Dirt Therapy

More lilies blooming this week - "Pizzazz" "Scheherazade" Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

T he owner of the R abbit Patch Daylily Garden is retiring after this year. He is having a great sale on his remaining daylilies.  Directions: From Cox Creek Parkway in Florence, take Chisholm North.  Turn right on County Road 28. He is on the right about a mile down the road. He has a sign out in front and also on Chisholm.  Phone # 256-764-1489 . Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

A few years ago, I was on a lily kick and ordered a collection from The Lily Garden .  I chose the Orienpet collection. They have performed nicely even if they don't receive as much sun as they would prefer. They are all leaning towards the sun. This could be good though because the company says that the vibrant color of these lilies tend to fade in harsh sunlight. The first one to bloom this year is "Silk Road" and it is loaded with blooms. All of these lilies are very tall, from 5 - 6 feet, and I've got to find a better way to stake them. Orienpet Lily "Silk Road" Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

One of the prettiest hydrangeas in the garden right now - Hydrangea "Charm" Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

I do hate the thought of going back to work tomorrow but I'm glad to say that I accomplished several projects during my time off. Kenneth & Toni, friends of ours, asked me to design a plan for a slope right outside their back door. I love their house. It sits on a steep hillside and reminds me of a Frank Lloyd Wright house. There are huge windows in front and you have a tree-house effect when you are inside. Outside, there are lots of trees and an open grassy area on the hill behind their house.   When you step outside to the back, via sliding doors, you step onto a deck and the landscape is above you. In other words, you look up to see it. There are two sections on either side, leading up to the lawn, and both sides need work. The section on the right, however, was totally blank with the exception of some juniper shrubs. There is also a large dogwood in the center so the area is shaded except for a few hours of morning sun. Neither Kenneth or Toni are gardeners so t...

Our pot-covered patio table. People often ask me questions about container gardening and I have to confess right off the bat that I am no expert when it comes to growing plants in pots. I much prefer taking care of in-ground plants. They are much more forgiving. I do admire beautiful containers overflowing with colorful flowers and eye-catching combinations and I admire the people who grew them because I know that they are a lot of work! They require attention and diligence. "Bonfire" begonia, gomphrena, Euphorbia "Diamond Frost" Every year I tell myself that I am not going to plant as many containers as I normally do. Then I proceed to not only plant as many as I did the previous year but I usually add more. My intentions are good. Containers fill in areas that need focal points and they add much needed color in the mid-summer when not much is blooming in the garden. When I'm planting the containers on a cool, pleasant spring day, I can easily convinc...