It's been a while since I have had a "State of the Garden" report - so here goes!
Boy the weather has been weird here in Portland this spring. We've had some pretty significant swings in temperature every few days, like 30-40 degree swings!
Summer begins next week, but we have already had several days around 100 F degrees.
It's 59 F degrees and overcast as I write this a week later.
The recent hot weather most impacted my goldfish out in their troughs in the full sun. In some of the smaller troughs, I sadly had "fish stew." It was really tough keeping them cool for several days.
I have figured out some "beat the heat" solutions and have upgraded to larger troughs, so the next time this happens I have a game plan. It was a bit of a surprise to be so hot, so early.
I had already planned on upgrading some of the troughs this year and removing the smaller 70 & 50 gallons. I opted for a new 300 gallon and a 180 gallon.
To place everything where I wanted it was a major pain in the rear end. I had to systematically disassemble the smaller troughs, to shift the next size up. It took a long time and I shouldn't have done it on one of the hottest days, but I had to do it. I plan on buying at least three more 180 gallons to consolidate fish and lilies and give them more space.
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My assistant Yvee checking out the new 300 gallon trough. |
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180 gallons of fun! |
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300 gallons fills up quickly with water lilies - It seems so small now! |
I've done a bit of trimming (aka "whacking") on some larger shrubs that were getting way too big and smothering their neighbors. I know it's generally a losing battle with shrubs to try and contain them. It's best to just let them be, but when gardening in a smaller space, letting shrubs be their natural selves doesn't always fit in.
I figured, if I was at a point where I would just remove the shrub, I might as well start trimming it back and see what happens.
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My chop job on Osmanthus delavayi - if you use your imagination it has potential. |
There were eight Juniperus chinensis 'Old Gold' outside my fence. They were originally planted to keep the neighbor's cats and children at bay. Over the years I had to turn them all into "boxes" because I wanted to keep them off the sidewalk and the plants next to them. I have removed all but three and planted much more interesting things.The plants that were there now can spread out and be the stars.
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Two of the Junipers are still in this section - the center one was removed. |
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Arctostaphylos x 'Austin Griffiths' has a new home here. |
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Eryngium agavifolium and a Yucca about to bloom |
I weeded the lawn recently, by hand, but don't tell anybody that or the men with the comfortable white "huggy" jacket will come pick me up. I have one weed in particular, a type of Veronica, that I can't seem to get rid of, so I sat on my butt in the grass over several days for an hour or two here and there and pulled it all out. With a glass of wine and some music of course to make it very zen.
From some research, I learned that the one chemical that might get rid of my Veronica was really toxic to everything, stayed in the soil for months and I didn't want to expose anything to that. It's just not worth it! So manual removal to the rescue. I'm sure the weed will come back, but if I keep on it next year, eventually it will be manageable.
Below are some of the plants currently in flower or looking pretty:
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Caesalpinia gilliesii |
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Nymphaea
'Escarboucle' |
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Rudbeckia maxima |
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Echinacea pallida 'Hula Dancer' |
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Lobelia tupa |
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Iris ensata 'Royal Lines' |
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Salvia x jamensis 'Sierra
San Antonio' |
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Paris Quadrifolia |
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Fatsia japonica 'Spider's Web' & Adiantum pedatum (Maidenhair Fern) |
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Nerium oleander 'Hardy Red' |