20 April: easy work

Thursday, 20 April 2017

Pouring rain almost put an end to the idea of work.

We’d had this much rain overnight.

And then it stopped by midmorning.

I scheduled an easy day, which included a visit to THE Oysterville garden.  That self -guided tour will be our next post.

At home before work

Azara microphylla ‘Variegata’ and Skooter (Allan’s photo)

Erythronium (dog tooth violet)

Allan digging a Tetrapanax sprout, too close to the maple

Acer campestre ‘Carnival’

Acer campestre ‘Carnival, acquired from Dancing Oaks last year

Our post office garden looks unexciting so far.  I planted some bachelor button seeds.

The Depot Restaurant

I planted the wee sprout of tetrapanax in the garden on the south side of the dining deck…my second attempt to get one started there. Light weeding and deadheading ensued.

north side of deck

Tulip ‘Akebono’ (Allan’s photo)

the barrel by the east window

Tulip ‘Virichic’

Long Beach

A stop at city hall to pick up our cheque led to some deadheading and weeding.

the ramp garden

north side: pulmonaria still blooming

north side

signs of finger blight

city hall west side

Basket Case Greenhouse

I’m collecting plants for the upcoming Planting Time, so far just perennials.  I consider it too early for annuals, and yet, as always, I am concerned that folks who plant (too) early will get all the good stuff before I’m ready for annuals (round about Mother’s Day).

Darrel waters the many tempting plants in the annuals house.

Me and Roxanne with Geranium ‘Rozanne’ and some Erysumum ‘Bowles Mauve’

Buddy behind the desk

YOU, yes you (those who live here), should snap these callistemon.  It’s rare to see them for sale on the Peninsula!

heucheras

and more heucheras

Buddy woke up.

We left the Basket Case and took ourselves to Oysterville to tour its premier garden, one of the top two gardens on the Peninsula (the other being Steve and John’s bayside garden).  If there are better gardens here, I have not seen them. That will be tomorrow’s post.

Driving south from Oysterville, we saw Todd gardening at a Nahcotta bed and breakfast.

in front of the Charles Nelson Guest House

Todd Wiegardt at work

Allan’s photo

Klipsan Beach Cottages

We spent a pleasant two hours at Klipsan Beach Cottages. In a preview of Planting Time, Allan planted four Nicotiana langsdorfii, one Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’, and an Agastache ‘Acapulco Salmon and Pink’.

Sarah

driveway garden

Tulip bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’ has been going strong in this spot for years.

looking in the east gate of the fenced garden

Allan planting

He found a furtive dandelion.

tulips (Flaming Spring Green and a parrot in bud)

the burgeoning garden

Tulip ‘White Parrot’

blue inside

Tulip ‘Artist’ hiding under rhubarb

Tulip ‘Artist’

tree peony in bud

fringed pink tulip

Thalictrum ‘Elin’ will get about 7 feet tall.

“pink” narcissi

more narcissi

Fritillaria meleagris, in the lawn bed that I note needs mulching.

double hellebore

white narcissi

Podophyllum (Allan’s photo)

Mary, her friend Katie, Bella, and Katie’s dog Libby, back from the beach (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

Allan’s photos: a hard to reach blackberry sprout across the pond

He got it.

Ilwaco

We drove around by the port on the way home, just to see how lively the 4-20 event was at the Freedom Market pot shop. (Their outdoor barbecue looked well attended.)

garden boat at Time Enough Books (PV=Plant Vessel instead of FV for Fishing Vessel).  Allan’s photo

Tulip ‘Akebono’

While Allan mowed at the J’s (across the street), I planted some poppy and bachelor button seeds in the back garden.  The weeded spots in the east and west bed have seeds, and the unweeded spots will let me know where I can put new plants (after more weeding).

a seeded spot

At the J’s (Allan’s photo)

Next, our tour of the Oysterville garden.

And we really do have to get back to the beach approach weeding!

 

 

 

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11 April: one down, twelve to go

Tuesday, 11 April 2017

Today, after eleven days inside, Skooter could go back out.  He was befuddled by the cat door, just like when he first moved in with us.  The sequence, as it happened:

The green jug of water helps keep the door secure at night.

He growled at the door, perhaps remembering his bad experience when a little dog chased and bit him at 1 AM, 11 days ago.

Erythronium (dog tooth violet) at home.  I won’t tell Skooter it’s called dog tooth.

Long Beach

We had good enough weather to start the first beach approach weeding of the year.  Of course, I had big dreams that maybe we could get three of thirteen sections done, or at least two, even though past experience does not support that dream.  We started at the west end this year.

before, looking east

before, looking west

Allan using the pick to hack out rugosa roses along the edge.

It is hard work.  (Allan’s photo)

I did post on Facebook that anyone who wanted could come get some of the rugosa rose starts.  Our only taker was a random passerby (and I did warn her how thuggish they are).

the occasional poppy seeding from last year!

Dave and Melissa dropped by so that I could share some poppy seeds for a former job of ours, Erin’s garden.

Dave and Allan

southwest of us, still lots of standing water in the dunes

weeding

As I weeded, I thought about how long I’ve been doing this garden and remembered years ago, talking with my then partner Robert about the latest plot developments in Buffy The Vampire Slayer (my all time favourite show).  Just then a family walked by and a boy, about ten, said to his parents, “Into every generation a slayer is born.”  I exclaimed, “I was just thinking about Buffy!” and the mother said that the dad had recently introduced their son to the show.

Another family walked by and the young children complimented our work.  The mother said “They know it’s hard work because they weed our own garden.”  When Allan commented that he had not been able to get his daughter to weed, the mom said “Well, they want to eat!”

Four hours later:

One section done!

Allan’s photo

I love this prostrate juniper…

“Juniperus conferta is a species of juniper, native to Japan, where it grows on sand dunes.”  When I read that years ago, I decided to try it out, and it does love to grow on sand.

I did figure out one thing that amazed me for not having realized it before.  Allan paced off this westernmost section and said it is 70 feet long.  The next section is 45 feet, and the ones east of that are 55 feet long.  No wonder the first section takes awhile!

I was way too sore from the repetitive posture of working here to go on with another section.  While Allan swept up, I walked to the westernmost planters to sow some poppy seeds.

For once, the Lisa Bonney memorial planter had NOT had plants stolen out of it.

Discovery Trail entrance, on the way to the westernmost planter

The planters at the west end had had all the new Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, along with a very nice variagated sea thrift from last year, stolen, leaving blatant holes.

maddening theft holes

more maddening theft holes and the remaining sea thrift (Ameria martima ‘Nifty Thrifty’, not an easily replaceable plant).

where once was a matching sea thrift

I fumed while planting poppy seeds.  I cannot put any more plants in these planters because they will just get stolen, so poppy seeds are my only hope.  There is nowhere to mount a security camera that would prevent the camera itself from being stolen (plus the city budget doesn’t run to security cams on the beach approaches).  These planters would look much better if I could actually plant successfully in them without forays by the thievin’ varmint who apparently just waits for new plants to appear.

It cheered me when our client Diane walked by with a friend of hers.

Whiskey

At City Hall, the red rhododendron had opened its flowers.

Long Beach City Hall

narcissi and aruncus (goats beard)

more narcissi, and I spy finger blight

Someone’s been pickin’.

.We weeded the tiny popout bed north of city hall; it was so weedy with quack grass that it took almost an hour.

before

after

after

I planted these seeds.

sad little mugo pine should probably be cut to the ground….

We finished by deadheading planters in the two north blocks.

heavy double narcissi (planted by a volunteer years ago) (Allan’s photo)

fringed tulip in bud despite deer having chomped the leaves

another fringed tulip

Tulip ‘Green Star’, across the street from NIVA green

On the way to dump debris” Minnie Culbertson Park

Rain arrived while we dumped.

