ON THE-
3uwt -TJ
Ç )o i# » £ .r ü lo o m ,n a
ouf voocÀeÀ
■JUNES GARDEN'
Earlier this spring as I was looking through the jars of seed I'd
stored, I found a container of seeds I'd forgotten about. Fortunately I
had labeled them Beach pea (Lathyrus Maritimus). I then remembered
that last summer I had found several dried-up plants that had been
pulled up and thrown near a half-burned log amid left-over evidence of
a picnic. I picked up the picnic litter to discard and rescued the dried
up plants which had many mature seed-pods. This April I sowed the
seeds back along the banks of the shoreline. They have now sprouted
next to the more mature plants that are blooming their lovely
lavender- blue tinted flowers. Why do people violate the natural
beauty they came to enjoy? I wish I had the answer.
The month of June, the half-way month of the year here on the
coast, means to me the flowering of the beach pea, the banks along
the highway turning pink and white with stands of foxglove, and the
fruiting of the wild strawberries. One June day a few years ago,
friends and I decided to harvest the wild strawberries. After searching
for those tiny berries in among the tall grass and weeds on our hands
and knees a full day's search only filled a quart-size pail, but the pint
or so of jam made from those berries was the truest flavor of
strawberry jam I've ever tasted.
During the month of June, I'll spend most of my time weeding,
fertilizing, watering and thinning the new seedlings and dead-heading
the earlier blooming plants for continued bloom. In my garden, the
annuals have been planted, the seedlings are turning into plants, roses
have their first blooms and I have three or more months ahead to look
forward to enjoying every aspect of my garden. I wish I'd asked my
parents why they called me "June". I wasn't born in June; maybe it
was my mother's favorite month of the year. It surely is mine as I
am happiest when I can spend my day in my garden.
This year I planted more edibles and herbs among the flowers. In
a strawberry jardiniere, I mixed strawberry plants with seeds of knee-
high sweet peas to trail down over the pot and white, fleshy-leaved
sedum in the smaller openings. In a larger pot. I've seeded lemon
cucumbers to grow with 12" dahlias, lettuce among the lilies, and
parsley, chives, and lavender next to the daisies. Mustard greens have
sprouted alongside hydrangeas, roses, and Welsh poppies. Seeds from
last year's borage, feverfew, and allisum have filled bare areas to
reseed and grow. I now have Spanish, French and curly-leaved
lavender and a huge purple-leafed fennel plant, whose feathery stems
add height and an interesting pattern, along with oregano, marjoram,
and rosemary that I've tucked in among the flowers. I sowed dill with
the cosmos and planted mints separately in tubs as most mint can
become invasive in open flower beds. One my favorite plants is
Pineapple Sage which grows to about 3 feet high and has bright red
flowers. I planted it in a special pot as it is not hardy and I will place
it in my winter plant room to save for next summer. There are many
edible flowers such as nasturtiums, calendula, viola, pansies, borage,
fennel and chives for use in salads or decoration for food, but my
greatest pleasure in planting herbs is to walk through the garden
plucking the leaves and rubbing them between my fingers to release
the different aromas.
This year may not be a good year to try tomatoes as we have had
so many overcast skies, but I did plant a cherry tomato and seeded the
base with basil in a large whiskey barrel. In the middle of the barrel,
I sank a gallon paper milk carton, with punctured holes in the sides
and bottom. I left about 2" above ground. When I fertilize and
water, I fill the milk carton with the solution. The planted milk
carton is a more effective way to release the fertilizer to the deep roots
of the plant.
If you are planting a large container, like a whiskey barrel, and do
not have enough soil to fill it, place crumpled newspapers, cut up
branches, tom cardboard boxes or large bark chips in the bottom to
raise the planting area and add about 12" or more of soil. In time, the
filler will break down just like it does when you compost.
Compost bins can create their own additions to the garden. Last
year my compost pile grew a surprise of potato plants. I left the
plants to mature and by fall when the vines had dried, to my surprise,
I unearthed a good sized basket of new potatoes. This year, I
purposely planted in the compost bin my favorite potato, Yellow
Finn". Hopefully, the seedlings will produce another basket of
potatoes in the fall. The year before, my compost bin grew a large,
green-skinned squash. It looked similar to an acorn squash and when
cooked, the flesh was dark orange and very sweet. In areas that I've
added compost to the garden, seeds of apple and peach have grown
small trees. One peach tree grew so tall and fully branched, I gave it
to Joe Baldwin to plant on city property. Joe reported to me,
unhappily, that the elk liked it so much last winter, they ate the
peach tree clear to the ground.
