Muck About

Attention Washington Gardeners!

We Love to See Your Garden

The Northwest Perennial Alliance is looking for a few good gardens in Western  Washington. As it has for the past several years, NPA publishes the Open Gardens book in April with fellow NPA gardeners, who open their gardens for other members to tour. The tours start in early May and go through October, covering  Washington, from Whidbey Island to Olympia. Gardeners who participate say they enjoy opening their garden because of the nice people they meet.

We hope you’ll invite us to tour your garden this season. If you’re interested, please contact Katie Padwick by e-mail  or by phone: 253-265-3245. Registration ends February 16^th.

For more information about NPA, you can check out their website.

Click on image to view a larger version.

 

Snow, News and Rumors

Snow!  Some of us woke up this morning with snow covering our gardens. When the sun comes out, it’s always a beautiful scene, for a little while, that is. I took a few pictures of the fleeting event on the North Kitsap Peninsula documenting that we even had the white stuff. I love how snow absorbs sound; the quiet is welcome.

The weathermen predict more snow will fall, but like the ball on the roulette wheel, you never know where it will actually land. I won’t mind seeing more white carpet in the garden, as long as I don’t have to clean it.

The two images from my garden show the path to the front gate and a container housing the contorted filbert, better known as  Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (Corylus avellana 'Contorta'. I'm excited about a newer acquisition, the red corkscrew hazel (C. 'Contorta Red Majestic') with outstanding purple hues on the new leaves.  I’ll post more on that shrub later.

Click on images to see the larger versions.

 

Other News

Little and Lewis, artists from Bainbridge Island, known for their colorful columns, pools and other concrete art, sculpture and paintings sold their much visited home and garden and moved next door.  I can’t wait to view the smaller property transformed into another magical garden gallery.

There is rumor that Heronswood will be hosting another open house sometime in July. If you are kicking yourself for not going in 2007, here’s one more chance to see the famous gardens.  Instead of beating yourself up for missing a tour, stay bruise free by attending this event.

While you are in Kingston, be sure to stop in at the Dragonfly Farms Nursery  and Savage Plants & Landscape  when you are done with the Open House; you won’t be disappointed.

Stop in for lunch or a latte at the Coastal Café.  Located in the Kingston Crossing Albertsons complex, the café is close to the gardens and nurseries.  The café has the best deli sandwiches on the North Peninsula, and their soups tickle your taste buds and warm your garden soul.

 

Hydrangea Fool

I didn't know I was doing it. Honest. They just crept into my image database without my knowing it. Before long, I had a large collection of hydrangea photos and I didn’t know what to do with so many.  So I will share a few here and let you judge which ones you like best, because Honey, I can’t decide. Click on each one to see a larger image.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Fasan' was originally bred as a pot plant, but is just as at home in the garden.

This next lace cap is a 1904 introduction.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blue Wave'

I didn't take a picture of the flowers, but the autumn leaves gave a nice show from this oak leaf hydrangea. The 10-14 inch long stems are covered in flowers, making this one definitely worth growing. Especially adaptable to container growing.

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Alice'

Who is this hydrangea with the honey golden leaves that turn red in fall and gives us red winter stems? Discovered in Olympia, Washington in 1999, it's a sport of  'PeeWee' and just as short--three feet tall. I don't know if this one can be passed over.

Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey'

Yet another oak leaf hydrangea with stems full of white flowers.

Hydrangea 'Snow Queen'

The next one is upright, although not as showy as the previous panicles; however,  maybe its uprightness will win you over.

Hydrangea paniculata 'Kyushu'

I will post more in the next few days.

Sign of the Times

It’s the sign of the times. More specifically, the sign of the Seattle Times closing their Saturday section DIGS, the only reason I subscribed to their daily paper. One of its icons, Mary Robson, wrote for the Times for 16 years. Her gardening column will be missed, but she assures us she will continue writing, speaking and growing. We will be on the lookout for when and where, and keep you informed. Keep an eye out for her favorite plant picks in Rainy Side Gardeners' Garden Writers' Top Ten Plants series, where professional garden writers give us a list of their favorites. Look for her top favs in the next couple of months.  Phil Wood, another writer for DIGS, continues with his garden designs; you can still read his monthly columns on Rainy Side Gardeners.

I know a few gardeners in the Puget Sound region who subscribe to the Oregonian’s Home and Garden magazine that comes out on Thursdays. Maybe I will too. Let’s hope the newspaper doesn’t let that gem go by the wayside. Yes, we can see some online at OregonLive.com  Homes and Garden, but its not the same as sitting reading the morning paper, sipping a cup of tea and pouring over the highly informative newspaper section.  Their daily tips for both home and garden is handy; furthermore, Kym Pokorney’s Dig in with Kym  should not be missed. 

Oregon gardeners are lucky to have a dedicated garden section like this in their local paper.  Those of us in Washington will remain green with envy or pay a higher subscription rate to be in on the action.  This is a reminder that we should support our favorite reading places by visiting their sponsors and letting the powers that be know we are reading, learning and enjoying the material.

