Thanks for joining the last Garden Walk for June at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture!

Our guest speaker was Charlotte Epps with the Intercultural Learning Garden or ILC. Charlotte shared the backstory on the garden and successes from their first year. Can’t wait to see how the sweetpotato trial turns out and to watch this student-run garden grow.

We finished up the garden walk with a few plant problems and questions similar to what may come through a Master Gardener plant clinic.

First up was aphids on lupine. Two biocontrols were present (lady beetles and parasitic wasps-check out those cool aphid mummies!) Did you know that there are even parasites of the aphid parasites??? Check out this fact sheet on hyperparasites of aphid parasitic wasps. I’m not sure if these hyperparasites are present in Oregon but will update when I find out.

Next up was a plant ID. This is Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ commonly known as Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick or contorted hazelnut. The genetic twisting of the stems also extends to the leaves giving them an uneven appearance. (The first time I thought this was a plant ‘problem’ not knowing that this was this cultivars normal appearance!)

Then we were wowed by the large, soft leaves and impressive floral display of the catalpa (I think this is Catalpa speciosa, what do you think? What additional pictures and info would you need to determine which Catalpa species this is?).

AND the bee-eating skunk was spotted before we left!