Vance the Garden Guru

07/02/2026

Today, I did my annual drive around the hilly farmlands around Silverton in search of flowers grown for seed production. Very colorful, very cool!

06/13/2026

I stopped by Pedersen's this week to pick up 15 of their Ambassador Begonias that were on sale. (also known as Waxleaf or Fibrous Begonias) They were a bit stretchy being tight blocked in their flats too long. I didnt feel that was a problem. I simply cut cut them back to 2 to 3 inches high. In a couple of weeks, they will start growing back nicely. They easily sprout new shoots from their bases. Waxleaf Begonias are so versatile. They grow in both sun and shade. I love using them.

06/13/2026

I have lived 2 miles away from North Lancaster Kaizer Permanente for 35 years. You would think during all this time I would have seen their beautiful patches of Orange Daylilies. Today was the day i stopped there to take them all in. What a spectacular show! If you want to see them for yourself in full bloom, now is the time to go.

Botanical name: Hemerocallis fulva

Location: 2400 Lancaster Drive NE

06/09/2026

04/10/2026

Yesterday, I went on a drive to Tigard to see Hillery at Gardener's Choice Nursery. She used to be a wholesale driver at Egan Gardens. It sure was nice seeing and talking with her again.

While i was there. I explored this nursery in depth and discovered they had more than just plants. A huge building (formally a furniture store) located beyond their main sales building, offers one of the biggest garden center gift shops around. Surrounding the building on the outside, they displayed a huge collection of glazed and other types of pottery. I figure there were more pots there than any other nursery i have visited. . If you need a decorative pot, this definitely is the place to go.

Gardener's Choice Nursery
14240 SW Pacific Highway (99W) Tigard

04/10/2026

04/10/2026

After a 3.5 mile walk at Willamette Mission Park, I drove over to Bauman Farms to check out the 2026 GardenPalooza. It has been many years since I last attended. The event appears to much bigger than I remember. Due to my poor eyesight, I really didn't enjoy it very much and left after only a half hour. For people with better eyesight, the GardenPaloiza would be a great place to explore to find treasures for the garden.
The GardenPalooza runs today and Saturday

04/05/2026

04/03/2026

Question? Where is everyone getting their Zinnias since Egan Gardens Closed? I have a friend looking for a nursery that stocks a good selection of 4" plants.

04/03/2026

My wife and I went nursery hopping today. We visited Wavra Farms/Nursery, Fesslers Nursery, N&M Nursery and S&K Nursery.

I actually visited Wavra Nursery by myself on Wednesday to get Violas for my Church's planters. Today, I went back with my wife so she could get her Tomato starts.

At N&M in Hubbard, i picked up a bucket of Proven Winner's Water Soluble Fertilizer. Ellen got me hooked on that product and this nursery is the only one I have seen so far that carries it. If you like Proven Winner's Time released, they have it, too.

Since we weren't ready for Geraniums, we held off buying from Fesslers (Gervais) today. If you like Zonal Geraniums, this nursery grows them big and beautiful. Since we can't have Egan grown Geraniums anymore, Fesslers does a great job growing them, too. We will come back in a few weeks to get our Gerniums.

At S&K (Woodburn), we picked up a few odds and ends and I went around checking out my old wooden display tables that I built for Egan Gardens. (S&K bought them for their nursery after Egans closed down in 2023.)