21 Feb: Golden Sands wake up call

Sunday, 21 February 2016

morning

We got a late start, because I was sleepy as those kitties, and because it was Sunday (always a reasonable excuse for only a half day of work).

on the way to work, on Spruce Street in Ilwaco

Our first stop was the Depot Restaurant garden to plant some of the Miscanthus giganteus (Giant Chinese Silver Grass) that Dave helped us  dig out of Marilyn’s garden yesterday. By “helped” I mean he dug the huge clump up all by himself and chopped it into manageable pieces.

Allan does a bit of path weeding

The Miscanthus will provide a soothing and somewhat tropical sense of enclosure to the dining deck.  This evening, I read the fascinating fact that in the UK, it may be used for fuel and electricity.  Watch the good video about it at this link.

The Planter Box

at the Planter Box

Our next errand was to check out the seeds at The Planter Box.  I bought some more Streamers and other sweet peas.  If I’d known that Streamers, my favourite sweet pea, was available locally, I wouldn’t have made an online seed order two days ago.  This is the first time I’ve seen that sweet pea on a seed rack anywhere.  The sweet pea assortment at Planter Box is vast this year.

I added some more California poppies to my seed purchase; they will have come back in most of my gardens, but I’d like to plant some in the beach approach garden IF we get it weeded soon enough.  And some American Legion poppies to plant at Golden Sands, as they might be significant to some of the residents there.

paperwhites at the Planter Box (Allan’s photo)

weeping pussy willow at The Planter Box

Golden Sands Assisted Living

We spent the rest of the day clipping and weeding the interior courtyard garden at Golden Sands.

Golden Sands Assisted Living. The courtyard is completely enclosed by the building.

As I walk down the hallway to get to the courtyard door, I always think about what I would have on a shelf outside my room at Golden Sands.

I know I’m not as nice and huggy as this sweet person.

Residents are allowed to have an animal friend live with them.

a gardener’s room

The gardener whose shelf is in the above photo is the one who grows African violets in my mom’s Floralight, a three tiered shelf which I have on permanent loan to Golden Sands (for as long as residents want to use it).  The Floralight is often mentioned in the two decade old diaries of my mom’s that I am sharing throughout this year.

Anna’s violets

I imagine that Anna and my mom would have been good friends if their time at Golden Sands had coincided.

Near the Floralight is the door to the courtyard and its four flower gardens.

looking north across the courtyard, before

and after; Allan pruned the white hydrangeas along the two sides

hydrangeas, before

and after (Allan’s photos)

I limed the beds to try to cut down on the amount of moss and make the plants happier with sweeter soil.  However, moss is welcome in the center lawn, where I wish that moss and self seeded flowers would completely take over.

We moved a bird feeder that had been placed in one of the quadrant beds and was making a big mess of birdseed on top of plants.  Now I am worried we made it less accessible for the resident who refills it, because she will have to walk on the lawn to get at it.  Oh, dear.  On the other hand, it is now in full view of the sit spot inside the south courtyard door, and surely that is a good thing.

Looking at the hydrangeas reminded me of a big one that needs to be pruned at Diane’s garden, leading to some fretting as we can’t do so tomorrow because of another doctor’s appointment.  It is a darn good thing we have fewer jobs this year.  The wettest December through February on record has kept us from many spring clean up days.  (We are not as hardy as Sea Star and Willapa Gardening, AKA Dave, Melissa, and Todd, who work in all weather.)

I’m assuming the rainfall is about the same for here as for Seattle, if not more.  (from KOMO news, last week)

The four quadrants of the Golden Sands courtyard were not showing much color or interest yet.  I hope the bulbs come on soon!  As usual, I feel the gardens here have the problem of being almost all “passalong plants”, ones I’ve gotten for free, which of course means ones that are thugs and interfere with each other’s space.

SW quadrant before

SW quadrant after (with one bird feeder moved)

NE quadrant before, with the windows to my mom’s old room to the right

“Mom’s garden” after, with leaves left to help enrich the soil.  I’m more of the chop and drop than of the raking out philosophy.

NW quadrant before

NW quadrant after, with residents in dining room for 5 PM dinner

SE quadrant after…still needs weeding and is infested with horsetail

Allan wheelbarrowed out two heaping and one partial load of debris.

turning the corner of the back hallway

and down the long side hallway to the exit

birdhouses on a windowsill

When we got home, it seemed that it had been pouring rain in Ilwaco as the sidewalk was drenched, the rain barrels were dripping…

debris pile in background, having just planted the last piece of Miscanthus giganteus in it

…And the double triangle gale flag was still flying over the port office.

view to the south

The brothers were inside.

the work board tonight

If we can just work part of tomorrow, and then for the rest of this week, we should be able to get spring clean up pared down to “just” the beach approach, berms, Jo, and mulching at the Depot.   We can’t do mulching, including Jo’s, until some “cow fiber” comes in at the Planter Box (or we may have to just use plain Soil Energy).  I look forward to settling into the regular rounds instead of spring clean up.  I’m sure Long Beach already needs weeding again.

There were no entries in my mom’s garden diaries to correspond with today.

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