We are very excited to be asked to take our lilies into Anka gallery in downtown Portland. This is a wonderful invitation to showcase our lilies.
We took them in last night and Thursday will be the opening for their show. If your wondering what the flower pictured is...Its Loretto. This is still blooming in our yard at the farm today as I write this.
Mean While Back @ The Farm

Monday

Today we are highlighting the works of Scott Parry. Scott most recently had his art work in a showing at Anka Gallery in down town Portland.
Scott's work is a wonderful mix of abstracted and sense of humor.
This picture was taken in front of some of his work he had hanging in the gallery. Scott is the gentleman on the right....He is surrounded by is wonderful family..Emma daughter...His loving Wife..Katie...and his supportive dad..Kenn.
We are so proud of him!
Mean While Back @ The Farm

Sunday Morning

Good Morning
I hope you all have your coffee and reading the Sunday paper on the back deck.
It looks as if our summer had finally arrived. You can always tell with us for we have the sunburnt necks and the farmer's tan on the arms.
We had a very successful day at farmer's market. The lily's are just now starting to bloom and boy do they look great.
The one I have pictured here is Pandora's Box. It is one of our best selling Day lily. We take our own pictures for the catalog and the website because we find that a lot of the other lily suppliers colorize their pictures so you are not getting a true idea of what the flower's will look like. It sure makes the flower's look great when they do that...but its not what your really getting. I do love to take my own pictures...
I better get to my day here on the farm...We are having a BBQ tonight with this great weather.
Mean While Back @ The Farm

Friday

Good Morning
We have been very busy harvesting our lily's this year. Our grow bin's are just busting at the seams with
our summer blooms. We are always amazed at how beautiful the blooms are. Each day we go up and check the bins .We find a new one that has bloomed. We feel like little kids at Christmas each time a new color opens up.
We have a garden center we supply our lilies to in McMinnville. He really likes the variety we bring him. He tells us once the lilies start blooming he can't keep them on the shelf.
We bring him the exotic colors...not the box store colors you can find anywhere.
If your wondering what the meaning of box stores is... they are like your Walmart, Fred Meyers, Home depot.
We will be loading the truck and trailer with lilies today so we will be ready for farmer's market.
We get so many question's about how to grow lilies. They are really very easy.
If you have every grown a tulip or daffodil you can grow a lily.
The Day lily is tuber...much like a iris, but not as invasive. The day lily stays in more of clump with the roots. The other lilies...oreinpets, asiatic,oriental and tiger lilies all are a bulb. They will reproduce making what they call a bulblet. This is just a small bulb that will give you another stock next year. You can dig them and and move them in the early spring if you like..or leave them to grow a nice clump of wonderful color.
Mean While Back @ The Farm

June 2010

Good Morning
Well let me get you caught up on what we have been doing since your last visit.
We had a real good selling season for the lily's here on the farm and thru the website.
Many people don't realize that we can ship day lily's year round. We do ship them with some soil and trim them back which cause's no problem for them.
They will not bloom this year if you order them thru the website during the summer, but will do great next summer for you.
Now we are taking our selling season to farmer's market in Hillsboro here in Oregon.
The lily's are blooming later then expected this year from the rain and lack of sun.
Going into farmer's market is a lot of work. On Saturday we rise at 5:00am to get there
by 6:00. we have to get unloaded, we like to take a good variety so that mean we can unload about 100 or more pots of our lily's..set up, we take our tent and racks to set the lily's on..and then be ready by 8:00, when they ring a bell and the official day of selling begins. Then we all hang out until 1:30, they ring another bell and we pack up all the lily's which takes us about an hour and head back to the farm.
We love hearing the compliments on how we have so many unusual and unique lily variety's.
The double bloomer in the picture above is named..Distant Drum this one is new to us this year and I'm very excited to see this bloom.
We have added bird feeders to our items we are selling. The feeder's are made from cedar and the trim is used from the tree's right here on our farm.
We are very excited about this new item and hope to really get this new product off the ground.
We have a couple of them up here on the farm...and I just can't keep them full , they hold up to
8 lb of seed, and the way they are built not much seed hits the ground.
We have a sunny day outside today so I better get to my chores.
Mean while back @ the Farm

Homemade Suet Feeder for Less than Six Dollars!

Using tools you probably already have… here’s a great, inexpensive, home made suet feeder log for our fine feathered friends for less than $6.00!

What you’ll need: one piece of DRY round wood two to three inches in diameter 14 to 16 inches long, one or one and a half inch wood bit, a 3/8 inch drill bit, electric drill, 2 closed eye or open eye hooks (large and long enough so they don’t pull out of the wood), a 24 inch piece of chain or other hanging material (I use decorative chain so the weather won’t deteriate it), 1 small “S” hook, chunky style peanut butter, one commercial type suet feeder cage and cake with hanging chain, 6 branches six to eight inches in length and 3/8 inches in diameter (you can use just about any type but I prefer hardwood such as apple, cherry, birch, etc.), a hammer, a pair of pliers or vise grip.

First, drill your six suet holes one inch deep at a slightly upwards angle (this allows water to run out of the hole) spaced in a scatter manner enough to allow the birds room to maneuver. Then drill the branch holes about one or two inches below the suet hole at a slightly upwards angle. Be sure to remove all wood chips from each hole.

Next, place the hanging hooks into the center of your wood log, top and bottom. Then, attach the “S” hook at one end of the chain, closing the end of the hook over the chain with a hammer, pair of pliers, or vise grip.

You are almost ready to hang your suet feeder. But first, using a spoon fill the large holes in the log with chunky peanut butter (the holes will take two to three spoonfuls to fill). Next, place your six to eight inch long branches in the holes below the suet hole. Do not glue them in place because you will want to remove the branches when you refill the larger holes! Much easier!

Now you are ready to hang the suet feeder log! Loop the chain over a strong branch on a tree (the feeder should hang down about head high or higher to allow room for the commercial suet feeder) and feed the “S” hook into the chain. Place the suet cake into the commercial suet feeder cage then attach to the bottom hook (adjusting the height with its’ supplied chain, if necessary). WALA!

It took me less than an hour to make and place this suet feeder! The birds absolutely love it! Enjoy!

Meanwhile, back at the farm…

Fertilizing Woody Plants and Trees

Mid February to early March is the time to feed your woody plans and shrubs: Rhodies, Azaleas, Roses, etc. Any fertilizer with a nitrogen count of less than twelve percent and high potash and phosphorus count along with a five to six percent iron in the blend is what they need. 12-20-20-5, 9-10-16-6, or any commercial Rhododendron food is ok. Don’t be afraid to use this blend on other plants as well such as roses, bulbs (if you know where they are), day lilies, trees of any variety (especially fruit), and more. Do not use more than 12% nitrogen as this will give your plants too much growth. The high mineral count is used to build better blooms, roots, and a healthy, overall plant structure.

Any plant that has a circumference of more than 24 inches, evenly spread one cup of fertilizer around the drip line. Less than 24 inches, use one half cup. If applying your plant food without slow release nitrogen, you will want to feed three times before fall. With slow release, feed once now and again at mid-summer.

Meanwhile, back at the farm…