Fall Harvest Festival Starts THIS Weekend!
Our 2009 Hay Maze!
Don’t miss out on one of the most anticipated events of the season, our Fall Harvest Festival, September 26 – October 31! If you haven’t visited us during the Fall you have to see our infamous Pigtucky Derby. Your family will “squeal” with delight watching our fast-paced pack of pigs race to the finish in hot pursuit of an Oreo Cookie!” Farmer John and Farmer Eric will also be part of the show entertaining you with their silly jokes and quirky antics.
The hay maze is a must see attraction. The maze is constructed of 3000 hay bales and is fashioned after a big red barn. The best part is running around in circles racing your family to see who can make it out first. Other family friendly activities include: picking pumpkins, two-acre corn maze, hayrides, 30-foot hay slide, obstacle course, animal barn, new indoor hay maze, apple slingshot and much more!
OUR NEW DONUT MACHINE
The bakery, which is open year round, sells about every pumpkin-infused item you can imagine – pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and pumpkin scones. New to the bakery this year is a donut machine that will be cranking out Apple Cider Donuts all month long! The festival also has a variety of food and beverage options that appeal to many different tastes and needs. From pulled pork sandwiches and sausage dogs to specialized kiosks selling ice cream, hot apple cider and caramel dipped apples, you are sure to find something to tempt your appetite.
We also have a convenient retail area for guests making last-minute purchases on their way home. You will find fresh squeezed non-pasteurized apple cider, hand-picked super sweet corn, apples, gourds, corn stalks, hay bales, jams, syrups or even a freshly baked pie to take home.
Admission is only $6 Tuesday – Friday (for adults, children & seniors), $8 on Saturday and Sunday, or only $30 for a family pass (includes admission for 4), and $5 for Dogs, on a four foot leash. Children 2 and under are free. French Prairie Gardens will be open Tuesday – Saturday 9am – 6 pm, and Sunday 10am – 5pm, closed Monday.
Peaches Falling off the Trees at French Prairie Gardens!
Grower Eric Pohlschneider with a fresh box of peaches!
French Prairie Gardens has an amazing Peach Crop for the 2009 season! With many varieties you are bound to find your favorite peach! We are offering 10 lb. boxes at $15.99, and 22 lb. boxes at $29.99, at values like this you can’t miss out! We are now taking orders for boxes, or better yet just stop buy and pick one up! These peaches are ripened on the tree, picked fresh, and hand inspected to get quality that you won’t find at your local grocery store. Straight from the grower to you, we take pride in offering quality local produce. To make your order call 503.633.8445 or e-mail info@fpgardens.com.
Fresh Local Produce is Here!!!
Fresh Local Strawberries grown right at French Prairie Gardens!
Fresh Local produce season has arrived! Our Farm Fresh Strawberries are now in! With over 10 different varieties to chose from you can’t beat the flavor of Oregon Strawberries! We are currently picking our Honeyeye variety which are very sweet and are larger, firm berry. They are picked fresh every morning and there are always plenty of flats to choose from. Our current prices are $2.99 for a pint, $7.99 for a Quart and a half, $13.99 for a half flat, and $23.99 for a full flat.
There are many benefits to buying local some include:
It’s fresh. Buying local food means there is less time between when your food was harvested and when it gets to your table. Today, food often travels an average of 1,500 miles before it reaches your dinner plate.
Farm Fresh Shell Peas picked straight off the bush!
It’s better for the environment. Local foods require less packaging and travel less distances, saving on waste and pollution.
It’s better for you. Local foods are more nutritious: food loses vitamins and minerals as it ages.
It supports local economy. Buying from local farmers supports businesses in your community, aiding the overall local economy.
It creates access to food experts. Buying local food creates the opportunity for you to build a relationship with your food supplier, learning about what we know best—fresh fruits & vegetables!
Also in season right now you will find Shell (English) Peas, Sugar Snap Peas (Edible Pod), Spinach, & Walla Walla Sweet Onions.
