7 June: Beth Holland’s garden

Sunday, 7 June 2015

Friday night, I hadhappened to open an email from the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, thinking it might be about the study weekend.  Instead, it was the weekend garden tour update and there was Beth Holland’s Cannon Beach garden on the list for Saturday and Sunday!  So much for getting my ladies in waiting planted; I could not miss the chance to tour Beth’s garden.  I had been there years ago (in 1998) and hadn’t had the opportunity to see it again. She is a gardener whom I greatly admire, as she was instrumental in a lot of the business landscaping in Cannon Beach.

Because the cold north wind still blew fiercely across our garden, I did not feel the loss of a good at-home gardening day.

First, of course, I have to write about crossing the Astoria-Megler Bridge.

approaching the bridge: a surprising field of coreopsis

a field of coreopsis and daisies at the south end of the bridge, by the Columbia River

Due to bridge work, the crossing was slow, just the way I like it.

below us: fishing on the Columbia

one lane traffic because of workers (shows how narrow the 4+ mile bridge is)

 

Allan says I should show the lumberyard to the west of the bridge, as it was in the final scenes of Dexter.

work vehicles at the top

On the other side, we heading south of Cannon Beach, about a 50 minute drive in reasonable traffic.  Today was not only a weekend, but also the 30th anniversary of The Goonies movie, and Astoria was hosting a huge celebration.  We saw some signs of it even though we did not go into Goonieville.

an interesting spelling of “doubloon”?

We skipped our usual swingaround of Pam Fleming’s Seaside gardens because of the heavy traffic, and made the requisite stop at 7 Dees nursery south of Seaside.

7 Dees

at 7 Dees: Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

purchases: Allan’s photo; I don’t remember what the little tree is, and it’s too cold  as I write this to go outside and look at the tag!

I only bought three plants (a variegated nepeta, a fancy papyrus, and I forget the name of the third) because I am getting anxious about the number of ladies in waiting that I now own.

Beth Holland’s Garden

From the HPSO Open Gardens book:  In 1989 my husband, Mike Moran, and I bought 3.6 wooded acres adjacent to our home in South Cannon Beach.  I owned Holland’s Flowers downtown at that time, and we started a garden nursery and built a greenhouse to support the shop until its closing in 1995.  Since then I have enjoyed twenty years of designing both public and private gardens as well as my own.  The garden is surrounded by forest and filled with the sound of the surf.

under the highway and through the woods to Beth’s garden

Allan’s photo

It was clear to me as we walked along the road that Beth has done some pruning of old fronds of the ferns by the side of the road.

the first glimpse

on the other side of the road: steps I am glad we did not have to take

Allan’s photo: I was contemplating who has to go down those steps to the pumphouse.

the gate and a greeter

Allan’s photo

We were greeted by Mike and by one outgoing Corgi named Chippie; the other Corgi is shy.

meeting Chippie

the shy one

The greenhouse is the grand centerpiece of the garden.  Its windows came from an old Astoria grade school.  The memory of it has stayed strong in my mind since my visit here long ago.

Here it is in 1998:

Beth Holland’s garden just outside Cannon Beach., 1998

Beth’s greenhouse was constructed with large old windows from a school. (1998)

And today:

the greenhouse, bigger than some houses I’ve lived in

in we go

looking out the other side

the old Hollands Flowers sign

How well I remember Hollands Flowers from when I first lived at the beach in 1993 and 1994.  It was hidden in a little courtyard off the Cannon Beach main drag and even though tiny, it always had interesting plants for sale.

with Mike in the greenhouse, which must be the best private greenhouse in the Pacific Northwest.

in the greenhouse

Chippie in the greenhouse

in the greenhouse (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

We went back outside to tour the gardens, preceded by Chippie, an excellent tour guide.

terracing

winding paths leading to new vistas

the pond

When I was here in 1998, the pond landscaping was so new that its edges were still raw dirt in places.  Mike said it has large koi, that were not visible today.

the greenhouse barely showing from the pond walk

waterlilies

Allan’s photo

Chippie guiding us

Allan’s photo

looking back up the slope

path along the greenhouse, south side

To the left, the slope down to the pond

overlooking the pond

approaching the west flower beds

a sit spot by the pond

Mike told us that the heron figure keeps real herons away.

