Flowers for Easter

It was too good to last

Well, the rain we've not been having has finally settled in and it has been one storm loud after another blowing thru here today. I did catch a short break and took a few photos of recent projects so you can see what we've been up to. So much has been done in the past few weeks during a welcome spate of very nice weather.

Here's a shot along the driveway where the pile of weeds and berries used to be. The whole area has been cleaned out and alot of weedy trees removed. I have several new trees ready to go in, but things are on hold until one last fir is dropped and removed.

To the left of that area is the continuation of this bed put in in 2005 and now being expanded and redesigned a bit. The irises are doing very well here, but will be happier with so much more light now. I've been cleaning the border behind this bed as well so it makes a nice backdrop for the irises.


The shade border I was putting in has been expanded. The lower terrace on the right now has several gunnera planted there. I'll remove the alders around it to open up the light. It will be protected from the hottest afternoon sun, but otherwise will get plenty of light. I expect to further expand this bed at a later date.


Just off the vegetable garden, down the hill and under the trees, we've created a mushroom garden. Logs inoculated with plug spawn from Fungi Perfecti are placed around the base of an ancient cedar stump. Later this summer or fall we should be able to harvest plenty of delicious mushrooms. Currently there are three different types, and hopefully we can expand this with varieties that bloom at various times of the year.


Maybe Daniel will take some pics of his veggie garden expansion. And I've started on a bed in the courtyard, hoping it will spur more attention there. It's been terribly neglected.

The northern shrub border

Remember that huge pile of wood debris left on the north side of our front slope? Well, with alot of help from friends, we managed to get it down to just a pile of stumps...


Then got the stumps cleaned up and rearranged...


Well that stump pile is finally the backdrop to the border of flowering shrubs we've wanted there for so long.


Yeah, it doesn't look so hot now, but just wait five years - it'll be gorgeous. There's bush honeysuckle, three different lilacs, forsythia and a quince for the hummingbirds - six fewer shrubs in pots needing daily watering all summer. They are fronted by a few perennials; helianthus, grasses, dahlias, and modern bearded irises. They will do for some fill for a few years while the shrubs grow and establish.

New beds are coming along

There's a spot along the driveway that I can see from the house that's been bugging me for awhile now. It was overgrown with grass and weeds and looked really shabby. Well, Daniel bought a rhodie B&G was getting rid of and we needed a place to plant it so I took that as a sign it was time to tackle this area. Here's the result. i had already done the native irises around the stump last fall, but the rest is all new. In a few weeks the plants will fill out and it will look much better. I still need to do something about the space between the drive and the bed, but I'll figure it out.




Here's a shot of a little reticulata iris blooming down on the terraces this week.

Spring is here

Warm temps the past two weeks have set the early bulbs in full on bloom mode. Snowdrops, crocus and iris reticulata are so charming with their lovely little flowers poking up above the dead foliage of last season's perennials. Hellebores are looking wonderful as well.

Here are a couple of photos of the reticulatas blooming right now. First up is Katherine Hodgkin. The best description I've seen is: "... a tinge of sea-green suffused with powder blue and fabulous intricate markings." The camera refuses to capture the etheral color tones of this iris when seen in person. it is not at all muddy or dull, but glows with almost opalescent tints.




This last is Cantab. An old variety from the early 20th century. Sky blue flowers are always reliable. Very hardy here in western WA. These have been in this pot for probably five years. Nothing else will grow in it so it is fairly ignored all summer, which the reticulatas like very much.

We've been very active in the garden this spring, since the weather has been so nice. Lots of progress on the property. I hope to post more pics soon of all the new additions.