Posted in journal, tagged Bolstad beach approach garden, Coulter Park, Long Beach (Washington), Long Beach 2022 on Feb 23, 2022| 7 Comments »
Thursday, 18 February 2022
Long Beach
I had actually been thinking of more ornamental grass shearing at the port today. However, I had heard it might snow on Monday, and the grasses that are still uncut would look pretty in snow. So we went to Long Beach instead.
(more…)Posted in container gardens, tagged Cosmos 'Pop Socks', Coulter Park, Dianthus 'Charles Musgrave', Long Beach (Washington) on Jun 11, 2018| 13 Comments »
Monday, 4 June 2018
Long Beach
I decided we had better do a big clean up in the oft neglected Coulter Park, just north of Dennis Company.
the back way in (Allan’s photo)
the dreaded rose patch with salmonberry coming through the fence (Allan’s photos)
The salmonberry comes under the fence on powerful runners and pops up all through the roses. It’s infuriating on many levels.
the mother….plant on the other side of the fence
Allan’s photo
after; unfortunately, all the bad roots can’t be gotten at (Allan’s photo)
after (Allan’s photo)
Meanwhile, I weeded around the front of the park and then limbed up some conifers on the north side so that we could get the bindweed, salmonberry, blackberry, and garbage out from under them.
before; impossible to weed
I pruned as much as I could and then Allan crawled in and sawed off the stubs.
after
another one, before
Spiders:
spider babies dispersing when touched
If mama spiders were like mama bears, we would not get much done.
a paper towel dispenser…why and how? (Allan’s photo)
after
more salmonberry invaders
I’ve sort of given up on the north side of this park. All we can do is cut these salmonberries back, and they regrow quickly.
It looks cleaner and better even from afar.
I thought you might be interested in the sign on the Long Beach depot building in this park.
the old train depot
“I just knew there was nothing in the whole wild world that would ever be as exciting and wonderful as a Sunday at Long Beach.”
I’ve made the photo a bit bigger than usual in hopes that it might be readable when biggified by clicking.
self seeded cerinthe in the rocks, even though the nearest one is a block away.
With that done, we went on to water the downtown planters and street tree gardens.
Agastache and Cosmos ‘Pop Socks’
Cosmos ‘Pop Socks’
‘Copper Pot’ California poppy
Dianthus ‘Charles Musgrave’
I got to pet this little dog named Gizmo.
We still have alliums. On the third street intersection, 12 are left out of 24 that were planted there.
Allium christophii
Allium christophii
Allium christophii with cosmos and cerinthe
one of the most windswept planters (Allan’s photo)
cosmos (Allan’s photo)
California poppies (Allan’s photo)
Cerinthe major purpurascens (Allan’s photo)
Ilwaco
I meant to water and weed at the boatyard; I really did. However, I had hit a wall of exhaustion and since the watering was not critical (I’d watered it just last Friday), I left the weeds to thrive and went home with the excuse (valid!) of having more of the monthly billing to do.
Allan watered the Ilwaco street trees and planters.
downtown planter
a self seeded columbine
Posted in journal, spring clean up, tagged Coulter Park, gardening, gardens, Long Beach (Washington), Shelburne Hotel, spring clean up on Mar 14, 2018| 9 Comments »
Sunday, 11 March 2018
We stopped at Time Enough Books (also a gift shop of various book related things) before work, on a mission perhaps having to do with someone’s birthday, and had a good catch up chat with bookseller Karla.
greeted by staff member Scout (Allan’s photo)
WE LOVE THIS BOOKSTORE!
On the way out of Ilwaco, I decided I had to prune the silly part off the trailing rosemary inthe planter by Peninsula Sanitation.
before
after: It is still silly, and the whole rosemary should go. I have a soft heart. I will remove more next time, when it is done blooming.
Long Beach
Spring clean up continued on a spring-like day in Coulter Park, just north of Dennis Company and downtown Long Beach.
the south bed, before
and after
before (Siberian iris) Allan’s photos
He found an old bird nest.
after
looking at the west bed
the west bed, with lady’s mantle leaves, before
and after Allan cleaned it up.
I am going to wait awhile before cutting back the fuchsias in the west bed. I’d like them to leaf out tall, and they still might.
the rose (north) bed, before
and after
All of the above beds are in the west, rather hidden area of the park that does not get used much at all.
The front (east side) of the park is more visible and often visited when there are events in the old train depot building.
a monument in the front of Coulter Park (Allan’s photo)
A patch of orange montbretia (NOT planted by us!) that Allan cleaned up (behind the bus stop).
The little round bed on the southwest corner of the park had been bugging me every time we drove by this late winter.
front bed before
half an hour later
Horses went clop clopping by. (Allan’s photo)
The Coulter monument (taken last year)
Allan photographed this succulent patch that is in a container built on top of a garbage can. It got moved under the broad roof of the old train depot and now gets very little water.
Someone has noticed this little planter and left a sign.
We then clipped the Salvia ‘Hot Lips’ in Veterans Field.
before
after (may cut salvias lower once frost danger is past)
A child who was selling little signs at the farmers market last year put this in astage planter.
after (Allan’s photos)
We then went to the south parking lot berm for awhile. I had been planning the time allowed for each task carefully, as I had a few plants to add to the Shelburne Hotel garden at the end of the day.
