25 April: gardening and puppy love

Saturday, 25 April 2015

Golden Sands Assisted Living

After we were done enoying the beach clean up volunteer lunch at the Peninsula Senior Center, it was easy to walk right next door and do a little planting at Golden Sands.

left: Senior Center; top left: health clinic; bottom right, Golden Sands

You can see that not only is there our courtyard garden but also a volunteer-maintained paved strolling trail garden to the north of the facility.

We had just a few plants dug up from my garden and Jo’s to plant in the courtyard: some sanguisorbas and Eryngiums from me and the spare roses that Allan dug out of Jo’s garden last week (replacing them with Floral Carpet rose).

outside Golden Sands, north side, some volunteer spreading of bark

Allan wheelbarrowing down the hallway to reach the courtyard garden door.

While still mostly green, the garden looks like it is just about to pop with colour.  SE quadrant

NE quadrant outside my mum’s old window.

NW quadrant: still frustratingly slow.

something to admire: My mum’s velvet red rose, transplanted from her old garden.

Allan planted two buckets of old narcissi bulbs.

and was pleased to see the Sumac ‘Tiger Eyes’ has put out a sprout. (Last year someone stepped on this little baby; now it has a protective teepee of bamboo.)

We weren’t there for long before leaving for the great event of the afternoon: meeting my new nephew, Jackson Strange.

Puppy Time at Ed’s

Yesterday our friend Ed Strange had picked up his new family member, an eight week old Springer Spaniel named Jackson.  Settle back for a plethora of puppy pics:

me meeting Jackson for the first time.

all windblown from the beach clean up earlier in the day!

a very relaxed and trusting puppy, falling asleep

After greeting me, Jackson immediately fell asleep between Allan’s feet.

getting a little more comfy with Allan’s boot as a pillow.

a man and his pup

walking into the garden

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Ed has redone the north edge of his property.

In this photo from last year’s garden tour, you can get a hint that the front was a solid bank of sala along a ditchl.  That was quite a transformation, involving the laying of culvert pipe.

the driveway shade garden

Ed”s sweet little single wide, in a new colour

Some garden discussion and admiration….

Allan’s photo

An enormous gunnera is the focal point for the garden.

It has made lots of little seedlings.

Ed, me, and one other got one of the Garden signs from The Basket Case Greenhouse.

I bet you would like to see some more puppy photos.

Ed and Jackson

Jackson kept falling asleep.

me taking puppy pics

on Ed’s coffee table (Allan’s photo)

We sat on the deck visiting for awhile.  Jackson fell asleep again.

A noise scared him and he went under my chair…and fell back asleep.

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Ed’s corner deck display

Allan’s photo

Ed got this little statue from his late friend Jimella’s garden, in memory

Ed was taking three days off from his landscaping business to bond with his pup.  As we left for our next job, they were planning to take a nap together.

Our friend J9 lives down the street and we had a crab pot to drop off for her garden decorating project.

Our J9.

Then…back to work.

Andersen’s RV Park

At Andersen’s, we had a hydrangea to prune, a blueberry to plant, and the usual deadheading and weeding.

Payson Hall planters with red ranunculus and California poppies

and Allium schubertii

on the door of Payson Hall clubhouse

and the garbage can

Owner Lorna had asked me last week if a hydrangea by one of the two cottages (an area we do not take care of) was dead.  No, it was not, I told her, and today Allan pruned it all the way down, down, down to new growth and gave it some fertilizer.

Allan’s photos: before

and after

Allan’s photos: deadheading along the picket fence

and blueberry planting

the weekly picket fence garden view. The sweet peas are almost an inch tall along the fence.

Ilwaco

After a day so long and action packed that it would not even fit into one post, I was eager to get home.  At the stoplight intersection, we had to make one last stop to get some photos of the (now closed, with a building needing restoration) Doupé Hardware Store.  A citizen (we don’t know who) had made the effort to make an attractive window display.  This is very welcome at the main entrance to town.

Allan’s photo: This beautiful building was once a thriving store.

Allan’s photo

At home, we got more news of the revitalization of town when our friend Julez (a local surfing instructor) stopped by on his way to visit the Starvation Alley Cranberry Farm household just next door to us.  He and his spouse have taken on the Harbor Lights Motel and Lounge at the port, which has been closed for several years.  We are so excited that it will be reopening this summer, and we see craft cocktails made with organic cranberry juice sometime in the future.

Julez, of Skookum Surf and now the Harbor Lights Motel.

his new little dog (Omar?): Allan’s photo

with his other dog, Taco (Allan’s photo)

It seems Ilwaco is turning around again with a boost of youthful energy.

Tomorrow:  We hope to do the weeding at the Ilwaco Community Building Garden.  This time I’ll go with Allan and see what I’ve gotten us into by saying yes to the job.