Allan’s photo

seating at the west end of the greenhouse

The garden had no annoying wind, and just as the description said, one could hear the surf, perhaps ten blocks of less away to the west.

looking west

a large hebe in flower

Cotinus (smokebush) all aglow

Chippie shows off

Allan’s photo, with Beth, and me fawning over Chippie…again

looking back at the greenhouse

Allan’s photo

returning to the greenhouse

Chippie at the door

my new friend walks with us some more

lots of small touches

tall nicotiana

nicotiana flowers

diverging paths

Beth gave us a postcard of a painting of one of the paths.

this one

Japanese iris at the east end of the garden

Iris ensata

east end of the garden

We had to leave although I could have happily wandered around some more.  We would have if there had been more tour guests than just us.

Allan’s photo: Beth and the shy corgi

on the way back down the road

As we returned to the van a couple of blocks away, we saw Ann’s foam green Fiat arriving, so we met up with Ann and Kate and chatted with them for awhile.  They headed off the the garden, and Allan ran up to the viewpoint to snag a couple of photos of Cannon Beach.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo, with escallonia in bloom

As we departed, we saw Kate and Ann walking toward Beth’s garden.

 

 

Later, Ann commented how much she liked the way that Beth had edited her woods arund the garden, and I realized we had not even gone into any woodsy paths, so I do hope she blogs about that.

going home again

The obligatory grocery stop at Costco:

I wonder if the Seattle Costcos  have crab pots.

ceanothus in the Costco parking lot

On the Astoria Megler bridge: Here is why one end of the bridge is so tall.

looking east from the bridge

in the work “tunnel”

As soon as we got out of the van at home, we were hit with the wind again!  At 5 o clock, I went to the shelter of the patio, thinking I might pull a few weeds.

view south from the patio

Paul’s Himalayan Musk rose, windblown…

Paul’s Himalayan Musk rose, windblown…

petals strewn across the lawn

Allan got on a ladder up there to install a holder for some blue bottles (too windy to put up the bottles yet) and was closely observed by a chickadee.

The chickadee has a nest around here somewhere.

chickadee atop the arbour

Three hours later, I had potted up my new papyrus, and two Juliet tomatoes (given to me by Ray Millner of The Planter Box) in the greenhouse, tidied up the greenhouse just a bit, planted a couple more ladies in waiting, and most miraculously, pulled out a bunch of errant raspberry, a task that had seemed almost impossible last week.

from June 4: “I must get the running raspberry OUT of here.”

today: I found the strength

Smokey kept me company; you can see the new papyrus to the right of the topiary bird.

What an excellent weekend.  Tomorrow, we are planning to take up the beach approach weeding job again…only if the horrid wind dies down.

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July 13: Seaside Community Garden

We left the last garden on the Astoria garden tour and drove east down the hill to get back to the main road.

heading downhill just outside the final garden

In the above photo, you might see what caught my eye: a curbside garden on the left a few lots down.  And here it is:

peace house

We then, of course, went to Back Alley Gardens in Gearhart.  This time, they did have a selection of wonderful plants from Xera.

Back Alley Gardens

Allan sat on a bench and pointed out to me that it was like a wheelbarrow for moving around the garden but very stable to sit on.

wheeled bench

We got some cool plants and achieved one of the main purposes of our visit: to get the Music in the Gardens poster up in their window.  The Back Alley/Natural Nook clerk offered to also put our poster in the Gearhart post office, if we would take some posters for the Gearhart tour north with us, so we did.

