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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Watching, Waiting, Changing Plans


Last Saturday was a bit wet and windy but being a typical pacific northwest type, that didn't stop me from playing with a chainsaw and transplanting huge plants.  Who knew that Osmunda regalis (Royal Fern) could grow ten feet high and require a hand truck and lots of grunting to move?  One gets used to being wet after a time and is surprised that, upon finishing up for the day, his clothes are literally dripping water.  Of course that could have something to do with the blow to the head I took from a large limb.  I was only dazed for a moment and didn't bother going inside to assess the damage until I noticed blood on my glove after I touched my face.  Oh, you know, the head is highly vascular and so bleeds a lot even if wounds aren't deep. Later, while throwing the remains of removed Persicaria 'Dragon's Blood'  on a bed to act as mulch, I discovered that hornets must have built an in-ground nest as while I was fluffing the foliage of the sword ferns to cover the persicaria mulch, there seemed to be some activity.  It was nearly dark and I didn't think much of it until the stinging started.  Just a little light gardening...

Boots and gloves from last Saturday are still on the back porch, too encrusted with dirt to come inside.

This Saturday was going to be much more genteel with a visit to a few gardens that will be on a fall color tour benefiting the Chase garden, planting bulbs and stopping at a pumpkin patch.  A couple of days ago, warnings started coming out about a series of storms that would hit the area.   Thursday night will bring high winds and heavy rain  which will die down around  dawn on Friday morning when up to  six inches of rain will fall some areas.  While Friday will be windy, it will be a relative lull before Saturday's storm which has a one in three chance of being an event that will "be long remembered."  

"Some of the strongest Pacific Northwest windstorms on record can trace their origins back to western Pacific typhoons. Such is the case for the potential high wind event in parts of Washington, Oregon and British Columbia this weekend. 

In this case, Typhoon Songda, which earlier became one of the northernmost super typhoons on record with sustained winds of at least 150 mph, has now gotten caught up in the Pacific jet stream and has lost its tropical characteristics." 

Buckle your seat belts, batten down the hatches, and hold on!  The friendly folks on the news are reminding us to have plenty of emergency provisions on hand and city workers are busy clearing debris from street gutters so that water can run smoothly to storm drains.   Something tells me that I won't be previewing gardens, playing with pumpkins, or planting tulips.

I decided not to do a huge bulb order this year but instead just picked up a few locally.  Additions this year are twenty each of  Princess Irene, Christmas Orange, Orange Queen, Happy Generation, Oxford, Ida, and Flaming Flag.   Sit tight chubby cute little bulbs for a fairer weekend.
Here's hoping that we get lucky and the storm decides to settle down before it makes landfall. 

20 comments:

  1. Yes, I'm hoping it's mostly hype. Last night I kept waiting for a tree to fall on the house, but nope. Still here. We'll see how things stand on Sunday. I have a few bulbs to get in the ground too. I never learn.

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  2. You sorta glossed over the stinging part :-( ??? No bueno.

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  3. Thanks for the weather report from up there. Down here, we are hearing about the possibilities, too. Show us how it is affecting your garden and the streets. I hope everything survives this "forecast" onslaught especially the gardeners. Just found a new bee hive, too. Costs a lot to get it removed without poison and have the bees dumped elsewhere.

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  4. I guess it's good to get the warning about potential storm, but they've pulled that football out from beneath us so many time. And it is early for the lines-at-the-airport story, so they've got to fill the space with something. Still, might not hurt to pick up the loose "art" in the yard today.

    Admire your tenacity--and hope I'll be more like you when I grow up.

    Cheers,

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  5. Ouch! Head injuries and bee stings. Sounds like a fun day in the garden. Hope you're taking a break. But I'm drooling over the thought of a 10-foot tall Osmunda regalis. I think now I really need to find a spot for one, or several. I was out yesterday for a few hours, but started feeling too soggy. I'll garden in the rain, but the wind today makes things a little too dangerous. I'll be working overtime next week.

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  6. Wasps are the worst! I hope you weren't stung too badly. I heard news of that typhoon this morning - the news media is prone to overstate weather events but I've still got my fingers crossed that all you in the PNW will have a quiet and uneventful weekend.

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  7. I am so happy to have found your lovely blog. I am new to gardening and want to learn all that I can. I live on the dry side of the state so garden will be different, but I still enjoy seeing all the lovely gardens :) You have a beautiful blog.
    Connie :)

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    1. Welcome, Connie and thank you! I'm so glad you found my blog and took the time to comment. With your creative talent (I checked out your blog!) Your garden will be fabulous!

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  8. Either of these pictures would have been perfect for Wednesday's vignettes. I draw a line at gardening in the rain. Your dedication is astonishing, but please be careful: it could have ended badly. Hope you are Okay. You call over 120 tulip bulbs "a few"?

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  9. Geeze louise! You're hard core. Hope the pains of a productive day have faded. As for the storm our wind and rain is already a little intense, hoping this all passes without to much damage.

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  10. What a garden warrior you are, my friend. Tomorrow could be an interesting day at work. The barn acts as a sort of wind tunnel to begin with. My next post might come from Oz.

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  11. Good lord, Peter! Hornets, head injuries, chainsaws in the rain -- are you offering yourself as human sacrifice to the goddess Flora? No bulbs this year either, not even local. Oh, our weather report, you ask? No rain, no foreseeable rain, nada, zip, zilch, negative, depressingly zero.

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  12. How many stings? Ouch! Your garden experience last Saturday was painful!
    Our bulb order sits on the work bench in the garage in the box it was shipped in. Maybe we can get to them next week, but not THIS weekend.

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  13. Hope your weather turns out to be calmer than forecast, stay safe and dry! Hope you have recovered from last weekends accidents, gardening can be quite dangerous!

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  14. I was at a 50% off plant sale yesterday and it started hurling it down. Great thing was all the wimps ran for cover and I got the pick..
    Keep safe this weekend Peter.

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  15. Soaking wet, head injury, hornet stings- any one of these would have me rushing inside for a bit of sympathy and a nice cup of tea. Hornet stings pack a punch like a donkey. My Osmunda regalis is a pathetic thing compared to yours, does it live permanently in mud? Stay safe.

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    1. Surprisingly, my Osmunda regalis has lived in full sun and fairly dry soil. I've moved it to a shadier spot that gets a little more water in the summer where it should be even happier.

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  16. I see we both have a soft spot for orange tulips. 'Princess Irene' is a big favorite.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.