We have a tremendously busy week ahead as by next weekend the Ilwaco and Port of Ilwaco gardens need to look perfect for the Saturday children’s parade and opening day of Port of Ilwaco Saturday Market, and Long Beach has to be perfect for the Sunday parade, and Klipsan Beach Cottages has to be perfect for the Saturday Rhodie Tour, and the other resorts should look pretty nice because it’s a big tourist weekend.  This is my last chance to remind you about the Rhodie Tour as this blog is, as usual, running several days behind. Locals, we hope to see you there.

a reminder

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

16 April: a Sky Pencil day

Thursday, 16 April 2015

I overslept, on a day when we had much to do.

Allan’s photo of a wild cucumber vine climbing through our dogwood outside the kitchen window

my photo of an epimidium that Todd gave me yesterday

On the way out of town, I looked in passing at the community building garden, which I had recklessly agreed yesterday that we would take on.  Oh my gosh, it was weedy.  I felt a great sense of doom as I would rather spend the time on my own garden.  I brooded about it for some time, and after awhile Allan said that it was his idea that he might go weed it himself sometime soon when I am weeding my own garden.  That would be wonderfully noble.  (He can have ALL the wages!)  Unlike me, he does not have an aversion to heather planted on level ground…or the dry scritchy scratchiness of weeding horsetail and bindweed around heather planted on level ground…If heather was nicely transplantable, which it is NOT, I would move it to the part of the garden that slopes and then it would look like wonderful Scottish moors in miniature.

The Depot Restaurant

At our first job, which was supposed to be just deadheading, I suddenly could not resist a project.

Allan deadheaded the narcissi and tulips. All day long the sun was too bright for good photos.

I did not take a before photo of digging loads of schizostylis out of an area where I want to plant annuals.  I love schizostylis but sometimes it is a good plant gone bad.  Dan Hinkley said that it tends to be more of a runner when it is seeking water, because in its native South Africa, it grows on damp riverbanks.  (Three days later, we dined at the Depot and I learned that the restaurant is going to be painted soon.  I won’t be planting cosmos in this garden bed till AFTER that happens, and must remember to put stake tripods over the alliums and nicotiana.)

during the project with three buckets of plants removed (and my shadow)

after, with three Nicotiana langsdorfii added

ajuga and variegated saxifrage growing under the parking lot barrier

buds of Tulip ‘Green Wave’, one of my favourites, a parrot tulip which is the latest of all.

Last year:  parrot tulip ‘Green Wave’, a very late bloomer

The Basket Case Greenhouse

Allan’s photo

Fred had made a trip inland to bring back some shrubs, especially Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’, a great vertical green almost deer-proof accent plant that is hard to find for sale around here.

It was difficult to take photos for the Facebook page because of bright sunlight.  He’d brought back some very cool plants, including ‘Pink Lemonade’ blueberry, Lonicera fragrantissima, ‘Orange Rocket’ barberry, Sarcococca, and more.  And a ‘Shasta’ doublefile viburnum.  The one in the yard just north of the Basket Case looked like this today:

double file virburnum, so called because the flowers march down the branches in pairs.

me and Fred admiring the Orange Rocket barberries.

Trying to decide if I will take ALL the Sky Pencils!

Just as I was perusing the availability list for the next order, and Allan was loading the van with all but five of the Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’, who should show up but Todd.  While we were on our way north, he was on his way south.  Of course, the availability list was of interest to him, as it would be to any CPN (Certified Plant Nut).

Allan’s photo: the discussion of many plants.

Todd had a t shirt based on Farmville, although Allan only realized that later.

Pondering this as I write, I just realized this is a Plant Delights catalog cover, where up until recently Todd worked as display garden curator.   I am a bit slow on the uptake sometimes.

more plant discussion with Fred joining in

A great deal of time seemed to pass (the availability list is long) before we all went off to get back to work.

Golden Sands Assisted Living

Allan and I managed to make a very short stop at the Golden Sands garden where I planted four dahlias and pulled a very few weeds.

Allan’s photo: camassia and Tulip ‘Florette’ at Golden Sands

Camassia (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo of multi-flowering Tulip ‘Florette’

chives in flower (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Klipsan Beach Cottages

At KBC, I offered Mary a couple of Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’.  She liked the idea so much that Allan ended up clearing space and planting four of them.  I knew Mary would like them because she is fond of a formal look.  What got removed was mostly elephant garlic and Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’.  I told Mary and Denny that I felt silly because last year I made a fuss when Denny pulled a lot of the elephant garlic (when it was in bloom and adding interest!) and now there is just as much if not more than last year.

Allan making space for the first two Ilexes.

after

Meanwhile, I used the pick to get out a large area where the Bad Aster had taken hold.

before: two more Ilexes would go here.

before: Allan’s photo

after (behind to the right of frog)

before: Allan’s photo

after: Allan’s photo

Next week we will have time to thin plants out behind the Ilex so it shows better.  Meanwhile, Denny and his helper Lewis had been installing new lattice under the house deck.  I like it much better than the previous criss cross diagonal pattern.

elegant new lattice

This fringed tulip has returned for several years.

