JUNE'S GARDEN'
"And can all the flowers talk?" asked Alice. "As
well as you can," said the Tiger L ily .
- Lewis Carroll
Blooms of bright blue hydranges and pink
Apple Blossom ascallonia were mixed with
Pine trees growing along the property's edge
and framed a two story replica of an early
17th century colonial style house. Honey
suckle climbed the roofed gate and twined
through the Pine trees. A small building
with window boxes held red geraniums,
greeting people as they walked by. The
small building was originally built for cars
but with added wooden decor and flowers, it
looked more like a playhouse or garden
shed. Behind the gate, a curved path leading
to the front door was bordered by tall stalks
of orange Tiger lilies. The lilies grew so
thickly, shoulder high, visitors had to weave
their way through the blossoms as they had
been warned the pollen would stain their
clothing. Earlier in the spring, the gate and
path were surrounded by low growing
buttercup-like flowers.
It was the early sixties when I met the
lady who lived in that house. Her name was
Dorothy Lindsey and she was a teacher and
artist of beauty. Her home and garden
reflected her talent.
Years later when I built my garden here
at the coast, Dorothy shared the seeds of the
Tiger lilies, buttercup-like flowers she called
Meadowfoam, and cuttings of the hydranges
and escallonia. Dorothy's flowers and a
package of nastertium seeds were the first
flowers in my garden and I have kept her
tradition of sharing the plants and seeds
with others. If you have visited Cannon
Beach City Hall in the last month,
Meadowfoam has been blooming in the
planters at the entrance.
The Latin name for Meadowfoam is
Limnanthes douglasii; it is also commonly
called Poached Egg. It grows best in the
crevices between paving stones or bordering
a path where its roots are shaded. The Tiger
lilies' Latin name is Lilium lancifolium
splendens. They grow quite tall, 4 ft or
more. The seeds are produced on the stem
at the base of each leaf. When the seeds
mature they drop to the ground and sprout
at the base of the mother plant. They are
easy to transplant. The new plants bloom in
about 3 or 4 years.
In 1981, after Dorothy died, her son Peter
brought me some calendula seeds from
Dorothy's garden. I still have calendulas
that have reseeded from Peter's gift. A gift
that I cherish.
A few other flowers that grow in my
garden that were given to me by friends are:
Yellow flowering alstromeria from Carolyn
Locke. She and Louise Lindsey had a
weaving shop for many years in Cannon
Beach.
Virginia Draper shared her mother's
Japanese dark purple iris. Her mother s
name was Edna Zaugg. Mrs. Zaugg was given
the iris by her friend Kitty Kellogg. The
Kelloggs bought their property and built
their house around 1908-1910. The iris has
quite a history.
Betty Gregg gave me seeds from her
double flowered lavender poppies. She had
received the seeds from a friend in
Skykomish, WA. She carried the seeds with
her for thirty years in a sealed package
before she planted them in her garden. She
didn't dream they would grow after all those
years. The seeds from those flowers not
only grow in her yard but in many more
yards, including mine. They grow to about 2
or 3 ft. tall and some have double blooms.
A low growing perennial penstemon that
blooms a violet blue, was given to me by
Alice and Robbie Robinson. The penstemon
had been dug from the hills around Cannon
Beach.
The "Mystery Plants", Giant Camas, from
Judy Osburn's garden, are a mystery as Judy
does not remember planting them. When
Judy cultivated a perennial garden where a
lawn had been, tall, green, sword-like leaves
appeared in the spring and later bloomed
tall stalks of deep blue flowers. Judy and I
tried to dig out a clump. After many
attempts, we could not find the bulbs. Her
son finally dug some for me to transplant;
they were 2 or 3 ft. deep. Since our Native
Americans used camas bulbs for food, and
since there is evidence that they had
camped along the coast, one wonders if this
was one of the areas where they gathered
camas roots. It can be evasive to grow in a
garden but the bloom is a beautiful blue
colour.
When I moved here from Bainbridge, WA,
I was given a plant, Companola garganica,
from a neighbor, Mr. Taylor, a retired ferry
Captain. This plant grows in the shady part
of my yard and blooms blue star-like
flowers around the 4th of July. When it
blooms I think of Mr. Taylor and his ceramic
seagull that he had on a stump in his
vegetable garden and used as a scarecrow.
