Monday, 18 March 2024
We tended to our two volunteer gardens.
Ilwaco Post Office
I cut back the santolinas while Allan weeded and planted two small Euonymus ‘Green Spire’, which I hope will grow quickly to give some winter structure.
The garden in early spring is really quite dishearteningly dull. I think somebody picks the daffodils. I have planted many over the years and have little to show for it here. There are some small flowers, if you look closely.
Ilwaco Fire Station
I trimmed santolinas on the south and west side.
Allan weeded on the east side and replaced three of the tatty reddish grasses with some blueish Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’ (still dormant). I think we will take out two more of the red grasses.
I figured out why the bulletin board on the north side (by the former shade garden that is not yet concreted over) has polka dots.
Not polka dots, Dalmatian dog spots!
We drove by the Freedom Market garden and decided to save trimming the santolinas there till after the next big rainy spell, when some more springlike, steady weather will put them into faster regrowth. Trimming them to new growth keeps them from becoming woody and floppy.
at home
I found homes in the garden for the two big, heavy sword ferns I’d removed awhile back from the former shade garden at the north of the fire station. I hope I didn’t leave them sitting around bare root and neglected for too long.
I love this bright orange narcissus cup….
…and this big flat one (hard to photograph with my pocket cam).
And these little bitty ones.
One of the sword ferns went in here (west side fence bed)…
…and the other went by the entry to the deep path.
I added all the santolina and grass trimmings to compost bin three, with Allan’s help trampling bin three.
We disagree about its number. I say it is bin three, because bin one is now more of a shed and plant table than a bin. So bin two is now bin one, etc.
He says bin one is still bin one even though it has no front anymore.
Skooter in the evening:
How lucky the Post Office and fire station are to have your services.
Have you ever tried Mexican orange (Choisia) Sundance, at home or in your volunteer gardens? I use the yellow (new growth) branch ends in my winter arrangements, and the greener summer branches are nice contrast to darker leaves and colorful flowers. I didn’t think I had noticed them in your landscapes. In our garden, they are eschewed by deer and rabbits.
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I have one but it doesn’t do well, I don’t know why. It has languished for years, maybe in too much shade, although it’s partly sunny in that bed. I cut it back to try to revive it and it’s looking a bit better as it returns.
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I am with you on the great bin controversy.
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Maybe a little too wet in the winter, but sun might also be an issue. I am always looking for yellow accents and thought it might work for you too.
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Sounds like you have finger blight in the daffodils. I don’t know why people do that.
I am restricting daffodil purchases only to ones that are good naturalizers now. I lose too many of the others after a few years. Tulips only seem to grow here in gravel, where the rodents can’t easily tunnel to get them. Out of hundreds planted over the years, only one small patch of purple ones with yellow centers remain.
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There are many gardens I have worked in where I could not plant tulips in the ground because voles would eat the bulbs. The plant would appear to be about to bloom and then would fall over. No bulb underneath anymore!
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