Phormiums, meh.

Today I was determined to cross at least 3 spring wake-up jobs off my list.  (As far as I am concerned, it is spring as soon as I get out to work.  Winter is November, December and January.)  I’m getting anxious to get enough other jobs done so we can start the dreaded pruning of the 300 hydrangeas.

First, we headed to the nearby Time Enough books at the Ilwaco Harbour Village for a quick clean up of their ornamental grasses. The store IS named after the chilling Twilight Zone episode, the upsetting one where a man finally has time enough to read after some sort of apocalypse, and then his glasses break! I used to run through the scenario in my mind, as a child: If such a horrid thing happened to me, I would go to one optician shop after another till I found a pair of specs that worked.

Time Enough Books

signs of life in the Time Enough boat

Iris reticulata

There were signs of life in the landscape boat which is thickly planted with tulips

and (right) a particularly lovely Iris reticulata in the parking strip garden.

Harper greeted us with her happy face.

Harper at Time Enough Books

Then we were off to chop down more ornamental grasses at the Depot Restaurant (our favourite dining establishment) and Seanest, a vacation cottage.  Might I say I have TOTALLY GONE OFF PHORMIUMS.  They look terrible after our early December freeze, they are too big and poky, and I will never plant one again unless it be in a 3/4 size metal garbage can, where I still think they can look rather striking.

a battered Phormium

a sad Hebe

Not only Phormiums, but Hebes, certain Lavenders, and even Escallonia look dreadful after that bad cold spell we had in December.

This will be my excuse to remove some Phormiums. The Hebes, I grieve for.

Basket Case: one of three houses

We stopped at the Basket Case Greenhouse on Sandridge Road to buy 3 flats of violas for the Long Beach planters. I felt a thrill at the very first plant purchase of the year, and added 4 bright and gaudy primroses to my selection.

Sophie playing Noble Hound

Sophie enjoying the sun

Our dog-niece, the lovely Sophie, was with us for part of the afternoon, basking in the very spring like and not in the least but wintery sunshine.

The afternoon light at Sea Nest set off her coat to perfection.

At the end of the workday (after making two runs to the dump with yard waste, where we are not allowed to put the dreaded Phormium blades with the rest of the yard debris as it snarls up even their huge heavy duty chipper), we went to the Planter Box garden centre for the year’s first purchase of soil amendments: 5 bales of Gardener and Bloom Soil Building Compost for the Anchorage Cottages.  As we dropped the bales off on the way home, I gave the stink eye to two huge Phormiums that are dessicated, hideous, and in the wrong spot: Tomorrow, I have plans for them to meet a dastardly fate.