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eugeneparnell

@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social

Sculptor. Garden designer and educator. Tech industry veteran. Bigfoot stan.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

sollat , to random
@sollat@masto.ai avatar

The squirrels around here are generally pretty unflappable, but this new hose gave them pause for a couple days. Can’t imagine why… 🐍 💦

#Squirrel vs #Hose

#CameraTrap

eugeneparnell ,
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

@sollat I had to look twice too. For a second there I thought it was an anteater and an anaconda.

eugeneparnell , to random
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

There is such a thing as a "foliage first" garden and mine is one, for sure. Here's a plant I would recommend for anyone who loves jaw-dropping foliage. False spirea, the cultivar is Sorbaria 'Sem'. While it does have small white flowers, they can't hold a candle to this almost incandescent spring foliage. It fades over the summer to an even light green. Makes a great loose, informal shrub maybe a meter high and wide.
#gardening
#bloomScrolling
#PNW
#GardeningMastodon
#inmygarden

Close view of some shrubbery foliage. It is feathery, almost cartoonish, and rather like a fern. Mostly green but ranges from cool emerald green to chartreuse to gold-green to salmon pink.

eugeneparnell OP ,
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

@sollat ha I was just reading about that. Mine is in light shade and my yard is somewhat dry. I have a pair of them and they haven't spread beyond their allotted spots. But I can see how they might sucker like mad if they had the right conditions. They just have that look 😆

eugeneparnell , to random
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

If you find yourself in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area this weekend and you're interested in cool plants, come to Blue Poppy Day at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden. Meconopsis 'lingholm', the Himalayan blue poppy, is renowned for its incredible color--and is famously difficult to grow. This place has just the right conditions, and they have thousands! They also have hundreds of species of rhodies in bloom.
#gardening
#bloomScrolling
#PNW
#seattle
#Tacoma
https://rhodygarden.org/events/blue-poppy-day-2024/

A Himalayan blue poppy a flower with paper like petals which are sky blue in color, and a yellow center. Photo courtesy Rhododendron Soecies Botanical Garden.
A Himalayan blue poppy a flower with paper like petals which are sky blue in color, and a yellow center. Photo courtesy Rhododendron Soecies Botanical Garden.

eugeneparnell , to random
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I've had these Exbury azaleas for about five years now. They've never done well--always kind of leggy and awkward, not so many blooms, and so many times I've thought of just getting rid of them.
But this year they're putting on an impressive show--more blooms than I've ever seen before and they seem to be filling in, too. Wish I could say that it because I've done something different to them, but really sometimes plants just need time.
#gardening
#gardeningMastodon
#bloomScrolling
#PNW

Closeup of one of the flowers on the shrub from previous photo. One is open. The long stamens are clearly visible.
Another shot of some flower trusses on the same plant. The unopened buds are a deep orange, and the opened flowers are a paler tangerine color.

dillyd , to random
@dillyd@allies.social avatar

Lake Crescent (Washington, US) on a rare sunny day. This is a panoramic shot - you may have to click or tap to see the whole image

eugeneparnell ,
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

@dillyd Such a great color. I think I've only seen it once on a sunny day. I remember the first time I laid eyes on it was a misty grey winter day after that long drive from Forks-- I could barely see the far shore-- and I swore it seemed like some lake monster was going to come up out of it and swallow my car.

sollat , to random
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Step 1: Dig big hole in rocks, sand, and clay.

Step 2: Sit on chair wishing had cool beverage but at least done digging forsaken hole.

Step 3: Realize nobody is coming to plant rhododendron.

Step 4: Pull rhododendron from big planter and realize hole is enormous compared to root ball.

Step 5: Mix new soil with less crappy parts of soil just removed from hole.

Step 6: Plant in semi-filled hole.

Step 7: Oops, no pictures of hole. Take pictures of plant.

Step 8: Cool beverage.

eugeneparnell ,
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

@sollat Well it looks great. And you can save those rocks for something useful.

eugeneparnell , to random
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There was hail. There was rain. There was sun. It's spring in the #PNW

eugeneparnell OP ,
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@sollat I heard two eyewitness reports: west seattle stadium and Bellevue.

eugeneparnell , to random
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

I'm back in Illinois this week to see the eclipse and visit the family homestead so I'll share a pics from my family's native plant garden. When I was a kid all these plants were everywhere in the woods but invasive species have really done them dirty. Fortunately my mom collected starts and now we have them growing where we can look after them. Short thread: first up, Virginia bluebells (mertensia virginica).
1/5
#gardening
#gardeningMastodon
#bloomScrolling
#nativePlants
#Illinois

Plant with ovate leaves and a large inflorescence of tubular blue flowers tinged with pink. They flare at the ends like bells.
Plant with ovate leaves and a large inflorescence of tubular blue flowers tinged with pink. They flare at the ends like bells.

eugeneparnell OP ,
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

Native spring wildflowers if the Midwest part 2/5. The wake-robin, road shade, or bloody butcher or nowadays just Trillium (Trillium recurvatum). Plants in the genus are found across the northern hemisphere but this the most common in Eastern NA. Only visible for a couple months each year as they go summer dormant. I've been told they can be tricky to establish in a garden (I've killed some myself) and are slow to expand.
#gardening #gardeningMastodon #bloomScrolling #nativePlants #Illinois

A small plant with 3 leaves on a single stem held out horizontally. They have elaborate snake-like patterns on them, dark and light green. In the center is a single upward facing flower bud.
A pair of small plants with 3 leaves on a single stem held out horizontally. They have elaborate snake-like patterns on them, dark and light green. In the center is a single upward facing flower bud.

eugeneparnell , to random
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

So this is my next garden project. I'm getting the garden ready to participate in a garden tour later this summer so it's all got to look its best. Wood chips (not bark) make excellent mulch for perennial beds (https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wood-chips.pdf). I'm a big advocate of Chip Drop (https://getchipdrop.com) but I can't use it because their trucks won't fit into my small front drive. So I'm having a landscaper deliver chips for a fee. They smell AMAZING.
🧵1/4
#gardening
#gardeningMastodon
#PNW
#inmygarden

eugeneparnell OP ,
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

Here is an update on mulching. As discussed in the previous post, if there's one gardening axiom I want on my tombstone, it's "no bare dirt"! Mulch is your friend and wood chip mulch has consistently tested the best vs bark, gravel, ground up tires, etc. here are some before and after photos. By June, the chips will have faded to a driftwood silver color.
3/4
#gardening #gardeningMastodon #PNW #inmygarden

The same bed as in the first photo but with orangish brown cedar chips applied to the ground.
A garden bed before mulching. This one has lots of May apple plants and geraniums in it. The ground is a dull gray and silver from the old mulch and some compost.
Same bed as the previous post but with orangish wood chip mulch applied. Much prettier and tidier looking. And the sun has come out!

eugeneparnell OP ,
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

And last, here is the TLDR for the research on wood chip mulch for anyone interested. This comes from Washington State University's horticulture dept and Agricultural Extension office.
https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wood-chips.pdf
🧵4/4

#gardening #gardeningMastodon #PNW #inmygarden

eugeneparnell , to random
@eugeneparnell@mstdn.social avatar

Made my semi-annual trip to the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden. It's pretty early in the season so there's not much going on outside, but the conservatory is always worth a look.
1/4
#gardening
#houseplants
#botany
#greenhouse
#rhododendron

A large yellow flowered orchid in full bloom, in a pot on the floor in the greenhouse. A bench to the left of it. A cold rainy day beyond the glass.
A red-orange flowered plant with long bare woody stems and long pointed serrated leaves. It is on the floor of the greenhouse in a pot.

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