Ilwaco

We did the tiniest bit of deadheading and weeding at the Ilwaco Community Building on our way home, just because we saw deadheads when dropping off some library books.

tiered garden at Ilwaco Community Building

detail

above the bus stop

tulips and heather

Allan’s photo: my cheesy little camera

Narcissus ‘Thalia’, one of my favourites

one beach approach section erased from the work board

I was concerned after we arrived at home and Skooter did not show up when I called him.  Later, I saw him from my window, sitting by the water boxes.  Allan fetched him in.  The new rule is the cats must stay in after dark.  Skooter did NOT want to come inside.  (Allan’s photos:)

herding a cat

disgruntlement

Tomorrow, we expect yet another storm.

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6 April: caught up, just for a moment

Thursday, 6 April 2017

Smokey waiting for morning rain to stop

We were surprised when the weather cleared up midmorning.  Rain, wind, or sunshine, we had been planning to tidy the Ilwaco planters and street trees.  Doing so in pleasant weather was a treat.

Ilwaco

First, we did a bucket’s worth of weeding at our volunteer post office garden.

Post office garden has little offseason structure, leaving room for an explosion of summer flowers.

Fritillaria meleagris, and me weeding

Muscari ‘Ocean Magic’

southernmost planter: finger blight evidence shows why it looks so drab.

Allan’s photo

Even though they are still blooming, we will soon be replacing the woody old Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’.

They have gotten too tatty looking at their bases.

The tree gardens need some mulch.

amazed this windblown tree has not fallen yet.

wish I had not let the bad aster take over a couple of the tree gardens…

Col Pacific Motel’s mini garden

Allan’s photo

“yellow hoop petticoats” (Allan’s photo)

Narcissus bulbocodium (Allan’s photo)

downtown Ilwaco (Allan’s photo)

The weather got so warm that we went back home for summer shirts.

Look who I found snoozing together!

secret buddies Frosty and Calvin

I also noticed a joyous sight: a special trillium from Dancing Oaks Nursery, that had been ever so tiny and that I thought had died, had popped up after all.

We did a bit more weeding at the community building.

Ilwaco Community Building

Long Beach

Deer have left us the tulips at the welcome sign.

They are even prettier inside.

The back of the sign should have pastel tulips soon.

I met a very nice labradoodle named Curly.

checked up on the city hall garden, one of our best….

trillium, which I rescued years ago from the road next to my old house when the road was being widened.

Allan’s photo

Pure white resists being photographed.

hellebore

Physocarpus ‘Dart’s Gold’

Peggy’s Park, sprawling old hebe…

cut back

Peggy’s Park, on the east side of city hall, was planted by Gene and Peggy Miles and remained in memory of Peggy, who died of ovarian cancer far too young and is still much missed.

Brunner ‘Looking Glass’, a perennial forget me not planted soon after she died.

I think this is hosta’s best moment.

Just inside city hall, this sign made me think:

Even when I am at my crabbiest and most anti social, it is highly probable that one of our gardens makes someone smile every day.

Next, Allan weeded and groomed Coulter Park because there will be an art show at the old train depot building over the weekend.

Allan’s photo; wind had the narcissi all facing backwards.

I deadheaded the two north blocks of planters and had a quick visit with Heather at our favourite shop, NIVA green (and refreshed my stash of photos for the shop’s Facebook page.)

just north of NIVA

That corner has also become a deer crossing so will not get new tulips next year.

outside NIVA green (New, Inspired, Vintage, Artful)

inside

Walking back north to meet Allan, I saw more evidence that 2nd North is now a deer intersection.

Drat.

I felt a sprinkle and looked south, to see rain heading our way from Ilwaco.

By the time I rejoined Allan, the rain was coming down in earnest.  He had the bright idea of cheating and knocking down the last of a weedy bit with the string trimmer.  It worked a treat.

