Dirt Therapy

Yesterday morning was the first day of fall and when I stepped outside to feed Isabella and get the newspaper I was overcome with the intense fragrance of sweet olive (osmanthus fragrans). I have officially declared it as my favorite scent in the garden. I've only had sweet olive for two or three years now and I remember last year running around trying to pinpoint the origin of that heavy perfume. Many people associate the fragrance with New Orleans but I first remember it from Bellingrath Gardens. Michael and I visited there over ten years ago and the shrub was everywhere. Actually it only takes one plant to scent a fairly large garden. The shrub that I detected yesterday morning is about 50 feet away on the south side of the house and my back drive-way area was permeated with the exquisite aroma. The amazing thing about the sweet olive is how tiny and inconspicuous the flowers are. They are borne in tiny clusters of tubular shaped flowers and appear in fall, winter and early...

A stroll through the mid-September garden - Hyacinth Bean vine Another vine, Sweet Autumn Clematis. This one pops up all over the place. This particular one is growing through a juniper. I'm always amused when I see it in catalogs at high prices. If you need some of this, let me know! Yet another vine, Morning Glory. They really like September. Dragon Wing Begonia - one of my favorite annuals The only rose I found blooming today (unknown variety) Lespedeza (Bush Clover) Hardy Orange (Poncirus Trifoliata) Northern Sea Oats And the award for Hostess with the Mostess is Lantana "Miss Huff" - she is a blooming machine! Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia)

Fall is just around the corner – I can feel it in my bones. The cruel month of August is behind us and although September can be just as miserable, I sense a change in the air. More rain came yesterday – a long, slow one that lasted all morning – where was it when it was needed the most??? And while it is still pretty hot out, the nights are beginning to get a little cooler and the days are noticeably shorter. The light too is changing – what is it about this time of year that makes you want to just take a nap? This has been a tough year for gardening and I’m a tad nervous about the fate of some plants in my garden. Even though they have weathered the late freeze, the drought and the heat, who knows if they will hold on through the winter? Time will tell. My enthusiasm for gardening wanes considerably in late summer but it only takes that first bite in the air to get my batteries recharged. I have several projects on my plate for this fall and winter. First I plan to do something abou...

A lady in town who is doing a major renovation of her house and garden contacted me through a friend (who is her neighbor) and asked if I would like to have some bricks. I rarely turn down such an offer and she told me that I could have them if I would pick them up. My friend told that there weren't too many so I headed out one morning thinking I might possibly get them all in one load, maybe two. Ha! I think there were enough bricks there to cover a small house. A few weeks later and about five or six trips, I had a good supply of brick - now, what to do with them? My first plan was to redo my vegetable/herb garden area. This tiny area is enclosed in hedges and I have raised beds along the perimeter. A dogwood sits in the middle and I know, I know - who grows vegetables under a tree? Well, me - I will not cut down that tree - it was one of the few trees on the property when we moved here and despite limited sunlight, I am able to grow a few tomatoes, peppers and herbs. The floor a...