Fidalgo Island Crossings
Life and Living on South Fidalgo Island, Washington
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June 21Something New, Something BlueI’m back to bore everyone with my garden project again. It’s my bliss, so please indulge me. This project introduced me to some great new and interesting plants, so I thought I would share some of them. Siberian Bugloss The Original Brunnera macrophylla comes from the woodlands of Siberia. This stunning variety ‘Jack Frost’ literally glows in the mostly shady area west of my garage. Earlier it bore tiny bright blue flowers that also seemed to glow in the shade. Eventually it will spread to become a groundcover, filling the spaces between the Fatsias and Acanthi there. I will have to maintain a vigilant slug and snail patrol for this one. It’s fortunate this area seems to be relatively free of the little mollusks. Previously this space was a dry, rocky dead zone where nothing would grow. The new irrigation system has made it possible to grow some nifty plants here like Brunnera, Acanthus and Fatsia. Wild Mock OrangeWhat a surprise to discover a beautiful shrub that is also a native. Philadelphus lewisii is drought tolerant, fragrant and grows in relatively poor soil. What more could anyone want? The state flower of Idaho, Wild Mock Orange also has historical links. It was apparently first described and named by Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The variety ‘Blizzard’ will become covered with white, fragrant blooms as it matures. I am still wondering how I managed to overlook this great native shrub for so long. Sea HollyI like this odd flower because it looks like something from Star Trek. With Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ even the leaves will become blue, no doubt resembling specimens from the planet Andoria. The original Earth plant (E. planum) comes from southeastern Europe and across central Asia. Star Trek and gardening are two of my favorite things, so I hope these plants will live long and prosper. 1:55 PM GMT | Read comments(2)June 20Then and Now On this eve before summer, remember last winter? These photos of my side yard were taken almost exactly six months apart, December 22nd 2008 and June 20th 2009. How sad those spruces look under the weight of the snow. There would be even more snow to come followed by bitter, cold temperatures. Some would like to use last winter’s weather here as evidence disproving “global warming.” This reveals confusion about the difference between climate and weather. Weather is what is happening in a place during a particular moment of time. Climate refers to weather patterns over long periods of time, decades, centuries and millennia. What happened here last winter was weather. Global warming is about climate. Measure the temperature in my yard at noon every day for ten years and plot it on a graph. The plot would reveal information about the climate of my yard and how it may be changing. During a warming period, unusually cold temperatures will be offset by equally uncharacteristic warm days. We have already seen this trend for two summers. We’ll see what nature has in store for us again this year. In the summer scene above, pictured from foreground: Astilbe (A. japonica just starting to bloom in the corner), Rubus rolfei, Rhododendron ‘Scarlet Wonder,’ Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’), Vine Maple (Acer circinatum), Cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’), and Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika ‘Bruns’). Originally, this sloping site consisted of some of the worst ground I have ever seen. Rocks, sand and clay, the aftermath of ancient glaciations, formed a dense hardpan. Soil amendments and careful plant selection slowly turned the spot into a garden, with the Vine Maple as the centerpiece. 4:05 PM GMT | Read comments(2)May 30Garden: UpdateThe project is substantially complete, but there remain a few missing pieces. The native Shore Pines planned for the edge of the front yard seem to be unavailable. Apparently the weather we had last winter was too much for nursery stock of even these hardy native trees. The landscaper is searching for either Austrian Pines or Serbian Spruce as substitutes. Getting the lawn repaired and looking good is also taking longer than I expected. I ended up splurging on flagstone paths between the front and back lawns. They replace the gravel paths I had and they fit in nicely with the woodland setting. This is also the route I use to move the lawnmower between the two areas. Having a solid surface to roll on makes that chore much easier. From these photos, perhaps you can appreciate why I enjoy the big Douglas and Grand Firs in the yard. When some folks purchase wooded property, the first thing they do is cut down all of the trees. I don’t understand it. I am having some difficulty photographing some of the shady areas. When the sun is hitting the lighter objects, they end up over-exposed. This is easier on one of our overcast