You’ll find a bevy of beautiful roses in many gardens on this year’s tour.

Dog days

Just last week I was talking about these amazingly buzzy summer days, full of activities and opportunities to get out and about, to see, do, taste, and feel. I was ready to scamper about with lots of events noted in my summer calendar. But, what a difference a day makes.

Jackson, my rascally Doxie-mix, managed to damage his lower spine again, so badly that a trip to the Vancouver-area emergency vet was required. Things looked gloomy for several days. One back left leg was not able to hold his weight, and he was obviously in a lot of pain.

We haven’t done Dachshunds any favors by breeding them to combine the possibility for spinal problems with their rambunctiousness. They have hyper-alert noses and long narrow bodies crafted to squeeze into animal burrows and underbrush: the miniatures for rabbits; the standard size for badgers (unbelievably fierce creatures). So bred to be hunters, they’re apt to be diggers, runners, and predators with outsized energy and personalities; but these long spines make them vulnerable to injury. Perhaps you’ve seen videos of the least fortunate of them attempting to whiz around with a set of wheels attached to their paralyzed back ends.

The prescription from the canine neurologist? — drugs and six to eight weeks of “crate rest.” (OMG — what?!) The prognosis: wait and see.

Watching the world go by

So Jackson has been resting a lot, and I’ve come to a halt too. I’ve spent a couple hours a day with him in my lap just sitting in the yard, mostly to give his nose something to do. We’ve found there’s a whole drama taking place — as usual — just under our noses.

The ceanothus has completed its bloom, so the bees have moved on to dancing on the dandelions and wild geraniums (Bevan’s variety). Last week the baby crows were loudly complaining from the top branches of the spruce trees about how hungry they were. This week it’s the sparrows turn: one fat baby just this morning sat on the railing of my porch chirping forlornly while mama kept stuffing bugs or seeds in its mouth. The littler one, less vocal, got nothing. (Not fair!)

The hummers have arrived and are monitoring their favorite Lucifer day lilies, the red ones; their blooms are just beginning to open. There are twin deer hiding in my wild lower lot — I only know this because when I went out to pick from my Montmorency cherry tree they totally startled me, rising up from behind grassy mounds. I slinked off empty-handed. (I’m determined to help our wild friends as their territory shrinks.)

Tiny green aphids, ladybugs, gnats, flies of all sizes are arriving and living their short lives with abandon. (At least we don’t have ticks.) I guess Jackson and I had orders preordained from on high to come to a stop and watch the world go by for awhile. And what a beautiful world it is!

Music in the Gardens

It’s not a bad thing to pause and relax during these beautiful summer days. So this is an appropriate follow-on I think — Music in the Gardens is happening next Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. And how can there be a better activity for these stunning days than a combination of music and nature? The ever brilliant Nancy Allen has rounded up another batch of spectacular gardens this year. (How does she keep finding these mostly hidden treasures?)

Here’s a brief review of some highlights from south to north. Let’s begin with the homestead of Nansen and Brett Malin: including trompe l’oeil, moon gate, koi pond and the added bonus of both a greenhouse construction talk provided by Brett (he used recycled windows) and Nansen’s charming floral designs. They are right in the heart of Seaview.

Move north to Long Beach for the one-acre garden of Missy Westmoreland and Mike Cutler, something they call their “imperfect garden.” (As if there ever could be such a thing.) They’ve been working on their little piece of paradise for five years and have brought to life an astounding amount of beauty. You’ll find beds of perennials, herbs, veggies, and a lily pond. Plus three green houses and a gazebo off a large deck — perfect for music.

Water Music board member, Steve Kovach, notes (he assisted with all the garden write-ups) that the Susan and Chris Spence garden is “a master class in what can be done with color and texture to create cozy intimacy. There is always color somewhere — even in the shade.” Roses line the north fence which front plantings including fuchsia, columbine, sage, and hostas (the snails and slugs always eat mine). They have even nurtured palm trees, and they have a waterfall!

Up on the northend off Joe Johns Road, Judy Leonard has spent three years creating a lush nursery from a weed patch, using both local garden standards and amazing exotics. She has an unusually large Golden Chain Tree — one of my favorites — as well as an enormous Gunera with leaves that span six feet. As Judy tells it, “I love anything that grows.” So she has multiple varieties of many old favorites — maples, irises, roses, grapes, rhodies, azalea, rosemary, red valerian, geraniums, begonias and wisteria. And I’ll bet she can also give you lots of advice about how to get them started in your garden.

In the Surfside area you’ll find the garden of Charles and Corliss Skov who

adopted and adapted Mary Newell’s garden from ten years ago. They have evolved it into an English Garden paradise with native ground covers and red and white peonies. Of course they also have a vegetable garden that you enter by bowing under a flowering bower. Corliss notes that Mary’s husband Steve was a bricklayer and built a beautiful wall with a wrought iron gate that separates the front from the back gardens. Whimsical bird houses and a sunny deck for music complete their garden’s charm.

Last but decidedly not least is Melissa and Dave Van Domelen’s garden up Stackpole way. The large conifers and cedars speak to the dramatic “microclimates” that we enjoy on the Peninsula. Their garden is truly a hidden gem — as you wander down intimate winding paths you hear the sound of water nearly everywhere, while discovering the many outdoor spaces where a “sit and relax” attitude is de rigueur.

Garden magic

All in all Nancy Allen and her team of Water Music Society board members and volunteers have managed to do it again — seeking out for both gardening amateurs and pros a line-up of magical spaces. And for those considering showing their gardens in the future, Corliss says, “Yes, it’s a lot of work, but being on the tour motivated us to complete projects we’d been putting off for years. I remember going on my first Peninsula garden tour and how wonderful it was. I’m excited to be included this year — I hope to create for others that special atmosphere that I felt when I went on my first Music in the Gardens tour.”

Don’t forget there’s music and snacks at each garden, and a raffle for some nifty gardening gifts. It’s all good fun and goes for a good cause — ticket ($20) proceeds support art and music in our schools. For more info: https://watermusicsociety.com/