Tulip ‘Green Wave’ (Allan says he finds parrot tulips confusing as he cannot tell if they are starting or finishing their bloom.)

Tulip ‘Florette’

my good friend Bella (Allan’s photo)

Bella got smooches from me.  (Allan’s photo)

ready for smooching

How I love this dog!

The light and shade always makes it hard to get a photo that shows the vasty sweep of narcissi by the A Frame.

west end of the pond garden

the weekly view in the east gate

This is the new changing view that I am going to try to photograph each week.

I felt compelled, after KBC, to go back to the Basket Case and get the five Sky Pencils that I had left behind.  What if I run out when I start to decide where I want to add more of them to my garden?  Then we went on to the last job of the day, arriving at just before 5 PM.

Andersen’s RV Park

Allan did a weeding session on the garden shed garden while I walked all around and deadheaded narcissi and did some weeding in other areas.

weeding the garden shed garden

before (Allan’s photo)

after (Allan’s photo)

after (Allan’s photo)

Cistus against the garden shed (Allan’s photo)

Cistus (Allan’s photo)

The RV Park itself was full.  Those are the Payson Hall clubhouse planters to the right.

Allium schubertii coming on in the Payson Hall planters

The picket fence garden: The sweet peas have sprouted and are maybe 1/4 inch tall!

The Cove Restaurant

By seven, we were at The Cove for our Thursday tradition.

map of the adjoining golf course (Allan’s photo)

tulip in the entry garden (Allan’s photo)

Owner Sondra has been too busy to get these plants out of their pots and into the barrel.

 The tables were full so we sat at the bar and we were able to see Chef Jason Lancaster working hard in the kitchen.

strawberry salad (Allan’s photo)

Wendy serves up dinner.  Her sister, restaurater Sondra, is in the background.

delicious vegetable stir fry bowl with udon noodles

ahi tuna

home

We got home just after dusk and as I got out of the van I exclaimed that my Davidia involucrata ‘Sonoma’ is blooming!

a flash photo! I was very excited!

I should creep into my old garden to see if the one I planted there fifteen years ago (NOT ‘Sonoma’ so might take ten years to bloom) has flowered.  It never did while I lived there.

Tomorrow, we have to check on the Ilwaco planters for little weeds, get the Anchorage Cottages garden attended to and then make Long Beach as perfect as possible for Saturday’s Clam Festival.

Read Full Post »

2 April: horses, dogs, cats, gardens

Thursday, 2 April 2015

Ilwaco

Helen, waiting to greet clients at our accountant’s office. Jennifer does her own lovely planters.

Allan’s photos: We put Erysimums in two Ilwaco planters.

Red Barn Arena

We had not been to the Red Barn at all in March.

Our garden project there is small…just a bed along a fence by the upper right corner of building, and seven big containers.

one of two pots at the entrance to the grounds

Allan’s photo

the little fence garden, before

and after

Allan’s photo: lots of little California poppy seeds coming up

south wall of barn

calibrachoa survived winter and is blooming!

detail: Tulip batalinii “Bright Gem’

Hugo: Allan’s photo

Allan’s photo

Diane’s garden

Just next door is Diane’s garden, which we also had skipped for all of March.

before weeding the roadside bed today

after

Allan’s photo: We had an audience from the window: Jacks!

Allan’s photo: an old dead shrub under the window came right out.

Allan’s photo: Jacks (Jax?)

Allan’s photo

Allan’s before on the roadside, other direction

Allan’s after

In the back yard: My good friend Misty got a belly rub.

OOPS. No violas, and that orangey tulip was supposed to be some sort of pastel shade.

I had not planted any violas yet, and they are one of Diane’s favourites.  This called for a trip to The Basket Case Greenhouse, just five minutes up Sandridge Road.

Basket Case Greenhouse

Allan’s photo: Nancy and me

Allan’s photo: more Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’

Back to Diane’s…

a flat of violas all in gentle shades, as she likes soft colours.

That’s better!

The Anchorage Cottages

Our friend Mitzu the Shih Tzu was there! (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

The pesky scilla are having their moment of glorious blue in the center courtyard (even though we pull out scads of the bulbs every year).

We had two big new containers to fill.  We had brought two big bags of potting soil, but I had forgotten how large the containers were.  This called for a trip five minutes up Pacific Highway to…

The Planter Box

The Planter Box garden center

We had needed to buy some fertilizer anyway.  Dr. Earth is my favourite brand.

I love this new Limonium; owner Teresa says this statice will likely be perennial.

I believe it is Limonium suworowii (Russian Statice),

also a precious viola

Allan’s photo

Before returning to the Anchorage, we checked on the gardens at…

Andersen’s RV Park

We had not been there for over a week.  I was pleased that our extensive weeding had held up well enough so we can leave this job alone now till next week.

an empty space to the right, where a guest drove into one of the six whiskey barrels

If I had remembered to replant narcissi in the barrels, they would have been full of yellow and shown up better.