By then, I was in the van, watching.

I thought we would have to skip my idea of getting some mulch for Fifth Street Park.  But by the time we had dumped our debris at city works, the sun was back and so we filled just four buckets with mulch.  A sight there made me decide to save the rest of the mulch.  I knew exactly where these plants came from: the southernmost planter on the east side of Pacific.  I would need the rest of the pile to eventually fill it back in.

distinctive plants from a particular planter

I’m glad that planter got dug out.  It was too shrubby, going back to volunteer days.

The pile is getting small.

While Allan weeded in Veterans Field, I did two more blocks of trees and planters.

muscari in Vet Field (Allan’s photo)

muscari (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

anemone (Allan’s photo)

red white and blue (Allan’s photo)

Tulip acuminata

more Tulip acuminata (a favourite of mine)

Delicate species tulips look best after our extra rainy month of march.

The more showy tulips, like this four year old ‘Gavota’, get smaller flowers every year.

This year the double and parrot tulips look just miserable so far.  Maybe no more next year…even though I love them so.

note to self: dig out most of this horrible ivy soon

It was challenging getting through the spring break crowds with my weed bucket.

lots of narcissi under the trees

and in the planters

I thought my new “cushion bush” had made it through the winter.  No…all dried up.

Zoltar offered to tell my fortune.

On my way back to meet Allan at Vet Field, I encountered a woman and little girl with a big bouquet of narcissi and grape hyacinths.  I said, “Oh, gee, I hope those did not come from the city planters.”  “No, she picked them on the beach!” said the mom.  “You must mean the beach approach garden,” I said, and she replied “No, they were on the beach.”

“On the beach, my arse,” I thought but did not say as I walked away.  I knew darn well they were from the beach approach garden because I recognized them as ones I had planted…and they do not grow on the beach.  Allan said he might have asked, “You mean the ‘beach’ area right past the Please leave the flowers for everyone to enjoy sign?”.  I’m trying not to make a tourist’s day miserable so I wouldn’t go that far but…sheesh.

We drove out to check on the Bolstad beach approach planters.

If people would just not pick the flowers, there would be dozens more to brighten everyone’s day.

These were exactly the kind in the girl’s “beach” bouquet.

Allan dropped me off at the southernmost planters and we had a look at the empty one.  It must be going to be fixed or replaced because last year a car drove into it.

We have never seen a planter empty before with all the works showing.

of great interest to us

Allan went to Fifth Street Park to weed while I did the last two block of main street planters.

My experiment in February of cutting back a big woody santolina seems to have worked.

happy and multiplying species tulips

narcissi and euphorbia

You might notice from these photos how much less pedestrian traffic we have on the south blocks of downtown.

Fifth Street Park, NE side

lily flowering tulips do well in rain

Allan’s photo

note to self: divide these lovely primroses to grow under some other trees, as well.

note to self: weed southwest corner of Fifth Street Park at least once before tall plants hide it.

Allan had remembered to weed out the bad aster corner in Fifth Street Park.

before

after

mulching

Finally, we deadheaded the planters on Sid Snyder Drive…

Allan’s photo: That soil depression is the sure sign of another stolen plant.  That was after he brushed soil back into the hole.

…and last, the little garden at the World Kite Museum.

new concrete pads

I hope they are going to dig out this row of tatty hebes, too (hint, hint!)

The very last thing we had to do was deadhead narcissi in the window boxes at the Depot Restaurant, and we decided to eat there if they had room for us at the counter.  They did.

Depot Restaurant and Sou’wester RV Park (Allan’s photo)

counter view

We wanted to have delicious things that will not be on the summer menu.

wilted spinach salad

cinghiale with gnocchi

French onion soup

At home: The check up list is done.  Of course, all the gardens need regular check ups from now on.  The recent check up list was because of missing almost a month at some jobs due to incessant rain.

I’m glad we got caught up. Tomorrow’s predicted storm will most likely lay the narcissi and tulips on their sides.

