plant but it is unlike the challenging Himalayan Blue Poppy of the previous posting. While both belong to the same genus, Meconopsis, the Welsh Poppy is much easier to grow. It is an easy to please sun lover that produces an abundance of bright yellow flowers over a long period. There are also

Himalayan Blue Poppy

2010-06-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

The Himalayan Blue Poppy is one of those plants that inspires major plant lust in many gardeners. It's true blue color and large majestic flowers make it a true stand out in the garden. Although it is considered one of the most beautiful of garden plants, it can also be one of the most challenging to grow successfully. By learning about its native habitat, you can improve your odds of success.

Announcing Wild Ginger Farm News Blog

2010-06-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome Friends! Are you tired of having important emails end up in your junk folder? We sure are. Experts estimate that only 40-50% of email messages sent by business like ours are successfully delivered into our customer's in-boxes. For those of you who have subscribed to our newsletter and never seen one, we apologize. We are making use of the latest technology to put you back in control