Monday, 28 October 2019
Port of Ilwaco
We continued with the port bulbing in three more beds, by the Powell Gallery…
…which got some narcissi and 50 Anemone blanda, a small bulb that looks like pebbles.
We continued with more bulbs in the curbside beds by Time Enough Books and the two westernmost beds. The boatyard gets no new bulbs this year.
Mike’s garden
At Mike’s garden a few blocks east of ours, we planted up the front of the garden where we’d removed two sickly evergreens. I look forward to seeing the blank spaces filled with beauty.
I had been waiting for one last very small bulb delivery from McClure and Zimmerman. We had checked before Mike’s and again after. Still no bulbs. Perhaps, I said, they would be delivered to the post office, so we must check on our way out of town…but first we must plant a few bulbs under a new street tree.
Meanwhile, I looked at the email from the bulb company. Woe! I had not ordered from them for many years. I saw on the email that somehow they had dredged up my old address on the other side of the boatyard. I called Jon, who bought my house, and left a message. It would not be the first time he had gotten a bulb delivery by mistake.
It was not till we got to our next job east of Long Beach that I realized we had forgotten to check the post office. I called them and indeed the bulbs were there, necessitating a “never mind, sorry” phone call to Jon. (I felt pretty stupid.) While Allan drove back to get the package, I set up the bulbs and started planting at
Diane’s garden.
There were still plenty of bulbs to plant in the septic vault garden when Allan returned after a delay to wait for the post office to open after lunch.
I am concerned that voles are tunneling through this bed. Diane swears by putting some lye in the tunnels…and so we did, feeling rather mean. But I do not want the voles eating the tulips.
We pulled the cosmos and clipped the lilies while adding some narcissi to the roadside garden.
We did a bit of clipping, but no bulbing, next door at the Red Barn.
Long Beach
Today’s small order of bulbs had some Tulip batalinii ‘Red Jewel’ for the planters by two businesses with red storefronts, Cottage Bakery and Stormin’ Normans. It was worth a side trip to be able to say that the bulbing jobs were done. The bulb box also contained a “free surprise’ of a package of chionodoxa. I was well chuffed.
I am worried that there will be heavy frost Thursday night, and then we would have to wait till Sunday to clean up blackened foliage because of Allan being at the holiday bazaar. I would rather not schlep through town with a wheelie bin, garbage bags, and no vehicle.
There is no point in worrying about this. I can only hope the predicted frost is a light one.
Nearby, I wondered if this little dog was real.
It was.
at home
I sorted and planted my own bulbs in a frenzy and got done just before dark, amazing even myself. I had been sure that I would be planting my own bulbs tomorrow, especially after our foolish and forgetful post office delay.
Our reward for three days of pushing hard is three days off to enjoy a leisurely preparation for our Halloween festivities.
So you have problems with rodents and tulip bulbs, too. Even in a planter the little devils seem to crawl up and get them!
LikeLike
Yes. I’m sure the lye is not the best “organic” solution even though it is organic. I’ll try anything at this point except for one idea which is to kill all life in your soil so the critters have no worms to eat. Can you imagine? I’ve actually heard that recommended. I will NEVER do that.
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, you outdid yourself with the bulb planting. Am looking forward to seeing Mike’s garden when the new plants mature.
LikeLike
Me, too. It’s gonna be fun having a showcase right at the front where the two sickly conifers were.
>
LikeLike
I’ve had good luck mixing crushed oyster shells in soil around bulb to deter rodents. It’s sold at feed stores for chickens. Also deters slug if put on top of soil.
LikeLike
What a worker.
LikeLike
Nice work! You achieved a lot in a day. It will be fun to see the blossoms in the spring.
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike
I have not tried Anemone blanda yet. I don’t know of anyone here who has. I don’t know what to think of them, so might try them to find out. I want blue only, but could get white too. I think they would look good in woodsy landscapes.
LikeLike
It’s small. It makes a pretty effect when massed.
>
LikeLiked by 1 person
The fancier ones are nice for garish flowers, but they don’t naturalize here. Besides, some of those fancier flowers are a but to unnatural looking for landscapes that are supposed to look woodsy. That is why I eventually want to Try Cyclamen hederifolia and Cyclamen coum, and also why Gladioulus papilio will work out so nicely.
LikeLike