Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

One distinct difference between Seattle and Richland can be seen by driving around the neighborhoods and looking at flowers, or the lack thereof.  Many, many people in Seattle have gardens, and lots of stuff in bloom from early Spring to late Fall.  In Richland, there are a lot of lawns.

Sure, some people do plant other stuff here, but lush gardens are few and far between.  It's understandable -- Seattle has milder weather and plenty of rain.  The one thing that does do better here in the hot dry country is roses.  My new place came with a lot of lawn, a handful of shrubs, and quite a few roses.

There are a couple of barberry shrubs (the reddish one below), which I don't particularly like, as they have lots of sharp spikes.

I think this is a hosta.  We shall see.

The Hounds do enjoy the lawn a lot.  Here Pippin is pointed in the general direction of a reddish-purple shrub that has small flowers, of which I have two.

A gardening friend suggested they are Sand Cherry shrubs, and having looked at pics, I think she's right.

There are seven roses along the front walkway.  They look nice and healthy but no blooms yet.

There are several of these things, rather small.  No idea what they are.

And there are two lilacs -- this one is out front, the other is in the back.

There's a dogwood in the front, which is lovely, though my mother claims the falling petals will eventually become annoying.  We shall see.

While I do miss the tons'o'flowers I had in Seattle, I can't  honestly say that I miss the maintenance.  My huge garden there had become invaded by both buttercup and bindweed, two plants that are nearly impossible to eradicate and which are vigorous spreaders.  It was just too much to deal with, and I don't think I ever want another garden that big or complex.

I would like more flowers, though.  This past week I found three good-sized pots tucked behind the outbuilding, so I dashed down to Fred Meyer's to buy potting soil and annuals.

They now grace the patio.  Perhaps a few more containers will join them someday, or maybe even a larger raised bed or two.  Or three.  

We shall see.

On a non-gardening sort of day, I decided to visit Bateman Island, the best local birding spot.

Alas, the bird life was sparse.  I heard a lot more birds than I saw -- mostly blackbirds, doves, robins, and chickadees.  There were other birds flitting around here and there, in and out of the bushes, moving too quickly and silently to be identified.  Dang.

The only bird that came out to pose was a Song Sparrow.

I do like Song Sparrows, so that was a small consolation prize.

Of course, it's a lovely spot, and the walk was very nice just as a walk.

And finally, I even got a little sketching in last week, from the comfort of my lawn chair.  This is what I could see of the sycamore in my mother's back yard:

That's all from the lazy, low-key retired life in the Atomic City.