Friday, 17 April 2015
The day was miserable in spots for just three reasons: 25 mph mighty cold wind, too much to do, and like a doofus I was too frazzled in the morning to take my new green wheelie cart to Long Beach (an omission I would regret later). The vehicle had lots of Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’ and other plants and we had not yet figured out a system for taking the wheelie to Long Beach. We will have it figured out by next time!
Ilwaco
at the Post Office, a creamy California poppy in bloom
Our first task was to see if the two planters city planters had been moved from semi-hidden locations to more visible spots on Spruce street. Well, they were, BUT the one at the fire station was one of the ones moved, after I had told fire chief Tommy yesterday that it wouldn’t be moved, and the one hidden by other planters next to a café had been left unmoved. A stop at city hall got it sorted; the one by the café will be moved to the fire station in a complicated dance of musical planters.
We put some violas and golden variegated thyme in the two newly placed planters, along with a Diascia ‘Blackthorn Apricot’, and will add more plants next week.
Allan by one of the newly positioned planters. Sadly, the owner of the English Pub passed away some years ago and the historic building is for sale.
We then swung around to town to do the rest of the planters, starting with the boatyard intersection.
See the little bit of yellow at the edge of the garden? That is Limnanthes douglasii, also known as fried egg plant.
also known as meadow foam
Narcissus bulbocodium ‘Golden Bells’ (Yellow Hoop Petticoats) in a planter.
same planter as above at First and Eagle, with Narcissus ‘Baby Moon’, golden oregano, and Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’
After over an hour working on the Ilwaco planters, adding some violas and thyme, and in one case digging out some too-large narcissi, we went on to Long Beach.
Long Beach
Allan weeding and deadheading the welcome sign
front of welcome sign
I’m most pleased with the back side of the sign.
Thank you for visiting Long Beach, with tulips complementary to the colour blue.
Next stop: Veterans Field, which will be the main gathering place for the Clam Festival tomorrow (April 18th; this blog is running about six days behind). We won’t be going this year as I have home gardening to do and Allan has some motorcycling to do. You can read about our enjoyment of last year’s festival here.
The city crew was getting the tent with the giant frying pan set up (not the same pan that is mounted in Fifth Street Park).
LB Parks Manager Mike Kitzman
Allan planted five Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’ at the back of the corner garden. 
Sky Pencil stays elegantly columnar.
After a thorough grooming of both of the Veterans Field gardens and the adjacent park behind Lewis and Clark Square, we headed for the Sid Snyder beach approach. On the way, we paused to drop off a gardening bill to the Oman Builders Supply Long Beach store (for our work at their branch in Ocean Park. Outside, I almost got caught by a little scam. One of four high school age kids asked me if I would buy a book of coupons for $1. The local high school has offered such books before. I first said no, because the coupon books rarely have anything that we would use, then decided to be a good citizen and said yes and handed him a dollar. As they walked away, I looked at what the kid had handed me and pursued them right into Oman and Son and said, “Hey, you’re just pan-handling; give me my dollar back.” Which he did, looking only faintly embarrassed. I realized they were spring breakers from somewhere else!
It was just an old newspaper insert that had probably been blowing down the street! (We found another one blowing down the beach approach road later on.)
That was interesting.
Onward we went, weeding and deadheading the planters and the kite museum garden (fertilized it!) on Sid Snyder Drive and then the Bolstadt beach approach planters.
Sid Snyder and Bolstadt Beach Approach roads
satellite view of beach approach roads
Allan’s photo: one of the Sid Snyder planters with lots of California poppies coming on
Allan’s photo: Two trail ride outfits are located along Sid Snyder. Here, a group is heading to the beach.
me waiting for Allan by our last planter on Sid Snyder
weeding the westernmost planter on Bolstadt beach approach (Allan’s photo)
Sedums are good here as these get very little water. (Allan’s photo)
Allan weeding one of the western Bolstadt planters
past the west end of the beach approach garden (looking east toward town)
rosemary in one of the planters
That rosemary and the heather harken back to my friend Lily Gibson, who died in 2004 in her early fifties of ALS. Before that, she had taken on two of the volunteer planters on the beach approach and won the prize for best planter. She would drive out with her three little dogs every day and water it, and took such good constant care that she even had blue lobelia thriving around the edges. (We only water these planters on occasion; last year the city crew watered them once a week in summer.) I planted the lilies in Fifth Street Park and at City Hall with Lily in mind.
To check on the planters, I walked east along the weedy beach approach. We don’t have time in our schedule to do anything about it yet.
weeds!
City Hall, looking west, with the Chinook flag flying
The wind was getting worse, and colder. I checked 642 weather (26 mile an hour gusts) and my Wind Alert app.
Wind Alert
I put an another flannel shirt and my jacket (difficult in the flapping wind) and gave myself the Deadliest Catch pep talk: “It could be worse. I could be crab fishing on the Bering Sea.” (Of course, we don’t make $50,000 in a few weeks, either.)
Deep purple on emerging hostas on the east side of city hall.
north side of city hall
The memorial marker is worn.
