Extension Service

February 2010 (vol. 9, no. 2)

Back Issues: January 2010 | December 2009

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Oregon rain garden guide available
Northwest homeowners can learn how to build rain gardens and redesign home landscapes to help protect rivers and streams.

Now is the time to plant native Oregon shrubs
February is a good time to purchase shrubs native to Oregon because many local nurseries and Soil and Water Conservation Service offices are having sales.

How to sprout seedlings to life indoors
It's easy to start seeds on a sunny windowsill or in a dark, dingy basement under a row of lights.

How to grow artichokes
Western Oregon’s climate is mild enough to grow these edible thistles as perennials.

How to save trees during construction
The guide provides best management practices developed and recommended by professional arborists, urban and community foresters and landscape architects.

Flowering plants make colorful winters
To enhance winter months, OSU Extension horticulturist Linda McMahan suggests planting less-common trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants for all eye levels of the garden.

Asparagus rewards patience
Asparagus is a hardy perennial and should be planted as soon as the soil can be prepared in the spring.

Campaign promotes healthy Latino beverages
The theme is “To live happy is to drink healthy” (“Vivir alegre es beber saludable”).

Water hits and sticks: Findings challenge assumptions about soil hydrology
Scientists from OSU and the EPA have found that soil clings tenaciously to the first precipitation after a dry summer and holds it so tightly that it almost never mixes with other water.

Things to do in your garden this month.

Gardening tips from OSU Extension's radio archive. Turn on your speakers and visit the links below:

Soil thermometers

Peas — best varieties for Oregon