Port Townsend Rain Gardens

Yesterday, my post was on rain gardens, after seeing the need for them here in my city during some very heavy rain. I shared a really good example of one that I saw in Port Townsend, WA last fall. I live in southwest Washington state, Port Townsend is located in the northwest corner of the state on the Puget Sound.  I don't know the statistics, but it rains even more there.


When I was there last fall it was obvious that the city had recently done a lot of road improvements in the downtown area. Those improvements included the addition of rain gardens to filter stormwater runoff.

Rain garden in Port Townsend, WA

This was in late October and the landscape made up of perennials, grasses, and ferns still looked great.

As I walked around town I kept taking photos of these rain gardens, specifically looking for plants that worked well. 

Gutter to rain garden with fescue.

Gutter to rain garden with river rock and evergreen ground cover.

Drain with grass, iris and evergreen ground cover.

Rain gardens are designed to hold a lot of water in the center and have plants that can stand to be dry on the perimeter. Some rain gardens I've seen are planted only with that in mind. The rain gardens I saw in Port Townsend were better landscaped than a lot of commercial properties.  I was impressed and hope to use these as an example in future rain garden design at work.

Finally, I want to show  the great way they incorporated the rain garden, accessible ramp, and the street names.

Accessible ramp on Washington Street.

Rain Gardens

Today I was driving in a downpour watching rivers of water running along the curbs. I thought it would be great if we had more rain gardens to filter all the excess runoff. I decided to bring up the topic while I had that visual in my head.

I've mentioned in my profile and in a previous post  that I'm interested in rain gardens.  I've got a Rain Garden board in Pinterest, but it's taking some time to find pins or photos for it. Obviously, people who live in dry climates probably haven't heard of a rain garden.  I'm guessing that most people who live in my climate may have heard of them, but still aren't sure what they are.

In my profession (land use and landscape architecture) rain gardens are usually designed by the civil engineer for a commercial project. Some jurisdictions, like Clark County have started to implement them along roads. Sometimes you'll see a magazine article about adding one to your yard.

So for now I'll share 2 photos from my trip to Port Townsend, WA last fall.

Rain Garden to the right of the walk.

This is a walk behind the hotel we stayed at in Port Townsend. I looked out the window and saw this sign posted right behind our room. 

Port Townsend Rain Garden  Sign

Even if you can't read the sign's text, you get the idea. Water that could go directly off the street to a storm drain is being re-routed though a rain garden's plants and soil to filter out toxins before entering the water body. It's that simple. Port Townsend just made it pretty.

Forget Liquid Sunshine, I'm Ready for the Real Thing

I am so ready for this...

People who like gardening like digging in the dirt, but most of all we just like being outside. In the Pacific Northwest we basically hibernate from November to April (sometimes longer). Aside from all my gardening plans, I really look forward to just sitting outside with a coffee or having breakfast outside on a warm day.

Monday Night Mix

Time to show off some of the great things I've found on Pinterest recently. To see all of my pins go to the bottom right of the page and click on the red Pinterest button.

From Pinterest, Uploaded by user

I picked this photo as an idea for mom's yard, she loves nasturtiums and succulents and until I saw this photo I wouldn't have thought to mix the together.

From Pinterest, Uploaded by User

Again, I'm not a big succulent fan, but I've got bricks and some hen and chicks so I've decided to try this idea this year.

Clematis urophylla, from Pinterest, Priceprobe.co.uk

I found an old gate to use as a trellis on our fence.  I've been thinking clematis should go there since it's a partially sunny spot.  I've never seen this variety before (and am not sure if it even grows here), but this is awesome and would make up for the disappointment of the evergreen vines.

Cup and saucer vine from Pinterest, seasonalwisdom.com

Since I'm showing the clematis, I'll include this cup and saucer vine. I've always loved this flower, but again am not sure if it grows here. This photo was pinned by Teresa O'Conner at www.Seasonalwisdom.com.  

Quirky wood gate, from Pinterest, Keywordpicture.com

I love this gate, but I now see that is probably because it resembles my own gate turned trellis.

Spider Web Gate, from Pinterest, Chet3 at Flickr

I love this gate too, definitely does not resemble anything in my yard (yet.)

It's In the Bag

I've been looking for a garden bag. Something I can throw gloves or dirty hand tools into and not care about it getting dirty. I used to have one with pockets for tools made of nylon with leather straps. That bag, which I loved, became a home for mice when I left it in my garage.

For some reason I can't find a bag like it now, not even at the local nursery where I found it. While at the Habitat for Humanity Restore last week, I saw these mesh nylon bags that are the right size and material.

The bag has a fine mesh and nylon handles, so when it gets dirty I can rinse it out easily. The best part, aside from the price ($5), is that these bags were made from a recycled Habitat for Portland billboard advertisement. The tag explains how the bags were made from a billboard by a volunteer and the help of  Spooltown.

Go to pdxrestore.org to find a local store, I found this bag at the Clark County store on 4th Plain Blvd.

Nesting Reuse

Once in awhile I've seen birds gather twigs for a nest.  Even when I lived in a forested area and was surrounded by wildlife it was rare to see. But, here in a townhouse with a deck railing planter, I'm getting to see it close up.

This blue jay has decided that my planters have the perfect nest building material.  Even birds are pros at reuse projects. She has been here for the last three days collecting coconut husk fibers from last year's planters.  I've tried a few times to get a picture and this morning I think she was too busy to notice me.

A Real Community Garden Plot

At the community garden orientation on Monday, we were assigned our plots. I had entered my name for the plot lottery on February 15th. Since then I'd been reading, looking at garden catalogs, and even created a "veggie" board in Pinterest.  My big dilemma was planning for more container gardening here if I didn't get the plot, while trying to create a plan of some sort in case I got the garden plot.


I've been sorting through pictures of lush gardens and beautiful vegetables, such as these on my Pinterest board:

From extension.umn.edu

From homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

Our orientation was from 6:00-7:30, a week before that it would have been dark afterwards.  Thanks to Daylight Savings time we had a chance to see our plots.  

Plot # 40

Even though it looks a little muddy and much more grassy than it should, I was very happy to finally see the plot, it's orientation, and to locate the water faucets. It can only get better from here.




  

This is Spring, Right?

I live in Southwest Washington state, part of the Portland Metro area.  This area is best known for it's rain and evergreen landscape. Snow is pretty rare here, even in December, so to have snow on March 22, a week away from April, is abnormal here. This is what I woke up to this morning:

Compare this photo to my banner at the top of the page

Yes, my pansies are in there

I live with someone who can only be described as a snow fanatic.  Any indication of this sort of weather pattern and he monitors it by the minute.  This morning he came downstairs and looked out at our deck and just grinned from ear to ear. Meanwhile, I'm hoping this is the last time I take snow pictures until next winter.

These are the daffodils from my March 6 post

I'll admit that it's pretty, and my cat, Kabrina thinks it's pretty cool, at least from the other side of the window.

Weeding 365 Days a Year?

Here's a concept I hadn't heard of before: year-round vegetable gardening.
My new plot at the community garden is from March - March 2013. One of the reasons it's not tilled is because they now offer year-round plots. I was not able to picture growing anything beyond September.


At the orientation Monday, we were told that the Master Gardener's will offer a class on late-summer planting.  This morning while looking at Garden Design Online, I found a recommendation for a book on year-round vegetable gardening. It's called The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live, by Niki Jabbour. 


I also found another recommendation for a book on residential rain gardens. I've added those to my "Worth Reading" board on Pinterest and will add them to my Amazon Wish List later.

Plot # 40

Last night was the orientation for new gardeners at the community garden at Heritage Farm. We reviewed the rules and got our plot assignment.  My plot is #40, it is the 4th from the top and 4th from the left side of a large garden area that contains 84 plots, each 20'x20'. Rather than each plot having a side that is an edge for access (as I assumed) the entire grid of plots has a 2' bark path that intersects all of the plots.

We learned many things during orientation. The garden is full-sun, mulching is good, the plots need to be tilled, and we can build raised beds (not this year if ever).  We are given a gate code to access our community garden which has Master Gardner plots to the east and Food Bank plots to the southwest. There are coyote in the area, last year was the first time they'd seen deer in the garden, and a mysterious elderly couple like to eat there.

It was good to finally see the garden. It was not good to see a lot of grass sitting on top. The soil is too wet to till now, so I've got time to figure out how and when we will start.