Who creates the landscape — the plants or me ?
Lady and sword ferns have sprouted in the soil at the base of the
wooden sides of the raised flower beds. I never planted them, but
have left them to grow and make a beautiful border for the tall
perennials in the raised beds. Wild foxglove, the tiny single flowers
of blue and yellow-eyed grass, and feather foamflower (Saifrage
family) grow along with magenta colored flowers on the tall stems of
gray foliage of Lychnis beside a small plant that I believe is Oregon
sunshine. A few plants of columbine, thrift, and pink-bloomed wood
violets all are scattered throughout my graveled garden paths. Even
Stachys lamb's ear have jumped their enclosure and seem to grow
better in the gravel than in rich soil that I originally planted them in.
The wild flower I try to control, as it is very invasive, is wild lily-
of-the-valley (Maianthemum bifolicum). However, its heart-shaped
leaf and small, upright white flowers, which later turn into small
reddish berries, have taken a foothold under my snowball tree and
hardy fuchsias. Invasive as it may be, it does make a beautiful
textured carpet under the taller plants.
Years ago, the garden writer Kosah said, "The meadow was a sea
of'Queen Anne's Lace', until the town ruled it had to be mowed."
The town's ruling attempted to prevent weed seeds from
contaminating the lawns of the new housing development across the
road.
Pray, this will never happen to our town with all of its natural
beauty.
The following are a few tips I've gathered.
An interesting method used to plant in a problem area like a slope,
or when adding spring bulbs in established lawns or pocket planting
in graveled or rocky areas is to use brown paper grocery bags as
planting containers. Dig a hole in the area you want to plant and
place doubled brown grocery bags in the hole, turing the tops down
to form a cuff. Fill the bags with rich soil and whatever plants you
want to add. Water thoroughly with a weak solution of fertilizer and
water. The cuffs offer shelter from wind and the bags keep out the
unwanted bordering weeds until the plant can make it on its own.
The bag will break down in a few months - at least the cuffs fall
apart by then - and by next year, the plant's roots will be well
established and will have gained footing deep in the area and the bags
will be completely decomposed.
Some of these tips sound ridiculous, yet have proven helpful in
controlling invasive pests in one's garden:
Coast Moles: Chew up a whole package of tootie-fruity bubble
gum and insert the chewed-up wad down a mole hole. Supposedly,
the mole will try to eat it and the gum will bother his digestive tact.
Sounds cruel, even if moles do destroy one’s yard. I haven't tried it; I
think I'd choke on a whole wad of bubble gum!
Deer: It’s said they don't like peonies or iris - but I think elk like
»q
is 4ht.
-
Ils
pctôS ~ U l k t o n 4 h c hevi
-at 4he_ to f
p .n fc s
A
liv u o f
r ic h S c e n t,
V û jh
as
4ht
ovûo ~
H
k
ônA <U<ktn»ncj
\n 3 \z e .
a
. S ta lk s
b
s o m e tim e s
u
M
j W
i y
as
I
Ç e e t-
(503) 436-2751
P.O. B O X W
CANNON BEACH, ON >711»
The
o r pou4(as
SperAs its ¿ays
Wes Lawson
inyis+iceS «t
Organic Gardening
& Maintenance
P O Box 800
Tolovuu Park, OR 97145
Licensed
i
a t i t s V/fe«-
s t y le ..
T
t
l e t s
p le a s u r e .
A Bonded
#89168
.v
S o u r x A ir ifl
U
b y
s h
r ‘J ( e \ e c t r > c .
c h ’r f ó
,
is
o V + e n
T V ic.
V tè v e
w x d V e
L
G
A
L
i
©
3 W
o
Q
a t e l y ,
R K S
©
3
C o m
A o ijin
o
V r u A
¿ t»
V tiS
m
o n
b e e n
t n
à
t
of OnXfcíApt,
ie \ V aV cs
stey^inq on -Hrxejr
"h>e%
i
and wh»ftîn^ ÇorÇooV
v V ic
One exampie. »s Big.
