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Waterwise Gardening - a book review

Waterwise Gardening: Everything You Need To Know About Efficient Watering to Grow a Healthy Yard by Richard Restuccia Published by Rizzoli, 2025 I would guess that watering is the major issue that most gardeners grapple with, especially novice gardeners. I know from working at the nursery that the majority of questions and issues we get stem from either watering too much or not watering enough.  Many people in our area have sprinkler systems and I'm sure that can be a good thing if used properly but I feel that they primarily keep the lawns green but fall short for landscape plants. Especially when it comes to trees and larger plants, the timing and amounts are not satisfactory for many plants. I often hear people say that their sprinklers are set to come on every day - yikes! And there are those who did not water because it "rained" when it actually drizzled.  The best thing to do in this situation is to have a xeric garden but that would mean sacrificing favorite plant...
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Last blooms


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't as pretty as it usually it this year. The color was all washed out and the blooms were somewhat puny.



There are other flowers, like roses, salvia and camellias that are blooming but I didn't have time to photograph them but most of those were featured in last month's bloom day post.
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  1. AnonymousNovember 17, 2008 at 3:39 AM

    The Japanese magnolia is stunning. We, too, have been having cooler than normal temperatures but no freezing yet. Just like your aster, I have had a few plants that did not do as well as in years past. I think it was the drought.

    Jan
    Always Growng

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  2. Sweet Home and Garden CarolinaNovember 17, 2008 at 3:53 AM

    I love the color of the Oakleaf hydrangeas in the Fall. That Japanese maple looks like 'Crimson Queen' to me because of the intensity of the red color.

    We've not had a hard freeze yet either but we did have some snow showers yesterday.

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  3. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 17, 2008 at 4:11 AM

    Isn't it amazing how the Japanese Maple leaves are usually the last to come down. They are such tough little characters and so beautiful.

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  4. Roses and LilacsNovember 17, 2008 at 5:47 AM

    I remember northern Alabama's wonderful, long autumns. Enjoyed seeing your photos.
    Marnie

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  5. F CameronNovember 17, 2008 at 6:35 AM

    I love hydgrangeas so much and miss growing them here in deer country. Your photos are just stunning, so I thank you for sharing.

    Winter is coming, isn't it?

    Cameron

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  6. tinaNovember 17, 2008 at 6:47 AM

    Phillip, Is that shasta a 'Darling' cultivar? I am wondering because mine has been blooming non stop since I got it this summer. The others are not blooming. Those asters are special.

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  7. Phillip OliverNovember 17, 2008 at 7:17 AM

    Carolyn, thanks for giving me that name. I will look it up and compare.

    Tina, I'm not sure what cultivar the shasta daisy is. They seem to blooming better now that they did during the summer.

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  8. RandyNovember 17, 2008 at 7:26 AM

    Phillip,
    Wonderful pictures, as usual. I love the hydrangeas.-Randy

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  9. CosmoNovember 17, 2008 at 8:02 AM

    Hey, Phillip--Beautiful pictures as always. You're lucky to have hydrangeas still in bloom, though you're right about the oakleaf--it's as lovely in the fall as it is in the summer. We had our first frost last night--very light, but the morning landscape is starting to look wintry.

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  10. AnonymousNovember 17, 2008 at 8:35 AM

    Hi Phillip, what a fabulous shot of the daisy, love it! And blushing bride is so delightful, must look for that one. I know the leaves are a big job to pick up, but they break down into the most wonderful stuff for the gardens. Good exercise too. :-) Love the maple.
    Frances

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  11. ConsciousGardenerNovember 17, 2008 at 9:11 AM

    First visit to Dirt Therapy! Beautiful blog, made me wish for
    rain...everything seemed so rich and saturated with color.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Phillip OliverNovember 17, 2008 at 1:08 PM

    Thanks for visiting - do come again!

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  13. Philip BewleyNovember 17, 2008 at 2:01 PM

    Hi!
    The oakleaf hydrangea looks beautiful, as do all shown in your photos.
    Regards,
    Philip

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  14. GailNovember 17, 2008 at 3:09 PM

    Lovely Phillip! The Japanese maple must make quite a statement at under 2 foot tall! I love the dissected leaves. It is always a joy to have blooms this late but when the cold hits it is even more shocking! Enjoy them...we can't hold the cold back much longer!

    Gail

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