June 27 photos of garden

The white bellflowers are looking good now, along with hydrangeas, begonias, salvia, daylily, lady's mantle.

I've just finished another "walk-through" with my "action how" to take care of the weeds while small. And deadheading those flowers that have finished blooming, such as iris and peony. Also keeping the pots tidy: verbena, petunia, etc. If the columbine leaves are not looking good, when trimming off the spent flower stalks, I just cut off all the leaves. They come back looking good in no time.

Dogwood

One of my pink dogwoods is still blooming. The flower colors keep deepening. Maybe it liked our cool spring.

Slugs!

This has been a good year for slugs, much to our dismay. All the wet weather is heaven for slugs. They have really gone after my lupines, as well as my hostas and my new ligularias. As I see them out (mainly in evenings) I crush them. I also use iron phosphate slug bait liberally. The two types that I buy (depending on which costs less) are Sluggo and Worry Free. They are more expensive than the other types but not harmful to pets and birds. Slugs eat the bait, then go away to die. It takes a few days for them to die but they stop feeding immediately.

Slug control is another good reason to time your watering in the early morning instead of evening. Morning watering is much better for your plants and lawn as well - less fungus.

Front garden beds

Front perennial garden is coming along, showing promise of more flowers soon.

I got the hillside (native plantings) and berm weeded and groomed yesterday. Used my favorite action hoe.

Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil'

The Sky Pencil Holly is a Japanese holly (no thorns) that is well-behaved and a terrific size and shape for so many places in one's landscape. It ultimately gets about one to two feet wide and eight feet tall. I planted one in a narrow space next to clematis vine, where I wanted a little more privacy.

I planted another in the center of a large pot. The other plants are red trailing verbena, white bacopa, and Riviera blue lobelia.

Y-stakes are at Furney's

My friend Dave was looking for a nursery that carried Y-stakes. I was at Furney's today and noticed a sign that they had Y-stakes.

I bought 49 more little begonias for edging the front flower bed, some plants for one more pot, two more Heuchera  'Electra'. Also got some Spiraea Nipponica 'Snowmound' (on sale for $4) -can always use more shrubs. These will go on the hillside.

Time to go plant in the rain! I'll take pictures to post when the rain stops.

The Garden Conservancy Open Days June 12

A great opportunity to tour some lovely private gardens in the south end next Saturday at the Garden Conservancy Open Days. Here is the link for the local gardens. Admission to each garden is $5. The tours are self-guided. I plan to go to Powellswood and the Edgewood Garden and perhaps the Skagen Stroll Garden.

Old Goat Farm

Marine Hills Garden Club toured Old Goat Farm May 29. I bought a Gunnera to plant alongside my creek.

Here is a photo of a mature Gunnera from our trip to England in September (along with Sean and Becca).

Seattle Pacific University landscape

Jeff Daley led a tour of the gardens/landscape at Seattle Pacific University for the Burien Master Gardeners on May 23. Jeff and his staff have done a beautiful job creating and maintaining a lovely outdoor environment. Go walk through campus one summer day.