Natural Nook window with Music in the Gardens poster

CASA (Gearhart) tour poster

We stopped at Seaside 7 Dees nursery for the same purpose (some cool plants and a poster distribution).

Seaside 7 Dees

sunflowers at 7 Dees

a colourful display

and a cat on the sales counter

Although we were eager to get to Costco before its early closing time on Saturdays (6 PM!), we had time do something I had been wanting to do:  walk through the Seaside Community gardens, an allotment patch (as they say in the UK) or P Patch (as they say in Seattle) along the old railway line beside the highway.

We walked from one end to the other, in haste but taking photos to peruse later.

Seaside Community Garden

According to this article, Pam Fleming of Back Alley Gardens (now located in Gearhart rather its former Seaside address) is involved in this fairly new community garden project, which I believe is only three years old.

north end of first section

In the second section, it looks like the whole area was once nought but horrible horsetail.

horsetail

As with the Long Beach welcome sign, it may have grown right up through this raised bed:

a problem

If so, the other gardeners were doing an amazing job of controlling it.

further north

such lovely veg

protection from critters (or humans)

Allan taking photos

looking north

artichokes

north end of community garden

looking back south

Allan’s photo

long view of the whole garden

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gardens and nurseries overseas, 22 June

All that means around here is we crossed the bridge over the Columbia River to Astoria, Gearhart, and Seaside. We began our Saturday with a stop at Larry’s Antique Gallery Too! shop which involved much chatting and dog petting.

shop dog

Then a stop at Olde Towne Café to trade compost buckets…More schmoozing ensued.

Captain Phil

Then, of course, we had to take a walk through the Ilwaco Saturday Market to take photos for Discover Ilwaco.

Ilwaco Saturday Market

Had a gander at a garden we used to do. Well, now that we live just a block from there, we have offered to return. It’s looking pretty bad! But for some strange reason they don’t want us back. The mind boggles. Since I offered, and was turned down (hearing that only from a third party after we submitted a bid), it has gotten so much worse I don’t even want it anymore. So there! (The person who cares for it is an excellent gardener but is overbooked and lives much further than one block away.)

big blackberry vines

Uh oh, somehow it got to be 2 PM and we were still in Ilwaco, so off we went toward Astoria. The previous week, we had had excellent garden company in our garden: Debbie H and Helen W. on Saturday and Laura D. on Sunday. Helen had invited us to come back and see her Astoria garden in June; we had previously seen it in July and in winter.

We also wanted to check out nurseries, and Allan wanted to go grocery shopping (how tedious!).

By 2:37, we were crossing the Astoria Megler bridge, to my usual terror.

the beginning

the view to the west

too close for comfort

cargo ship

construction guy; I wish I were that brave!

down the curve

I like it when the bridge is being worked on because it slows down the traffic and there is less passing on the bridge.

We survived and turned left to go into Astoria.

Somehow, though, we went by the Mill Pond Village and ended up on the road going east out of town, so we turned left into the Alderbrook neighbourhood to turn around. It’s a hidden gem just east of town; I only discovered it because a friend lived there for awhile. Two blocks wide, it’s next to the Columbia River and seems to have a lot of gardeners.

Alderbrook

pig weathervane

and right next door, another!

Alderbrook

seems like an artistic neighbourhood

vintage trailer in Alderbrook

by the river

Alderbrook riverside

interesting garden

There was an art gallery there, but this cannot really be a grocery store, despite the sign. Or can it?

former store?

an idyllic enclave

Alderbrook does feel quite separate from the rest of the town. I was getting anxious about whether or not we would arrive at the Gearhart nursery before it closed, so I did not photograph any houses on the way out, and I now wish I had taken a photo of my friend’s former tiny house and garden; it still looked good from the street.

as one emerges from Alderbook and turns right, back into town…

We did find the Mill Pond Village but will save Helen’s garden for its own entry, next, because it is so lovely.

We got to Back Alley Gardens with 45 minutes to spare (if they close at five).

