Hello from my sandy yard in Seattle!

Hi everyone!

Ever the procrastinator, I've been reading posts on Dave's Garden for a year, joined about a month and a half ago, and never introduced myself.

I'm a newbie gardener, on my second house.....my first had a disastrous garden, this one is much better, but I find myself constantly doing battle with sandy soil and drying winds from off the sound. I have made more mistakes than I can count but I'm having fun! I'm a working mom so gardening is a really relaxing, enjoyable outlet for me (although it's hard to keep my 2 year old from raking up all the plants)

I love reading all the advice and good ideas from everyone, and look forward to seeing you on the boards!

~turtle

Welome TRTL (that's how my brother used to spell turtle] out here on the edge of Navajo land we know the turtle is a very strong symbol.

I can sympathize with the sandy soil; that swallows all adments and remains _sandy soil. And with the drying winds. I would have thought yours would be moist from the ocean.
Hope to see you posting on the forums. What's your favorite plant grouping so far? Put in any roses.?

Thank you for the welcome!

We actually live about a mile from the sound on a hill so we get a pretty strong breeze; it can be damp in the morning but by about 10 AM it's just a menace :)

Yes, the soil is a pain. My neighbor (who has a beautiful garden) informed me that she carted all her sandy soil off and replaced it with garden soil about 3 years ago. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of stamina or money so it's amend, amend, amend. Our property is also on a slope so the soil in the backyard is a bit better than the soil in the front.

I planted some roses this year and though they seemed happy, I'm a fan of the more bushy-type flowers; hydrangea, lilac, hibiscus etc. I'm currently experimenting and planted a load of bearded irises since they seem to like my soil. I planted some dried out rhizomes from Lowe's in February and they bloomed in May! I was really surprised.

Daylilies are looking really happy here as well so I think that next year I'll have a front yard of daylilies and iris (plus the hundreds of tulip bulbs i purchased....uh oh!). My backyard will continue to be a work in progress with its strange melange of colors.

Welcome from Southern Arizona. I lived in Port Orchard many moons ago~!! It was so long ago I don't remember much of it. I do remember all the Navy Ships. Jo

Welcome turtle!! I've never been to Washington. Does it really rain as much as I hear it does? Hope you enjoy Daves Garden more and more each day. It is a great place to spend extra time. I guess I don't remember having much extra time when I worked with kids at home. LOL!

Welcome!

You know, you could have a pretty nice cacti garden in your conditions if you were of a mind to try.

Don't forget, you learn from your gardening mistakes.

welcome from new york. this is a great site.

THanks everyone for the welcome!

Brugie, it rains cats and dogs in the winter (well, actually kittens and puppies since it's usually a constant level of steady tapping rain, not really downpours but not quite drizzle). The last few summers have been dry though so that with the sandy soil= drought tolerant gardening. People on the other side of the lake tend to have clay soil I think so we're just all over the place out here.

I don't have much extra time, but I fit in my gardening to make sure I keep my sanity!!!!! The downside is that my garden never looks lush and beautiful because I can't spend as much time as I want to. But hey, as long as bulbs like my soil I can always count on them! (and the ubiquitous poppies. I'm thinking of buying a whole slew of poppy seeds this year of different types since they seem to love my soild too. The problem is controlling them after bloom). I'm also inundated with perennial sweet pea vine. Pretty, but when you see the hundreds of seed pods ripening to take over your yard the following year all i can think of is 'TAKE COVER!!!!'. My neighbors must have though I was crazy last night, tearing out 6' sweet pea vines so that the seed pods wouldn't ripen.

CaptMicha; my husband would burst a vessel laughing if I grew cactus. It's a long running battle between him and myself over this very ugly cactus that we have in our house, and he accuses me of trying to kill it all the time. This thing won't die. I've tried overwatering, ignoring, moving, not repotting, leaving it out in the winter, everything except for chopping it up and throwing it in the compost bin. He would have a field day if I grew cacti! :) I do think they have that strange beauty though.......maybe it's worth some research.

Hey Turtlelu...I'll trade you a bunch of mostly double poppies (light pink, med. pink, dark pink, red, purple, all mixed together) for some of your sweet pea vine seeds. Email me if you are interested. I added a picture of one of the red ones.

Welcome Turtlelu,If you want poppies send me an address. There are some nice ones in the yard this year.They have done well due to this years drought.It hasn't rained for a couple weeks.

Welcome Turtlelu from the other side of the state!

Karrie

Hi Turtlelu, welcome from Kentucky :)

Welcome from Oregon, from a former Washingtonian. Both my husband and I were born there, he in Anacortes and me in Tacoma. We moved around a lot and lived in small towns all around Seattle although never in it. I remember that constant winter drizzle and gray skies, and would have to say that I don't miss them at all being on the sunny side of Oregon now. do you live near Green Lake?

A big welcome from Ohio!

Thanks everyone again!

MaryE; we live in Phinney Ridge just north of the fremont border, on the west hill side of the zoo.

Brugie and Balvenie, I sent you both emails.

A warm welcome from pakistan.

Welcome to you from the western side of Southern Idaho. I too deal with sandy soils and dry wind so all summer and fall we are hauling in compost and leaves and anything else we can find that will help us to keep the moisture even for a few hours. Even my daylilies wilt by afternoon in this hot dry climate so I am amending more and more all the time. Maybe by the time I am 100 I will finally have some good soil.

Jump on in and get chatting with us. Life is never dull around DG.

Balvenie, those are gorgeous edges on your poppies. Do they come true to that form from your own seed or are they hybrid so they change shape? I love the color too.

Brugie, your poppies are pretty too and I already have some like that. Love those poppies!

Lani

Welcome from Oklahoma!!!

Thanks so much. Have the seeds in my seed drawer and can't wait for spring to get here so I can plant them. Thanks for the trade.

Welcome turtle, I too combat sandy soil and wind. And you are right it is amend, amend, constantly. I live just south of Canadian border about 25 miles in north central WA, desert area. We had no rain at all in July and the temps were from 85 to over 100 the whole month. Now thankfully we had a couple of rain showers, yesterday and the day before. Donna