This hellebore has been looking good for months.
City Hall west side
After dumping our debris at City Works, we took an intermission from Long Beach to check up on the garden at…
The Anchorage Cottages
Narcissus ‘Baby Moon’ still blooming in the windowboxes..
…along with Tulip batalinii ‘Bright Gem’
center courtyard
the bearded iris that got half broken off last week
Camassia
Tulip ‘Angelique’ by the office
sweet peas!! and a new application of Sluggo by the chimney
After the most basic of deadheading and weeding and the planting of two dahlias, we returned 20 blocks south to groom all the street planters in Long Beach. By now it was 4:30 PM.
Long Beach Planters walkabout
For two and half hours, with me feeling increasing soreness from carrying a heavy bucket, we did the Long Beach planters. We did the two north blocks together, then split up and each took half of the rest of them. I swear I will not do the bucket carrying again; next time I WILL get organized and take the green wheelie cart that Mary Beth gave me! (We need to organize a way to lash it into the trailer; that will be easy for Allan.)
just north of Dennis Co….The mermaids will be at the Depot building for clam festival photo opportunities.
Here they were last year, photo courtesy Queen La De Da’s
Tulip ‘Rococo’ at 3rd N and Pacific
me capturing the picture above with Coulter Park in the background (Allan’s photo, zoomed)
more ‘Bright Gem’ tulips
2nd N and Pacific…I SO hope to get this vinca-heavy planter redone this spring!
variegated euonymous and tulip (Allan’s photo)
Narcissus Baby Moon and Tulip ‘Bright Gem’ (Allan’s photo)
Tulip ‘Green Wave’ next to Scoopers ice cream shop, blown by the wind
Tulip ‘Green Star’ (Allan’s photo)
The wind was tormenting me, so when I got across the street (I was criss crossing back and forth) I went into NIVA green for a moment of respite.
Tulip ‘Green Wave’ in bud
window display
Heather Ramsay’s newest lamp, from a Peek Frean tin
one of several gardening books on display
The pond at Bolstadt and Pacific
When I went into the Long Beach Pharmacy for a quick purchase, I saw some cute garden decor items:
faucet with crystal raindrops
“Sometimes the tiniest flowers smell the sweetest.”
another faucet with crystal water drop and a fairy door
Back to work! In front of Stormin’ Norman’s kite shop, this planter is due for a clean out of aster that goes back to volunteer days.
For a few years, the aster (by the lamp post) was polite; now it is on the run all over the planter.
I did not expect the wire plant to be so vigourous; may have to do something about that, too.
in front of the Cottage Bakery: reseeded Cerinthe major purpurascens
sparaxis! wish I had lots more of this darling bulb, which is blooming early this year.
Sparaxis
Narcissus ‘Baby Moon’
more cerinthe
looking south, still two block to go to meet up with Allan, who is doing the southern two blocks
Delightfully, the wind had died down just a bit, as you can see from the less intense angle of the flags as I passed by Veterans Field again.
not quite straight out. Still a north wind, the coldest one.
As I worked on this planter, passersby swooned over Tulip ‘Akebono’.
Lewis and Clark Square and Veterans Field
by Fifth Street Park (Allan’s photo)
Tulip ‘Rococo’ (Allan’s photo)
Tulip ‘Rococo’, lavender, and a Tulip ‘Black Hero’ that returned from a few years ago (Allan’s photo)
Tulip ‘Florette’ (Allan’s photo)
The multiflowering tulip ‘Florette’ has been fantastic this year. I’m going to plant more of this type next fall.
Tulip ‘Florette’ (Allan’s photo)
Allan’s photo…I must ask him where this was! The original name of Long Beach was Tinkerville. The old Tinker house is just west of our friend and client Jo’s house.
(The photo was taken at First Place Mall and the shop is a new art consignment store.)
I can tell by this photo that Allan had turned at the southernmost planter and was working his way north again. Tulip ‘Apricot Parrot’, almost over.
Allan also did the final grooming of the Fifth Street Park gardens, where we had weeded extensively three days before.
Finally he caught up to me, where I was plucking maddening little grasses from the planter in front of the Hungry Harbor Grille….with the cold wind on my last nerve.
By 7 PM, Allan and I had met up. I was so deeply glad to be done. We dug deep and managed to groom the Ilwaco Post Office and plant two dahlias there on the way home.
My cat family had been watching me from the window as I carried plants to the holding area.
I am taking three days off, I HOPE. The little chair and table that I arranged for a sit spot are not going to be sittable until I get these plants organized and planted, and a lot of them go here,
weeding and planting at home await me.
As we did the evening sorting out of the van, the sun was a huge red ball on the horizon at the end of the street.
At midnight, after some blogging, some dinner, and The Amazing Race on telly, Mary snoozes while I finish this blog entry. (Allan’s photo)
Allan said that the sight of a cat on the back of each chair reminded him of photos of three mountains lined up.
Allan’s photo
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Tangly Cottage Gardening 