days. Can you spot the deer in the two photos above? Hint: I only managed to catch her back end. The Japanese employ a trick called “borrowed scenery,” where distant views are incorporated into the landscape. The following are my attempts to use the technique. The large fir trees have sprouted up on their own since the property was cleared for building. They grow like weeds here. Eventually they will have to go when they become a wind storm hazard to the house. But for now, I will enjoy them. The task now is to let all of the new plantings settle in, mature and begin to fill in the bare spots. Many are already showing signs of growth, so the prospects look good. This has definitely been a worthwhile venture. Overall, I am very pleased with the results. 5:24 PM GMT | Read comments(3)May 16Garden: Week 4 This week saw the sprinkler system completed and about 95% of the new plantings put into the ground. The flagstone and gravel paths are also finished. Yet to come are three medium sized shore pines (Pinus contorta), and once in place, the front yard plantings can be completed. A dressing of mulch and other finishing touches are planned for the coming week. My own project has been a set of stairs between the two levels of the front yard lawn and I should have them in place this weekend. The entire yard is on a slope and this necessitates creating lawns and garden areas on terraces with banks separating them. The new stairs will provide an easier pathway between the levels on the east end. The crowning touch here will be a new Korean dogwood (Cornus kousa). I am holding off on pictures of the yard now until the project is finished. Instead, I am taking the opportunity to show off my Hotei rhododendron. I have had it nine years and moved it twice, but this is the first year it has bloomed. Even though it is only partially blooming, it seems to like the spot, so this is where it will stay. Overall, this feels like a good omen for the garden. 5:50 PM GMT | Read comments(2)May 09Garden: Week 3All the cleanup is finished now. This week saw installation of the expanded irrigation system and a good start on much of the hardscaping. This includes new steps from the driveway to the back lawn and flagstone paths in the shade garden. The shade garden is my favorite spot in the yard, so I’ll probably talk about it a lot. Everything is still quite a mess due to the trenching for the sprinklers. Nevertheless, I can see where things are going and I am very pleased. One of the resources this yard has in abundance is rocks. Anyone who has climbed mountains and seen the moraines around glaciers will understand why. Fidalgo and the other islands around us are the offspring of the Cordilleran ice sheet which covered northern Puget Sound beginning around 18,000 years ago. This also explains our sandy soil. It became apparent early on that something needed to be done about all the rocks. The solution was to use them in the landscape. There are borders and arrangements of native rock almost everywhere in the yard. The plan for the coming week is to finish the irrigation system and pathways. Then the ground will be prepared for the new plantings. On Thursday, the new plants will arrive and be laid out by the designer and me. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas. Gardeners will understand that.9:17 PM GMT | Read comments(2)
Siberian Bugloss The Original Brunnera macrophylla comes from the woodlands of Siberia. This stunning variety ‘Jack Frost’ literally glows in the mostly shady area west of my garage. Earlier it bore tiny bright blue flowers that also seemed to glow in the shade. Eventually it will spread to become a groundcover, filling the spaces between the Fatsias and Acanthi there. I will have to maintain a vigilant slug and snail patrol for this one. It’s fortunate this area seems to be relatively free of the little mollusks. Previously this space was a dry, rocky dead zone where nothing would grow. The new irrigation system has made it possible to grow some nifty plants here like Brunnera, Acanthus and Fatsia. Wild Mock OrangeWhat a surprise to discover a beautiful shrub that is also a native. Philadelphus lewisii is drought tolerant, fragrant and grows in relatively poor soil. What more could anyone want? The state flower of Idaho, Wild Mock Orange also has historical links. It was apparently first described and named by Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The variety ‘Blizzard’ will become covered with white, fragrant blooms as it matures. I am still wondering how I managed to overlook this great native shrub for so long. Sea HollyI like this odd flower because it looks like something from Star Trek. With Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ even the leaves will become blue, no doubt resembling specimens from the planet Andoria. The original Earth plant (E. planum) comes from southeastern Europe and across central Asia. Star Trek and gardening are two of my favorite things, so I hope these plants will live long and prosper.
