10 June: workday rounds

We made the rounds of all our non Ilwaco jobs, which during maintenance rather than planting time can be fit into one long day.

First, we drove to the boatyard to check for wind damage. The garden had held up well to yesterday’s gale. Allan noticed a pile of pallets. With Jessie’s Fish Company closed and in receivership, a bad situation because they were a big employer in our county, I did not think we’d see any new compost bin makings in the wood pile. Happy day!

The pallets that are being revealed at home as I move the compost bins are mostly rotten, so these are a blessing.

Speaking of Jessie’s, I desperately long for three of these red bins to turn into raised beds. If anyone can legitimately get me some, even ones with broken corners, I would be so happy.

As you can see, the day was dark and gloomy…but not to me, as the temperature was perfect, warm but not too hot, and there was very little wind.

Seaview

We did our weekly weeding and deadheading at the Depot Restaurant.

Bamboo was trying to sneak up under the eaves again. All this new growth had come on fast.

Bindweed would love to take over this garden (as would the hops which likes to creep forward from its lattice).

A large frog at the edge of the garden observed our work.

We drove past the Sou’wester ….

…on our way to have a look at Patti’s new flower green, where a fountain is being added.

The garden bed does not need any weeding yet, being only one week old.

The Red Barn

We did not have to do anything but pull a couple of weeds and drop off an invoice.

One of the whippets greeted us….

…and got a biscuit, as he knew he would.

Allan walked the invoice to the drop box at the back of the barn.

Diane’s garden

Holly got two biscuits and a gloved petting of the top of her head.

We pulled some more white California poppies from the septic vault garden and added a few more plants: Some Verbena bonariensis that I started from cuttings and some Agastaches that I started from seed (go me!). The garden is finally starting to look interesting instead of just being a sea of white poppies.

I weeded along the roadside, relieved that the Stipa gigantea was not battered by yesterday’s wind….

and fretted over the lack of growth on the sweet peas.

The sweet peas look the same pitiful height as last week and are not yet visible on the fence at all. I am frustrated.

The Boreas Inn and Yett House

Allan did one of our rare weeding jobs at the cute Yett Beach House, a 125 year old cottage that is managed as a vacation rental by the next door Boreas Inn.

Good job! The roots on that beach grass go on for miles.

Meanwhile, I tidied and weeded next door at the Boreas garden and planted three more painted sage (that I grew from seed!).

At home, I made salads to go with dinner. Although the process is certainly more time consuming than dumping salad out of a bag, the ingredients are a lot more varied and now include a small topping of fresh strawberries along with baby carrots and a few peas, and dianthus, calendula, and rose petals.

Alicia next door had asked about who might mow the Long back lawn and I had suggested Sea Aire Mowing, although I had thought Becky might be too busy. It happened that Alicia caught her at the right time, and she came straight away with her powerful power and had at it!

It was so wet this past spring that our not very powerful push mower just sunk right in. Now that it is dryer, we will be able to take on the mowing. I like a meadow, and would choose to leave some of it wild if it were my grass, but this particular meadow is rampant with bindweed that wants to creep into my garden, and mowing is one way to get that situation under control.