Back Alley Gardens

I got some cool Salpiglossis ‘Chocolate’, another Hebe ‘Quicksilver’, a pretty purple and yellow annual, and some variegated thymes but was sad that they did not have a big shipment of unusual plants from Xera like they did last year at this time.

Salpiglossis ‘Chocolate’

Catalina grape

As always, we admired a lot of the indoor garden themed art in the adjoining Natural Nook.

Informative tea towels with hummingbirds and dragonflies

birdhouses

sculpture

The Natural Nook

Then on we went to Seven Dees in Seaside without a feeling of time pressure because they are now open till seven in summer.

I usually don’t go for cutesy critters, but there is something about this hippo…

Seaside 7 Dees

a mossy 7

catnip protected from…

one of the shop cats

I do love a moggie. And they know it. Probably from the baby talk.

Our two carts of lovely purchases.

Catchy names seemed to abound.

Geum ‘Alabama Slammer’

Astrantia ‘Vanilla Gorilla’ (next day, in my garden)

Vanilla Gorilla may have been a Back Alley purchase. On his recent visit to our garden, Ciscoe Morris told us that a study in the UK showed that Astrantia REPELS SLUGS. I already love the plant and now have more reason to collect them.

And an exciting new Eryngium which stays small so might be great in containers:

Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’

As we left 7 Dees at 5:45, I suddenly got an ominous feeling: Didn’t Costco close early on Saturdays? We had wanted to go there last to get some frozen food, but we had made a terrible error because when we pulled into their parking lot at 6:05, they had closed five minutes before. This is so hard to remember as it seems so early for a grocery store of any sort to close on a Saturday; it probably goes with their reputation of being very good to their employees.

Oh dear. We stopped at Fred Meyer and while Allan did some minor grocery shopping I checked the plant department and found more salpiglossis. It used to be an unusual annual to find but has obviously caught on.

common name: Beardtongue

I also was surprised to see very inexpensive Leycesteria ‘Golden Lanterns’ there.

Golden Lanterns

A very peachy coreopsis spoke to me of Lorna (Andersen’s RV Park) but it was too leggy so I passed it by.

Lorna’s colour palette…

I got myself some more heirloom tomatoes and peppers for the edible garden tour; I still wonder if my garden will look ridiculously under-edible.

Hint of the day:

To my horror, both 7 Dees and Fred Meyer were selling the horrid Aegopodium (Bishops Weed). Do not fall for this dreadful thug.

at 7 Dees: Do not fall for this.

At Fred Meyer

Don’t do it!

Do not buy this plant, don’t take starts from anybody, or you will so regret it. This amusing article will tell you more, but I have to disagree with the author’s assertion that Bishops Weed does not seem to grow into lawn turf…because it does. It also looks terrible after it blooms and does need to be sheared at that time.

Back we went across the river…

approaching the dreaded four mile long bridge

glad to slow down for a flagger at the top

the descent

the view upriver

Allan says the bridge does not bother him although he did find it startling the first time he saw how high the span goes. He does wish that people could not pass on the bridge. We obviously survived another crossing because I am here to tell this story.

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more plant shopping

We woke to pouring rain and I got the idea that it would be a great day to go to Costco and get some plants to complete a few areas…at Back Alley gardens in Gearhart.  But then the sun came out and we went to work after all.

We finished weeding the garden at the east end of Howerton:

at Howerton and Elizabeth

And did a weeding job at the Red Barn Arena.

before and after at Red Barn

a horsey view

By then I was still feeling the urge to go to Gearhart, partly because of a tiresome wind and partly just because I knew I would probably find some special plants there.  And we needed canned cat food in quantity; as Allan said, that was important to five members of the household (Frosty, Smokey, Mary, Maddy, and Calvin).  First, we would have to make sure Long Beach was reasonably ready for the weekend so we went to the Fifth Street Park and Allan weeded it while I walked and checked four and a half blocks of the tree and planter gardens.

