Skip to main content

Featured

Swapping Huckleberries

Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album)  Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere.  I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted - It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide.  Last year, it started to look bad.  I cut it back but it had not improved and this is how it looked a few weeks ago - I decided to rip it out and plant another huckleberry - this time Vaccinium ovatum , more commonly known as the "Evergreen Huckleberry".  This is a plant that I've wanted for ages and kept putting off getting one because I could not find a good place for it. By most accounts, this is an amazing plant, a native one and excellent for

Getting tomatoes planted and buying new plants

A productive weekend. Our tomatoes and peppers are planted and I got about half of the containers planted. I found this plant at Lowe's. It is Jacob's Ladder "Touch of Class" (Polemonium reptans). I also bought Wallflower "Bowles Mauve" (Erysinum linifolium) for $1 on the sale rack at Home Depot. I have never grown wallflowers but I remember Elizabeth Lawrence praising them in one of her books.


Jacob's Ladder "Touch of Class" (Polemonium reptans)



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. I replanted my corn this weekend, cantalopes, cucs and watermelon. I have 3 tomatoes ready for the garden that I've been growing since Nov, but they didn't make it there. I have several small heirloom ones in the greenhouse. Finally started cleaning my flower beds last week. May have to hire some one to help before my open garden May 26. Tomorrow is another day. Mary

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have tried that Jacobs ladder with no luck. I will be curious to see if yours does well. Maybe it needs your weather for it to thrive. Don't you just love those sale aisles?? You never know what you will find.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your Jacob's ladder. I looked it up online to learn about it, as I have never grown one. It prefers "high quality natural habitats", I can't think of a better garden or gardener for it than you. Hope you enjoy it for years to come. Your blog is a joy to read and very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We had frost a couple of nights this week - so we had to hold off planting tender things just yet. Never before tax day is the saying around here.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You've been very productive. Hope it all grows well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My sister grows the perennial walflower 'Bowles mauve' and it's nigh on perfect. Flowers for ages and is easy to take cuttings from.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts