Tuesday, 30 May 2017
before work
I had had very little sleep because my mind was consumed by having found online a notice about a garden tour by the Master Gardeners of Pacific and Grays Harbor County…on July 15th. I had thought it was the 22nd, and had been feeling sad (and kinda guilty) that Allan would therefore miss a barge trip to Long Island, also on the 22nd. My mind was whirling since I had found the July 15th tour after he was asleep…Could it be that the tour was actually not going to conflict? Or was the one I found online a completely different tour? I sent messages at 2 AM to everyone who might have an answer and then woke up “early” and had to check. No answer yet! I made a morning phone call to a contact number (not something I could do at 2 AM). I got my reply in a delightful return phone call from a tour organizer (who invited us to come see her garden this summer, as well). The tour, by the same group that did the brilliant Aberdeen tour last year, IS on July 15th, in the South Bend area, so Allan can have the best of all worlds. This made me very happy. In our conversation, I told her how impressed I am that the tour criteria includes that the gardens be not entirely visible from the street, thus real secret gardens, and also that they be educational. You might think I know a fair amount about gardening. Nevertheless, I learned some valuable garden tips from last year’s tour. You might want to put it on your calendar.
I was even happier when I found out from Todd that the barge trip had not opened to booking, so Allan had not missed out by not having registered yet.
In a great mood, I went out back to dig up a couple more plants to add to a batch that I was leaving in the driveway for a brand new gardener who had asked the “Peninsula Gardeners” Facebook group for some starts.

back garden, center bed

east bed

Calvin following me

digging a clump of snail chomped Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’

wild cucumber vine (Allan’s photo)

a new climbing rose by our driveway (I’ll have to look up the name)

Eleagnus ‘Quicksilver’ by our garage fills the whole front garden with fragrance right now.

Dutch iris ‘Eye of the Tiger’

Iris hollandica ‘Eye of the Tiger’
We set off with six flats of Salvia viridis (painted sage) and a few other plants for Long Beach.

On the way, the Ilwaco Post Office got two of each of the three colours of sage.
Long Beach
We were lucky to immediately snag a good parking spot that gave us easy access to 7 planters, including the big Lewis and Clark Square planter.

an excellent beginning

The Clammer
I quit taking photos at this point because a day of all planting is not my favourite gardening thing. Here are some previous summers’ photos of what the salvia looks like and why I like to have it in the planters:

Salvia viridis (painted sage) at KBC

Salvia viridis (painted sage)

Painted sage comes in pink, white, and blue. Its colour comes from its bracts.
All Allan’s photos till dinnertime:


California poppy needs thinning before planting salvias.

fabulous asphodel still blooming

I found another poor little smashed lavender.

other side of same planter, lavender not smashed. It is so hard to attain symmetry what with the smashing and thievin’.

Speaking of symmetry: a broken off bunch of Agastache stems…

So now one in a planter looks like this…

I had run across a photo of the circle garden in Coulter Park from a year when I had it planted with cosmos. Recalling that I had stopped planting annuals there because a sprinkler head was broken which I think is now fixed, I decided I would try again this year. In the old photo, below, is the bronze fennel that we have removed because it is now listed as noxious. Damn it all, it is a fine looking plant in the background.

Coulter Park, 4 August 2012

during tidying and planting the same circle, today

after; We may have to hand water this when watering the planter across the street from it.
We had also better half moon edge before a string trimmer takes those salvias out.
I asked Allan to photograph the blue veronica in a planter by Fifth Street Park. Unfortunately, it has a short bloom time, so even though it is spectacular, it’s not a good planter choice.

Veronica

Trying to reach all outer edge plants with water.

Armeria (sea thrift) and a hardy geranium in a planter that is thick with perennials.
This perennial style planter (above), left from volunteer days, is spectacular right now but doesn’t have much to offer in midsummer.

poor little cosmos with purple leaves because the nights are still chilly.
We finished the planters and added some cosmos to the west side of city hall. While I set them up, Allan went to the easternmost section of the Bolstad beach approach garden to clip some rugosas that were edging out into the street. The beach approach is spectacular with roses right now. I wish they were repeat bloomers.

rugosa rose, single pink



Rosa rugosa ‘Alba’

The Dutch iris are in a planter.
At city hall, I asked Allan to remove a tatty old grass.

before

much better

A couple of empty spots had called for cosmos. The spots will probably disappear by July from overgrowth of larger plants.
Patty from the World Kite Museum stopped by to update us on some landscaping plans there, and a good thing, too, because seeing her reminded me to plant some salvias there. I would have forgotten till we were home.

garden talk
We planted at the Kite Museum even though a kind neighbour was pressure washing the sidewalk. His machine had a less annoying note than most.

at the kite museum

salvias in

kite museum garden with Alliums and Agastache ‘Acapulco Salmon and Pink’
On the way home, our van decided to take us around the block in Seaview to have an impromptu dinner at
The Depot Restaurant

Allan’s photo

well budded Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ in the Depot garden (Allan’s photo)

summer menu: Asian salad, delicious

Steak Killian (Allan’s photo)

extra good taters
Ilwaco
At home, Allan nipped across the street to mow the J’s lawn, probably one of the smallest lawns ever to be hired out.

time to mow but not to weed in the river rock corner

by our garage: tiny Eleagnus flowers with powerful sweetness

It’s a mad runner and is putting up sprouts far from the parent plant. (Lower middle edge of photo)

Skooter’s dignified greeting

two of three hydrangeas waiting to be planted at Norwoods.

planting list getting smaller
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