This is what’s coming. We are the blue bubble about haflway up the coast.

(As I write this on Friday, we are halfway through the storm and have lost and then regained power.  It is noisy; the tarp has blown off the stacked crab pots next door, and one of two highways leading to the Peninsula has been closed because of downed trees.  I think the worst is over, so do not worry.)

 

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16 March: 2 tasks

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.

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1 Sept: drenched in Long Beach

Thursday, 1 September 2016

Because of gloriously strong overnight rain, and a substantial amount of rain predicted for the afternoon, we did not have to water the Long Beach planters.  This made it so easy to fit the work day in around a dentist appointment for me.

We stopped at the Ilwaco library to pick up a DVD of The 1940s House, an excellent British show that I had seen years ago and wanted to see again after viewing and reading Home Fires.

Outside, cyclamen donated by Our Kathleen is blooming.

I like this sign in the library.

Long Beach

It was flannel shirt and hoodie weather, so comfy, so perfect for the first of September

working on the welcome sign garden

welcome sign, after deadheading and trimming down non blooming cosmos

both sides

cosmos close up (Allan’s photo)

Then it became “maybe a raincoat” weather.

I was at a bit of a loss for what to do before the dentist.  City Hall turned out to be a good choice.

Here was a satisfactory project to tackle. Miscanthus ‘Variegatus’ flopping on the sidewalk.

before, looking north

new growth in the center of each of the two grasses

Allan started pulling Crocosmia a little further down the west side.

Just as Allan was well into making a mess on the lawn, Fitz of the city crew showed up to mow the lawn before the rain came in earnest.  Allan quickly cleaned up so the mowing could be done.

The Long Beach city crew is so well loved that it has its own fan club.

Allan’s photo

after (Allan’s photo)

my great big mess (Allan’s photo)

The serious rain came partway through the project.

after

west side of city hall

north side: late blooming Welsh poppy

Allan would dump me off at the dentist and then dump off this load of debris.

I had forgotten how noisy it is to get a couple of fillings.  Other than the novocaine shot being surprisingly painful, the procedure was just weird, not hurtful.  It had been years, maybe 20, since I’ve needed fillings.

Meanwhile, Allan worked for another hour and a quarter, in the rain:

staying out of the way of the big dump truck at city works

followed by the little “Gator”

He returned to city hall with some nice Soil Energy mulch.

He then addressed the blackberry problem at Third Street Park, getting drenched in the process.

big blackberries rooted way in the back of the rhododendrons

really hard work getting in there

mean Himalayan blackberry

On the way home from the dentist’s office, I was so hungry and so numb.  Allan had the smart idea of getting s smoothie from Roots Juice, Salad, and Java Bar.

at Roots

Roots’ owner has a pet pig (Prince Piggy)

quite thoroughly wet

We were home by mid afternoon and had a quiet time. I worked on blogging and was thrilled when Skooter came IN the living room cat door for the first time. It has taken him so long to figure out that the doors work both ways.

He is genius!

In the evening, we enjoyed our weekly dinner (favourite part of all our week) with Melissa and Dave (Sea Star Gardening) at…

The Cove Restaurant

gardening tales

a delicious repast begins (Allan’s photo)

a special treat from Chef Jason Lancaster: turkey egg over asparagus

nice soft lemony prawn scampi for my sore mouth

a lovely dessert treat from server Lynn, with cookies she had made herself.  She is the best.

---

1997 (age 73):

September 1: Monday through Friday  [August] I did some work each day but didn’t write anything down for the whole week.  Washed clothes.

1998 (age 74):

Sept 1:  HOT  86 degrees   Too hot.  I took my nap in my Lazy Boy chair.

 

 

 

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26 May: covering Long Beach

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.

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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.

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9 December: the (almost) last work day of 2015

Wednesday, 9 December 2015

the view while we were getting ready…a torrential squall

After that downpour, the day cleared up and turned into excellent weather for the (almost) last work day of the season.  The almost refers to one more job that Allan has, mulching the library garden.