This RV Park guest had been shopping earlier at Mostly Hats in Long Beach.  (Allan’s photo)

We deadheaded narcissi all around the park.  It is said that deadheading is good for the bulb, as instead of using energy to form seeds in the pod, the energy returns to the bulb.

a pretty little poppy from The Basket Case, about to bloom (Allan’s photo)

Also, undeaded narcissi look tatty. (Allan’s photo)

deadheading and weeding Payson Hall (Allan’s photo)

No sign of sweet peas, but it has only been 11 days….

container tulips by the office

Tulip ‘Artist’ has returned for three years.

Back to The Anchorage

Tulip ‘Green Star’ by the office

It’s one of my favourites.

But this one got so twisty it never opened up.

Tulip ‘Angelique’

Tulip ‘Gavota’ almost over.

windowboxes with species tulips and narcissi

windowbox

That little narcissi that has been blooming everywhere had flummoxed me, and I had thought it might be Narcissus jonquilla simplex.  But NO!  I suddenly realized it is Baby Moon, the one I plant by the hundreds because I can count on it blooming in late April and being in full bloom for the two city parades, Ilwaco and Long Beach, on the first weekend in May.  This year all the Baby Moons are blooming in late March to early April.  I choose to be pleased that they are blooming during spring break, and I wonder just what will be in bloom for the parade weekend?!

Baby Moon, a month early

accidental perfect combo with tulip and primrose

Narcissi in courtyard

some of that new pink statice

white narcissi

more courtyard narcissi; you can just see the edge of one of the big new planters, to the left

We used this new product, and it was a bit stronger smelling than plain old potting soil.

This is the new kind of potting soil we got to finish off the big pots. It smelled more manure-y than regular potting soil, just faintly.

I found a big fat snail on one of the flowerpots.  I cannot bear to squish them, so he got carried off to the dune grass and beach pines to the west of the lawn.

Allan’s photo

I felt so tired and sleepy today (two different things) that I reminded myself that soon The Deadliest Catch telly show will start up again and I’ll be reminded that it could be a lot worse if I were crab fishing on the Bering Sea instead of merely gardening after a few nights of insomnia.

However, I was unable to resist the idea of our Thursday tradition at the Cove Restaurant, even though we had just been there last night.  The Thursday habit is hard to break especially when one feels tired and deserving of a treat.

The Cove Restaurant

The Restaurant is on the golf course.

Parking Lot Cat waits to greet customers.

again the table with the white chrysanthemum

Allan said the bunny wanted some of my strawberry salad.

my dinner; Allan had fish tacos

home

Two books have arrived in the last week from Australia that I so wish I had some rainy days off to read…(along with the daunting stack of good library books).

I now have THREE unread books by my favourite Kate.

Read Full Post »

March 21: sweet pea mission

Saturday, 21 March 2015 

It was Montana Mary’s 60th birthday, four days after mine.  When I turned 50, she sent me a card in which she wrote something like”When we were younger, it was very important that you were four days older than me, but now it’s important that I’m five days younger than you.”

 

I made her a Harry Potter birthday picture from the JK Rowling room at the Sylvia Beach Hotel.

at home

First, I took a quick look around the front garden to see what had come into bloom.

The white tulips are new.

white bleeding heart

tulips and cardoon

white Dutch iris…so early!… and a serious amount of the weed I call “stinkmint”

foreground: Tulip sylvestris just going over

fern in Allan’s garden and the lantern his mother made

Peninsula Quilt Guild Show

Our workday began with glorious weather and a visit to the annual quilt show at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum.  Here are just a few of the more gardeny quilts:

Poppies by Beth Riesen

Detail with beading

Foxes for Lucy by Beth Riesen

Still Life II: Flowers and Lemons by Wendy Romaggi

Still Life: Flowers and Cherries by Wendi Romaggi

Looking Through the Window by Wendy Romaggi

Manzanita by Joanie Chapel

This Red Hens quilt by Merri Johnson reminds me of Garden Tour Nancy’s flock.

Harvest Pumpkins by Joanie Chapel

Charlie Brown’s Pumpkin Patch by Becky Olson-Evans

Palette Explosion

None the Same by Nellie Beasley

You can see more photos of the quilts on my Ilwaco blog, here.  I should have rousted out to see it during the previous day’s rainy weather.  Had not been able to tear myself away from processing photos of my trip.

