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
4 comments
Read more

The long weekend

early-morning-3
Early morning sunrise

It was a wonderfully long and eventful weekend. Actually the entire past week has been busy. Last Monday we were visited by fellow Alabama garden bloggers Eve, Deb and LaRue (owner of John's Native Plants). What a wonderful group of ladies - we had a great time!

On Saturday, Jenks Farmer visited! He had been in the Iuka, Mississippi area for a series of events and a bold spur-of-the-moment Tweet from me invited him to see the Shoals and our garden (I think I am getting bolder in my older age!). I had just finished "Deep Rooted Wisdom" which is a fantastic book. I urge all of my readers to read it. It is filled with wonderful stories and practical advice from gardeners who do gardening the old-fashioned way. I learned many things from this book and highly recommend it.

 The rest of the weekend was spent pruning and trimming in the garden.

I was up very early on Sunday morning and took a lot of photos (including the one above) which I will share later in the week. The hydrangeas are just beginning to bloom and things are growing like crazy. The heat is creeping in as well. Yesterday was a scorcher but we did get an unexpected downpour late yesterday afternoon which was quite welcome.


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post

Comments

  1. Lisa at GreenbowMay 27, 2014 at 10:50 AM

    I am sure Jenks was delighted with your garden, anyone would be. Sounds like you enjoyed every minute of your weekend. Can't wait to see more photos. cheers

    ReplyDelete
  2. AaronMay 27, 2014 at 7:33 PM

    Feels like we went almost straight from winter to summer (85-90 every day) this year here in Tennessee.

    The heat hasn't been too bad actually. But we could really use some rain. It's only rained two days in May and we're about 3 inches below normal precip for the month.

    Every day features forecasts of scattered/isolated showers, but they seem to be isolated far from here. So far the plants seem OK, which heartens me and makes me feel like I'm planting the right drought-tolerant species. But at some point they're going to start hurting as we get into the Dog Days if we don't get some of those downpours.

    I read Deb's post on your garden. Sounds like she had a great visit. I love the sense of warmth and community among gardeners and garden bloggers. So cool...

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 28, 2014 at 5:16 AM

    Sounds like a lovely weekend. Jenks is great, isn't he? But, then, of course, so are you. Hope you all had a great time. It sounds like you did.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 28, 2014 at 5:16 AM

    Sounds like a lovely weekend. Jenks is great, isn't he? But, then, of course, so are you. Hope you all had a great time. It sounds like you did.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMay 28, 2014 at 5:16 AM

    Sounds like a lovely weekend. Jenks is great, isn't he? But, then, of course, so are you. Hope you all had a great time. It sounds like you did.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  6. Edith KentMay 28, 2014 at 7:45 AM

    Drove by your house on Monday to get another look at the roses. The ones on fence still pretty. It's a pleasure just driving by there. Going to check in the book.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Graceful GardenerMay 28, 2014 at 8:09 AM

    So beautiful! Lovely capture. I can hear the birds chirping...

    ReplyDelete
  8. HoehoegrowMay 28, 2014 at 8:36 AM

    The garden is looking lovely. Your roses are mentioned in a comment - Which ones do you grow and can they cope with the heat ?
    Here in the uk we are getting day after day of rain and grey skies. The plants love it , and are growing as we watch, but it is dismal for mere mortals, as we can't get out in the garden !!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Phillip OliverMay 28, 2014 at 9:08 AM

    Jane, mostly old rose varieties. We initially had lots of sun but now totally opposite. As a result, some roses have suffered but most do okay with limited sun. I have found that hybrid musk roses do the best. Disease resistance is good for the older varieties. I don't spray and if a rose is problematic, I take it out. If you go to this link, you will see a list of roses in the garden. Some are not here anymore but most of them are. http://southerngarden.weebly.com/roses.html

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts