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Old 03-01-2020, 04:55 PM
 
Location: West coast
5,281 posts, read 3,038,282 times
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A couple of sequoias would actually work on one of the property lines.
What a great nugget of info.
Thank you.
Andy.
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Old 03-01-2020, 05:03 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,126 posts, read 107,381,087 times
Reputation: 115942
Quote:
Originally Posted by MechAndy View Post
Hi Ruth,
Thank you for all your advice on things.
I really do appreciate it.

Isn’t the UW on the mainland?
I only do the Olympic Peninsula and have no interest in ever seeing Seattle or any large metro-traffic area.
The most I can handle is driving south from SeaTac .

San Francisco and the Bay Area burnt me out to areas like that.
I just like the country areas.

The wife and I have been coming up here for a good 35 years for family’s visits and such and I’ve never seen the big city up here.
Don’t want to.
So I kinda wanna see how long I can last with out ever going to Seattle.
Yup, I’m a weirdo .
Ha.

All the best.
Andy.
I can relate, to some extent. After living in a smaller town for over a decade, I'm sold on the low traffic and lack of crowds, and such. The UW would be doable without much stress if you took the ferry to Edmonds from Kitsap, then drive south and get off the freeway at 45th NE, heading east to the University. The campus makes for a nice afternoon's stroll, and there are interesting eateries in the U District. Cheap parking at the UW Bookstore, if you buy a $3 remaindered book from the remaindered book tables (the parking attendant refunds most of your parking fee).

Anyway, that's my pitch, There are wonderful hidden gardens, a rose garden around the fountain, lots of areas to explore, if you ever find yourself on that side. I definitely wouldn't go via downtown & those other ferries, if I had big-city-phobia.

But...suit yourself. I love the UW and the UW Bookstore. And the cherry blossoms, and the rhodies!
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Old 03-01-2020, 05:05 PM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,126 posts, read 107,381,087 times
Reputation: 115942
Quote:
Originally Posted by MechAndy View Post
A couple of sequoias would actually work on one of the property lines.
What a great nugget of info.
Thank you.
Andy.
* heart emoji *


Just be sure to set it well in from the property line, because it WILL get big over time. You may not live to see that day, but the next owners will, and your neighbors may, depending on their age.
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Old 03-01-2020, 05:56 PM
 
Location: West coast
5,281 posts, read 3,038,282 times
Reputation: 12270
Hi ya Ruth,
A big ass heart emoji right back atcha.

The next owners of this property will be our kids.
The same with our other properties.
We were raised right and we are so thankful for that.
Our kids were raised right as well so we have no problem with “passing the torch” to them.

The wifey and I are just a couple of “non conformists” types that don’t do rules well.
Heck I like racing Harley’s, fishing and guns, so there is that.
We also workaholics and work our butts off.
The two kids do the same and we are very proud of that.

The other half acre that “is what it is” area is our bluff and our beach.
Other than putting in a new Tikki Bar, a new deck and kayak storage spot, in that area it is perfect.
It has several very nice Madrone trees and rhododendrons bushes.
Good enough works for me.

The wifey and I are very “blue collared people” even though we studied at night to better our education.
We love the simple things of life.
No more no less.

All the best.
Andy.
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Old 03-03-2020, 08:19 AM
 
Location: State of Transition
102,126 posts, read 107,381,087 times
Reputation: 115942
Quote:
Originally Posted by MechAndy View Post
Hi ya Ruth,
A big ass heart emoji right back atcha.

The next owners of this property will be our kids.
The same with our other properties.
We were raised right and we are so thankful for that.
Our kids were raised right as well so we have no problem with “passing the torch” to them.

The wifey and I are just a couple of “non conformists” types that don’t do rules well.
Heck I like racing Harley’s, fishing and guns, so there is that.
We also workaholics and work our butts off.
The two kids do the same and we are very proud of that.

The other half acre that “is what it is” area is our bluff and our beach.
Other than putting in a new Tikki Bar, a new deck and kayak storage spot, in that area it is perfect.
It has several very nice Madrone trees and rhododendrons bushes.
Good enough works for me.

The wifey and I are very “blue collared people” even though we studied at night to better our education.
We love the simple things of life.
No more no less.

All the best.
Andy.
Redwoods are majestic. So are cedars, but redwoods are majestic-er. They really add a special ambiance to a property. Choose carefully, though, perhaps consulting with a few specialists. You have two species to choose from: Sequoia sempervirens, the coastal redwood, and Sequoiadendron giganteum, the Sierra redwood. The latter is more cold tolerant, growing in environments that get winter snow. The former are happy in foggy and more rainy conditions. Where you're located, you have a bit of both environmental conditions. The one at the UW I'm pretty sure is Sequoiadendron. I think, locating one (or two) in an area with rhododendrons is a keen idea.

Keep in mind, when choosing a site, to place it well back from the beach and at an elevation. Back, even from the current edge of the bluff, because rising sea levels will eat away at the bluff over time. You're passing this along to your kids (good for you!), so you want them to be able to enjoy that special corner of the property with its trees and rhodies, too.

I love madronas, too. They're so PNW-y. (Though California has some naturally occurring, too.)
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Old 03-04-2020, 01:03 AM
 
Location: Westside Puget Sound
301 posts, read 517,927 times
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Hi MechAndy,

If you haven't been there already, check out Whitney Gardens in Brinnon. They will likely be a source of great ideas for OP-advantageous plants. They have an amazing rhodie and azalea display that I *love* to peruse on Mother's Day weekend; but given our early spring this year, I'll have to remember to head over there at least two to three weeks earlier to see the full bloom in action.

They have some demonstration dogwoods and camelias that have specatacular spring blooms. (Granted, I have neither types of trees in my own place in Kitsap, so I can't speak to hardiness).

Happy "hunting"!

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Old 03-04-2020, 09:32 PM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,660 posts, read 57,778,624 times
Reputation: 46126
I prefer Edible Landscape

Blueberries are least trouble and most successful, there are many great varieties with differing ripening dates.. (basically BB like the same conditions as rhodies) Shallow rooted, acidic, good drainage, mulch, fertilize at bloom time.

Raspberries add nice flavor, but take more work.
Grapes can do well, and are pretty in Fall.

There are many nice Rhodie Gardens and Nurseries in PNW, Tour them a couple weeks before Mother's Day to find varieties that will do well in your zone and specific micro climate.

If near Portland, this one is nice. (Seattle area has plenty too)
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks...ction=viewpark
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Old 03-05-2020, 12:20 AM
 
800 posts, read 534,343 times
Reputation: 2270
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook View Post
For smell pretty and color - Lilacs
Lilacs, definitely.

I don't recall seeing lilacs in California, so you may not be famiiar with them.

They are very spectacular and smell great and do well here.

The main problem is that it takes about 10 years to first flower, and also, like rhododendrons, once you cut the branches, they don't spread out and flower.

So if you see old homesteads, or older neighborhoods in the city, you'll see these 20- and 30-foot tall lilac trees, with no flower within reach, because everyone cut the branches they could reach; the only branches that have flowers are too tall to reach.


But what's the point of having lilacs if you can't bring them into the house?


So, when they start to bloom, cut them only from the top, so the bush will stay low, and flowers will stay within reach.






Another suggestion, although I will probably get some boos an hisses - Himalayan blackberries.

They are considered a weed here, very hard to eradicate.

I found that if i trellised them, and kept them picked, they will bear fruit until the first frost kills them, usually in October.



Don't let them run rampant, you need to keep them under control. They only bear fruit on the second year growth, like raspeberries.



I trellis them, because left wild, they will grow into brambles, and you won't be able to reach the best, big juicy berries in the middle.

Keep them picked - go out every two or three days and harvest only those that drop into your palm. If you have to pluck a berry, it isn't ripe, although it may look ripe. If you let them get overripe on the vine, that group will dry up and won't produce any more fruit, so you have to go out every 2 or 3 days.

There are about 30 berries in a cluster (many many clusters to a vine) only 2 or 3 of those berries will be ripe at a time, so you want a good patch of vines. There is absolutely nothing as delicious as ripe Himalayan blackberries, although you have probably never tasted them, since they are too expensive to harvest commercially, but they are perfect for home gardens.


They love full sun.

Last edited by margaretBartle; 03-05-2020 at 12:39 AM..
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Old 03-05-2020, 07:31 AM
 
Location: West Coast U.S.A.
2,910 posts, read 1,349,906 times
Reputation: 3972
As long as you're not in the higher altitudes where things can get pretty cold in the winter, you can grow any rhododendron. You are in rhododendron heaven on the Olympic peninsula.

Daphne odora has a wonderful lemon fragrance that will fill the air and it just happens to flower in February when nothing much else is going on. Some varieties have white or gold edged leaves as a bonus.

This article lists some nice looking fragrant roses. Some of the scents are lemon, spice, melon, etc: https://flowermag.com/favorite-fragrant-roses.

Avoid the Himalayan blackberry. Really. They're considered a noxious weed by this state and many others for good reason. There are several other tasty varieties of blackberries out there, most of which are more productive and all of which are less thorny. Or you could even grow the native blackberry, which isn't very productive but tastes pretty good.

Japanese maples are good companion plants for rhododendrons. Some of them have a spring color that differs from their summer color, and almost all have a spectacular fall color. Coral bark Japanese maples have red bark and green leaves. I know, it sounds weird but looks good and it gives winter color. Other good companion plants for rhodies are vine maple in the shady areas and pine trees in the sunny ones.

I almost forgot to mention hydrangeas. Try googling things like blue hydrangeas, purple hydrangeas, or red, or white, or pink, or even blue hydrangea lined driveway and you'll see what I mean. These plants have big, beautiful blooms that last for months, and some of them have several colors all at once.

There are so many possibilities. Visit local garden centers (the real ones, not the ones attached to a hardware store) at different seasons for more ideas.
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Old 03-05-2020, 01:03 PM
 
Location: West coast
5,281 posts, read 3,038,282 times
Reputation: 12270
We do have a lot of those blackberries where we are at in WA.
Just the road going to the house has them all over the sides and yes they are like weeds
There is enough that I thing it could possibly make a honey harvest just by that itself depending on what else is boooming.
Thank you all for this great advice
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