6 August: Long Beach planters

Wednesday, 6 August 2014

First, a project in our garden:

Allan dug out the old white rose that I had clipped yesterday evening.

all dug out! (we hope)

I think this is a pink phlox of some sort, deer resistant (or so I have found in unfenced garden)

a stunning rose; this winter I am going to figure out which roses I have by looking at old order lists.

Our workday began, as it does every three days or so, with the compost bucket switch at Olde Towne Café just north of the Ilwaco stoplight. Luanne had moved the couch and coffee table and I think the new arrangement looks ideal for introverts. We had no time to linger there as much work had to be done.

I would like this spot better than when the couch faced the room.

Before we could really get to work, we ran the load of rose canes and roots over to the dump; it was too mean and not something we wanted to inflict on the debris pile at Peninsula Landscape Supply. Then….

Long Beach

Watering the planters takes longer now because of a lot of deadheading. Some of the painted sage is just a tad past its prime:

Painted sage comes in pink, white, and blue. The colour comes from bracts; the flowers a tiny white things.

Some stems are almost done flowering.

So I cut those stems down to a junction with two small flower buds for a less spectacular later bloom.

cute pots outside The Wooden Horse gift shop

I can see these paintings somewhere on my house…

While I watered, a Summerfest musician entertained me (and all passersby); he was good.

I got a little teary when he sang Mr. Bojangles as it reminds me of my ex “who drinks a bit” but has many talents. And since I am publishing two weeks behind because of garden tour posts, I can add that ever since that day, these lines have made me misty eyed daily: “He spoke through tears of fifteen years how his dog and him traveled about. The dog up and died, up and died, and after twenty years he still grieves.” I read up a little bit about the song, Jerry Jeff Walker actually did meet an old man by that name in a jail cell. When the man told the story about his dog, the mood became so heavy that the cellmates ask the old man to dance.

planter, re-done this year (reclaimed from Crocosmia ‘Lucifer), by Campiche Gallery

a good planter by Paws by the Sea

The planter above is a challenge as a former volunteer planted full sized shrubs: two Escallonia ‘Pink Princess’ and a ‘Rosy Glow’ barberry. Cutting them to the “ground” every year seems to work although that leads to an awkward ugly stage for awhile in springtime.

Also a would-be enormous golden Euonymous…sigh…

planter in front of Home at the Beach with nasturtium and Salvia patens

Fuchsia in planter by Wind World Kites (Allan’s photo); the kite guy likes the Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ so it stays in this one.

Meanwhile, Allan watered the trees and turned on the soaker hoses on the Sid Snyder Drive planters, where he fixed a major leak.

No wonder this planter was not doing well!

fixed

I much prefer the hand watering on the main street to these soaker hoses and wish Sid Snyder had quick connect faucet fittings. Soaker hoses never do get the planters evenly moist. I also think it is good to be able to spray the salt and dust off of the plants.

While watering the street trees and the planters on the northernmost block, Allan saw our old dark green two door Saturn; can you believe we worked for eight or nine years out of that little tiny thing??

It is so small I always felt I was going to be squashed like a bug!

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I felt just…happy all day long. This happens fairly often with right livelihood.

home

In the evening, I weeded all down the west side fence, or most of it till I ran out of steam, and Allan dug out a sad Darmera peltata. On a roll in the home garden, I intend to get a yard of Soil Energy to fill in where that rose came out and will have enough for a few other spots as well.

sad, sad Darmera in a spot that was too dry. (It started itself there.)

the former rose spot empty and waiting

and some white lilies just coming on