Gardener’s Log – June 2021

June 2nd

Yesterday started out looking none too promising. The marine layer was lapping at the house and garden. While mesmerizing to watch, it doesn’t make for a great gardening day. Undeterred, I decided it would be a good day for some land clearing, and to build the last “wall” that will surround the fairy garden. The main focus is a stained-glass window, acquired about 5 or 6 years ago from an antique store in Aurora. It was created at the turn of the 19th century. It was originally mounted in the structure where Jesse and I got married, but with that house soon to be put on the market, it needed a new home. Now it lives in Oceanside Garden.

I am also highly excited by a plant that is beginning to open its first two blossoms. It is Leucospermum ‘Scarlet Ribbon’, a native to South Africa and a species that I was not certain if I could get to bloom in Oregon. ‘Flame Giant’ is also looking hopeful. Many plants require a minimum amount of heat before they will set bud. So now I have successfully managed to get Grevillea, Leucadendron and Leucospermum to set bud. Still waiting for Protea and Banksia to complete the set. There is a Protea ‘Red Baron’ that is about to bloom in the Garden of the Giants, but those buds were set before the plant was purchased – so they don’t count.

June 30th

I know I haven’t been filling the log in much this month, but it doesn’t mean that nothing has happened. We have been spending a lot of time getting the other house ready for sale and that has meant sorting through a lot of stuff. The good news is that much of the garden art has now moved and is finding its place in the garden.

One construction project was finished. This is the children’s entrance into what will be the fairy garden. I can still get through it, so at least for another few years I count as a child. The bed in front of it is planted with:

• Farfugium japonicum ‘Shishi Botan’,
• Impatiens arguta,
• Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’
• Mimulus naiandinis ‘Mega’ – commonly called Spunky Monkey Flower!

I was happy to get a collection of 12 Opuntia cuttings a few days ago. All potted up now. I am very happy that I didn’t get a single glochid in me! People are aware of how sharp the spines on many Cacti can be, but Opuntia’s have two levels of prtection and the glochids are even worse. Glochids are full of easily detached, barbed spears that embed themselves in the skin causing irritation. They can persist for a long time causing some severe skin issues. Use a magnifying glass and tweezers to remove them or place duct tape over the infected area and hopefully many of them will come off with the tape when removed. Alternatively, use hot wax and gauze to remove them in the same manner that unwanted hair is removed.

Weather Summary

June was another month for the record books, and we saw an average temperature increase of 2 degrees compared to last year. That also goes along with a 101.8F high compared to a high of 73.8 last year. Rainfall was also well down. Last year saw 4.79″ of rain for the month and this year was only 1.93″, with almost nothing in the latter half of the month. While the majority of the rain was in the first half of the month last year, the latter half was not dry.