at home (Allan’s photo)
We began the day by driving by and photographing, but not helping, a volunteer clean up effort in downtown Ilwaco. You can read about it on our Ilwaco blog, here.
Before our Long Beach tasks, we watered the garden at
The Shelburne Hotel.
We have newly planted areas there that need monitoring.
I took a bouquet for the hotel lobby:
The back yard is turning into an open patio space. I was excited to see the long narrow area in the middle, thinking maybe it could be a place to grow edible flowers….
…but no; it will be a bocce ball court.
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
after watering
I turned to take a photo of the building…
…and realized that a rhododendron branch was blocking the sign.
So we fixed it.
And then, on to
Long Beach
to tidy up all the downtown planters and street tree gardens for Sunday’s annual parade.
Silverstream tulips
I immediately realized that I was cold, in the wind, and had neglected to bring warmer clothes.
Cerinthe major purpurascens
Tulip batalinii ‘Bright Gem’
I clearly must plant more Tulip batalinii: They are short, sturdy, and bloom late enough for the parade.
sparaxis
sparaxis and cerinthe
I was disappointed that not every planter had Narcissus ‘Baby Moon’. I plant more every year, but did not replant in every planter this time. I guess they peter out after awhile, probably from too much watering in summer.
As I walked along, I photographed every planter for a reference post, something I started to do last fall. That will be the next blog post, and I will be able to refer back to it to see which planters are especially dull right now. Sadly, the parade always falls on the first weekend in May at an awkward time between peak spring bulb season and mid-May flowers.
I am worried about Allium christophii surviving parade day.
So vulnerable. I must have been mad to plant them.
As soon as this veronica completes its brief bloom time, it is coming out. I mean it this time.
a difficult and wet, rooty, weedy bed in Fifth Street Park
We had encountered Parks Manager Mike and talked to him about somehow re-doing the above bed. It is a problem.
Mike and me
He warned me that a crew member, having mulched a shrubby park, had then dumped bark on one of “my” flower beds. It will not happen again. Mike knew I would not like it, even though he probably does not know that our business slogan is “Just say no to barkscapes.” Especially RED barkscapes.
red bark. Ouch!
This is where the bark ran out! (Allan’s photo)
We moved the bark from the half-done spot back to the shrubby side of the park.
Allan’s photo
bark around hydrangeas, etc, with gunnera and Darmera peltata
Allan found masses of bindweed to pull in the corner:
tree garden outside Abbracci Coffee Bar
a rain spotted Tulip ‘Cummins’
Tulip ‘Silverstream’ did not quite make it to parade day. (Allan’s photo)
I have agastaches for the empty centers of the planters. I am holding off on planting them to prevent parade day damage and to avoid having to start watering before the end of next week.
Oh for more Baby Moon!
another good, late doer: Tulip linifolia. I think. (Allan’s photo)
The sparaxis flowers look good, but the foliage on them is not attractive this year; it browned off early.
Soon, while planting annuals, we will chop all the Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ by half to make it tighter.
The sedums were all serving as snail homes.
Just half of the snails I got from one clump of sedum.
The snails went into the trailer with the debris to be rehomed in the debris pile at City Works.
What have we here? Someone did this. Why?
We also accomplished the tidying and weeding of the Veterans Field gardens:
And then got back to the last two blocks of planters.
by NIVA green, another late narcissi; I need to figure out which one it is.
another great late bloomer, tall
Tulip ‘China Town’
At the very end, by the bus stop in Coulter Park, I saw a problem that needs fixing. Tomorrow! I had been cold and miserable throughout the Long Beach portion of the day.
sidewalk blockage, must fix, but too cold now!
a snail escaping from the trailer. I let it go.
We had a load of debris to dump, along with all the rest of the snails.
I treat the big tulips as annuals and discard them. They do not come back as well the second year, and Long Beach needs a good, fresh show every year.
Feeling chilled and exhausted, we then repaired to
The Shelburne Pub
for a good warming hot toddy and meal.
….ah….
delicious chopped salad
the astonishingly delectable black garlic fried rice
I took some photos of the Shelburne as we left, trying to capture its evening magic.
Blue flowers show up strongly at dusk.
the pub deck
Here is the hotel website; you just might like to dine or to stay there sometime.
At home, I was intensely relieved to relax and watch a show of Gardeners’ World before our regular telly.
ahhhh….
Nigel!
garden touring!
The garden tour segment of this episode was stunning and theatrical. You can watch it here.
Later, at bedtime, I watched another episode with another glorious garden tour…here.
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