On our way out of town, we saw a change at the stoplight corner.  We’d have to get a proper photo later as we were in a rush to get working.

something has changed

Long Beach

After the quilt show, we finally headed to Long Beach to deadhead narcissi in the planters and street tree gardens and parks.  I suppose there had been some dead flowers during the week.  I had not even thought about work during my time at the hotel (which means I had not figured out any solution to our overwork problem).  I’d decided that it was not going to ruin anyone’s beach vacation to see some weeds or dead flowers.  If the vacationer was not a gardener, they would not notice.  If they were a gardener, they could feel sympathetic and/or happy with themselves for being a superior gardener.

in Long Beach: Tulip ‘Lilac Wonder’ by the police station

Allan and I split up and I walked the southern blocks while Allan did the northern.  My head was still not in work mode after seven glorious days off.  Before my trip, I had been in high spring clean up gear and all systems were go, go, go.  I needed to rev myself back up somehow.  Some things in Long Beach would have to wait because we needed to do another job today, as well.

The carousel is now in operation for the tourist season.

the tulip bed in Fifth Street Park needed deadheading and I ignored it!

I noticed that the new Thai place was open.

a parrot tulip bud

the sort of horrible deadheads that people had had to look at while I was one

stunning red tulip still going strong outside the smoke shop

back up the other side of street, the primroses by the new Malai Thai

backlit tulips

asphodel…got it at Joy Creek some years ago, would love to get more; it’s a great doer!

If I ever see it for sale, I will buy lots and lots and lots.

Allan’s photo: narcissi and heuchera by the Elks Lodge

Allan’s photo: dwarf rhododendron by Funland

Andersen’s RV Park

After our quick one hour walk around in Long Beach, we went to Andersen’s on the mission of planting sweet peas along the picket fence.  I sorted a few out from each of the many colours that I have this year.

sweet peas sorted for Andersen’s, some of each

The sweet pea names:  Princess El1zabeth, Beaujolais, Blue Streamers, Beaujalais, Painted Lady, Saltwater Taffy Swirls, Chocolate Streamers, Velvet Elegance, Black Knight, Janet Scott, Watermelon, Countess Cadogan, Lipstick, Lord Nelson, Old Spice Mix, Zinfandel, Miss Willmott, Flora Norton, Jewels of Albion, Queen of Hearts, Pastel Sunset, America, Early Multiflora Blend, Chiffon Elegance, Blue Reflection Mix, High Scent Mix.

Last year, I had bad results with sweet peas.  This year, we did an extensive clearing of all other plants along the picket fence, added dairy manure, and applied liberal amounts of sluggo after planting, plus I have enough seeds to do a full replanting if necessary.

Allan’s photo: he helped weed along the fence (before)

after (and I did not give him enough time to weed the very end, which had been his original project for today.)

sweet peas in, inside and outside the fence

Allan cleaned up an area to the north of the house so I could plant sweet peas around a bamboo teepee.

Allan’s photo: before

Allan’s photo: after

Lorna likes the big showy narcissi.

These tulips were getting raves. They had petered out in one of the big pots because the drainage was clogged.

Lorna had bought some knee high sweet peas which I planted in the back of the Payson Hall planters. We’ll see if that works out.

I had a revelation while looking past Payson Hall at the six whiskey barrels on the lawn. I feel so stupid!  I could not figure out why the narcissi had not come up this spring.  I suddenly remembered our big job last May, digging out all the narcissi and replanting them into the garden, as they had become overcrowded and I wanted the planting of annuals to be easier.  I meant to plant NEW narcissi in the fall and not only did I FORGET but I also forgot WHY I had no flowers this spring.  (The ones in the garden look great, though!)  I hope this is not a sign of increasing addlement.

The west side garden has some of the narcissi from the barrels.

Ilwaco 

On the way out of town this morning we had noticed that the murals were up, as promised, at the old Oddfellows building on the corner.  It has recently been purchased and is being fixed up.  We would have participated but the main part of the project happened while I was gone.  I had made a picture of the volunteer group’s publicity release and an old photo I had.

a long shot taken the next day

Tackle renovation of this very old building is an impressive project..

Next: rain was predicted for Sunday and I still had not managed to kick myself back into mental gear for catching up at work.  At least it felt great to cross Andersen’s off of the sweet pea planting list.

 

Read Full Post »

March 16-20: a slow return to the real world

Monday, 16 March 2015

On March 16th, the day after Allan got home from the Sylvia Beach Hotel, the crabbers at the gear shed next door were tarping down their pots for the season.

During the time I was gone to the Sylvia Beach Hotel, Allan had (bless him!) done some of the gardening work. On March 16th, he finished the Big Pop Out in Long Beach, a task completion that had been eluding us.

March 16: before

after, rugosa roses controlled (for now) all along the fence and a weed infested kinnickinick removed

before and after…impressive!

his load of debris

species tulips in the big pop out

Thursday, 19th March 2015

(You can read about Allan’s March 18th boating trip in yesterday’s post.)

On March 19th, he tackled the dreaded weeding of the Bolstadt Beach Approach blocks-long garden and felt discouraged by how long it took him to accomplish this much; it’s a horribly hard job:

before

Three hours later. I personally think that is pretty fast and efficient.