12 Inch Basket Blow-Out Sale!!!
A Beautiful View of our 12 inch Hanging Baskets in our Show House!
Have you been a procrastinator, been too busy, or just simply haven’t gotten around to getting your hanging baskets yet, well you’re in luck! Starting this Saturday May 3oth we are running a sale on our 12 inch hanging baskets. Our Double Impatiens, Fuchsias, Million Bells or Petunia Baskets are two for $40.00, that’s almost a $10.00 savings. If you are looking for something with a little more color, personality and some neighbor envy then our 12 inch mixed sun and shade baskets are just what you are looking for! When you BUY FOUR 12 Inch Small Mixed Hanging Baskets you get ONE FREE. That’s a savings of $32.99!!
If you have plenty of hanging baskets but are in need of some color in front of your house then you are in luck as well. We are running a sale on our 5 1/2 inch Zonal Geraniums. Buy 9 and get 3 FREE, that’s a savings of almost $15.00. If you are looking for a plant that comes back year after year then our perennial sale is for you. Buy 5 perennials and get 1 FREE or Buy 8 and get 3 FREE, you could save up to almost $33.00.
Do you have limited space or no space to plant things in your yard? We have a large selection of ceramic pottery that would look great on your deck or patio. Our ceramic pottery is 20% off the original price.
As always if you are looking for a fun outing French Prairie Gardens is just the place. Come and stroll through the flowers, visit the farm animals, enjoy a fresh baked good from our scratch bakery, an ice cream cone or fruit shake or try our newest addition by purchasing a hot or cold espresso drink. We have plenty of places for you to sit down and enjoy the calmness and beauty of the county.
The Garden is Planted and Growing all we need is some Sunshine!!!
Meet another one of our Owners and our Grower, Eric Pohlschneider!
What a spring this year has been! I got a jump on spring planting by sneaking in my first planting of peas in late February during the one day of sunshine and thought I was off to a good start to the season. The joys of trying to be a vegetable grower in Oregon, Mother Nature sure has a mind of her own. Luckily the weather has been good enough to get all of my vegetable starts and new strawberries in the ground. It’s been a long season, onion sets, spinach and salad greens were planted in March and early April, along with a lot of winter pruning on the apple and peach trees. Some days were a little wet and muddy but everything got planted! All we need is some long days of sunny weather to speed things along. There are tons of green strawberries out in the fields as well as some pea pods on the pea plants. Unfortunately nothing is ready to be harvested but I am keeping my fingers crossed that the sun is going to return and we will have locally grown produce before we know it.
At this time I am anticipating strawberries and peas should be ready in about two weeks. Hopefully it will be earlier than that but at this point it is up to Mother Nature to ripen them up! I will be sure to post an announcement when are first crop of produce is ready. It is hard but try to be patient locally grown Oregon produce is worth the wait!
Our NEW Greenhouse Expansion & Tips for Container Planting!
As the sun is shining through my office window I am so excited for Spring! Even though it is technically Spring, it is exciting to me for Spring be here to stay.
One of our first obstacles...putting the hoops on our new greenhouse!
One thing that we are even more excited about here at French Prairie Gardens is our new Greenhouse Expansion. We have now doubled our retail selling space! This means we are going are able to properly space out our plants and carry more of those flowering annuals and perennials that you, our customers love!
After almost a winter’s filled of work our construction is finally done! In our new expansion we have created a special ‘cafe’ area where we have re-located our wine tasting area. Our ‘cafe’ area will also be a place for classes & seminars and an area for you to enjoy baked goods fresh from our bakery!
This weekend we will be trying out our new ‘cafe’ area by providing Wine Samplings of many local Wineries & Vineyards wines along with a Create-Your-Own Container or Basket Seminar.
Our Seminar will include many tips from the growers (us) on how to put together the perfect planter or basket. This seminar will take place throughout the day on both Saturday, April 18th & Sunday, April 19th. Our Saturday hours will be from 10am to 4pm, and Sunday we will be open from 11am to 4pm.
