Tuesday, 23 June 2015
We only have two and a bit days to get our work done this week, because of leaving for the Hardy Plant Society Study Weekend on Thursday afternoon. This has been looming over my stick in the mud homebody head for weeks, months even, ever since we registered in February. There will be gardens to tour and speakers to hear and slideshows to savor. Dan Hinkley will be the keynote speaker.
On the way to work, we had a brief mission at Ilwaco City Hall. Allan had spotted a plant that he thought might be a dandelion. It turned out to be a dog daisy. I could not pull it without disturbing a nasturtium so I just clipped it as a quick solution to the way it was messing with my symmetry.
Next, as related in yesterday’s post, we toured Steve and John’s garden, and then we devoted ourselves to work till 8 PM.
Klipsan Beach Cottages
We did but an hour of weeding and grooming.
Mary had learned that the reason her raspberries are not prolific this year is because we did not have a cold enough winter.
Golden Sands Assisted Living
During another brief stop, Allan strimmed the center lawn while I filled the birdbaths and did some light grooming of the four quadrants.
Note: I believe in letting rhododendrons get to, and stay at, their full size. I knew, however, that if I did not prune these, eventually someone else would. And I knew I could do a better job.
I still hope for greater effect from this garden than I manage to create…
Andersen’s RV Park
Anchorage Cottages
The first thing I noticed was something…wrong..with the window boxes. I analyzed and realized that the lotus vines were no longer on the outside edges. Someone had taken them out to paint the windowsills and put them back cattywampus! Allan helped me rearrange them.
I was not entirely content because the four short inserts In two adjacent boxes had gotten switched so much that some of the plants were no longer growing forward. I could not wrap my brain around getting them back just right.
Port of Ilwaco
In the evening, we watered and weeded our way down Howerton Avenue at the port.
I began by watering the Peterson Gallery curbside garden. Bruce and Wendi Peterson are supporters of the watering effort (by providing a hose and water); their gallery is open Saturdays during market season, so please do go visit if you can: 223 Howerton Ave SE, Ilwaco, WA. Tell ’em I sent you.
Allan bucket watered the one garden bed where the only solution is bucketing water or hooking up three hoses to the mayor’s RV park across the street and then having the hoses driven over by passing vehicles. For now, Allan bucket waters it.

Allan thought this Eryngium looked so thirsty that he filled buckets while weeding and watering by the Ilwaco Pavilion and went back for a second round.
This is time consuming and back-challenging and we will only do it for places that do not have a hose nearby.
Just to the east of the Port Office is the Don Nisbett gallery. Don and Jenna have been known to go out and water for us, so do stop in and tell them thank you for making Ilwaco more beautiful!
I moved on west to water the Port Office and the Time Enough Books garden. Karla of Time Enough provides us with a hose and water, which we so appreciate, as the port office hose only reaches one end of her curbside garden…so do stop in and buy a book, greeting card, or just pet the sweet shop dog, Scout.
Julez and Laila, the civic minded owners of the soon-to-open Salt Hotel, are letting us use their water to care for not only the curbside garden in front of their building but also the one in front of the vacant building to their west. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts and will do everything we can to promote their business venture.

They are already offering surfing lessons, having moved the surf shop down from its previous location in Seaview. (Photo from last Saturday)

The garden was so dry from last week’s watering fiasco and much appreciated some moisture.
Regarding last week’s difficult day, reader William Duchie made this encouraging comment on the blog re-post on our Facebook page: “A wonderful ministry for the soul of the lower peninsula and its people. Rejoice in it!” I like that. I thought at first that a ministry should be free, then remembered that church ministers get paid, so…yes.
Salt owner Julez’ dog had made an escape…