Yesterday’s post about gardening partners elicited such good comments that I was inspired to remember and add some photos of Bryan helping in the garden. I had forgotten about that. Go back one day and have a look if you were one of the readers who responded to that post. I think you will like them.
Monday, 1 April 2019
Long Beach
Before we began our project, we saw our friend Jan and her nice, soft-to-pet dog out by the beach approach.
We set out to weed one section of the Bolstad beach approach and to plant assorted California poppies (me) in the planters out there. I know I said I had totally given up after the recent disheartening plant theft but….hope springs eternal.
While planting, I found more plant theft holes.
We found a santolina that had grown from cuttings tossed (by me) behind the planter; Allan dug it up and I put it in one planter to replace a big stolen one…for what it is worth.
I also dug a couple of starts of the native beach grass with its wide blue blades, where it was growing right by the road. It has mostly been pushed out by European beach grass. Maybe it will be left alone to grow in the hardest hit planter…
…or maybe not. So much has been stolen that the grass might as well fill up the whole planter.
I got to see our very good friend Mitzu, who was on her way to a beach walk.
I thought that maybe the Lisa Bonney memorial planter (which is just a few feet from where she was killed) had been left untouched by thieves. Loved ones of hers have planted new plants in it.
Then I looked closer:
I left about four of the planters unplanted with the poppies in a moment of panic when I thought I had lost my camera. (It was in the van.) So that task did not get erased from the work list.
The beach approach garden, at the beginning, looking east:
Satellite view:
I remember that moment from late last fall, on the last or almost the last workday, when I stood at this spot and felt an odd surge of enthusiasm for weeding this blocks long garden in the spring. I wish I could feel it again.
While weeding the westernmost section of the approach, I had a brainstorm. Instead of saying that the approach garden has thirteen sections (counting two end caps as one section), I will divide it further. Each section has a clear halfway point, and so I am putting 26 sections on the work board. That way, on a day like today when we have other places to be, at least I get to erase one number. And my right hand is so arthritic now that combining the beach approach with other, less painfully repetitive tasks, is a good idea.
Boreas Inn
I planted a few plants, including a Verbascum ‘Cotswold King’ and ‘Southern Charm’ and a Salvia ‘Amistad’ in the west side gardens, along with more poppy seeds.
I have learned from Monty Don and Carol Klein that I should have more success with the sort of seeds that one covers only lightly if I press them down hard.
Allan wheelbarrowed some bucketed mulch to the east entry garden, followed by mulching and then pruning a hardy fuchsia (me) and trimming some ivy (Allan).
We would never plant English ivy. It is considered a noxious weed now but is firmly entrenched in some places.
The work board tonight, with revised beach approach sections.
Mitzu is so cute! Love the picture of her. Sorry for the plant theft. That must be so aggravating.
LikeLike
It is why retiring from LB is so appealing right now.
>
LikeLike
I must admit I list divided tasks just for the satisfaction of crossing more things off.
The grass is a good planter idea for that area.
LikeLike
Crossing off or erasing is what I live for 😀
>
LikeLike
So sad…plant thieves…..why not just plant beach roses where constant thievery happens…
LikeLike
They are too tall for the planters but that’s exactly why they became the main feature of the Ground level garden out there. I used to have an assortment of perennials and “wildflowers” but they got stolen and trampled.
>
LikeLike
The continual plant theft must be very wearing.
LikeLike
It is indeed.
>
LikeLike
That would make me so angry to find items stolen from my planter box. It happens in my one planter box downtown, but it is right downtown where there is a lot of traffic, and some of it is drunk traffic. Could some sort of grazing animal, such as a deer, be pulling them up as they try to much the tops? We get that in the arboretum, and the pulled up plants are sometimes just a few feet away.
LikeLike
That did happen with one where the loved ones of the memorial Planter put some new plants in. Scattered by deer. But the holes I’m finding are of plants that were firmly rooted.
Sorry your Planter gets bothered.
I don’t know why autocorrect is determined to capitalize Planter.
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Planters’ Peanuts?
Anyway, I sort of expect my planter to be bothered because of the location. It would bother me more if it were in a more remote location away from downtown.
LikeLike