Fifth Street park, NW corner

planter detail with Veronica (blue)

planter detail with Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’

Cosmos and Bee

Bees buzzed about in many of the planters.

across from Home at the Beach

It was rather stressful getting far enough along by 3 PM to have time to get to Back Alley Gardens (across the river and down the coast a bit) before they close at five.  We both hustled.  I did not do the four northernmost planters but did get to all the others and got the Veterans Field garden weeded and deadheaded as well.  We had a brief turnaround time at home to make room in the car and drop off the trailer and then we were on the road.

I had called ahead to Back Alley and learned that they mostly had annuals at this time, with one new shipment of perennials having arrived today and more expected tomorrow.  Tomorrow and Saturday would not do for our shopping trip because of work.  By Sunday the weather was predicted to be good and I knew I would want to be in my own garden IF we could get the day off.  So it had to be today, and I was sure I would find something worthwhile.

Back Alley Gardens and The Natural Nook

Sure enough, right inside the display area entrance, I found two plants I wanted, a Salvia and an Agastache.

some of the plant tables

on the Back Alley deck

Agastache and Salvia

At Back Alley

I hope we can find time to go back in a couple of weeks when the nursery has acquired, as they plan to, more cool perennials.

I did find a little over a square flat of interesting plants, including Hebe ‘Quicksilver’, and had a good gardening business talk with one of the owners.

Hebe ‘Quicksilver’

The Natural Nook side of the business has home decor and a florist shop.

The Natural Nook florist car

and a welcome sign for dogs

Allan wanted a fern for his garden and, failing to find one at Back Alley that he did not already have, proposed we go south past Seaside to 7 Dees.  I thought it might be an excursion doomed to failure as they might close at five.  Their website assured me they stayed open till six (at least the Portland store does!), so we went south.  And indeed when we got there, it turned out they are now open till seven PM.

7 Dees garden center

The plant selection was much better than it had been on my visits there last year. I still miss the olden days when it was Raintree Nursery and had, I feel, more unusual plants and a more personal feel.  It is where I first discovered my favourite perennial, Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’, which I bought because it had a sign saying it was the favourite of one of the staffers…back in the Raintree days.

The access through the nursery is better now, with level paths and only a few stairs, and they have changed it around somewhat over the winter and added some appealing decor.

at 7 Dees, Allan looks at ferns

gazebo and baskets

planted chair

rustic door with view of lower level

shop cat

dinnertime

plummy pots

Gunnera leaf cascade fountain; I like this!

I bought a blue and gold Tradescantia for myself, having fallen in love with it years ago in Lucy Hardiman’s garden, even though every time I have tried one the slugs have gotten it.

gold Tradescantia…maybe this time…

I can’t resist brown leaves.

had to have it

I think I already have this so resisted.

tried and failed to talk Allan into this for his shade garden

It was only on the drive home that I found out Allan had resisted the above Saxifrage…or I probably would have bought it.

pulsatilla seedheads

We headed home via two tedious grocery shopping stops at Costco and Fred Meyer.  I will not admit the chain that we stopped at to get two reasonably priced Heucheras.  (Hint:  The plants there were DRY.  Caveat:  It was not a Walmart, whose door I will NEVER darken.  Excuse: Even my most liberal friends Tom and Judy shop for plants there despite the conservative reputation of the chain.  Reason:  Heuchs were much much less expensive than at 7 Dees and I spend sooo much on plants…)

At home, we now are back in the world of unplanted plants.  They all got a deep burbling in one of the rain barrels, and the chain store plants (ok, Home Depot) were especially thirsty.

in the car to go with us tomorrow

on a shelf waiting to be squeezed in here

to fill in Gene and Peggy’s garden

Allan’s fern and those artichokes for Leanne…they were being eaten by a slug!

I hope by Monday evening to be back to an everything-planted state, except for the artichokes.

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