Mike’s garden

We had a few clumps of mixed white narcissi and Narcissi ‘Angel Eyes’ to plant at Mayor Mike’s, just down the street.

Mike’s front path

a low sprawling conifer with white tips

Ilwaco Post Office

More bulbs went into the Ilwaco Post Office garden.  Crocus tommies, iris reticulate, Narcissus ‘Angel Eyes’, Tulip ‘Flaming Spring Green’, Brodiaea ‘Silver Queen’

post office window

The Red Barn

I had a bill to drop off at the Red Barn.  Again, the fields were boggy from rain.

Allan’s photo

the narrow garden (Allan’s photo)

Allan’s photo

horses in the field where we usually park to work at Diane’s

Diane’s garden

Other than a small amount of clipping back potted annuals, our mission at Diane’s was to deliver a pot of Stargazer lilies, ordered at her request.

Misty gets a good scritching.

my good friend Misty

one pot of Stargazers added to the mix

hydrangea at the corner of the house, will be our first task on a late winter visit

street view with Stipa gigantea

Long Beach

At last it was time to do the final clean up of the Long Beach welcome sign.

A few remaining yellow flowers could not save the bidens along the edge.

a ridiculously early anemone

sweeping up

I had mercy on a very few last flowers of the echibeckia.

We planted lots of little crocus tommasianus and iris reticulata in the Long Beach main street planters and three on the Sid Snyder beach approach.

poppy seeds sprouting in a planter I had strewn with poppy tops

Allan’s photo: poppy seedhead

And we cut down some more plants, including chrysanthemums…

Allan’s photo, before cutting these down, because we won’t be back to do it later..

but we did not cut these, that are about to bloom still

and that little dwarf chrysanthemum is blooming!

Long Beach City Hall got some Narcissi ‘Angel Eyes’ in the garden bed that is a memorial to Peggy Miles; she and her spouse, Gene, planted the garden on the east side of city hall about a year before she died.

Inside city hall (Allan’s photo)

The photo above shows a glimpse of a city crewman and City Manager Dave discussing the unpleasant fact that a city water main broke today, a BIG one, and although the crew got it fixed, a boil water advisory is now on for Long Beach and Seaview at least until at least Friday morning.

Inside city hall (Allan’s photo)

Inside city hall (Allan’s photo)

Inside city hall (Allan’s photo)

stocking hung with care for city workers (Allan’s photo)

The Anchorage Cottages

The very last of the mixed white and ‘Angel Eyes’ narcissi went into the entry garden at the Anchorage, where the buddliea got a trim.

before

after

Melianthus major still standing

I’ll send the following photo to manager Beth with the message that she can have someone take the calla lilies to the ground if a frost blackens them or turns them limp, and the same goes for the Melianthus.

Our work season is done and these callas still remain.

working till dusk

The only clump of callas that did look mushy…

and did get taken down.

Next door to the Anchorage: bear traps ready to be deployed as needed.

Allan’s photo

In the almost dark, we stopped on the way home and did a last bit of clipping at The Depot Restaurant, which was closed because of the boil water advisory.

Ilwaco

We did the rounds of the flatlands to get some more holiday photos for the Discover Ilwaco Facebook page.

CoHo Charters (Allan’s photo)

Santa’s outhouse (!!), Allan’s photo

Englund Marine (Allan’s photo)

Griffin Gallery (Allan’s photo)

Griffin Gallery (with a bucket because of a leaky window)

Doupé Building (Allan’s photo)

an extravaganza on Spruce Street

At home, I looked at all we had accomplished on the work board…

And was able to erase all but that one mulching job…

And because the mulching job can be accomplished any time between now and February, I think I will now declare that staycation has officially begun.  Although there will be some off-season non-publishing days on the blog, I do have a few slide shows set up to keep things ticking along for awhile.

 

 

 

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