Each season Mr. Taylor would adorn the
seagull with different hats alerting us of the
seasons. The 4th of July hat was a tall
stovepipe style with streamers of
red/white/blue ribbons tied to it. The
ribbons would flutter in the breeze and I
could see the seagull and hat from my
kitchen window and watch the crows scatter
when a breeze blew.
My memory garden and I have long
conversations. The Tiger lilies were right,
flowers do talk if you give them a chance.
They can tell many stories.
Question: How do you keep plants in
container pots healthy?
Answer: If your container pots are planted
with evergreens or perennials, scratch out
the surface soil and add compost and dried
fertilizer or slow-release fertilizer mixed
with potting soil. For planting annuals I
empty all the last year's soil and mix it with
compost and dried fertilizer. When I plant
the annuals I also add slow-release
fertilizer. During the summer's growth, be
sure to keep the pots well watered as they
tend to dry out from the winds and warmer
weather.
Question: When do you fertilize roses?
Answer: I wait until late spring as
fertilizing too soon in the spring will produce
new growth, which can be damaged by wind
and hail. This spring is evidence of that. My
roses sprouted too early this year and the
cold storms caused the new leaves to turn
brown and die. Roses need a balanced
fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus and
potash. There are many suitable commercial
rose fertilizers. Be sure to follow the
directions on the package. If well rotted
manure is available, a dressing of about 3"
or so is ideal for roses. Fertilize also after
the first flush of blooms. Roses need lots of
watering in the summer. Be sure to soak the
soil around them thoroughly. A planned
fertilizer and watering program to keep
roses healthy is the best preventative for
discouraging disease and harmful insects. If
aphids are a problem, use a mild soap
solution diluted with water to douse the
plant. I've read that grass clippings used as
mulch will ward off black spot. Don't
fertilize too late in the summer as the stems
need to harden off to get ready for winter's
cold weather.
Organic Garden magazine advised how to
confuse insect pests. They said not to plant
rows of the same vegetables or flowers but
to mix the seeds. I could just imagine the
pesky insects running around saying, Boy
this is sure a mixed up mess!" and not
knowing which way to go to attack the
plants. The magazine also advised to use
pine needles around plants to discourage
w ill be on Sabbatical for a time.
In its place we offer, here and scattered throughout this
issue, a preview o f cover drawings from the upcoming
hand-bound books, which compile two years o f columns.
The volumes, bound with various recycled fabrics and
hand-designed papers, also integrate natural elements such
cover illustration.
Jupiter's Rare & Used Books w ill be hosting a limited
viewing o f W ildlife on the Edge; An Artist's Observations of
Nature in and around the Upper Left Edge o f Oregon', by
Sally Lackaff, starting in May. Jupiter's is located at 244 N.
Spruce in Cannon Beach, and is open daily 10-ish to 5-ish.
Call (503) 436-2915 for more information.
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Mother Nature's
Natural Foods • Juice Bar
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298 Laneda Avenue
P.O. Box 737
Manzanita, Oregon 97130
503 • 368 • 5316
Mon - S a t 10 -5 :3 0 C losed S u n d a y
sow-bugs.
Whenever Mother's Day falls on the
calendar, I use this date to start planting my
annuals and sowing seeds. This year it falls
on May the 14th. When buying annuals, it's
best to buy plants that are compact and not
blooming. When sowing fine seeds like
godetia, cosmos, and poppies, one needs only
to lightly rake the seeds into the soil.
Someone commented how nice it is to
read poetry in this column. The following
poem is by Anne Splane Phillips.
Crow eating.. .
Flutter o f black wing catches
my eye. Grey thicket
o f Pine. Ominous bird - to be reckoned with.
Used to scold me when the dog dish was empty.
Swoop low past the window, bully me
with outraged screams, and I, inside,
tiptoed around for a while.
Please send your gardening experiences,
comments or questions about coastal
gardening to:
June's Garden
P.O. Box 74
Cannon Beach, OR 97110
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43M 738R ES
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