16 June: a bayside garden interlude

Monday, 16 June 2014

I am so tired of months of insomnia that I had suggested sleeping in if it were possible.  It would have been a perfect morning for that, with a heavy rain falling and delighting me that watering worries were again postponed.  Yet again I woke after six hours of sleep and felt so deeply that I need more…and could not get it.

The rain stopped and when I looked out the back door, I saw in Nora’s yard the resident deer.

She sees me…

and calmly goes back to chewing her cud.

I wonder if she has any babies this year; last year, she had two and it was a treat to see them romping on Nora’s back lawn.

I could not figure out what in the world to do for work; my brain was low functioning and I needed a task to replace the Long Beach watering that I had expected to need to do.  Allan suggested the parking lot berms in Long Beach, pointing out that they are on the drastically shortened work list.

The “scree” garden is a project for me, not even for a job.

The list is deceptively short because even if we could find the time, the beach approach weeding usually takes about 70 hours.

So to the Long Beach parking lot berms we went.

(We checked Cheri’s garden in Ilwaco first; it looks like she is keeping up on the weeding so well that it did not need our attention.)

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Long Beach

The berms are not truly berms as they are not raised.  There are three long narrow strip gardens in the parking lots to the east of downtown.  We had no time to weed them earlier this spring; usually, we get an initial weeding done well before this.

The north berm, and evidence of last night’s glorious, labour-saving rain.

The three berms were a terrible mess.

Just as we got started, a heavy rain arrived; we sat it out in the van.

Contemplating the weeds through raindrops; I had gotten out the heavy pick because the weeds were so tight in the ground.

It seemed the rain would not stop; we contemplated going home.  Then there came a weak glow of sun, and a patch of blue that proved to be more than just a sucker hole.

Stipa gigantea (my favourite ornamental grass) against a brightening sky.

A situation was brewing, though.  Garden Tour Nancy had emailed me that she was doing a pre-tour visit of Stephen and John’s garden at 2 PM.  I had emailed right back that I would love to go, and had texted a bit later saying where I was…just in case.  No response came for over an hour (and I kept checking) so I had given up on escaping the truly miserable weeding job.  I LIKE most of the weeding that we do, but the hardpacked soil and toughly enmeshed roots did not make for happy work.

And then she emailed me back!  And rescue was at hand.  Allan felt like staying on the job; I appreciated the dedication.

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Bayside Garden in early June

Stephen, John, Nancy and I strolled throughout the entire garden, giving many shrubs and trees our proper admiration.

the three rhodos by the front door, with their soft indumentum

We’ll admire this maple from another angle later.

the tidy veg garden on the north side of the house

Anchoring the corner of the veg garden: Ulmus x hollandica ‘Wredei’

The last time we visited the garden, Pam Fleming of Back Alley Gardens gave the Chameacyparis (below, middle, behind the golden barberry) a big hug and it acquired the nickname Teddy Bear.  Now, Stephen and John think they have it properly identified.

Chamaecyparis pisifera plumosa compressa?  Possibly Aurea?

This garden is going to thrill all CPNs (certified plant nuts) on tour day.

white peony

with bee-ony

I covet this Pittosporum ‘Tasman Ruffles.’

I told Stephen and John that my Pittosporum had died last winter.  I suddenly realize that it was a variegated one that died and that I think I have another one out there…maybe a ruffled one!  If it were not dark…hmm, where is the flashlight?  No, I must finish this blog entry.

Their garden is so huge that is is possible to keep much better track of the specimen plants, as each has plenty of space to shine.

My memory fails me here.

Fallen blossoms from a Kalmia

a shady glen with youngsters

They had recently acquired an attractive bench by finding it under a tarp (I think) at The Planter Box.

Now making a wonderful shady sit spot.

Osmanthus ‘Jim Porter’, I believe.

The garden abounds in natural, mossy vignettes like this one.

Nancy exploring the garden, an Osmanthus in the foreground

It does not help my memory when iPhone notes corrects Osmanthus fastigiata to “fasting cats”.

Styrax japonicus ‘Momo shidare’
Weeping Pink Japanese Snowbell

intricacy

Hydrangea ‘Dan Hinkley’; must acquire for my garden.

Stephen and John say that Dan droops when thirsty.  He would like my garden with its high water table.

Far from the house (with the Barclay house to the left), I admire the sculptural Escallonia against the flowing meadow.

The beds by the pond have been mulched since our last visit.

same beds, April 21

and June 16

Another newly mulched bed with yellow Genista tones beautifully with the meadow.

Below is the newest bed.  Stephen and John refer to it as their last bed.  I don’t believe that for a moment.

the hourglass bed, just made

I forgot to show you how the sod from this bed has been neatly added to make a curving lawn edge in one of the woodland glades.

another Kalmia: such precise flowers

My former partner Robert told me that as a child, he played among groves of wild kalmia along the Susquehanna River near Philadelphia.

Up by the house: ingredients for the hourglass and other areas

Hydrangea preziosa with its dark red stems

Near the front door…makes me think of lace…

and it is…Chamaecyparis ‘Sunlight Lace’, a perfect name

After our long garden stroll, we sat in the kitchen for awhile discussing garden tour details.  The view from the north window has certainly changed since our last visit.

April 21

June 16

Here is the view from inside the front door of the Japanese maple, which goes gloriously red in autumn.

My escape from work must end…One last photo just by the front door as we depart.

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Long Beach

Back at the Long Beach berms, Allan had made much progress, and the second half proved much easier to weed with softer, damp soil.

Allan’s before and after photos:

before

what an improvement!

evening light with Rosa glauca and Stipa gigantea

Unfortunately, I can’t erase “berms” from the work list, because there are still two more to do.

The middle one is mostly grass and can just be hit with a strimmer; the south one needs a weeding day.

I so wish I had time to do them all this week.  It’s a short week because of our garden trip.  I am such a stick in the mud that tonight I would rather stay home and weed (although, since I am blogging several days behind, by the time you read this I will have been happily touring gardens, while I hope our housesitter is happily enjoying ours!)

Just east across the street from the “berm” we weeded is a little lost house and lost garden.

We did one more little project that I remembered on the way to the city works yard to dump the last (second load!) of weeds.

The tiny garden bed at Washington and Bolstadt was quite a disaster.

better now

And…home by eight, with Allan, I am sure, much more worn out than I was.