I arrived back from the Sylvia Beach Hotel in the early evening and I have to admit that after my five quiet bookish days, we watched a two hour episode of Survivor in the evening.  The cats were ever so pleased to see me…when they woke up.

Smokey and Mary

I opened my birthday package from Montana Mary; she had given me SIXTY presents, or tried to (she wrote that she may have lost count) including each individual piece chocolate from two fine chocolatiers (one from Wyoming and one from Bozeman, Montana).

presents from Montana Mary

from Meeteetse Chocolatier

from Chatelaine Chocolate

Mary says “both are owned by charming people who produce marvelous confections!”  (A couple of days later, I got another little package from her, some “chocolate” seeds from Chocolate flower farms: chocolate colored nasturtiums and chocolate cherry tomatoes.)

Allan made delicious muffins from the flour.

Before I’d gone on my trip, Allan had given me a set of books relating to my Green Lake neighbourhood Seattle childhood.  Of course, I had been too immersed in the Sylvia Beach Hotel room journals to read them.  They still awaited my perusal.

My old friend Shaz, now an Oregonian but who once lived by the bay where years ago I had made a garden for her, sent art supplies:

inspirational

Friday, 20 March 2015

view from our north windows

On my first full day back, I was ever so pleased at torrents of rain because it gave me the opportunity to download and start processing all the photos from my stay at the Sylvia Beach Hotel.  The cats had been so glad to see me last night and sat right by me.

Smokey and Mary

In the evening, we were joined at the Cove Restaurant by Carol and J9 and Kathleen for a belated celebration of my 60th birthday, since I had spent my birthday itself with Carol at the Sylvia Beach Hotel. Bill and Susie of the Boreas Inn stopped by but could not stay as they were checking in some guests that evening.  I took my new camera to dinner; not a good choice, as the old camera known as Spot, which takes bad outdoor photos, is the one that takes good indoor ones.  As we drove north in the rainy dark through Long Beach, I could see deadheads (dead flowers, not lounging hippies) in the planters and felt some small urgency about work.

Allan’s photo: We had a table right by the fire.

Carol and Kathleen at dinner

an appetizer of five “prawns solo”, the perfect number for our group

Carol’s bahn mi sandwich, my steak salad

presents!

From J9: Catnip Murders art print by an Astoria artist; from Kathleen: Harper Lee in large print and my favourite tea (Earl Grey) and some Nestle’s Crunch and peanut butter cups.  The candy is a shoutout to our fun time at Halloween, when she helped us give out candy and learned my favourites from the Halloween mixed chocolates bag.  From Susie: a pretty little purse with some fancy lip balm inside and a date to take us out to lunch on Sunday!

from Allan, a Hello Kitty gardening set! for one of my plant tables

It had been an extravagant birthday week (and was not quite over, with the lunch date with Susie and Bill coming up).  However, the weather was due to change and I seriously had to get back to work.

Read Full Post »

10 March: Ilwaco, Long Beach and Andersen’s

I just want to say that on the previous day, I finished an excellent book by Linda Tirado:

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

I have a new list going on the work board, involving poppy seeds.

The new work list, with poppy planting jobs

The poppy planting needs to be done as soon as possible, although I doubt we will get them all in before I go to the Sylvia Beach Hotel on the 14th.  As soon as I return, it will be sweet pea planting time.

Ilwaco

The big plan of the day was to finish the big pop out in Long Beach and then do some more weeding and plant poppies at Andersen’s.  First, we had to top off a planter in Ilwaco with a bit more potting soil, so I took the opportunity to bring along 4 variegated golden thyme for assorted planters.  This year, I dream of sticking to tough but beautiful plants that will need to be watered a bit less frequently.  And yet, I’d like to have nasturtiums thriving, too.

newly fluffed and planted with a new thyme

Allan caringly gives it some water that he lugged from a faucet a quarter of a block away.

I did not notice until I got in the van that the planter across the street had deadheads.  So I deadheaded them.  Then as we were driving to the next thing, I noticed the narcissi under the tree on the corner had deadheads.  Meant to get back and get them.  Forgot.  Drat.  Will be first on agenda next work day.

We drove a block south to put in a thyme at the Portside Café.  Owner Debra and her daughter Heather were outside and agreed to have their photo taken.  I loved Heather’s blue hair with the doorway.

I had this weird approval seeking desire to say I used to be cool too and had my hair all sorts of different colours, way way back when, but I controlled it.   Well, since you insist:

back in the day

Below: both the new owners, Debra and Lauri.  It seems to me that a lot of locals don’t know that the café’s new owners have revamped the menu to include more fresh, less processed food, and they are baking their own bread.  We hear it is delicious.  I have gone off going out to breakfast/brunch/lunch as I am more into spending time in my home and garden on days off, and we are so busy on workdays, but we will go there sometime soon.

with the street tree

an exciting new business venture for these two, both of whom have much restaurant experience

Next, we had two perennials from The Basket Case to plant at the boatyard garden, in a spot newly cleared of goldenrod.  I got distracted by the weedy northwest corner.