J im
P o b t
a r r ic e
C annon
P hone
K in q w e l l
B a x
B each , o r
5 0 3
3 B 2
9 7 1 1 0
• 4 3 6
O n ly tw o th in g s a re in fin ite , the u niverse
and h u m a n s tu p id ity ; and I'm not sure ab o u t
• 2 3 5 9
th e fo rm e r.
A lb e rt E instein
CHANGE
V /hit& ird)
C 0
X
T PM P 0 R A R V
D E S I G X
F IX E
™ STREET STUDIO
t h
4
ART
*
(503) 436-2910
263 \ . Hemlock
P.O. Box 1208
Cannon Beat h, OR 97110
5
T
k
¿r
e
e
t
u
YOUR SOCKS
FOREVER
l
Çattery
m a k in g
w o rk s h o p s .
Atom's
wildly umqut Polortot* comtrurted socks maxM in fool
comfort in a brood range of elements and (fancies for wfarii traditional
socks wore n ew designed They flatlet feet onytime anywhere wrtfi high
man«, durobthty and uncommon styfa. for use with sondd wear
i shoes technical spot’ shoes and booh, AcorwSox' will indeed
Featuring handmade baskets crafted by Kathleen
Kanas from regional plant fibers. Also exhibiting
clothing, jewelry and other original work by local
artists.
(503) 368-6449
1 2 5 N . 4 t h S tre e t
i yooc socks forever. Experience the difference with pleasure
n 'Z .
ACORN
a M a n z a n it a , O R 9 7 1 3 0
foot comfort through performance fabrics'
M ade with pride in M a in « USA by
A c o rn P ro d u c t» C o . In « ., the company »ho» warms »he
Fee« of astronauts on ihuM e missions m«O outer space
C h ris te n
A lls o p
Availoble at
L in d a
K i n h a n
SHEARW ATER A N D
P A C IF IC C O A S T C L O T H IN G
IN E C O L A S Q U A R E
10% OFF Reg. Retail lor local residents
FREE Espresso drink with $50* purchase
1 2 3 S . H e m lo c k
4 3 6 -2 4 7 3
T he original com fort sh o e.'
*4
V
1
1
an
ua s v la uuicn
■m ir tiles
stonk
stmes
PO Box 687
Cannon Baach. OR 97110
5 0 J -4 J 6 -0 7 J 7
II
O rlflaa l k u d a t a t n a t a l caiu
ia difraraal colour, Tor ialonor
u d e nanor docoranoa , f Boa«
Buoiaaa. aad public
lit*.
Tkolaaalo m a il e o a a u m a iota
oac ar ■ H ad ca a ar» a lt» archlltcu
aad k uildtn
S
i|
ii
H
O
E
S
^
4
4
I
TRILLIUM
>
NATURALF0ODS >
SINCE 1892
A
239 1 dth Slreet
600 Broadway
Aslona OR 97103 Seaside. OR 97:36
256 E Mam
Hillsboro OR 97123
...............................................
City
Ak
¡t»
çy
everything. I recently received a long list of plants that these animals
do not eat. Time will tell, as a couple who own a home on Ecola
Park Road are going to replant using this list. If it is successful, 111
report the progress in a later colum.
Beneficial insects feed on pollen and nectar as well as pest insects.
To encourage the "good insects”, plant dill, fennel, yellow mangolds,
daisies, spearmint and nasturtiums.
Slugs- Instead of placing alcoholic beer in containers in your
garden, try non-alcoholic beer. It seems as though slugs prefer the
more sugared, non-alcoholic beer. Maybe one slug said to another
slug, "Never again, I don't want a hangover like last Saturday night; I
barely slid home!"
Please send your gardening experiences, comments or questions
about coastal gardening to:
June's Garden
PO Box 74
Cannon Beach, OR 97110
B
Mother Nature's
Natural Foods • Juice Bar
298 Laneda Avenue
P.O. Box 737
Manzanita, Oregon 97130
503 • 368 • 5316
■
M on - S a t 10 - 5 3 0 C lo s e d S u n d a y
UÎPEK LEFT EME. TUUL l??5
5