24 Sept: the last watering?

Thursday, 24 September 2015

Mike’s Garden

At Mike’s garden, just a few blocks east, I was greeted by barking from Sally, who was happy to get a belly scratching through the back deck lattice.  We did a quick session of weeding and clipping in the garden, front and back.

my good friend Sally

Allan addressed the east property line, so overgrown from a vacant lot next door.

before, Allan’s photo

after, Allan’s photo

Mike’s front garden, looking north

front garden with Geranium ‘Rozanne’

On the way out of town, we parked so I could poke a finger into an Ilwaco planter, sure I would find it damp but wanting the certainty.  NOOOOOOOO!   It was SO dry that I realized those planters would need watering in order to be damp enough to take advantage of upcoming rain. Rain water does not soak in well to a dry, densely planted container.

The Depot Restaurant

The Depot garden did not require watering as we have had enough rain for plants in the ground, so all we did was deadhead the prolific cosmos and pull a few weeds.

north side of dining deck

At some point, we will just let the cosmos go to seed, but not yet. Probably not till mid October.

Allan found this license plate in the garden, and one of the logs had been knocked off-kilter, we think hard enough to knock the plate off! But thankfully not hard enough to push the log into the garden.

view looking south from the front of the building.

Plantings by Nancy Aust of the Basket Case Greenhouse are still going strong at the front (north side) of the restaurant.

the entry to the dining deck, with hops; Allan checked it for sneaky bindweed.  (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo. Makes me want a lattice walkway like this. Allan???

Long Beach

We deadheaded the welcome sign, me with a feeling of malaise because after the vandalism? of a couple of weeks ago, many of the flowers are gone.

I guess it’s still good if you don’t know what it COULD be looking like.

WAS cosmos all along the back. At least the lights illuminate the sign better now.

The only way to have the lights really work well to illuminate the sign is to have the plants all be about two inches tall.  Then the cement wall would show.  It is a dilemma.

looks pretty good from the sidewalk as those plants did not get stood upon…or whatever it was that happened during Rod Run.

In Veterans Field, we found a new flagpole had been installed in the corner garden.  I cannot remember what was planted in that spot…which is probably just as well.  It took me a few minutes to realize what had changed!

new flagpole

Then I looked up.  The new flag is for the merchant marines.  That will please our friend J9, whose dad served in that capacity in WW II.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

weeding in the wind, Allan’s photo

We walked the downtown main street and groomed all the planters, and decided not to water because a good rain is due overnight and they are still slightly damp.  Unlike the Ilwaco planters, these are large enough to hold some moisture.

This planter by The Hungry Harbor (before) was the shabbiest looking.

Here it is, after. All the California poppies are volunteers and I can’t resist letting them overtake the planter.

Salvia viridis (painted sage) is still holding on to its colour.

As I passed NIVA green, I went in to get a sympathy card for our neighbour whose beloved spouse and best buddy had died.  I found one that spoke to me of their garden, where below an understory of a good collection of Japanese maples, annuals and small perennials grow in a tidy display.

vintage botanical specimens card by luccapaperworks.com

While writing it out that evening, I found one more quotation that I added (other than my favourite one about memory, by Angelo Patri…)    Well, here they both are.

and…”Mixed with missing him for the rest of my life was a feeling of amazement and delight that I had lived with him, embraced him, and listened to him sing.”  (MFK Fisher)

I was thinking a great deal on this topic, and I share these quotations for anyone who has experienced that sort of loss.

I went on with the rest of the north end planters.

chrysanthemums about to blossom….good ones that last year bloomed for several weeks.

Allan did the gardening on the south blocks of downtown and took these photos:

Schizostylis, eaten by deer? or picked…in a tree garden

Fifth Street Park (Allan’s photo)

small planter used as ash tray (Allan’s photo)

It’s in the back of this picnic area, to keep people from falling into a hole (Allan’s photo)

a cute duck at the debris dump (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo: She seemed to have no fear.

Ilwaco

We only had 12 buckets and a large jug with us and figured they should be enough to water the 26 Ilwaco planters with a couple of gallons each.  We did not have time to break out the water pump trailer so bucket watering was our choice.

filling the buckets at the boatyard

our view from the faucet

two new boats

sweet pea ‘Black Knight’ almost to the top of the fence

another new boat

northeast corner of the boatyard

Across the street: I wonder how long this street tree will last.

We pruned off three lower limbs today on the left side.  There is a difference; look at the truck.

I feel these trees need the attention of an arborist (an expert one who does NOT top trees) to lighten them up for better resistance to wind.  I lack the expertise, the head for heights, the proper ladder, and the time.  Allan has the head for heights but lacks the expertise, the proper ladder, and the time.  Although I do know enough to stand below and guide him through some judicious cuts…but…we still lack the time in the budget, I think.

We bucket watered the 26 planters, by which I mean Allan bucket watered and I weeded and groomed.  To my horror, I found that the little pocket gardens under the trees felt powder dry, perhaps a little bit damp an inch down.  We did not have enough water for them so can only hope for a SERIOUS rain tonight or Allan will have to return to them with water soon.

I fervently hope this will be the last planter watering for the season….unlikely but possible.

The Cove Restaurant

At last, time came for our traditional Thursday dinner at the Cove with Dave and Melissa of Sea Star Gardening.  I can easily say that becoming friends with them and Todd are the best things that have happened to us in 2015.

in Sondra’s garden outside the restaurant (Allan’s photo)

in the foyer (Allan’s photo)

Chef Jason treated us to an appetizer that was like a delicious cross between a chalupa and the pork conchinita, featuring sprouts from Pink Poppy Farm.

special app from Jason

the amazing seasonal salad with pears and goat cheese

I was about to order a light and healthful ahi tuna plate when the words “Cajun Chicken Alfredo” came out of my mouth.

Melissa’s pork conchinita (Allan’s photo)

the end of the workweek for us (but not for the Sea Star duo) nor was it the end of the workweek for Chef Jason Lancaster (right, Allan’s photo)

At home, later in the evening, I heard a loud gurgling and went outside to see that all of the downspouts were pouring a downpour of rain into the water barrels.  I felt so glad, as it was likely to be enough to satisfy the street tree gardens in Ilwaco.