At the berm (Allan’s photos):
old crocosmia mixed painfully with rugosa roses
The south berm is thick with rugosas because it used to get trampled mercilessly when parking for the alternative school (now moved) was in this parking lot. Like the beach approach, only the rugosas held up to the foot traffic. Now we battle them and wish they were not here.
after; we will come back to weed
a big mess of debris
It was not till we the Stipa gigantea clipped and old crocosmia pulled at the south berm that I happened to look at my phone and my watch and realized that, despite my rejoicing that daylight savings time and more evening light (and more work time!) were here, I had not reset my watch. I aborted my suggestion that we work for an hour on the north berm. I would have wondered why night fell so fast!
Ack, it was actually five! I could not get the knob out to change it, and when Allan tried, the little twisty knob broke off. 😦
We dumped our debris at city works and collected soil, returning to mulch the roundish bed at Coulter Park.
gentle application around hyacinths
Our last Long Beach task was the clipping of some small ornamental grasses in the tiny popouts a block north of city hall. Note to self: Must remember to return and weed these. There are many seedlings of California poppies, real poppies, and bachelor buttons in these two little beds.
the tiny popouts
Shelburne Hotel
The garden got a couple of Eryngium ‘Jade Frost’, some oregano ‘Hopley’s Purple’ (a beautifully flowered cultivar), an Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ and three silver santolinas.
new plants in ruched up areas
also three new heucheras
looking south, after we cut cold-damaged calla lilies to the ground
pub windows with magnolia in bloom
Allan’s photo
These days I am obsessed with getting my book posts done (four years to go, all being retroactively published to February 15, 2018). My goal, which had been to get them done by daylight savings time, was not met despite obsessive blogging, to the detriment of actually READING books. When that project is done, we will be able to linger after work and dine in the pub. When we work there in the evening, we see friends and acquaintances going in.
Ilwaco
We (by which I mean Allan while I sat in the van feeling knee and toe pain) popped a Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and a couple of starts of Oregano ‘Hopley’s Purple’ into an empty planter.
Ilwaco planter
Coulter Park came off the work board.
Posted in fall clean up, journal, private gardens, public gardens, tagged Coulter Park, Diane's garden, gardening, gardens, Gardner and Bloome, Ilwaco Community Building garden, Red Barn Arena on Nov 25, 2017| 1 Comment »
Monday, 20 November 2017
We have a guest photo today from Steve of the Bayside Garden.
“The “Lion’s Head” maple (Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’) putting on quite a (late) show”
Today’s work photos were all taken by Allan except for one puppy picture. My mind was completely obsessed with getting as many tasks erased from the work board as possible.
Allan loaded a second wheelbarrow for today’s first job.
I think our yellow rain gauge is broken.
fallen willow leaves in our garden on Willows Loop East.
We intended to start today by applying six large bales of Gardner and Bloome mulch to the Ilwaco Community Building garden. Usually, parking has been good there on Sundays and Mondays (when the library is closed). Today, the lot was all parked up so we drove on to our next job. This made for extra heavy work for Allan, who had to shift the heavy bales around to make room for loading and later offloading debris.
It wasn’t till a library visit the next day that we were reminded that the alternative high school is now housed in the community building, so it will likely be a full parking lot on all school days.
Diane’s garden
We were so pleased to have a good weather day to get Diane’s garden clean up done before Thanksgiving.
raised septic bed before
after clipping Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Next year, the sedum won’t be as leggy because we will prune it halfway down in late spring to make it more compact. I also transplanted three potted chrysanthemums and a couple of white California poppies into the raised bed. While I tidied up all the potted plants, Allan clipped the Stipa gigantea and some perennials in the roadside garden and pulled the cosmos.
before
after
We left this handsome stand of Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ till spring clean up
clipping perennials in the side garden
after
We had perfect weather except for one heavy rain squall that we sat out in the van.
At that moment, Diane came walking over from the barn with Holly.
Puppy Holly is dog sized now.
The Red Barn
Next door at the Red Barn, we did just a bit of tidying and clipping in our very small garden there.
in the pasture
The Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ in the barrels just might bloom all winter.
World Kite Museum
We had just a bit of clipping and cosmos pulling to do in the little garden. Recently, we had recommended Sea Star Gardening to prune the long escallonia hedge, and it looked spiffing. Patty emerged for a chat; we told her we will be back after a heavy frost to tidy up the six new blue containers.
after
I am pleased with how well the big purple penstemon is doing in two of the blue pots. I figured the penstemon would have only a short period of bloom and then get moved into the garden. Instead, it has been a do-er.
Penstemon Admiration Society
Even though I was getting concerned about time, we next went to
Coulter Park, Long Beach
to trim around the monument and to pull Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ next to the ramp to the old train depot building. The ramp remodel has made that garden hard to get at.
before
after
We dumped our almost overflowing load of debris at City Works. Allan had to shift the bales again to do so. With one hour to go before dusk, we started mulching at the
Ilwaco Community Building.
We used the Mary-of-Klipsan-Beach-Cottages method of dumping each bag into a wheelbarrow and breaking up the clods, then wheelbarrowing to our destinations.
The ICB parking lot is a steep one with weird angles. The story is that the engineering was wrong by some inches, so the pitch is awkward for driving and walking.
The little red wheelbarrow was also in play.
the tiered garden, before
This garden got the old fashioned dump the bag and cut it open method.
after mulching
In previous years, we have used bulk mulch from Peninsula Landscape Supply. However, this autumn, that business is closed Sunday and Mondays, the days that we are able to do this job. We decided to go with the bagged mulch, which is easier to use and also a little bit richer (and costlier). It fluffs out a lot from a big compact compressed brick, and covered enough ground to make a difference. Because it takes less time to acquire it and to apply it than applying loose mulch, it saves on labour costs and might factor out about the same as bulk mulch for a smallish job.
Soil Energy has “composted wood products, aged screened sawdust, screened sand, composted chicken manure, lime, fertilizer and iron. (pH 6.2, brown tan in color, 38.9% organic matter).”
Gardner and Bloome Soil Building Compost is “Recycled forest products, arbor fines, composted chicken manure, gypsum, oyster shell & dolomite limes (as pH adjusters), vermicompost, bat guano, kelp meal”.
We buried some maple leaves in with the mulch.
shade garden at the entry to the library
We got done just as the street lights came on.
home
I had the satisfaction of erasing much from the work board. I even put a question mark after the beach approach task; it is not that importan,t although we will do it if we have a nice day before the end of the month. Most of what’s left has to wait for a heavy enough frost to make another go-round necessary. That might not happen till mid December, if at all (and if it does not, the go- round will happen anyway).
In the evening, I read the brief and harrowing novella, Of Mice and Men. When I added it to my Goodreads list, I found this perfect review:
We finished watching Ken Burns’ The Dust Bowl documentary, including all the special features. I recommend it highly.
I wish we could have one more nice day before the end of the month to polish off the pre-frost work list.
Posted in journal, roses, spring clean up, tagged Bolstadt beach approach garden, Coulter Park, gardening, gardens, Long Beach (Washington), Long Beach City Hall, Pieris japonica, pruning roses, soil energy mulch on Mar 18, 2017| 1 Comment »
Thursday, 16 March 2017
At the post office, on our way to work, Allan found a note in our box asking him to talk to the postmaster. A postal patron had urgently needed to know the identification of a plant “that looks like a coleus”.
Here it is: a greigii tulip.
The foliage is as great as the flower to come.
I realized it was time to apply some sluggo.
Ilwaco City Hall ready for St Patrick’s Day
Long Beach
We hoped to accomplish two tasks on the project list today. The first was pruning and weeding the five roses in the back of Coulter Park. They are exceedingly difficult because of weeds, including salmonberry, coming under the fence. The neighbouring house has but a tiny strip between house and fence that would be almost impossible for the homeowner to maintain, and in that strip dwell salmonberries, blackberries, and birds-foot trefoil that long to join up with the roses.
the dreaded rose bed, before
south side of park with pieris
Pieris and Ribes (flowering currant)
There was another ribes in that gap that turned up its toes a few years ago, as ribes are wont to do.
Allan trimmed up in the garden next to the old train depot.
before
after trimming sword fern
rose bed; line cut with half moon edger (Allan’s photo)
I was inspired to do two lines of half moon edging.
after
a pretty patch of primroses
One dead rhododendron (azalea) has thrown this old threesome off balance.
one of the two good rhodos (Allan’s photo)
We had two cold and windy squalls of heavy rain pass through; we sat them out in the van to avoid getting drenched and miserable. (During the second one, we went to the Great Escape espresso drive through for invigorating sustenance.)
To add to our load of debris, we decided to do a bit of pruning on an escallonia at city hall.
city hall, west side
before (Allan’s photos)
and after
city hall hellebore
telephoto through the arch (Allan’s photo)
We dumped our debris at city works and filled up all our buckets with Soil Energy mulch. (The crew had got us a pile from Peninsula Landscape Supply.)
a pile of riches
first load
On the Bolstad approach, we filled up the lower spots in the planters.
before
after
looking east
not a good day for a picnic
And we added some mulch to city hall west side garden.
city hall after pruning, lily bulb planting, weeding, mulching
The last five buckets went into Fifth Street Park. Yesterday, drenched from rain, we had left behind a messy patch of sorrel:
yesterday
today
mulched
A lily bulb had worked its way to the top of the soil. This is just one third of how big it was, after I divided it:
Allan’s photo
We followed our first load of mulching with a break for delicious crab rolls at Captain Bob’s Chowder.
Captain Bob’s crab rolls
Back we went to city works to get another load of mulch. Jackpot! I saw two good pallets on the pile.
Thank you, Allan.
Now I need just two more for my triple compost bin.
A red wing blackbird serenaded us. (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo
Full load of mulch buckets (Allan’s photo)
This load went to the big welcome sign garden. It had gotten low after pulling out last year’s annuals and absorbs a large amount of soil.
before
We found loads of shotweed to pull.
mulching carefully around bulbs
after
back side
after
I am sorry to report that deer are eating the tulips along the east end of the front side. I hope they don’t eat them all. One of these years, we may have to give up on tulips here.
well chomped
So glad deer do not eat narcissi, my favourite flower
On the way home, we stopped briefly at the Depot Restaurant to pour some water on the two sheltered window boxes, and there we discovered a sad situation.
a flattie!
The spare is weirdly located under the front seats. Everything there had to be moved and the t-bar thingie assembled to loosen a bolt in the floor that holds the spare tire in place.
complicated!
underneath
the culprit
Fortunately, Allan had all the tools (even two jacks for extra safety).
Despite having to look at the instruction book, Allan got the tire changed in 40 minutes and we were back on our way home. But tomorrow will be devoted to getting a the good (fairly new, now punctured) tire repaired.
one more big task on the workboard
When the boatyard spring clean up is done (I hope by Sunday evening), the board will be gloriously blank for a moment and will then fill up with the beach approach clean up and more.
Posted in journal, private gardens, public gardens, spring clean up, weather, tagged Coulter Park, gardening, gardens, Iris reticulata 'Eye Catcher', Mike's garden, Norwood garden, spring clean up on Feb 23, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Wednesday, 22 February 2017
out the kitchen window, moss in old dogwood
Smokey admiring the garden from the front steps.
When we started work today, I got the big idea we might get FOUR jobs done: Norwood, Mayor Mike, Diane’s and Red Barn. We got a late start because of a storm passing through at mid morning. When we did begin, the air felt icy despite sunshine. The commute to our first job, just two doors down, was even shorter than yesterday’s commute to the J’s cottage across the street.
Norwood garden
Dave and Melissa (Sea Star Gardening) take care of the biggest job here, the annual pruning of the hedge. Today, we weeded and clipped in the narrow beds around the house.
before, on the cold and shady side
after
Allan’s photos
I think those three barberries are planned for removal. Not to pass the buck, but I do think Sea Star Dave would be just the fellow to do it!
the easiest part, in the sun…before
and after (with weeds and montbretia leaves pulled)
This bed especially could benefit from some mulch. I think with such narrow beds, the most economical method (for labor) would be bales of Gardner and Bloome rather than a trip to get a yard of mulch. Shall we?
before, lavender
after. The fuchsias may leaf out or may have to be cut all the way back.
I wondered if this, with the black berries, was privet, and later got it confirmed to be so. Maybe usually it is pruned so hard one doesn’t see the berries. I want one.
We got done just in time for rain.
We took a break at home to wait out the rain, then headed out to Mike’s garden a few blocks to the east.
Frosty and Skooter
our neighbour Yarrow (Allan’s photo)
Mike’s garden
Allan clipped part of the pampas grass. We’ll leave the moderately good looking uprights for now.
before and after
forgot a before, so this is a during.
Decided to prune the hardy fuchsia down this year.
trying not to step on any tulip foliage
before (Allan’s photos)
after
after
after
This time I pruned down the buddleia.
Pieris in bloom
front corner
Iris siberica ‘Eye Catcher’
Because the temperature kept dropping, we almost bailed out on work at 3 PM. I had remembered that Diane’s garden has a big hydrangea to prune (that in previous years has taken me by surprise), so I did not want to squeeze that and the Red Barn garden onto the end of the day. Deluded by a bit of sunshine, we decided to go on to
Coulter Park.
Coulter Park is just north of Dennis Company in Long Beach
back entrance from Ocean Beach Boulevard
west side with hardy fuchsias, before
after
northwest corner, before (Allan’s photos). Something oily had been dumped in the corner, maybe killing an old siberian iris.
after. What bad thing happened here?
the north side rose bed, horribly infested with salmonberry from under the fence
pruning out some big old canes
later, slightly pruned. Refining this area is now on the “projects” list.
I still would like to talk to Parks Manager Mike about removing these roses and replacing them with non-thorny single trunked shrubs, to make it easier to control the dratted salmonberry invaders.
two pieris and a flowering currant against bright sunshine
north side (behind the old train depot) with siberian iris, before
after
By four thirty, my hands were too cold to feel what I was doing.
At home, I erased Coulter, Norwood, and Mike’s:
While the spring clean up list dwindles, the project list grows.
Tomorrow may not allow any blogging time.
Posted in journal, private gardens, public gardens, tagged cosmos, Coulter Park, gardening, gardens, Howeron Avenue gardens, Ilwaco, Ilwaco boatyard, Ilwaco post office garden, Jo's garden, Long Beach (Washington), Long Beach welcome sign, The Cove Restaurant, World Kite Museum on Aug 4, 2016| 2 Comments »
I’m still playing catchup with some two day posts while I try to get to only five days behind instead of fifteen.
Thursday, 21 July 2016
lilies in our volunteer garden at the post office
I planted the three little gazanias.
Rudbeckia that Our Kathleen donated last year.
I asked Allan to photograph the Basket Case hanging baskets across the street in front of the museum (because they were on his side of the van).
Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum
Mike’s Garden
I had big plans to prune (or rather…have Allan prune) some of the climbing rose out of Mayor Mike’s beach pine today. We ran out of time, though, because a couple of other jobs had suddenly joined the schedule.
NEXT week…I hope…we will thin out the rambling rose.
I had big plans to get Long Beach AND Ilwaco and the Port of Ilwaco gardens done today and have Friday through Monday off. My first thought upon waking had been “Tomorrow off!”. Two things happened to change that when I checked my email and Facebook. 1. I found out about an art show that would take place in Coulter Park…which was a mess. 2. I found out for sure that the sale of Jo’s house had fallen through, and because we like Jo and Bob so much, I offered to keep working there after all, deadheading and grooming once a week while it is for sale…including going there today to check on the watering.
The Depot Restaurant
While we were doing our weekly watering and deadheading, a group of garden admirers came by to chat. The daughter was studying zoo horticulture (including what not to feed to the animals), which made for an interesting and informative conversation on all sides. The dierama (angel’s fishing rod) was a big hit.
north side of dining deck
lilies and helenium
more lilies
lots of deadheads on the cosmos now (Allan’s photos)
after deadheading
looking south
the front with barrels and window boxes by Nancy Aust of The Basket Case
Long Beach
the weekly grooming of the welcome sign
Cosmos ‘Happy Ring’ reseeded from last year
one weird flower on the echibeckia
both sides
and the back
I decided we had better check on the kite museum garden.
It is doing well this year!
Gift shop manager Patty has been keeping it watered and deadheading the cosmos, thus the prolific blooms.
Jo’s Garden
Here we were again at Jo’s garden, making it look fresh and nice for the realtor who would meet with Jo and Bob tomorrow.
after deadheading some spent gladiolas
I hope a gardener buys this place.
the center courtyard
Here is the real estate listing for this dream house and garden.
back to Long Beach
We started in Long Beach town again by working together to groom the City Hall and Veterans Field gardens.
poor li’l Crimson Pygmy barberry had gotten smashed.
It used to look nice like this one.
Someone had left a rock in the flag pavilion, we think in memory of a loved one. (Allan’s photo)
Then Allan and I parted ways. While I watered all the planters, Allan tackled Coulter Park. It had not been done for awhile, and Friday and Saturday (July 22-23), the Peninsula Art Association would be having an art sale in the old train depot building there. It took Allan three or four hours to undo the tangles of bindweed and salmonberry which is creeping under the fence from the north. I’ve gotten so fed up with the situation, and especially with clipping salmonberry out from the canes of a row of thorny roses, that I’ve somewhat given up. Fortunately, Allan is made of sterner stuff.
before and after
the horror of bindweed
before
after
the painful rose nightmare…rose and salmonberry roots intermingled, with plenty of thorns on both, topped with bindweed and birdsfoot trefoil
after (the salmonberry roots are still all entwined with the roses; you can see salmonberry taller than the fence, behind)
looks nice for the art show patrons. A monster salmonberry looms on the other side.
Meanwhile, I watered planters and did a bit of deadheading in Fifth Street Park.
Sanguisorba in Fifth Street Park
white tigridia
I collect snails from the planters and, because I don’t like to kill them, I deposit them in a couple of empty lots along my route. There was an odd moment, when I saw this one trying to leave the bucket, that I felt for one second like it was my pet, like a dog or a cat.
a strange moment indeed
sweet pea success in one of the planters (with a tower that holds a business name sign)
edging carpet of golden thyme
pizazz in miniature
parsley
agastache and parsley
Fun Rides
Not only do I like the new paint job on Fun Rides, but the new owners are playing much better carousel music. Instead of the same carny tune over and over, I’ve heard carnivalized versions of YMCA, Heart of Glass, and several more pop/disco songs that make me happy.
Allan got done with Coulter Park in time to water four of the planters.
a stunning cosmos…like ‘Seashells’ but fluffier. (Allan’s photo)
We quite simply could not get to Ilwaco, sadly, so our Friday off slipped through our fingers. I did not feel we could have gotten done even had we worked a ten hour day. For awhile, I felt rather glum, then reminded myself that an all Ilwaco day is not such a hard thing.
Friday, 22 July 2016
I wanted to stay home with my Smokey.
post office garden
Port of Ilwaco
Because some rain had fallen overnight, I deluded myself into thinking we wouldn’t have to water. I was wrong. We realized immediately upon arrival at the boatyard that the garden had not been moistened enough by the light rain. I weeded while Allan watered.
a boat going out
I overheard the boat owners saying it was going to be windy this weekend. I hoped that just meant out on the water. One said to a friend that the boat was “so smooth you could do brain surgery while crossing the bar.”
looks like bad invasive purple loosestrife has blown in from somewhere, down where I can’t get at it.
about 1/5 of the boatyard garden, looking south
sweet pea success
I then hoped we would not have to water the Howerton Ave. curbside gardens. So wrong. We ended up watering almost all of them.
a little bird in the garden at Time Enough Books
watering the most parched west end garden bed
Gaura ‘Whirling Butterfly’ (Allan’s photo)
Eryngium (sea holly) (Allan’s photo)
grateful plants (Allan’s photo)
snaking hoses a long way from the dock (Allan’s photo)
Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ is fading to tan (Allan’s photo)
Pokemon Go players (Allan’s photo)
still clear water today
a different and prettier bindweed on the bank of the marina
Memorial plaques are set into the lawn at the marina. (Allan’s photo)
Allan found the obituary of the father of the family, whose plaque is on the right. Let’s take a moment to remember these local fishing folk. We are always aware here that the commercial fisherfolk are a brave and hardy clan.
A light mist for about ten minutes was not enough to let us stop watering. The water is still not on at the former Wade Gallery garden bed (which we had planted up all nice for the previous owners) so we are still bucket watering it (or rather, Allan is).
before the bucket watering, which is never enough: Even the Eryngium is suffering from lack of water.
Penstemon longing for a good dose of hose water. So frustrating.
I walked the whole length of Howerton weeding the beds.
the “drive over garden” shows the difference when we can reach a garden with hose water.
blue catananche at the east end
Both Allan and I had noticed that ‘Sapphire Blue’ is going tan.
Allan finished the workday by watering the Ilwaco street trees and planters with the water trailer while I went home and watered our own garden. Then, our weekly meeting of the North Beach Garden Gang. (It had been delayed one day because of a Melissa excursion to Portland on Thursday.) We had time on the way to visit the last half an hour of the PAA art show and chat with our friend Bayside Debbie.
Debbie and her really cool jewelry
The Cove Restaurant
sedums in Sondra’s garden outside (Allan’s photo)
caesar salad (Allan’s photo)
ahi tuna
prime rib (a Friday night offering) for Dave and Mel (Allan’s photo)
and a very chocolatey dessert (Allan’s photo)
lemon mascarpone cheesecake, and our dear server Lynn treated us to our desserts.
At last we had come to our three day rather than four day weekend, with plans for boating, gardening, and some time touring one of our favourite local gardens with friends.
Ginger’s Garden Diaries
from my mother’s garden diaries of two decades ago
1997 (age 73):
July 21: 10:30-5:00! COOLER Picked berries, barely enough for one breakfast. I planned to mulch and cage the tomatoes but ended up weeding, deadheading, and watering the flower beds in upper driveway and tam area. I pulled gobs of the perennial geranium plants that are everywhere. Did some weeding in front “ditch” but didn’t get done so I quit working at 5:00.
July 22: Store and errands day. Paid electric bill, Tim’s, Payless and Stock Market. Which is being redone by new owners (QFC) so it’s very difficult finding items.
1998 (age 74):
July 21: I put out all my quart mayo jars to recycle. I’ll keep all the pints. I can use mayo pints for tomatoes. I called Foremost Insurance Co. They will send an agent to check damage in bathroom floor—in 3 or 4 days. [She was getting her home ready to sell so she could move to Long Beach.]
July 22: TOO HOT 90 degrees. The agent called at 9:00 AM. She will come tomorrow at 1:00. I worked all day going over my house plants. I repotted several, threw some out, and put the plants back in the Floralight. I picked berries at 5:30 still hot—not many because of the heat. I watered from 7:00 to 9:00—then showered and quit for the day.
Posted in container gardens, journal, public gardens, tagged Coulter Park, gardening, gardens, Long Beach (Washington), Long Beach City Hall, Long Beach planters, Long Beach welcome sign, The Cove Restaurant, Veterans Field garden on May 31, 2016| 2 Comments »
Thursday, 26 May 2016
I felt a strong desire for a four day weekend. We could have one (except for watering the Ilwaco planters) if we got enough done in Long Beach today.
Long Beach
We began by fertilizing the welcome sign garden along with the weekly horsetail attack.
welcome sign, front
side
back
We gave the planters and street trees a good watering that will hold them till Tuesday, especially if there is a bit of rain as predicted.
the maddeningly coiling hose
and the maddening hose kink
Allan’s photo: The hose he uses (not shown) kinks even worse.
I do so love the mature, clipped santolinas in some of the planters.
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ (Allan’s photo)
Allan did the watering of the street trees, the bucket watering of Fish Alley barrels and the two north blocks.
He found Heather of NIVA green setting up for the annual Peninsula-wide garage sale weekend.
Garage sale signs were already appearing. We do prefer ones like these with wire “feet” that don’t mash the plants. (Allan’s photo)
Cerinthe major purpurascens and golden oregano (Allan’s photo)
Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (Allan’s photo)
recently re-done Fish Alley barrels (Allan’s photo). They get water hauled by bucket.
When we got to Fifth Street Park and began weeding there, Cathy of Captain Bob’s Chowder brought us out a coke and an orange soda to help us keep going. She said I looked tired. I was more depressed than tired and her kindness cheered me up.
purveyor of delectable chowder and delicious crab rolls
Fifth Street Park
Fifth Street Park, northwest corner
Fifth Street Park, east side (Allan’s photo); I’d have deadheaded that rhodo, which was sort of the point of this photo. The frying pan is much photographed by visitors.
Fifth Street Park, southeast corner (Allan’s photo) with gunnera and Darmera peltata
Next: weeding Veterans Field gardens
vet field (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo
Vet Field northeast corner (Allan’s photo)
We spiffed up Coulter Park although I am daunted at the area where thick salmonberry is coming under the fence and mingling with the thorny roses. The beach approach garden proves I have no fear of weeding around roses, but this mess thwarts my efforts.
salmonberry and bindweed from the other side creating a nightmare
I think the solution is for the crew to backhoe out these poor roses and replace them with some sort of single trunked shrub so we can really get in there to weed.
We worked on the little pop out a block north of city hall, where two unhappy mugo pines struggle among a pernicious weed grass. We had not had time for it lately; now with a little more time in our schedule, we can keep up with it.
Last week I took this photo to remind myself to do it.
today
today
as far as we got…
Next week: will add mulch after trying to get more grass roots out. They go deep and the soil is hard packed.
We had just time to weed city hall’s garden before dumping our debris.
City Hall west side
sidewalk tile by Renee O’Connor
I do so love this edge at this time of year.
City Hall north side
this spot could be a little better…
The predicted rain arrived at the perfect moment, when we were done.
city hall, east side
“Peggy’s Park”, east side city hall memorial garden for Peggy Miles.
After our debris dump, we just made it on time for our weekly dinner (second one this week!) with Dave and Melissa (Sea Star Gardening), this time with Susie and Bill of the Boreas Inn.
The Cove Restaurant
attention to detail in the ladies room
Annika and Kiaia provided music and ambience. (Allan’s photo)
Dave’s conchinita (Allan’s photo)
Melissa’s beautifully arranged meal by Chef Jason Lancaster
my ahi tuna
Allan’s vegetable stir fry
weekly meeting of the North Beach Garden Gang (Dave, Bill, Susie, Melissa, me)
golf course view (Allan’s photo)
We enjoyed this month’s art show featuring mosaics by our friend Annie.
My Woman by Annie Fletcher
We had achieved work success and so we would now enjoy a four day weekend.
Ginger’s Garden Diaries
from my mother’s garden diaries of two decades ago
1998 (age 74):
May 26: Store day—Puget Power, Tim’s for Rx and QFC. I had a baloney sandwich and ice cream for dinner. I planted some seeds in early evening.
Posted in journal, narcissi, plants, public gardens, tulips, weather, tagged Anchorage Cottages, Coulter Park, Depot Restaurant, gardening, gardens, Ilwaco planters, Long Beach (Washington), Long Beach planters, Narcissus 'Baby Moon', Port of Ilwaco, Tulip 'Formosa', Tulip 'Green Star', Tulip 'Green Wave' on Apr 11, 2016| 7 Comments »
Friday, 8 April 2016
From almost 83 degrees yesterday, our weather plunged to a chilly 50 degrees with a 25 mile an hour icy cold north wind. I would have welcomed back the heat that I had complained about yesterday, because even with warm clothes and winter scarf, I was chilled to the bone and pushed around by the wind.
Ilwaco
My favourite tulip, ‘Green Wave’, at the Ilwaco post office
Waterfront Way
port office garden
mulched
our view
got a hug and some dark chocolate kisses from artist Don Nisbett, whose gallery is next door to the port office
one of our planters, GONE
Dag nab hit and run drivers!
The Depot Restaurant
We deadheaded and weeded.
Tulip ‘Virichic’
a delicately rimmed narcissi
north wall garden
Narcissus ‘Thalia’
We now know these cottages were moved here from Fort Canby after WWII.
Center courtyard: The annoying wild scilla looks great right now.
Tulip ‘Strong Gold’ and Hebe ‘Quicksilver’
Narcissi
by the office
foreground: a pot of ‘Green Star’ tulips all broken off but one. What happened here?
Tulip ‘Green Wave’ coming on
I had been looking forward to a day of tidying parks and planters.
By Veterans Field: the big frying pan awaits Saturday’s Clam Festival. (Allan’s photo)
We got warm coffee drinks at the Great Escape Drive Through Espresso (Allan’s photo). The barista says sometimes the crosswind will blow coffee right out of her pitcher .
golden marjoram and a geranium, by the frozen yogurt shop
Cerinthe major purpurascens
note to self: that rhododenron looks sickly (left); must be pruned
street tree garden
Carousel, Tulip ‘Strong Gold’, Narcissi ‘Baby Moon’ (blooming three weeks early than it should)
Tulip ‘Orange Princess’
Asphodeline ‘Lutea’, how I love thee.
Narcissus ‘Baby Moon’
Muscari ‘Plumosum’
Tulip ‘Rococo’…and some picked tulips.
Fifth Street Park, still rather drab
Coulter Park: I left Allan working and went on to check two more blocks of planters.
Who pruned this tree by Dennis Co? I want to cut off the ugly stubs.
Tulip ‘Formosa’..used to bloom in early to mid May.
another gorgeous Narcissus
essence of spring
City Hall
just stunning how these hosta shoots start out purple
in NIVA green
tin lamps by proprietor/artist Heather Ramsay
green tulips in the planter by NIVA green
On the way back to Allan, I weeded the circular bed in the front of Coulter Park, and found to my delight that Allan had finished the back of the park. He thinks, so correctly, that the roses on the weedy salmonberry infested side should be replaced with something non thorny because it is such a bugger to weed around them. City crew is too busy rebuilding a ball field to bug them about this, but I hope eventually we can get this area cleared and replant it.
before (Allan’s photo)
birdsfoot trefoil around the roses (Allan’s photo)
after (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo
Coulter Park azalea (Allan’s photo)
sword fern, before (Allan’s photos)
and after
Coulter Park after
Coulter Park
cold wind from near the berm (Allan’s photo)
TOO COLD to continue; the rest can wait for next week or better weather.
Coulter Park: done and erased! All sweet peas gardens planted.
Ginger’s Garden Diaries
from my mother’s garden diaries of two decades ago
1997 (age 72):
April 8: The GE repairman came and said the dishwasher motor is shot. I’ll not be in a hurry to buy a new one. I spent several hours transplanting tomato seedlings into individual pots. Put the flea stuff on Tabby.
1998 (age 73):
April 8: 11:00-4:45 Ron the tiller man stopped by to see if I can leave the leaves, twigs, etc to be tilled into the soil. It was too deep so I spent the rest of the afternoon picking all that stuff and piling it on top of the old compost box which means I won’t be able to sieve that soil for baskets, etc. When I stopped at 4:45 I was so tired I went to bed till 7:00.
Posted in journal, public gardens, tagged Chef Jason Lancaster, Coulter Park, Depot Restaurant garden, Fifth Street Park, gardening, gardens, Howerton Avenue gardens, Long Beach planters, Port of Ilwaco, The Cove Restaurant, Time Enough Books, Veterans Field on Sep 15, 2015| 1 Comment »
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Port of Ilwaco
Although our main task was the weekly tidying of the Long Beach planters, we added some grooming of a couple of the Howerton Avenue gardens at the port. I’d noticed a need for clipping santolina when driving past them yesterday evening.
looking west by the Ilwaco Pavilion, before (with weed buckets)
and after
I got carried away and pruned one of the santolinas harder than I had meant to. Once you cut it, you can’t put it back.
Nearby, two shrubby gardens needed to have their California wax myrtles sheared back and lowered.
loiking west, before and after
looking east, before and after: just a little off the side
clouds behind the condor
We trimmed some santolinas at Time Enough Books curbside garden as well, and we went into the bookshop so I could ask Karla if she would spring for a yard of mulch for the garden. Yes, she will.
In the bookstore: A useful looking tech book.
the children’s book corner
nautical books
Karla and I look over the garden.
She agrees that mulch would be a big improvement.
Here is an infortmative aside: If you see me wearing a headband, it is not a fashion statement (which would obviously be unlikely); it means I have a headache. A cold wet bandanna is a great help on headachey days.
nearby in the parking lot, Allan liked these two boats.
The Depot Restaurant
All we had to do was deadhead at the Depot. No watering necessary, as rain showers have continued off and on since Saturday’s storm.
East side of building, north of the deck, sheltered from the storm
Cut that cosmos back by half; it refuses to bloom and was blocking the sign!
I wish I could solve the mystery of why some, but not all, of cosmos from the same batch will shoot up high and not bloom.
Long Beach
welcome sign, front
Someone had picked themselves a nice bouquet from the most prominent echibeckia.
Veterans Field: windblown garden with only a few broken plants.
Across the street, building owner Doug paints the trim on the Kabob House restaurant. (Allan’s photo)
We dumped the debris from Veterans Field, including some big broken cosmos, at city works, and got a look at the hanging baskets which had been taken down on Monday after the storm.
They were indeed battered by the 60 or so mph wind.
sad to see them down so early
Allan’s poignant photo shows how fully the roots fill up the pots by this time of year.
a wind tattered canna in Fifth Street Park
The three cannas are not vigorous; perhaps I should have fertilized them heavily.
The Miscanthus is leaning over the lawn, which usually does not start till autumn storm season.
Fifth Street Park, northwest quadrant
We went over all the planters, trimming up the storm damage and fluffing the plants. I was disturbed to find that some of the planters seemed a little dry. How can this be? It is proof indeed that the rain does not penetrate into a thickly planted container no matter how much it pours. Since it had rained just yesterday, I had not planned to water, and we did not, in hope that the dampness, despite lack of saturation, will enable the planters to hold up till early next week.
Along with storm damage, we found the usual finger blight: pulled up plants. Laid out on the benches for a final paying of respect.
Lewis and Clark Square (Allan’s photo)
Heather Ramsay, artist and shopkeeper extraordinaire, at NIVA green. (Allan’s photo) Our favourite shop is just north of the Bolstad stoplight.
by Dennis Company (Allan’s photo); There is a trail from The Red Barn to Long Beach town that lines up with this street (we think).
Allan found a Gaura ‘So White’ blown over in Fish Alley.
He propped it back up.
We had some time to pull some crocosmia out of a planter on Sid Snyder Drive and check up on the kite museum garden.
World Kite Museum mini-garden had held up well.
With an hour left before our Thursday dinner engagement, we tackled the most frustrating job in all of the Long Beach gardens: the back end of Coulter Park, where salmonberry, blackberry, and bindweed coming under the fence from a neighbouring yard.
Salmonberry runners coming under the fence.
It is a mess, with the salmonberry canes inside painfully thorny roses.
This bed is impossible. All we can do is clip the salmonberries out; we can’t get at the roots. I have pretty much given up on it. The only solution I can think of is to ask the city crew to rip out the five roses bushes and just plant annuals here, so that the salmonberries (AND blackberries AND bindweed) that are coming over from the other side can be pulled more easily.
Allan pulled the crocosmia from the so much more manageable front corner of the park.
We made another dump run to city works and then swung a bit south to pluck one dead daisy that I’d seen early by Culbertson Field. As we passed the pond by the stoplight, we paused so Allan could pluck out one pesky dandelion.
Only Allan can hop out to the waterfall without falling into the pond. I’d be a goner.
The Cove Restaurant
When we arrived, our friend Parking Lot Cat was looking especially regal by the garage to the south of the parking lot.
Sondra’s garden at the entrance to the clubhouse.
As we began our weekly meeting of the core members of the North Beach Garden Gang (Melissa, Dave, me, Allan), Chef Jason sent out a treat: samples of a Mexican style soup that he has just added to the menu.
It was delicious.
Melissa got the halibut special.
Allan had fish tacos and the new pear and goat cheese salad. I had a bite and will definitely get it next time.
Dave and I chose the pasta alfredo, spicy and delicious and enough to take some home for lunch the next day.
Now: four days off because of the holiday weekend. Other than a walk to to the Ilwaco Saturday Market, I hope to not leave my property at all. Allan has big plans for two boating events, one in Ocean Shores and one in South Bend. His back is much better so the prospects look good for both of us to get the sort of weekend that we most prefer.
Tangly Cottage Gardening 