Gardening on Orcas Island

This may be the best spring for gardening I have ever seen on Orcas. Here are my tulips, this was taken about a week ago.. and behind the tulips are my peonies.. those bushes had as many as 75 blooms each last year!  The secret to my success.. well it's 100% pure, organic, composted Mustang Manure!  Yep, and we can supply some to you to- just give us a jingle.

See the heads coming on this Peony already?  So early, weeks early.  Back east in Ringoes I had two Peony plants they were on the south side of my home and I loved those babies, I nurtured them, I fed and watered them and they gave me about 5 or 6 blooms a year. Here on Orcas I put manure on top of almost solid clay and they flourish!

Perfect Tulips everywhere! Tulips thrive in the Pacific Northwest, that is why the Skagit is full of them, the cool nights and warm days make for perfect growing conditions and the blooms last for weeks. Today it's in the mid 60's and feels hotter in the sun. My lettuce are just starting to come up as are our beets and spinach. I have decided to only drink tea I can grow, no more imported tea, so I drink mint tea from the garden. Changes..

My peas are up and this am I ate a veggie omelet from my garden.with beet greens and chives.  If you are looking for a gardening spot on Orcas drop me a line! kate

                                           

                                                Spring On Orcas

If you are planning a visit to Orcas Island, don't miss the flowers blooming in the Skagit. If you are traveling from Seattle coming North on Interstate 5, take the Conway Exit towards LaConner so that you can see the Daffodils in bloom. These photos were taken on Sunday by Ken who was down in Conway picking up hay from another Realtor. I was at home teaching horsemanship, so I did not get to see these lovely flowers which were just starting to bloom last Wednesday when I was off Island.

 While the Skagit is known for it's Tulips and the Tulip Festival which is held in April, not everyone knows that it is also famous for other bulbs.

From LaConner you can again travel north towards Annacortes and pick up Route 20 to the San Juan Island Ferries and on to Orcas Island!
While on Orcas Island, we don't have fields of flowers, we do have flowers everywhere.

On your wat to Orcas, watch for the thousands of Snow Geese and
Swans that over winter in the Skagit in the fields and deltas

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