Friday, 4 September 2015
With four days off because of the Monday holiday, I began a weekend of light garden puttering. My goal, except for one excursion to the Saturday Market, was to not leave my property for four days. Allan’s weekend story will be more scintillating, as he went boating twice (next two posts after this one).
While I was working on a not very impressive looking task (picking poppy seedheads into a bucket while sitting in a chair) Todd dropped by for a visit. He told a tale of having driven across the Astoria bridge at the height of last Saturday’s storm to pick up some sunflowers for a wedding floral display.
plant talk: Allan’s photo
Todd collected seeds from the way cool Eccremocarpus scaber that Nancy got me from Annie’s Annuals, and we gave him an extra Annie’s Annuals catalog for reference.
more plant talk over the front fence (Allan’s photo)
caterpillar (Allan’s photo)
Todd told us that when he worked on the display garden at Plant Delights (as the curator, no less!), he had to contend with poisonous snakes and caterpillars with stinging spines!
Later on Friday, Allan put wires across the new arbour so that I could plant two vines there.
My gardening verve had returned with cooler wetter weather. I managed to dig up the sad, parched white sanguisorba from the front garden and move it to a back garden spot which gets much more water.
It’s front left, very unhappy but will have a much better 2016.
After that, I had a planting spree and got several ladies in waiting into the ground.
Pittosporum in the front garden
from my friend Debbie Teashon of Rainyside and of Kingston Henery Hardware.
another variegated pittosporum
Holboellia coriacea ‘Cathedral Gem’ got moved to this new and better home.
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata ‘Elegans’ on the other side
two baby agastaches, one in front and one on the west side: ‘Pink Pop’ and ‘Champagne’
I’ve been waiting a long time for damp enough weather to plant this rhodo from Steve and John! It’s next to that tree trunk.
R. ‘Capistrano’
R. ‘Capistrano’
At the end of the day of pleasant puttering, the sunset was especially lovely.
looking east from the front porch
Allan’s photo
the eastern sky
east over the greenhouse
Allan’s photo
a wash of pink
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo
Allan’s photo from the bogsy wood: Note at the top, a dangerous loose branch just sort of cradles there. That will be dealt with this weekend!
looking east on Lake Street
back garden right after the pink faded from the sky
Saturday, 5 September 2015
Allan left at a shockingly early hour to be at a boating event in Ocean Shores, over two hours away, by 9 AM. (Tomorrow’s post!)
I made my weekly trip to the Saturday Market to get some photos for Discover Ilwaco. This time, I was rewarded with a delicious meal given to me by Anthony of Blue Collar Eats, who likes the photos I’ve been taking of his booth.
Our friend Joe, Jenna’s son, was sous-chef in training.
Anthony De Luz
Blue Collar Eats
a delicious meal at the market
Don Nisbett’s hanging basket…battered by the storm but still going. (The other one was a goner.)
The baskets at the port office re-hung after being sheltered behind the building during the storm.
newly planted flowers by Purly Shell Fiber Arts
On the way home, I was pleased to see a bit of water in the pond at the back of the Lost Garden.
I wish the kids that had made that fort would clean up the debris before the pond fills up again. (It blew apart and into the pond in a later winter storm.)
I had gotten distracted at the Pink Poppy Bakery market booth by a conversation with Maddy about how it had been an exceptionally windy summer.
I had brought back this delicious pound cake which I saved to share with Allan in the evening.
In the afternoon, I did a whole bunch of small extensions of garden beds in the back garden.
before and after
another slightly expanded bed
and a weeded patch; I finally had a day with low enough wind to weed by the bogsy wood!
Sunday, 6 September 2015
We had had this much glorious rain overnight, meaning that we would not have to water the planters until Wednesday!
a wonderful rain
Passiflora in the garden (Allan’s photo)
Allan got a rope over the danger branch that was caught in a tree. I was busy digging up and transplanting plants in the front garden so I missed this event although I did hear the crash when the branch came safely down.
a string to lift the rope over the danger branch
winch hooked to the most stable thing, the water boxes!
branch coming down
It was a big one and had been poised over a bed that needs weeding.
That reminds me of a passage I just read in an excellent book:
Shelter, by Sarah Stonich
Allan says our rechargeable battery saw is much better than hers, and it is a boon to have a quiet saw to use at resort jobs where we can’t be hauling out a screamingly loud chainsaw (if we even had one).
Allan helped me get the decorative crab pots repositioned by the front arbour.
before: held up with rebar, and with a narrow space that would be hard to weed
after: All nicey nice and they don’t need rebar any more.
The one on the other side can’t be moved yet as it has sweet peas growing through it.
dug up and transplanted some huge plants, including Thalictrum ‘Elin’; divided half out to share with Todd, along with some sanguisorbas. A productive afternoon.
I moved Pittosporum ‘Tasman Ruffles’ to where the Thalictrum had been, and planted the Thalicturm divisions back in a moister part of the back garden.
In the evening, we had a campfire. Fortunately, Allan’s Monday boating trip would not require rising at 7 AM.
The rain made the wood damp and slow to start.
success and sausages
left: buttered and salted corn on the cob wrapped in foil, roasted for six minutes per side
fire with the lights from the port in the background
I briefly gazed upon those lights with a feeling of mild annoyance instead of the mild affecton of previous years, because it is one of the two businesses that would not let us use their hose for the curbside gardens this summer. It’s going to take me a long time to get over that, apparently. (“I’m quite fond of my grudge. I tend it like a little pet.” —Liane Moriarty in Big Little Lies. That quotation amuses me but I am really not fond of a grudge. It was just an infuriating long dry summer.)
Allan’s photo of the smoldering ashes
Monday, 7 September 2015
Mary looking especially cute.
Smokey being cute, as well.
J9 came over and picked some tomatoes and we had a visit.
I did quantities of edging. I love edging.
front path, before and after
My neighbour, Onyx, strolling through the garden
stalked by Smokey
I finally got my last two shrubs-in-waiting planted.
In a most imperfect spot, as I have run out of perfect showcase spots.
It’s behind this fennel, which I can’t cut down yet as it is a “stop the eye” plant near the edge of the garden.
Hydrangea ‘Cityline Rio’ got a much better spot, front and center on the north side of the house.
Cityline Rio stays quite small.
When Allan got home from his latest boating trip, he just had time to offload his boat before we departed for a special dinner at the Depot Restaurant: their annual Labor Day special of ribs and corn.
The Depot Restaurant, from our favourite table at the end of the bar. Chef Michael talks with diners at the Chef’s Table
the wine of the evening
ribs, corn, cornbread, beans (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s salmon with mushroom sauce
sorbet duo (Allan’s photo)
peach cobbler!
As you might guess, I felt for the rest of the evening like I had overindulged. (Allan’s choice of the light sorbet duo was wiser but possibly less delicious.) Every scrumptious morsel was worth it, though.
Next: a couple of posts about boating! I’m looking forward to reading about Allan’s weekend excursions.
Tangly Cottage Gardening 