A few tips to get you to start thinking about Creating that Perfect Container are:
Come Create your own Container or Hanging Basket!
1. Be sure to use good potting mix when creating the perfect container. We have privately packaged the potting soil blend that we use in our hanging baskets and have it on sale in our Garden Center.
2. Select a few different types of plants. For example look at differences in leaf textures or variegation that are on the flower petals themselves. Choose plants that are interesting but also appeal to your own color preferences.
3. Use odd numbers when planting, also a great tip when planting beds of either annuals or perennials. Select 3 or 5 if using a large pot.
4. Plant a Tall Geranium, flax or grasses in the center to pull height into the container creating a better visual interest.
5. Place your trailing plants on the outside planting across from each other on opposite sides of the container. Don’t be afraid to plant extra plants to make your container look full at the beginning of the season. You can always take them out and plant them into another container!
6. Be sure to remember to water and fertilize your plant after planting so that it can get a great start on blooming all through the season. We suggest using a water soluble 20-20-20 which we have found is hard to locate, but no fear we have 20-20-20 available in our Garden Center.
Meet another one of our Owners Stacy Pohlschneider!
These are just a few tips to get you started. Feel free to stop by this weekend to get extra pointers on creating that perfect container. We look forward to seeing you soon at our Garden Center!
Happy Planting!
Stacy Pohlschneider
French Prairie Gardens
April is a Great Time to Plant Perennials!!!
The prospects of a sunny, warm early April weekend excites me. There are so many things to do in my garden and the weather is finally cooperating. Basic yard clean-up is usually the first thing I tackle but my husband Albert already cleaned things up during his vacation last week. So that means I get to do the stuff I really love to do like move around plants and plant perennials. April is the perfect time to plant perennials. Most perennials are hardy and can take cold nights if we get the unexpected snow storm like last April. Perennials are also coming out of their dormant period and are producing a ton of new growth that is healthy and lush and when you put them into your garden it really helps your landscape come alive.
Here are a few tips to make your planting experience a little easier:
Meet our Landscape Designer & Owner Katey Meza!
- First if you haven’t done basic spring cleanup you need to do that first. A little weeding, basic pruning and observation goes a long way. Once you see what is growing you know what survived our crazy winter and what didn’t. You can also see how big some of your plants have gotten and notice if there are some holes. Take note of these areas, as it might be a good place for some perennials.
- Secondly remember to plant in odd numbers and consider incorporating a few masses of plants (5, 7, 9 or 11). This will provide visual interest to the area, really drawing or guiding your eye. Make sure you don’t guide it to an area that is not pleasing.
- Lastly don’t be afraid to ask for advice. A new pair of eyes is sometimes very helpful.
I hope everyone takes the opportunity to get out into their garden this weekend. Once you know what your garden is lacking come visit us, we have a large selection of perennials that would look great in your garden and they are on SALE!
Katey Meza
French Prairie Gardens
Landscape Designer/Owner
Our Spring Hanging Baskets are Blooming!
Come see our large Variety of Beautiful Hanging Baskets for a Unique Country Experience!
Come visit French Prairie Gardens where we have Everything you need to Accessorize your Outdoor Living Space. With our new Greenhouse Expansion coming close to being completed we will be doubling our greenhouse show space! It has been a slow Spring, so the hanging baskets are a little smaller than usual. Not to fear, they are growing quickly and will be ready around the middle of April!
We have some exciting new combinations this year, including some amazing new plants! Ranging from Citrus Trees to Flowering Perennials & Flowering Annuals. Some of the new plants include: Bleeding Hearts, Citrus Supertunia®, Lilac Mist Superbells®, Bellfire & Bonfire Trailing Begonias, Lemon, Orange & Lime Citrus Trees & many more to choose from!
Come see us soon to pick out your favorite hanging basket or perennials! Right now we are running a sale on all 1 Gallon Perennials. Buy 4 Gallon Perennials at $10 .99 get 1 Free or Buy 8 Gallon Perennials and get 3 Free!