Radishes part II

Last summer proved I knew nothing about growing radishes. They were long, leggy stems with leaves. I wasn't eager to try again, but I've since learned that they are a cool season plant. Some say they are also one of the 'easiest' veggies to grow. So I'm willing to give them another try.

It is March 19, 2012, no post yesterday because we were celebrating Janet's birthday a day in advance. This morning we had snow to celebrate as well. So when I see advice to start planting radishes in early March I have to question it (although snow here this late is rare.)

I found a link to another blog on growing radishes so I'll post it here:

how-to-grow-radishes from thatbloomingarden.blogspot.ca.

I'm collecting veggie ideas on my Pinterest board,

 just go to the red button on the bottom right of this page to check them out.

Conceptual Garden Layout

In two days I'll have a garden plot assigned at the community garden just down the road. Earlier this week I realized I have a list of veggies, but no plan.

Here is  a conceptual plan that I drew up. Basically, what I want to go where and how much room I need for beds and pathways. This shows 2' wide paths, which may need to be wider. The perimeter beds are 3' deep and the two beds inside are 4' deep.

I'll be sharing the plot with my friend (H) and until we have a look at the actual plot we can't work out the details.  By Tuesday we can see the orientation of the plot and make changes to the plan. I still have to go through my list and see what's missing here. Some items will be planted in containers at home - like lettuce, cucumber, radish..

Heritage Farm YouTube Clip

Here's a YouTube video on the 78th Street Heritage Farm.  I included this yesterday in a link, but it has a lot of information and deserves a post of it's own.  It is 5 minutes and was made last spring on March 8, 2011.

Planting Tips

Today I met one of my mom's friends who has been gardening in this area for years.  I actually brought a list of questions for her and got some good tips. 

Garden weasel from Google images

I've got a plot at the 78th Street Heritage Farm, (see the Youtube video). I've been picturing what I'll do first when I get assigned my plot at orientation. Unfortunately, I picture myself staring at an empty piece of ground not sure as to what I should do or when.  While I can look around at other plots to see how they progress, I'd like to have an idea.


The Farm paper work said we are responsible for tilling. I had assumed it would be tilled to start with.  No apartment dweller is going to have a rototiller. My dad has one, I used it years ago, not fun. So I'll wait to hear more at the orientation. Hopefully it can be done with a garden weasel. Still, I'm sure I'll be packing advil in my garden bag in the coming months.






Here are some tips from my mom's friend:

• date she starts planting: a neighbor tills the soil for her, usually in May 
• compost? no, but she uses a 16-16-16 fertilizer when she plants 
• she gets corn seed from her son's nursery, the name of the seed is "Gotta have it"
• she recommends "sweet meat" for winter squash

Their church senior group will tour her son's nursery this spring and they were nice enough to invite me.  I'll be going and hopefully I can get some photos along with my plants.

Kabrina's Favorite Veggie

I saw a blog recently, sorry to say can't remember the name, as I've waited until late evening to write this. It was a very nice blog and it featured the blogger's pet cat on the sidebar.  When I saw that I thought I would like to put Kabrina's picture there.  


I have selected and cropped a few picture's, but they just didn't capture her uniqueness.  Then I remembered that I'd taken pictures of her last year doing her favorite outdoor activity - eating cucumber leaves.

I'm not sure why she likes them, she tries to eat indoor plants too.  I don't know if she's lacking minerals or she just likes greens, but last year this was her favorite snack.  Last fall when the plants were gone, she walked over to the empty container looking for her plants.

So add to my plant list these lemon cucumbers and let's try catnip to see if she likes the real deal. In the meantime, I will work on her photo for the sidebar.

Still Need a Garden Plan

I met with my friend who will be sharing the community garden plot.  We tossed out our ideas for the vegetables & flowers that we'd been considering.  The garden orientation is one week from today.  At that point I'll have a better understanding of how Heritage Farm works and I will be assigned a plot.


In late February I posted the list of vegetables that I'd made (2/28/12) and how I had chosen them. My theme is primarily "Easy to Grow." While I've got the list I still haven't made a plan. I've got a stack of magazine articles, gardening books, and yes, a Pinterest board titled, "Veggies", but I've never tried drawing the garden plot.  


This week my task will be to get a plan drawn to scale so I'll have something ready when I finally get to see my plot and how it's oriented to others. Then we can fine tune what will go where.


Here are some photos from my Pinterest board, I want to include flowers, these two show companion planting.

From Hgtv.com

From Homesteadrevival.blogspot.com 

The Trellis for the Upper Deck

In January I was trying to come up with some ideas for planters that would work at each end of our upper deck. My post on 1/30/12 included an idea for a corner planter with a trellis. On 1/31/12 I had measured the area and realized that a corner planter wouldn't work, (go to this post for a visual). 


Since then I've been thinking of using one large trough planter against the half wall with a short trellis attached to the wall. I've done some shopping and am not seeing the planter I had in mind. Because we live in a townhouse, we have to carry all planters and materials through the house. So, I'm thinking something lightweight - plastic or maybe wood.


This morning I was showing my guy a photo for a trellis that would work well at my parent's house. He took one look and suggested that we build these (with a little tweaking) for our deck.

Trellis idea from Lowe's

After creating a Pinterest board called 'Trellis' in order to find ideas for this spot, I had found it, but just didn't see it. By no longer considering a corner planter, I wasn't seeing what he suggested, which was a 2 sided trellis with 2 planters at the base. Pretty simple.


This trellis is one of the few I've found that are not one dimensional, something flat up against the wall. They are simple and look easy to build. The idea is from Lowe's Creative Ideas for Home and Garden page, here's the link: http://lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/projects/Freestanding_Trellis.aspx. Not only do they have instructions there they also provide a materials list.

Wish List Item #1

For a person who is usually very organized, I find that my garden ideas, photos, notes, plant tags, etc. are in the most unorganized jumble.  I do have one folder that I've kept some magazine clippings in, but  as I try to get ready for spring planting I have not been able to find what I'm looking for. 


In this case, I stumbled across something I'd forgotten.

Oakleaf hydrangea

Last fall when I was at Southwest Washington Medical Center (may have a new name now) I walked past this grouping of plants and realized they were Oakleaf hydrangeas. I thought they were so cool that I took a picture thinking that I'd like to have one in my yard. The photo had been long forgotten until I found it today while looking for something else.


I've heard of these hydrangeas, but had never seen one before.  This photo was taken in October, so the blossoms were spent, but the foliage looked great.  I need to create a plant wish list so that I can store these plants in a place I can easily find again.  Perhaps I'll try adding a list to this blog.

Quote of the Day

I subscribe to Teri Martin's quote of the day at www.terimartin.com 
I thought I'd share today's quote:

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,
places to play in and pray in,
where nature may heal and cheer
and give strength to the body and soul.

John Muir

Watering Guidelines

I've filled out the registration and release forms for my garden plot and am now waiting for my orientation on March 19th.  I was surprised to find 2 pages on water use included in the paper work. Page 1 is a Watering Agreement and Page 2 is a list of "Water conservation Tips and pointers".


The Farm promotes sustainable practices, so you agree to follow water their conservation guidelines. These include using a moat around plants, watering plants individually, but never using overhead sprinklers.


Water Conservation tips include:
knowing plant water requirements
mulching
weeding
and using milk jugs with holes in the bottom set in the ground to fill once or twice a week.  The guidelines even suggest adding fertilizer to the jugs later. 


This goes hand in hand with the concept I mentioned earlier (2/6/12) of using water bottles in containers as a self-watering tool. This is an idea that I came across online, but had never tried.
Now I've just got to find some large milk jugs.

Sunny Flowers Instead of Snow

No snow this morning, in fact woke up to sun pouring through the blinds. I didn't get outside to do yard work, instead went to the store.  While I was there looking for coconut liners and planters, I checked out the small assortment of plants in the nursery.  I found these daffodils in tray packs on sale and bought three that had buds.


They look good on the deck with my pansies and once they're done blooming there I will plant them in the back yard. 


The pansies are more colorful than ever and I'm trying to decide where to move them when I redo these baskets. 

Snow Photos

Tonight we have another snow forecast, although it's not likely to snow much here since we are at about 250' elevation. I finally managed to download my photos taken last week on the 1st.  They are the only snow photos I've taken this winter. Thought I should get these in, since they could be my last.

