Sunday, 24 March 2019
We started the day with a couple of hours of work, mostly the planting of sweet peas at the Ilwaco boatyard.
Allan deadheaded two blocks of planter and street tree narcissi.
A mist obscured the view of Sand Island from the south end of the boatyard garden.
The mist remained as we drove off to deadhead some narcissi along the port.
I spent the rest of the day in our garden.
For someone not very social, I had a procession of visitors bearing gifts, to add to the generosity of dinner and gifts from Alycia last night. Not sure what I did to deserve all this kindness.
First, we had a good visit with Devery who came to visit us and Alycia, followed later by Mark and Joseph and Gail (and dogs) bringing me some cattails (a different sort than mine) from Mark and Joseph’s pond.
We toured the garden and had some good garden conversation, and were joined at the end by MaryBeth who had arrived bearing some teapots. More garden touring ensued.
Meanwhile, I had managed to clean out an area along the iron fence for sweet peas, another quite difficult and daunting weeding job that will need some mulch to look ok.
I am trying to make that little bed narrower toward the front in order to make the path better. The bed to the right has been untouched for months and will be another daunting weeding job. Someday when the Nora House belongs to someone else, we will put a narrow shed there for privacy OR a kitchen garden shared with a gardening neighbour…
Allan helped me clear out a couple of big pots and put up a bamboo tripod for more sweet peas. A plant casualty occurred. I will draw a veil over my sorrow over a tiny Dan Hinkley plant I had been nursing along, a case of lost-tagii so it would be hard to replace because all I know is that it was, and still is (but only two inches tall now) a special variegated shrub of some sort. Alycia came over at the peak of my mopery with two delicious foil wrapped pita sandwiches which did much to alleviate my sadness.
These things happen and the plant casualty rather amusingly ties in with the book I am reading, We Made a Garden by Margery Fish. More on this when I finish the book.
The center bed weeding is still in the same state that it was yesterday. I am relieved to have gotten my sweet peas in, leaving just the Boreas Inn sweet peas to plant before that spring job is done. (MaryBeth said she plants sweet peas on Presidents’ Day with success. I have always waited till St Patrick’s Day, which means that with so many to plant, the time stretches into the last week of March.)
At the end of the day, with sunset fast approaching, Allan made it over to the Ilwaco Community Building to bottom out a patch of salal. If one MUST have salal, at least let it be green and fresh.
Tomorrow rain is predicted, the sort of cold rain that will prevent finishing my weeding goal.
Here are the darling teapots that MaryBeth brought me; she is a genius for finding them second hand.
Sweet teapots. I am very drawn to teapots myself, though I have only two because I am not a collector, and I cannot dust. I’m curious about “bottoming out” the salal: do you just cut it at ground level and let it rejuvenate over summer?
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Yes. Cut all the way to the ground. Maybe cuz I just don’t like salal except in the wild 🙂
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Love the cute teapots. Thanks for letting me garden with you vicariously.
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I’m glad to see the phrase “daunting weeding job” because it means that I’m not the only one. This is the best time to see weeds, but it’s also when there’s the most other stuff to do out there!
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So much to do right now this it is overwhelming
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I liked the misty shots a lot.
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Thanks, Mr T!
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“Draw a veil over my sorrow”. Lovely phrase! Ah spring, the time I big-foot numerous plants to my sorrow…
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We still have daffodils because someone gave us a bag of bulbs that got misplaced and planted VERY late! it is a bummer that ours typically finish so early (although they were a bit late this year). Getting some late will be NICE!
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