Dirt Therapy

Cornus kousa (dogwood) "Wolf Eyes" Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Week 2 of my interim vacation and I have spent little time in my own garden. I've got to get on the ball with Master Gardeners visiting next week and I may possibly advertise another open garden date for next weekend. The hydrangeas are really beautiful this year. Anyway, I digress. I told you earlier that I spent some time cleaning up the landscaping around Michael's salon. I've also been engrossed in another project at my mother's house in Franklin County - a raised bed vegetable garden. In our garden, we have one tiny spot for vegetables (tomatoes and peppers) and good grief, that is under a dogwood tree. However, the few peppers and tomatoes do well there. My mother has tons of sun and plenty of room. She also has horrible clay soil and after it rains, it sounds like you are walking across a water mattress. Planting vegetables in the ground would be suicide so I knew that raised beds would be the only way to go. I've been putting off this project for yea...

Thanks for the comments - it looks like the plant in question is Adenophora lilifolia. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

The Master Gardeners took a field trip to Maria Wall's garden on Saturday. I've been there countless times but I never tire of touring her garden and I'm always amazed at what she has accomplished. That is Maria in the photo on the right standing next to a bed of giant hostas and azaleas. She is under 5' tall but don't let that deceive you! We first met Maria when we were just starting out garden. A co-worker of Michael's lived in Maria's neighborhood and arranged a visit with her. Every beginning gardener should visit someone like Maria - you will either go home full of inspiration or feel like a wimp after seeing what she had done. First of all, her garden is on a steep hill. The front lawn is covered in lush green moss and punctuated with beds of ferns, hosta and azaleas. Another small area lies in back of the house, which features a fish pond and a collection of flowers that attract hummingbirds. This is the only area that gets sun. From there...

Behind Michael's salon, between his parking lot and an adjacent lot, lies a "hell strip" that is anywhere from 60 - 80 feet long and about 10 feet wide. The strip is city-owned but abandoned. No one kept the Johnson grass and weeds mowed so we attempted to do it ourselves (or rather I did). This got old fast and if you know me, you know that mowing is not my favorite activity anyway. So, I started landscaping it. The area is in full blazing sun, surrounded on both sides by asphalt and the soil was terrible. I started planting roses, daylilies, iris and any leftover plants from our own garden plus anything I came across that was on sale at the nurseries. At first I thought it was going to be a hopeless disaster. I didn't have time to keep up with the weeds or water. A yearly application of leaf mulch helped but the Johnson grass and ground ivy was hard to keep under control. As with our own garden, the plan started taking shape after a while. I had been s...

I'm posting a day early to Gardener's Bloom Day (where garden bloggers post photos of what is blooming in their gardens on the 15th of each month). I'm taking a break from showing roses, although you will find a few here, and posting photos of other bloomers. Clematis "Betty Corning" was just planted last year and has a few blooms this year. Butterfly Weed ( Asclepias tuberosa ), tender perennial, butterfly and hummingbird magnet, likes well drained soils. Clethra "Little Henry" - Not as large as the regular Virginia Sweetspire. Iris "Edith Wolford" was a gift from Randy and Jamie . I'm not sure what this iris is although I believe I've been told before. This one spreads rapidly and the deep purple color is lovely. Iris pseudacorus - old fashioned Flag iris. Peony "Raspberry Sundae" - yes, peonies can be grown in Alabama but they usually don't last long and rain ruins the bl...

Thanks to all who came by last weekend to see the garden. The garden will be open again this coming weekend as well. Also thanks to Steve Bender, Southern Living's "Grumpy Gardener" for making a long drive up last week. It rained out the photographers on Monday but perhaps another time. "Rambling Rector", also known as the rose that ate the pergola, is really going to town right now. You may recall that I wanted to get rid of this rose because it was too rampant and the bloom time seems all too brief. However, when it is in its glory, it really commands your attention. "Buff Beauty" blooms much longer with buds that open over a prolonged period of time. I love the color variations. Looking through the pergola with "Buff Beauty" at the end. "Nearly Wild" surrounds the fountain inside the circular hedge. "Veilchenblau" often called "The Blue Rose" is another favorite and is beautiful every year...

Happy Mother's Day! Do you think this day was intentionally scheduled to coincide with the optimal time for roses to bloom? Hmmmm.... Here are a few rose photos from this morning. Today is going to be a cool and sunny day, perfect for looking at roses. Our garden will be open again this afternoon so stop by if you'd like! Growing next to the pergola is the white cascading rose "Rambling Rector" and the pink "Gartendirektor Otto Linne" below. "Moonlight" in the background next to the bench. Out next to the street is "Marjorie Fair", a rose that always elicits comments and questions. Outside the fence next to our driveway entrance is a hedge of "Gartendirektor Otto Linne". The rugosa rose "FJ Grootendorst" with Sedum "Autumn Joy" growing underneath. The climbing rose, "Aloha" I'll try to get more rose photos posted later. All you mothers out there, enjoy your day! Text and ph...

My latest article for Alabama Gardener is in the May issue that is on the stands now. It is a profile of the garden of Dee and Charles Hubbert who live here in Florence. Here are some of the photos - Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy