Gladiolus Archives - Oceanside Garden

Gardener’s Log March 2022

For the first time in quite a while, a month has been acting like it should. March has been fairly grey, a reasonable amount of rain, lots of sun breaks, most of them fairly short, some warmer days, some colder days and a general improvement as we have gone through the month. Having said that, there have been several frost threats. We only got down to 34°F, but that was close enough given that I have plenty of tender stuff getting hardened off at the moment.

Daffodils are blooming everywhere and for many people they are the real harbinger of Spring. Can you blame them – they are so cheery. Lots of new ones were added to the lower part of the garden this year.

Construction Update

While we have not had many dry days in a row, I have been able to make some progress on the construction projects in the garden.

Pot Benches

The second of the benches in the potting area has been completed. This one has the means for quickly covering up plants when frost or heavy rains threaten. It also has a stainless-steel workbench on one end to make potting and plant care a lot easier without forever running in and out of the greenhouse. I have also laid down a pathway from the main entry axis along the benches. As well as being functional, I tried to make it a little more interesting by running the line of red brick through the pavers. I think it works. Now I have to get more gravel to level up the far end a bit.

Winter Garden

The other area that has seen a lot of progress is the clearing of the area that will become two garden areas. They are separated by a new rock retaining wall that runs along the contour of the slope. Above the path is an extension of the ‘Upper Woodland’ which will be a Winter Garden. Many of the trees and plants are being selected are particularly showy during the winter months. I have done a separate post on the Winter Garden. Below the path will be a sort of Mediterranean Garden, but I will probably add a few Agaves and other more architectural plants. Lots more clearing to do before planting begins, but it is getting to the point where I should stop in case any birds decide to start nesting in there.

Both gardens will go almost to the property line, but then I have to work out how to create a path down the very steep slope into the Fairy Garden, which has seen no construction this month. The fairies will have to be a little patient with me.

What’s Blooming

It really is all about the daffodils this month. The Anemones are adding a touch of pink and blue in several areas of the garden. I also noticed many seedlings along the path by the Portal. I may have to thin those out a little, or see if I can transplant some. Pulmonaria and Fritillaria are both adding their unique charms.

Sometimes, plants can be real characters. This, believe it or not, is a Fritillaria imperialis ‘Argenteovariegata’. Let’s just say this one is not destined for imperial anything. I think it is rather shy and bowing for acceptance.

A shy Fritillaria imperialis ‘Argenteovariegata’

The Hellebores are almost over at this point and most of the Correa are winding down. The Isopogon is still glorious, and this has made my heart sing after losing so many other Protea over winter. A couple of Grevillea are blooming, none better than G. ‘Poorinda Leane’.

In the greenhouse, one of the Gladiolus carneus I grew from seed is blooming. The flowers are a range of pinks. I love the patterning and the contrast created by the blue anthers.

Weather Summary

March 2022 was a warmer month than last year, but also with more rain. On average we were almost 3° warmer and both the high and the low were 5° higher. On the other side, we had 80% more rain. 2021 saw just 6.34″ while this year we soaked up 10.39″. The wind gauge has not been fixed yet, so we are unable to make any comparisons there.

Calendar

Gardener’s Log – April 2021

April 1st

April is starting off with plenty of plants in bloom. A couple of the little bulbs have shown themselves in the past couple of days. One is Tritonia deusta, a very pretty small flower in a delightful orange color with interesting markings on the petals. Those markings allowed me to identify it as being subspecies deusta.

Another flower provided a little surprise. This little Gladiolus came into bloom. It was meant to be G. watsonius, but as soon as the flower opened up, I knew it was something else. A little research led me to believe that it is G. virescens. IT really is quite pretty up close, but it is not something you would notice from more than a few inches away – but not everything has to be a show stopper.

Being that it is April Fools Day, I have a conundrum for you. Which came first, the tea or the tea pot? Find out here.

April 10th

So much is blooming, budding, and growing that it is almost a struggle to keep up with everything and to enjoy that special moment that each plant or combination gives us. The Dog’s Tooth Violets opened today and in Tuxedo lane the Leucadendron ‘Ebony’ is providing a backdrop for the white Fritillaria. We watched a seminar put on by the Rut Bancroft Garden this morning titled Proteaceae and Pals. While interesting, I am beginning to think that my knowledge levels are approaching that of many experts even though I known I don’t yet have the years of experience growing them.

In the greenhouse, cuttings of Grevillea aquifolium were potted up with 100% strike rate. Not quite so good on the Grevillea thelemaniana with 50% and one that may still root. Lots of stuff coming out to harden off and I managed to keep both of our peppers alive over winter, and are now growing on strong, plus it won;t be long before we get our first tomato!

April 21st

It is always difficult at this time of year to keep the activity log going. The weather is improving and there is so much to actually do in the garden that it become more difficult to write about it. Progress has been made on the garden for the “giants.” This garden area features plants where something about them is outsized. That may be in flowers or flower stalks, trunk shape or size, leaves etc. The garden is traversed via a boardwalk which is now finished. It is trimmed and stained, plus the transition pavers that connect it to Wimsey Way are finished. A fair amount of the space has been cleared for planting and the Bauhinia is in. This tree is a bit of a gamble for us, but hopefully it will do well. It’s common name is the Purple Orchid Tree and while it could reach 35′ it will probably stay a lot smaller in this location. If successful, it will have 5″ wide blossoms in September through November.

Lots blooming right now, including the cherry and this lovely German Iris. While it is in the cutting garden, it is just too nice to pick right now and this is the first time it has bloomed.

Iris germanica 'Halloween Halo' — Iris germanica ‘Halloween Halo’

April 22nd

Yesterday I noticed a bloom on one of my Leucadendrons. This is an important plant for me because it proves that I can grow and get it to bloom in our Oregon climate. All of the other Leucadendrons that have bloomed here had already set bud when purchased, but this one came from a cutting taken in 2019 and has been grown on from there.

Leucadendron floridum 'Pisa' — Leucadendron floridum ‘Pisa’

Weather

As the month comes to a close, we knew that April this year had been a year of extremes. We were hotter, colder and dryer than last year, but it was the rainfall that was the real standout feature – or lack of it. This year we saw a total of 1.34″ that came in 4 rain events across the month. Last year was 3.15″ spread across 13 rainy days. While that may sound like a dramatic difference, 2019 was very similar to this year and 2018 had over 10″ of rain. So, while Portland had their driest April on record, we were close to other years.