Dirt Therapy

Happy Thanksgiving! It is a sunny day with temperatures in the 60s here although it is still chilly inside the house (the disadvantage of living in a big old drafty house). Our Thanksgiving cactus is so beautiful this year that we placed it in the center of our kitchen island. These beautiful plants (Thanksgiving Cactus, Christmas Cactus and Easter cactus) are members of several closely related species in the genus Schlumbergera . Which one do you have? Take a look at the leaves for guidance. Thanksgiving cactus have sharp pointed notches on the edges of the leaves whereas the Christmas cactus has rounded notches. The Easter cactus also has sharp notches but also have tiny hairs as well. They originate from the mountains of Brazil where they grow as epiphytes. Despite being called "cactus," they are not treated as such. They require regular watering and consistent moisture levels. Good drainage is essential however as they will die from root rot if forced to endure soggy soil...

The bloggers at Gardening Gone Wild have asked their readers to submit their thoughts on roses for the month of November. Since the rose is my favorite flower, I am happy to oblige. Our first garden was a tiny plot behind a tiny apartment down the street from where we presently live. I’m guessing that it was about forty feet wide and twenty feet deep. It was our first home and my love of gardening began there. Browsing through catalogs, I was always drawn to roses. I made a bold notion to order a selection of ‘Europeana’ and ‘Iceburg’ roses from Wayside Gardens and alternate them around the back porch and patio area. Lo and behold, they lived and were absolutely beautiful the years we lived there. It is odd that I haven’t been able to grow a decent ‘Europeana’ or ‘Iceburg’ in our present garden. Hmmm I started out with hybrid tea roses because that is what our local nurseries sold. At the time, I knew little about old roses. I was drawn, however, to large displays of roses. I liked s...

The growing season is drawing to a close here in north Alabama. The temperatures have been dipping near the freezing mark all week and a frost is sure to come this week. Yesterday seemed like a January or February day with dark skies, wind and rain. Heavy black clouds made me think that it could snow. Today though was sunny but cold. We took advantage of the day to get the leaves up (we are amazed at how many there are), put away the fountain pumps and disconnect the urn fountain. A few flowers and bright autumn colors are still lingering - A shasta daisy (above) still looks fresh, oblivious of the cold weather. Hydrange blooms can take on interesting hues in cooler temperatures. This is "Charm" and "Blushing Bride" - The leaves of the oakleaf hydrangea are always spectacular in the fall months - The Japanese maples are still beautiful. I don't know the name of this one. It is only about two feet tall. This aster, named for garden designer Ryan Gainey, wasn'...

Someone once expressed a lack of appreciation for Japanese Maples to garden writer Elizabeth Lawrence to which she replied, "Then you have never crawled underneath one on an October day." Try this sometime - I think she has a valid point.

Reds, yellows and oranges are blazing throughout the garden. The fall color seemed to arrive suddenly this year. I just wish it could last longer. It won't be long before colder temperatures will rip away this colorful tapestry. The crepe myrtles are lovely this time of year. This one, "Muskogee", is at the entrance to our driveway. It was a foggy morning when I took this photo. That same afternoon, the sun was setting and lit up the tree like it was on fire. I ran to grab the camera to get this shot - Another colorful crepe myrtle is "Natchez" which is right outside the bedroom window. Chinese Pistache is a small tree that seems to be gaining popularity. They are planted alongside one of our major roads here in Florence. Ours grows by the patio. What would autumn be like without maple trees? These leaves are from 'Autumn Blaze' which lives up to its' name. The Japanese Maple 'Sango-Kaku' A trio of colorful trees - Fringe Tree ( Chionanthus v...

We are back home from a weeks' vacation in sunny Florida. This year there were no cloudy days. It was a tad cold in the evenings and mornings but the temperatures quickly warmed up in the lower 70s - perfect for lying out in the sun. The above photo is of the sunset on the first day we arrived. And here is sunrise on the first morning. Unfortunately we didn't have a good view of the sunrise this year because there were buildings in the way. I'm usually still asleep anyway at sunrise but Michael said he missed it watching it. This was our sixth year to visit the Florida panhandle. We always stay in the same general location but not the exact same place. This year we were near Rosemary Beach and the Seacrest area. For the first time, we rented a little house instead of a condo. The furnishings and decor may not have been as nice as a condo but the privacy and location were absolutely wonderful. It ended up being our favorite place so far. Here is a side view of the house, a p...