February 23, 2026. Monday.

Rainy and cloudy today in Longview.  We had frozen overnight temps for two days last week.  It seems winter has skipped us this year…or will I have spoken too soon? 

Although gloomy outside, we have had several nice days! High 50’s or so.  I was able to transplant several things…for various reasons.  Along the south side of my property, we have a small chain link fence, installed many years ago.  One of the previous owners had planted several rhododendrons and emerald greens in the bed that runs along the fence line.  There is a neighbors’ house on the other side of the fence line…I appreciate the effort to provide privacy.  Some of the emerald greens have died, so I have planted five new ones.  I removed one rhododendron when I bought the house.  Looking back, I wish I would have saved that plant instead of tossing it to the compost.  Now, I am transplanting the majority of plants from this emerald green/rhododendron to a better location.  Emerald green roots are shallow and invasive…the other plants will thrive elsewhere.  

What I already transplanted: gladiolas, fuzzy sage, lavender, a light purple azalea, a peony and dahlia tubers.

Left to transplant: a rose bush, two hydrangeas, a pink azalea, calla lily, random spring bulbs, corsica.

Waiting on another delivery from ChipDrop.  I am attacking the lower part of my property, to eventually add a nice berry run and more space for my dahlias.  There is a cement pad down below, where a motorhome previously stayed (before we moved in).  It was quite clear…moss is now taking over.  Almost everywhere I am finding moss…proof that our winter was not too harsh.  Last autumn, I planted irises and hostas on the hillside; trying to keep the weeds maintained!  

Cameron and I are devising a fence of sorts…to keep those deer out of my yard.  Maybe a dog too…that would be fun. 

My lilacs are starting to bud.  I have two that I transplanted from North Portland: one is white and the other a light purple.  And one lilac from my folks; dark purple and smells delicious.  The peonies are starting to pop…I planted five new peonies last summer.  I am excited to see which ones will take.  I can see at least three popping out of the soil…fingers crossed for more!  My calla lilies, the white ones, have been producing beautiful leaves since the new year.  With the recent frosty days, those leaves are looking a bit rough.  Already pushing out new leaves, I hope to have another prolific year of white and dark purple calla lilies. 

I threw in a few rows of sweet peas, another pack of gladiolas, dark purple lilies, a sarcococca, a sedum, some daffodils, scattered bulbs from the back around the yard…

Soon, I will be checking on my dahlia tubers: see what has started to push out new growth.  I am hoping for a bit more soil up top, mixed with nutrients for the veggies and flowers I plan to grow in the oval area. It has been a fun year, planning and deciding where to put plants using a lot of knowledge I have gained since fall of 2019.    The blog is helpful to also track my progress; looking back to last year, I had slowly developed a plan to turn a large grass area into soil and that is now complete!  Makes me proud to look out at the front yard, anticipating the crop.

On a side note, several of my beautiful orchids are blooming now!  They are locked in a southwest facing bathroom window, receiving afternoon direct and indirect light.  That bathroom is able to maintain a bit more humidity than the rest of the house; they are thriving.  And my Christmas cactus is blooming again too…I added a bit more soil a few months ago, and it pushed out several new buds.  I have one daffodil blooming in the front of my house, FOH. 

Until next time…