In the Gardens

Conditions: Hillside Brambles is as it sounds. This Zone 5 area is, for the most part, left untouched.
Plants: Tall firs, poplar, blackberries, morning glory, Oregon grape.
Comments: Morning glory, aka bindweed, has moved into this area and is increasingly making a stand with the blackberries. Between the two of them, it is difficult if not impossible without a machete, to get into this area. However, it is a great homesite for rodents, and I am quite sure other mammals, such as raccoons, have created a pathway of tunnels over the hillside that connects Hurd Creek with tempting edibles in our back field. We used to see quite a few quail, but not as many in recent years (possibly scared off by our dogs). We have cut some of the blackberries back (an ongoing process), but I hesitate to plant anything here that could block our mountain view.

Conditions: A small knoll on the edge of a steep drop-off gives a beautiful view of Hurd Creek and the neighbor’s old barn. The hillside gets a lot of western sun exposure – and also a lot of wind. The soil here is surprisingly soft and relatively rich.
Plants: Alder, black hawthorn, willows (formed into a chair), Siberian pea shrub, wormwood, kinnikinnick, calendula, poppies, sedums, mock strawberries, sunchokes, wild carrot, snowberries, blackberries, saskatoon
Comments: This is an interesting area with a great view. We created a little cemetery here for our pets and eventually buried my mother’s ashes here, too. It might have been a dump site for previous residents, because we find all kinds of farm debris here when we dig. I planted sunchokes out on the edge, thinking they might survive, thrive, and maybe even provide a windbreak – but the water drains so quickly, it is hard to keep them alive. It was a mistake to plant the willows out here because of the difficulty of getting water, but the idea of them twining up a chair on the overlook was a fun idea. They might still make it. I also planted some native shrubs (Saskatoons) on the hillside and some wormwood, which likes dry, sunny, exposed places (and can be invasive – so have to watch this one!) Despite its sentimental value, this area would be low priority except for the recent invasion of wild carrot, Queen Anne’s Lace. This plant is such a threat to local carrot seed crops, that diligence is required to keep on top of it. I think my chop-and-drop methods on this plant is partly why the soil out here is so rich.

Conditions: A mixture of sun and shade, this garden area faces south and stretches from the west end to the beehives. The soil is mostly clay and devoid of organic matter.
Plants:
Canopy: vine and big-leaf maple, cedars, firs
Shrubs: Ceanothus, Elderberries, Golden currants, Korean rose, Mock orange, Oregon grape
Red flowering currant, Snowberries
Herbaceous & Groundcovers: Catnip, Ceanothus, Clovers, Dandelions, Kinnikinnick, Lemon balm, Mock / wild strawberry, Nettles, Pussytoes
Comments: This garden represents our first forray into building ecosystems that would support wildlife in our backyard landscape, as well as create a future screen of potential development in the 10 acres to the north. A yearly native plant sale through the Clallam County Conservation District has launched us on our way. Although the soil and water conditions are not great, they are perfect for specific native plants, which, once established, have needed very little care. The quick-growing shrubs are really starting to fill in.

Conditions: Part-to-full shade, relatively dry, acidic soil with clay streaks
Plants: Cedars, firs, big-leaf maple, Oregon grape, elderberries, blackberries, daylillies, giant Solomon’s seal, forget-me-nots, Chinese wild ginger, periwinkle, sweet woodruff
Comments: Nestled in amongst the tall cedars and firs and with a growing border of native shrubs, this area is becoming a nice little hideaway. I have been building the soil and hope to make it a place to grow mushrooms. Water, however, can be a bit problematic, without supplemental irrigation.

Conditions: A sunny and dry, relatively exposed area with poor soil.
Plants:
Canopy & Tall Shrubs: Cedars, Douglas firs, Korean rose, Mock orange, Oregon grape/mahonia, Red flowering currants, Black Locust, Contorted Filber
Herbaceous & Groundcovers: Akira sunflowers, borage, catnip, Chives, Clary sage, Clovers, crocuses, Dandelions, Dianthus, fennel, golden Marguerite, Kinnikinnick, Lemon balm, milk thistle, phacelia, pulmonaria (lungwort), Roman chamomile, Scabiosa (white and blue), sculpit (Silene vulgaris), sunchokes, sweet William, Thymes, weld, yarrow
Keyhole Beds Area: agrimony, anise hyssop, assorted sedums, asters, blue flax, borage, calliopsis, catmint, catnip, catnip, cinquefoil, clary sage, curly dock, fennel, golden Margeurite, golden Marguerite, hollyhocks, horehound, lamb’s ears, lavender, mugwort, mustard family plants, oregano, potentitilla, purple sage, Roman chamomile, salvia, sculpit, Siberian Pea, sunflowers (Valentine and Maximilian), weld, wormwood.
Comments: This garden in front of the beehives has always been a bit problematic. We added the hives after we had planted the cedars and firs, so now a couple of the small trees may have to be moved. We shelter the hives with an earth berm / garden bed, but that berm is made from overturned sod; grass has always been an issue; plus, it doesn’t hold the water well. It is difficult to plant seeds here that require a lot of initial watering, because the bees don’t like to be disturbed with water sprays. I have tried to plant things here that provide early, late, and steady blooms. The crocuses are much appreciated, but they die off quickly, and then leave lots of room for grasses to grow. The trick is to interplant with something that won’t compete. The phacelia, borage, and catnip, in particular, are constantly covered with bees. Future plans are to continue building the beds out to make them easier to work on, mulch to maintain moisture, and plant more herbs, such as oreganos, lavenders, and thymes, that survive well with minimum watering and that are loved by bees. The spiral garden/watering hole for bees (chives, thymes) is a great hangout place, particularly in spring before the nectar flows.
The keyhole beds area is a garden in itself that started by a series of beds radiating out from the contorted filbert, planted at the site of an old firepit. This area has a cage of semi-composted weeds that were intended to become a “living wall.” The garden itself has bloomed into one of my favorites, with a wide assortment of herbs, dye plants, and flowers, all frequented by bees. An improvement would be to continue with heavy mulching to smother grasses. This garden has the most potential for being unusual, beautiful, and having the most variety of plants. It is worth working on, and expanding.