Our neighbor's tree

Bird prints

The crocus I was showing off a few days earlier

A few daffodils

Empty bird feeder (it was the squirrel)

Saturday Night Sampler Version 2.0

I did a "Saturday Night Sampler" last month (2.18.12) and when thinking about my post for tonight, decided that another was in order. I've been looking at vegetable gardening books, info online, did some price shopping, and found a hook for the fence so we could move the bird feeder. 


I've also encountered computer glitches, batteries dying, and apps that stop working this week, so I don't have photos ready to post.  I look at Pinterest daily and add pins to my boards at a steady rate. My Pinterest boards can be seen by going to the bottom of this page and clicking on the red button. I try to stay focused on items that fall into one of my pre-determined gardening categories like 'trellis' or 'container'.  I actually show a lot of restraint when I go through the Gardening section and see one incredible photo after another.


Here are some of the great things I've seen this week:

Wire window box from Potterybarn.com

I like the grouping of clay pots in a basket or window box. 

Metal box with pots from Apartmenttherapy.com

Succulents in container No Source Listed

There are tons of succulent container ideas on Pinterest, but I'm not a fan of most succulents and do not care for the wall hangings that are popular right now. Just personal preference, but they are pretty. I do have some clay wall planters that have sat empty for a couple of years because I could not decide what to do with them.


This example just jumped at me because it is so simple and the combination of these plants works really well. Unfortunately, the source listed on Pinterest is "Uploaded by User", someone deserves credit for this great planter, but I just don't know who it is.


I do intend to try my own version of this in my pots this summer.

Mesh baskets from Mysweetandsaucy.com

The photo of the baskets with the flowers on top may seem simple, but when I saw this photo it was an "aha" moment.  I've had a really nice wire basket for years, that has been a magazine rack, was stored away, and is now sitting empty in the dining room.  I could not ever find anything to put in it. 


This picture gave me the idea that rather than filling it, I could turn it over and let the great basket be a base for something else.

Mason jar vase from Stylemepretty.com

This mason jar as a vase is trendy right now, but I liked this photo showing the outdoor hook.  I've got these all over for hanging baskets and bird feeders. This would be a nice way to enjoy some cut flowers from the deck.

Green glass cloche from Girlyme.tumblr.com

I've been eyeing the photos of glass cloches, and I have to say I want to try one just because they are pretty.  From what I've read they can be helpful starting plants.  I've never seen one used though. 


This green glass is the best and I think I could find a place for one inside when I'm not using it in the garden.

Tool trellis from Bhg.com (aka Better Homes and Gardening)

Finally, this is why I love Pinterest.  My chances of finding this photo on my own are pretty slim.  But there it was one day while I was scrolling through the Gardening page.


This concept is so simple and it uses what I call "salvage garden art" (in this case old tools). Someone found a new use for them in a functional way and I think this looks great.


Hmmm, I happen to know someone with old tools.

Heritage Farm History

As I get more information about my plot at 78th St. Heritage Farm I want to share a little of it's history. The original family farm was turned over to the County in the late 1800s; most recently Washington State University leased property.  A few years ago the County resumed ownership and created a master plan for the site.  The master plan includes the community garden and a preserves a cemetery for individuals who lived and worked there when it was a "poor farm".


For more info and photos go to: http://www.clark.wa.gov/farm/history

I Won the Lottery! The Garden Lottery...

March 1st, day of the lottery for a plot at the community gardens.  I must have checked my e-mail 20 times today looking for news.  At 5:18 pm I got the e-mail saying that I had a plot.  I've known people who were on waiting lists for City plots before and wouldn't have been surprised if I hadn't gotten one, but I really wanted this plot. 


Someone pointed out that it was the randomness of the drawing that made it more fun. The anticipation of finding out if I could have a plot was a lot more fun than just signing up for one.


There are some forms for registration and an orientation.  I've asked a friend if she'd like to share (it's a 20x20' plot for a year).  I've already had one offer of help with the work (on those 95 degree days we have so often here in the northwest.) I'm going to like vegetable gardening with plenty of examples around me and hopefully they won't mind me taking a few pictures to share.


Expect a lot of posts on the Farm and it's history, what they do there now, and every vegetable idea that I come across until I start planting and will be too tired to post about it.