Dirt Therapy

Just a few more photos that I took earlier in the week. The first is Fothergilla ( Fothergilla gardenii x major 'Mount Airy' ) which is a fantastic shrub, beautiful in all seasons. The fall foliage is particularly colorful. Visit my website to see photos of fothergilla in the spring. I get more questions about Burning Bush ( Euonymus alata "Compactus" ) than any other plant. I have no idea why. This is Yucca 'Golden Sword' growing with Pineapple Sage ( Salvia elegans ).

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so let's turn our attention from gardening to another of my favorite subjects - food! Everyone loves my Pumpkin Cake Roll and I always make it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Although it looks intimidating, it is not! Trust me, if I can do it, anybody can. Here are all the ingredients that you will need: 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup pumpkin 1 tsp. lemon juice 3/4 cup flour 1 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ginger 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 tsp. cloves 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup finely chopped pecans Filling: 1 cup powdered sugar 6 oz. cream cheese, softened 4 TB. butter, softened 1/2 tsp. vanilla First, beat the eggs at high speed for about 5 minutes. Gradually add the sugar. The egg and sugar mixture should be lighter in color and look like this - Stir in the pumpkin and lemon juice. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt together and FOLD it into the mixture. Spread the mixture into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 pan. Lini...

After blowing the leaves (again!), I took some photos yesterday of the garden. I mentioned earlier that fall seemed to arrive late this year and now it is lingering. Our first average frost date is November 4. It is now November 22 and we still haven't had a killer frost yet. The color is peaking now and the leaves are falling in a frenzy. The border alongside the driveway is planted with dogwood, oakleaf hydrangea, azalea, mahonia and rhododendron. Around the corner, another border with Encore azalea, hydrangeas and camellias. The Japanese maples are wonderful this time of year - The garden on the north side of the house lies under a yoshino cherry tree planted with hydrangea, camellias, cast iron plant and perennials. Around the corner to the front of the house with the new no-mow lawn. The Japanese Maple is "Boskoop Glory". Over to the south end of the house and the pathway alongside the patio which sits above the lower garden- I...

Strobilanthes dyerianus , better known as "Persian Shield", features iridescent, colorful leaves of purple, green and silver. I've always grown it in a container, where it starts out slow but eventually gets very tall (about 2-3 ft.) by mid-summer. This plant loves the heat but wilts easily and it prefers semi-shade during the hottest part of the day. Unfortunately, it is very tender and turns to mush after the first frost. Cuttings can be taken and I read that it can be treated as a houseplant, although I haven't tried this. In containers, it looks nice with ferns, coleus, impatiens, caladiums or begonia. In the ground, I would use it with tropical-type plants like canna, elephant's ear and gingers.

Things that make you go hmmm ? Only one branch of our kousa dogwood has fall color - a deep burgundy and the rest of the tree is still green. Very odd, don't you think?

This recipe comes from the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I've tried several recipes from this book and they have been good. This is a key lime pie that has a layer of coconut-cream on the bottom. It is served frozen. It would be a great for a summer dessert but it is good any time of year. Florida Pie 1 9-inch graham cracker crust, fully baked and cooked, or a store-bought crust 1 1/3 c. heavy cream 1 1/2 c. shredded sweetened coconut 4 large eggs, separated 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/2 c. fresh Key (or regular) lime juice (from about 5 regular limes) 1/4 c. sugar Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the pie plate on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Put the cream and 1 cup of the coconut in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the cream is reduced by half and the mixture is slightly thicke...

This Sunday I will be doing a presentation at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Pine Street on "Gardens of the Shoals". I will be showing photos of gardens in the area, including our own garden, that I've written about for Alabama Gardener Magazine . So, if you need some motivation for next spring, do come by! The program starts at 11 a.m.

I hate to sound like a broken record but I LOVE CAMELLIAS! Right now, the sasanqua camellias are blooming. These are fall bloomers and their flowers are not as large and showy as the japonica camellias which bloom in late winter and early spring. The sasanquas have a delicate beauty about them with fragile blossoms that are quick to shatter if disturbed. This first photo is of "Bonanza" that is planted by the back door steps. This was one of the first camellias I ever planted. It is about 10 years old. It always blooms in late October. I've never had success in getting a close-up photo because the color (a bright fushcia) is hard to capture with a digital camera. "Cleopatra" - pale, delicate pink, crepe-like flowers. "Chansonette" - I just planted this one last year and was excited to see it blooming when we returned from vacation last week. "Pink Icicle" is a hybrid camellia with pink, peony-like flowers. This is one of the hardier varieties...

More vacation photos, this time from our annual visit to Eden State Park. We love this place and were pleased to see that they had done a lot of work during the past year. There were new stone pathways and a brand new entrance with a winding road surrounded by live oaks. The focal point of the property is a magnificent two-story home, owned by the Wesley family, a timber farming family, in the 1800s. In 1963, Lois Maxon bought and renovated the home, creating a showplace for her family heirlooms and antiques. The collection of Louis XVI furniture is the second largest in the United States. This house reminds me of the one in the film "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte". I keep expecting Bette Davis to appear on the top landing holding a rifle and yelling "YOU GIT OFF MY LAND!" The Spanish Moss is spectacular -  And the ferns growing on the massive trees -   The Beautyberry (Callicarpa) is always spectacular - The majority of plants on the property are camellias and I just...

We just got home yesterday from a week at Seacrest Beach in Florida. We go to Florida every October - this year was extra special because it was our 25th anniversary. It was a nice, relaxing week. The weather was nice - only one day of rain (we went shopping that day) and much warmer than last year. In fact, they were having somewhat of a heatwave. One day there was a record high of 86, a little too hot for us, but that only happened a few days. We didn't do much of anything except lay in the sun, read, eat and walk the beach. I read five books including the latest from my favorite writer Ruth Rendell ("The Monster In The Box") and the second book from Steig Larsson, "The Girl Who Played With Fire", both great books! The best thing was NOT listening to the news - I read somewhere to do that and what a stress reliever that is. I'm not a news junkie anyway but just not having to listen to people whine and grip about Obama, kids killing other kids, etc. I didn...