On this eve before summer, remember last winter? These photos of my side yard were taken almost exactly six months apart, December 22nd 2008 and June 20th 2009. How sad those spruces look under the weight of the snow. There would be even more snow to come followed by bitter, cold temperatures. Some would like to use last winter’s weather here as evidence disproving “global warming.” This reveals confusion about the difference between climate and weather. Weather is what is happening in a place during a particular moment of time. Climate refers to weather patterns over long periods of time, decades, centuries and millennia. What happened here last winter was weather. Global warming is about climate. Measure the temperature in my yard at noon every day for ten years and plot it on a graph. The plot would reveal information about the climate of my yard and how it may be changing. During a warming period, unusually cold temperatures will be offset by equally uncharacteristic warm days. We have already seen this trend for two summers. We’ll see what nature has in store for us again this year. In the summer scene above, pictured from foreground: Astilbe (A. japonica just starting to bloom in the corner), Rubus rolfei, Rhododendron ‘Scarlet Wonder,’ Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Crimson Pygmy’), Vine Maple (Acer circinatum), Cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’), and Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika ‘Bruns’). Originally, this sloping site consisted of some of the worst ground I have ever seen. Rocks, sand and clay, the aftermath of ancient glaciations, formed a dense hardpan. Soil amendments and careful plant selection slowly turned the spot into a garden, with the Vine Maple as the centerpiece.
The project is substantially complete, but there remain a few missing pieces. The native Shore Pines planned for the edge of the front yard seem to be unavailable. Apparently the weather we had last winter was too much for nursery stock of even these hardy native trees. The landscaper is searching for either Austrian Pines or Serbian Spruce as substitutes. Getting the lawn repaired and looking good is also taking longer than I expected. I ended up splurging on flagstone paths between the front and back lawns. They replace the gravel paths I had and they fit in nicely with the woodland setting. This is also the route I use to move the lawnmower between the two areas. Having a solid surface to roll on makes that chore much easier. From these photos, perhaps you can appreciate why I enjoy the big Douglas and Grand Firs in the yard. When some folks purchase wooded property, the first thing they do is cut down all of the trees. I don’t understand it. I am having some difficulty photographing some of the shady areas. When the sun is hitting the lighter objects, they end up over-exposed. This is easier on one of our overcast days. Can you spot the deer in the two photos above? Hint: I only managed to catch her back end. The Japanese employ a trick called “borrowed scenery,” where distant views are incorporated into the landscape. The following are my attempts to use the technique. The large fir trees have sprouted up on their own since the property was cleared for building. They grow like weeds here. Eventually they will have to go when they become a wind storm hazard to the house. But for now, I will enjoy them. The task now is to let all of the new plantings settle in, mature and begin to fill in the bare spots. Many are already showing signs of growth, so the prospects look good. This has definitely been a worthwhile venture. Overall, I am very pleased with the results.
This week saw the sprinkler system completed and about 95% of the new plantings put into the ground. The flagstone and gravel paths are also finished. Yet to come are three medium sized shore pines (Pinus contorta), and once in place, the front yard plantings can be completed. A dressing of mulch and other finishing touches are planned for the coming week. My own project has been a set of stairs between the two levels of the front yard lawn and I should have them in place this weekend. The entire yard is on a slope and this necessitates creating lawns and garden areas on terraces with banks separating them. The new stairs will provide an easier pathway between the levels on the east end. The crowning touch here will be a new Korean dogwood (Cornus kousa). I am holding off on pictures of the yard now until the project is finished. Instead, I am taking the opportunity to show off my Hotei rhododendron. I have had it nine years and moved it twice, but this is the first year it has bloomed. Even though it is only partially blooming, it seems to like the spot, so this is where it will stay. Overall, this feels like a good omen for the garden.
All the cleanup is finished now. This week saw installation of the expanded irrigation system and a good start on much of the hardscaping. This includes new steps from the driveway to the back lawn and flagstone paths in the shade garden. The shade garden is my favorite spot in the yard, so I’ll probably talk about it a lot. Everything is still quite a mess due to the trenching for the sprinklers. Nevertheless, I can see where things are going and I am very pleased. One of the resources this yard has in abundance is rocks. Anyone who has climbed mountains and seen the moraines around glaciers will understand why. Fidalgo and the other islands around us are the offspring of the Cordilleran ice sheet which covered northern Puget Sound beginning around 18,000 years ago. This also explains our sandy soil. It became apparent early on that something needed to be done about all the rocks. The solution was to use them in the landscape. There are borders and arrangements of native rock almost everywhere in the yard. The plan for the coming week is to finish the irrigation system and pathways. Then the ground will be prepared for the new plantings. On Thursday, the new plants will arrive and be laid out by the designer and me. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas. Gardeners will understand that.