We should clean this up, sez I.

fifteen minutes later, planted with some California poppies. Horsetail still lurks beneath.

Once upon a time, my boatyard garden ran all along this, the north side, as well as the east side.  It got dug up when a new electrical line was laid.  I once had a dream of wrapping it around three sides of the boatyard, back when I lived in the little house to the west.

We planted a Penstemon ‘Thorn’ and a green santolina in the former golden rod spot and I assessed it could take a few more plants.  Then we went driving east along Howerton to make a stop at home and I saw all the narcissi and realized I had better get some photos before they were done.  “I’ll do it Thursday”, I said, and then “What if someone PICKS them?! I had better do it now.”  So I did.

by the Loading Dock Village

looking further east

Narcissi and Ceanothus

my favourite little bed on Howerton, by the Ilwaco Pavilion

By Powell Gallery, and Pelicano Restaurant used to be by this garden; Oh how we miss it.

 

pocket garden at Marie Powell gallery

closer

Long Beach

After a quick stop at home (to get some tylenol!) we were finally on our way to Long Beach.  Before we got to downtown, I saw that the welcome sign needed deadheading.

before, with trash

after

 

I fretted that the first of the red and yellow tulips are short, and the narcissi in front were so tall that the tulips did not show.  Since when??  (In the evening, I checked at home and I did use the same tulips as always, Red and Yellow Cubed, a Colorblends mix.  So what the heck?)  I trimmed the narcissi foliage by one third, sooner than was good for it, to make the tulips show better.  Some taller ones are coming on….

The back, full shade part of the sign, does not have such problems.

Before getting to our goal of finishing the weeding of the big pop out, we stopped at Fifth Street Park.  I had a big hardy fuchsia magellanica start from home that I thought would be good in this corner:

But there was no room for it that would not block access to the back of the building.  There are quite a few plants in there that will grow tall later.  So Allan planted it on the other side.

It will be soft to brush by when workers and meter readers need to get back there.

the north side of the park

planter by the park

Fuchsia is in. There is still a hole back there for some pipe reason. No time to weed this thoroughly today.

the original corner after some weeding. I broke a flower stalk off of the Camassia. SO maddening.  The schizostylis is TOO vigorous.  Also maddening.

Still hoping to get to the big pop out, we went next to Veterans Field to plant eight blue and white violas and a red Geum ‘Sangria’.  And some red and some white California poppies.

By now, I decided to abort the big pop out mission for today as it seemed more important to get poppy seeds planted at Andersen’s RV Park.

Andersen’s RV Park

On the way in, some weeding and deadheading at the road box. Nasturtiums are popping up. SO gladdening.

In  the park, Allan’s project was to weed the beds just west of the office.  They are full of horrid couch grass despite much effort over the years.  Adding some mulch from the old pile of “cow fiber” will help loosen up the future weeds, although we have done so many times before and the roots are still tight and determined.

before

after; I had him dig out the old woody Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ that was at the lower right.

before and after (not done yet, but after 2.5 hours and a storm’s arrival we had to go)

before

  I accused Allan of having flattened the oriental poppy to the front, which I remembered as standing up much taller.  It is noticeable because it already has a flower showing red.  I said I had a photo to prove it was standing up higher, but it turns out that my photo shows no such thing.  Oops.

As we worked, the wind had kicked up to 25 miles an hour.  Fortunately, we were somewhat protected by the restroom and laundry building just to south, but the work still turned miserable.  I pulled up so much bad aster in the west garden today that I wondered whether I had dreamed that we had worked very hard pulling it up last fall.

Then I planted some of each colour of California poppy and some Shirley and some other short and tall poppies in the areas I had cleared, and hoped for the best.  I sorted the seeds in the laundry room because of the wind.  That plan worked very well. Lots of California and Flanders Field poppies have reseeded, as well.

Allan points out that last year I thought he had pulled the old tatty red poppies too soon and that they would not reseed.  Well, they did.

 

two wheelbarrow loads of aster roots came out of here.

A windy drizzle started just as I planted the last poppy seeds.

Checked the picket fence garden for narcissi deadheading…

As soon as I get back from the Sylvia Beach, it will be time to plant sweet peas along the fence.

at home

Before hurrying into the house to get out of the weather. I briefly admired a quite lovely wallflower in the front garden.

very nice indeed

It was gratifying to get to cross Andersen’s off the poppy list.

