Friday, 12 April 2019
Long Beach
We checked on the Long Beach welcome sign, where the vole damage does not seem to have increased at all, thank goodness.
I did not examine the tulips closely. Ignorance is bliss.
We deadheaded two blocks worth of planters downtown.
I don’t think I have grown Tulip ‘Suncatcher’ before.
The tulips and the tulip foliage look great despite all the rain.
We then took last time’s debris to city works and picked up a buckets-load of Soil Energy mulch.
And then, out to the beach approach to see how far we could get with the mulch on the sections we had already weeded.
We barely had enough for the first (westernmost) long section, the longest of all of them. Then, on to weeding, hoping to get at least one half section done.
This week is spring break so the town is full of happy tourists.
Rain came, steaming on the road.
We only got one half section done…
…and we still have this far to go.
Vehicle above is on the wrong side of the road to politely avoid us, unlike many who cut it very fine as they pass us, despite our traffic cones and Allan’s safety vest.
We dumped today’s debris and finished deadheading the other four blocks of downtown planters.
Tulip ‘Akebono’ is one of my favourites.

I love Akebono’s green sepals and delicate, thin red edge (which does not seem as visible on these).
I am partial to all the viridiflora tulips.
I’m thrilled to see buds on my asphodeline.
I was not thrilled to find evidence of finger blight by Fifth Street Park.
Some flowers were just picked and dropped; perhaps someone yelled at the thief?
And some were downright taken. There should be five or six orange tulips in each of these clumps.
The ones across the street were as they should be.
The weather had become pleasant again after the rain and wind that drove us off the beach approach, and so we did a big tidy up of the northwest quadrant of Fifth Street Park.
There was way too much Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, hesperantha, and the ever maddening horsetail (the little scrimmy one) and some kind of belligerently spreading skinny allium.
I might use some kind of annual along the front, so that it can be cleaned more easily of weeds in the autumn and winter.
Unfortunately, we had much more to do so no time to have a late lunch at Captain Bob’s Chowder.
We deadheaded the last two blocks….
…and the Sid Snyder beach approach planters, where we saw two darling dogs…
…and a remarkably cute goat.
We deadheaded at the Kite Museum and almost got stuck dumping our debris at City Works.
Shelburne Hotel
While Allan did our grocery shopping across the street, I deadheaded at the Shelburne and noted an influx of weeds, mostly sorrel and creeping buttercup, that must be dealt with by next weekend. I resolved that the next nice day would be partly spent there.
I put down Sluggo all along the fence where I had planted sweet peas. I could see a few of them, tiny and threadlike, emerging.
Looking south from the north end….In the distance, walking away, is Seaview Sara’s spouse and their dog, Jet; I had finally met the lovely dog for the first time.
I had finally learned, from Monty Don on Gardeners’ World, that T. sylvestris is fragrant. I rarely think to smell a tulip. I did, and it has a beautiful scent.
The work board has gotten ever so slightly shorter.