Thursday, 16 April 2015
I overslept, on a day when we had much to do.
On the way out of town, I looked in passing at the community building garden, which I had recklessly agreed yesterday that we would take on. Oh my gosh, it was weedy. I felt a great sense of doom as I would rather spend the time on my own garden. I brooded about it for some time, and after awhile Allan said that it was his idea that he might go weed it himself sometime soon when I am weeding my own garden. That would be wonderfully noble. (He can have ALL the wages!) Unlike me, he does not have an aversion to heather planted on level ground…or the dry scritchy scratchiness of weeding horsetail and bindweed around heather planted on level ground…If heather was nicely transplantable, which it is NOT, I would move it to the part of the garden that slopes and then it would look like wonderful Scottish moors in miniature.
The Depot Restaurant
At our first job, which was supposed to be just deadheading, I suddenly could not resist a project.
I did not take a before photo of digging loads of schizostylis out of an area where I want to plant annuals. I love schizostylis but sometimes it is a good plant gone bad. Dan Hinkley said that it tends to be more of a runner when it is seeking water, because in its native South Africa, it grows on damp riverbanks. (Three days later, we dined at the Depot and I learned that the restaurant is going to be painted soon. I won’t be planting cosmos in this garden bed till AFTER that happens, and must remember to put stake tripods over the alliums and nicotiana.)
The Basket Case Greenhouse
Fred had made a trip inland to bring back some shrubs, especially Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’, a great vertical green almost deer-proof accent plant that is hard to find for sale around here.
It was difficult to take photos for the Facebook page because of bright sunlight. He’d brought back some very cool plants, including ‘Pink Lemonade’ blueberry, Lonicera fragrantissima, ‘Orange Rocket’ barberry, Sarcococca, and more. And a ‘Shasta’ doublefile viburnum. The one in the yard just north of the Basket Case looked like this today:
Just as I was perusing the availability list for the next order, and Allan was loading the van with all but five of the Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’, who should show up but Todd. While we were on our way north, he was on his way south. Of course, the availability list was of interest to him, as it would be to any CPN (Certified Plant Nut).
Pondering this as I write, I just realized this is a Plant Delights catalog cover, where up until recently Todd worked as display garden curator. I am a bit slow on the uptake sometimes.
A great deal of time seemed to pass (the availability list is long) before we all went off to get back to work.
Golden Sands Assisted Living
Allan and I managed to make a very short stop at the Golden Sands garden where I planted four dahlias and pulled a very few weeds.
Klipsan Beach Cottages
At KBC, I offered Mary a couple of Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’. She liked the idea so much that Allan ended up clearing space and planting four of them. I knew Mary would like them because she is fond of a formal look. What got removed was mostly elephant garlic and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’. I told Mary and Denny that I felt silly because last year I made a fuss when Denny pulled a lot of the elephant garlic (when it was in bloom and adding interest!) and now there is just as much if not more than last year.
Next week we will have time to thin plants out behind the Ilex so it shows better. Meanwhile, Denny and his helper Lewis had been installing new lattice under the house deck. I like it much better than the previous criss cross diagonal pattern.
I felt compelled, after KBC, to go back to the Basket Case and get the five Sky Pencils that I had left behind. What if I run out when I start to decide where I want to add more of them to my garden? Then we went on to the last job of the day, arriving at just before 5 PM.
Andersen’s RV Park
Allan did a weeding session on the garden shed garden while I walked all around and deadheaded narcissi and did some weeding in other areas.
The Cove Restaurant
By seven, we were at The Cove for our Thursday tradition.
The tables were full so we sat at the bar and we were able to see Chef Jason Lancaster working hard in the kitchen.
home
We got home just after dusk and as I got out of the van I exclaimed that my Davidia involucrata ‘Sonoma’ is blooming!
I should creep into my old garden to see if the one I planted there fifteen years ago (NOT ‘Sonoma’ so might take ten years to bloom) has flowered. It never did while I lived there.
Tomorrow, we have to check on the Ilwaco planters for little weeds, get the Anchorage Cottages garden attended to and then make Long Beach as perfect as possible for Saturday’s Clam Festival.
Some good tulips in there.
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Thank you for the wonderful pics Love seeing what you do and how much you are so dedicated. We bought a house here in Alabama and have so many gardens we can not take care of them. But let me say Skyler you taught me much and my grand daughter wants to help me . So I show her what needs to be done and she says thank you gramma. I love this so much. OH yeah we do not use monsanto LOL she is learing how to do organic and monsanto free.
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That is awesome. How old is she? My best memories are of being in my grandma’s garden.
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