12 February: day off with new plants

Saturday, 12 February 2022

At home

When I went outdoors in the mid morning, I saw that the wonderful wall of crab pots had appeared in the gear shed back lot next door!

Although we should have and could have, we didn’t work today. We could have found a quiet spot in Long Beach, maybe by the parking lot berms. But I had a newly scavenged pile of water meter covers and wanted to extend the metal path. And very satisfying it was.

The old path, cleaned up.

It turns to a stone path to go to the wayback sit spot.

The new extension, looking one way…

…and the other way.

Those swales fill with rain in winter. Out in the willow grove, the bark paths stay dry.

I interrupted a deer’s nap outside the fence by the frog bog.

The deer resettled itself in Alicia’s yard. I feel bad for how they must feel being fenced out. If someday I am too feeble to work on the garden, but still able to live here, I may open the gates and let them feast.

The frog bog still holds water after many dry days.

A late afternoon view of the new wall of crab pots.

I had time today to record the position of my new plants, which are mostly in the new willow grove beds. At the east end, a transplanted fuchsia, an olearia traversii (I think) from a cutting, and a Hydrangea aspera v.macrophylla from Joy Creek Nursery’s close out sale.

By an old willow, some ferns, still dormant, and a cotoneaster from somewhere or other.

‘Red Beauty’ Japanese painted fern

In the two center beds, two eucalyptus, and a transplanted climbing rose and a few perennials, and a transplanted variegated elederberry.

In the big east bed, another olearia, a Salix babylonica ‘Crispa’ (willow with interesting curly leaves) from Forest Farm and some more hydrangeas and perennials from Joy Creek.

In the far east bed, which I could call the Kathleen bed, two plants from Our Kathleen, a rhododendron ‘Blue Boy’ (I think that’s the name) and a flowering currant.

On the brand new path into the Bogsy Wood through an arbor….

….on the right is a new hemlock, Tsuga diversifolia.

On the left is Rhododendron ’Golfer’ which will have silver indumentum on its leaves….

…and then a mountain hemlock.

In the corner against the fence by the wayback sitspot is a Lonicera ’Silver Beauty’.

On a site of a former stump is the tiny Tsuga ’Gentsch White’.

To the west of the Bogsy Wood in the somewhat salmonberry tunnel is another new hemlock which promises great things.

On the bank of the bridged swale, from Forest Farm, is the black pusswillow, Salix gracilistyla ’Melanostachys’, along with some redtwig dogwoods.

By the deep path is Magnolia virginiana, swamp magnolia.

I have more new plants unplanted that I am saving for more assuredly mild weather. I hope they all grow well and make a layered privacy barrier to the south.