An unusual sight when I got home: Mary and her son Frosty were snoozing together; usually it is Mary and her other son, Smokey

Read Full Post »

Andersen’s RV Park: the workshop garden

Andersen’s RV Park has a workshop building at the northwest corner of the property.  We have a garden bed, split into three parts, on its south wall.  Here is a slideshow of that garden through the seasons in 2014.  The workshop garden is by the small building in the upper right of the first photo.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Read Full Post »

Andersen’s RV Park: west garden 2014

For your pleasure, a slide show from varying angles of the west garden at Andersen’s RV Park.  It is located between the owner’s house and office and the RV parking field, beyond which is the Pacific Ocean.  Its base is pure beach sand amended over the years with dairy manure and Soil Energy mulch.  While we did work there every week, our harried busy-ness last June and July (because of going on garden tours in Seattle and Portland) seems to have discouraged the regular taking of photos.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This evening: a short bonus slideshow of another garden bed at Andersen’s.

 

Read Full Post »

6 March: Long Beach and Andersen’s

Sorry I don’t come up with better titles for these posts!

Friday, 6 March 2015

Long Beach

Our first mission today was to finish weeding the Big Pop Out, where we left off yesterday evening.  We got distracted on the way by planting some violas in the Ilwaco planters and then by adding a few to the southernmost Long Beach planters.  There, I discovered two cute purple and orange violas on the south side of 7th Street pulled right out and chewed up…not by human vandals, but by deer.  I realized there is no point in planting anything that the deer like on the apparent deer highway that goes east-west from the beach toward Oman Builders Supply and the wetlands beyond it.  And yet just across the street to the north, the planter right in front of Home at the Beach gift shop has no deer problem at all.

7th South is a deer highway.

Planters on the southeast and southwest corners are browsed daily.

We both completely forgot to take an after photo of the Big Pop Out, perhaps because it was still not quite done before we ran out of time.  Before heading to our main work event of the day, we added still more violas to the planters near the police station.

The police station planter (with Tulip sylvestris) got blue violas (not shown)

Tulips in the Lewis and Clark Square planter (I’m liking my new inexpensive Olympus pocketcam)

more tulip admiration

The Long Beach gazebo had gotten a new river rock surround by where we pruned rhodos a couple of weeks ago.

I forgot to take a photo of the new benches that had originally inspired the need for our recent rhodo pruning project.

We next stopped at city hall to apply some sluggo.  I’d had an email earlier today from there that someone had asked for a plant ID.  When I called the inquirer’s Las Vegas number, the question was about Leucojum ‘Gravetye Giant’, just as I had suspected.

north side of city hall, narcissi, leucojum, hellebore

and pulmonaria and leucojum

Leocojum ‘Gravetye Giant’

and another hellebore

and white narcissi

We were heading down the street to cross over and go to the city works yard to dump debris when I saw a half dead Erysimum so we had to make an emergency stop.

Allan hoiks out the errant plant.

I saw another tatty looking Erysimum across the street at the carousel planter and attended to it.

The carousel in winter

carousel planter last summer

Across the street from the carousel: I like the perennial combo of golden oregano and Geranium renardii

Finally, we escaped from Long Beach and went on to Andersen’s to try to accomplish our main objective of the day.

Andersen’s RV Park

At Andersen’s, Allan weeded the west side gardens, including parts we had not gotten to last time, in preparation for me planting poppy seeds.  A lot have reseeded from last year, but I want more colours.  Unfortunately, I ran out of steam by the end of the day so I hope to do the seeding next week.

Allan’s photo: west garden

Allan’s photo

Allan wants you to see how shiny his mattock/claw is after digging in sand all afternoon.  (We call it the double tool.)

I weeded the workshop garden for the first time this year.  (I used to call it the garden shed garden, which is a bit awkward, and the building has become more of a carpentry workshop for the park.)

the workshop garden, before; the staff use the golf cart to travel around the big park.

a weedy little patch before

after

I had a revelation:  I don’t LIKE the old fashioned bergernia.  I’d whittled the patch down over the years, and yet some remained. Why?  The original garden designer who made the bed has long ago left the job (and the Peninsula).  Why did it take me twenty years to realize I can get rid of that boring old plant?

Allan joined me for the last half hour of weeding this area.

Allan’s photo

two and a quarter hours after I began

The bed is still not done all the way to the end and needs edging…  It will be a few months before the park is so crowded that RVs park here, so the edging is not urgent.

home at sunset…

Next: slideshows of the areas that we worked on at Andersen’s today.    You must indulge me in publishing two slideshows in one day (morning and evening) because tomorrow (March 17) is also my 60th birthday. My high school friend, Roberta, sent me a package with this charming note. 



I wanted to send the items on to my friend Montana Mary who turns 60 on the 21st. I will be at Sylvia Beach Hotel on my birthday with my old friend Carol, so I had Allan take a photo of me with the items, in which I look more embarrassed than splendid. My thanks to Roberta (who turned 60 in January) for thinking of me.   I value my “old” friends so very much. I don’t want to clutter my garden slideshows with a birthday photo on the day, so here, with gratitude for making it this far:



Read Full Post »

Andersen’s RV Park 2014, picket fence garden

Here is a series of photos of the Andersen’s RV Park picket fence garden, on the east side of the owner’s house, looking south, from the same vantage point through the year.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Read Full Post »