I switched my subscription over to the Seattle P-I. I read the Thursday, January 17 front-page news, how conventioneers, who recently visited The Emerald City, rated the biggest metropolitan area in the Northwest.  Many agreed to hold their conventions here, enjoying Seattle’s walkable downtown and friendly people.  They did think we needed a better rapid transport system.  Our “lousy weather” appeared to be the biggest complaint.

But our rainy season is what makes the Pacific Northwest unique.  It’s the reason we can live at this latitude and remain mild year round in a USDA zone 7-8 climate instead of a zone 4 or 5. We recognize how exceptional it is to garden and live in this horticultural mecca. Just read the tales of woe from gardeners in other areas of the country and know how lucky we are to be in a garden paradise!

Speaking of conventions, I must mention one of the top flower and garden events in the nation is our very own Northwest Flower & Garden Show. It’s almost time to gather like children in a botanical playground and frolic around the Washington Convention Center in downtown  Seattle, February 20-24. In Portland, the Yard, Garden and Patio Show is slated for February 15-17. I am attending both shows, so maybe we will bump into each other at one of these fabulous events. You will recognize me as the disheveled one standing in the middle of the show, drooling uncontrollably, eyes glazed over, laden with packages, camera slung over my shoulder, and muttering Latin names. Or is that you?

The Dangers of Plant Collecting

Almost everyone in the Northwest recognizes our common tree, the Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Many are also aware of the very large Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), which predominantly grows along our coastal waters (click on photo for larger image).  David Douglas (1799-1834) discovered both during the 19th century, along with many other Northwest conifers. The Scotsman collected plants for the Horticultural Society of London. Unfortunately, he died at the young age of 35 while collecting plants in Hawaii.  He fell into a pit where a wild bull had previously fallen and was gored to death.

 

Through a Child's Eyes

Today I looked through a book about gardening with children. As I leafed through the pages, little bits of memory popped up, of my child playing in the backyard. It occurred to me how much I  miss having her around the garden. Seeing it through my child’s eyes gave it a magical touch. Simple things brought her pleasure; for example, when she went down a short little path made of concrete rounds, she made a giggly game of hopping from one round to the next.

She loved helping me plant seeds. I gave her big seeds, such as peas and nasturtiums so her little fingers could easily hold them. She plopped each seed into the small holes we poked into the soil with a stick. Then, she would water them with her child-size watering can. I miss seeing the surprise in her eyes when the baby plants poked through the soil. She helped me water, and sometimes asked how much longer until she could eat the vegetables or pick the flowers.

She didn’t care what the flowers were; if they were pretty and she could pick them, she adored them. I photographed her in the midst of acres and acres of tulip fields in the Skagit Valley of Washington. I instructed her not to pick the tulips, so she reached down on the side of the road, where we had parked, picked a dandelion and carried it around. In the photo, she is standing by rows of red tulips as she holds a bright yellow dandelion beneath her nose. For her, the weed flower was just as magical as the fields surrounding her, and probably more so, because she could touch the magic in her tiny hands.

With all the empty, open pea pods scattered around her play area, I could imagine the pod people had invaded earth and snatched many unsuspecting bodies. But it was from my daughter. She grazed in the garden, picking every pod she could see or reach and discarding the empty shells wherever she went. I planted two pea patches—one for her and another one I hoped she wouldn’t find. I wanted to eat fresh peas too!

I am going to purchase that book, even though my own child is grown. I want to remember the simple pleasures of my garden, and when I forget, I will pick up the book and look through the pages, reminding me to see with child-like eyes. I wish to experience simple pleasure in picking a handful of pea pods, opening them up so I can suck out all the little peas, and scattering the empty pods wherever I may be. Even better, I’ll hop down a pretentious path of flagstone, laughing for the complete joy each jump brings. What great practice if I am blessed with grandchildren—viewing the world through the eyes of a child. But the vision belongs to me.

Wintersweet--Chimonanthus praecox var. luteus

Chimonanthus praecox var. luteus adds a lot of fragrance and color to the winter garden. What else but yellow flowers to brighten a cloudy day in January? If you want more plants in bloom during the dead of winter, this large shrub (or small tree) is a must! The flowers of this variety are brighter yellow than the species and have a stop-you-in-your-tracks sweet fragrance.

Plant against a dark backdrop such as an evergreen to bring out the yellow flowers; if possible, have them backlit by the sun. If the sun decides to shine on a rare January day and the shrub is in bloom, it is memorable. Mine is planted along my driveway so that I can appreciate the flowers and fragrance as I pass it on my way to the mailbox.  In fall, the leaves turn a soft lemon color.

Since Chimonanthus does little else the rest of the year, it would be a good choice to plant deciduous Clematis next to it. The vine can climb into the shrub and add another season of flowers to its otherwise uninteresting form. Choose a ten to twelve-foot vine with your favorite color flower that blooms in summer. Prune the Clematis down in fall, instead of late winter, so the shrub’s flowers are not covered in vine. Make sure the shrub has reached a good size before swamping it with a vigorous vine.  Your neighbors will think you are growing some exotic shrub when the Clematis is in bloom.

Click on image to see larger