Garden On, Vashon

I was going to attend a photography workshop at Anita Halstead’s garden this beautiful Saturday morning. But I’ve been over-subscribed this last month, so when my 14-year-old niece, touring our ravine garden, reached out to a flower and it was a STINGING NETTLE, I realized it’s my own garden (as well as Kelly) that’s screaming for attention.

And so, out with pruners, weed-wacker, and a guilty conscience to beat back July’s unruly growth. Now I KNOW I did a clean-up before the Garden Tour so that I wouldn’t come home and feel bad about my own garden. Yet here’s nettle leaning into the paths of the ravine, an ilex vomatoria blocking the way down my wooden stairs, and a retaining wall that’s disappeared under a rug of hairy geranium. You think you’re keeping the green tide at bay, but just like with the sea and ol’ King Canute, it will sneak its way in somewhere, somehow…

Dig The Reds at DIG

Noticing last week that DIG was offering 30-50% discounts on hardy perennials, I stopped in and asked her about perennials that will still put on a show this late in the growing season.

She waved her hand at “Any of these will work”—and I was Seeing Red. Her front tables was bursting with red penstemon, red montbretia, red sage, raspberry-red gaura, apricot agastache, and coral cape fuchsia. FIELDS of red dahlias surounding fountain, outdoor carpet, big gray ginger jar. That Sylvia: she’s a dab hand with color. Above left, that’s a penstemon with smaller cape fuchsia blooms on the right and montbretia foliage behind; red dahlias are on the right. Below are more dahlias and a lobelia laxiflora which, Sylvia says, “Hummingbirds just adore.”

lobela laxiflora left; red dahlias right

Speaking of “Seeing Red”…

I’ve had some good rants in my email inbox this week. Michelle of Pacific Potager sent me a notice about an organic farm in Washington that lost big crops to a compost they brought in that was contaminated with the herbicide Clopyralid. She wrote, “I know I feel crazy when people tell me what they are adding to their soil, what compost mix they are buying, what they have purchased to “make” their garden… as if they would KNOW what that stuff is…  I always advocate improving your soil in place, with cover crops, compost you make, etc… It takes longer, maybe, but you aren’t adding problems…”

I know when I’ve gone to pick up manure at local farms, I’ve asked whether they’ve sprayed their fields or given the animals any medications that might have passed through the gut still potent. If you’re uncertain about an imported soil amendment, test it in some small, out-of-the-way section of garden first.

And Not Seeing Red

Sally Fox, last year’s Garden Club President, wrote me about her missing raspberries.

“Last year I had HUNDREDS of raspberries — maybe thousands.  This year – I have harvested five.  Why?  The birds came and ate THEM ALL.  But why? For two years we shared nicely.  This year it is very different.  Carolina Nurik of Maury, who sells at the marke,t has had the same problem.  Clues?  Do we have to net our raspberries now?”

Pursuing the situation more, she wrote later, “I heard from Rob Patterson of Plum Forest that it might be because the wild cherry crop was so poor this year – so they have turned to our berries.  He has seen a correlation between cherry crops and berry attacks.” And yet later, “My former east coast riding instructor told me they always had to net their raspberries and that once the birds make a habit of attacking them, it is over – they will be back.”

Anybody else losing their berry crops to birds worse than usually?

Some Summer Reds on the Burton Peninsula

Driving back from DIG, I pondered that whole question of Summer Flowers: after the late spring bloom-party of roses, rhodies, lilacs, irises, and peonies, what’s going to give your garden equal impact during the Days of All Outdoors? Driving up the lead road to the Burton Loop, indeed the lawns looked a little, well, SPARE of flowers.

Still, there ARE some plants that are looking good right now. My favorite cottage near Guv’s Lane had this colorful collection around its chimney: a red rose, red valerian, thread-leaf coreopsis, and shasta daisies.

And around the corner to the left, once again I was Seeing Red: some Shirley Poppies, with red montbretia and more red dahlias behind. 

Lots of Red, Overhead

Finally, this beauty-shot is from Pt. Defiance Park. I had a little time to kill before catching the south-end ferry, so Mom and I walked through the Pt. Defiance Rose Garden. But the beds of hybrid teas and floribundas, though nice, can’t compete with the rose-covered pergola that leads to the entrance. Personally, I think Climbing Roses give more bang for the buck: just one plant will out-shine a bed of a dozen shrub roses. And a climber keeps your ground free for other plants.

So in your garden, if you want a color to ride the rising Green Tide of high summer, think RED.