Dirt Therapy

Margie Anderton is a fascinating person. She is an expert on wildflowers, native plants, hummingbirds and gardening in general. Her energy knows no bounds, whether it is organizing local garden clubs and field trips to taking care of her large garden and farm in Killen. And what a garden this is! I photographed it in the very early spring, just as wildflowers were beginning to open, through the spring and late summer.  There is always something unique to see when you visit, no matter what the season. Large borders of native plants, shrubs, grasses and perennials are punctuated by old garden and household implements as well as stunning carved pieces created by her late husband. Hummingbirds are another attraction. A fence row outside her back door is populated by feeders which attracts hundreds of the tiny birds. Every summer, she has a hummingbird banding party, and asks everyone to bring a bag of sugar to help keep her feeders stocked. Seeing so many hummingbirds at one time...

Michael and I went to Memphis today to visit our friend Joann and to see an Impressionist art exhibit at two museums - the Brooks Museum of Art and the Dixon Gallery. Both were awesome but the Dixon Gallery was my favorite because of the beautiful gardens that surrounded it. Most of the gardens were shaded and the woodland garden was beautifully designed and featured dry shade plants. There were also interesting containers throughout with unusual choices of plants. Unfortunately, when we returned home, Joann called and said that we completely missed the formal garden! Oh well - another excuse to return to Memphis soon! Two large containers flanked the entrance to the gardens which held rosemary and dicondra. I've never seen a smoke tree in a container until today. A sunny section of the garden featured this beautiful pool. There were beautiful water lilies growing in it but my photos didn't turn out well. This container included a rubber plant,...

**Note: I made this a second time with some alterations and it was even better. Omit the almond extract and instead add the juice of one lemon and 1 tsp. of lemon extract. If you like a more tart and lemony flavor, this will do it!**   I wanted to make something fast and easy and was limited on ingredients. I found this recipe in the book "Classic Southern Desserts" and it turned out to be delicious. Michael really loved it. It has a light, delicate flavor, very subtle. Needless to say, it did not last long!   Ingredients 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teas...

The winner is Darla of More Family and Flowers blog. Congratulations Darla and thanks to everyone who entered! Who knew that the plant kingdom could be so dangerous? In "Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Atrocities", author Amy Stewart presents an A-Z encyclopedia of over 200 plants that can make you sick, cripple you or even kill you. Many of these plants could be lurking in your backyard although many come from far reaches of the world. Stewart weaves fascinating botanical facts with folklore, mythology, medicine and pop culture. This 4 CD audiobook (4.5 hours) is read by Coleen Marlo who was chosen Audiobook Reader of the Year for 2010 by Publisher's Weekly. One lucky winner will receive a copy. To enter, leave a comment to this post and include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you are the winner. The contest is open through midnight Tuesday, August 23. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

With the exception of having to go get a poison ivy shot first thing this morning, today was a lovely day. At 3pm today, the temperature was 81! That is not a typo - 81 in August. Heaven! I didn't want to do anything strenuous and get sweaty since it interferes with the poison ivy so I put the hedge trimming on the back burner and just enjoyed the day at a leisurely pace, watering and fertilizing, mowing and some light pruning here and there. I am not a snake lover so I got quite a jolt when I walked up the side gate to water the portulaca and saw this - This green snake is quite harmless and it eats insects in the garden. I know that now so when I come across one, I don't panic. I watched this guy for about 30 minutes. He stayed in this position for quite a while slowly making his way down the opposite side.  He actually looks like he is smiling, doesn't he? He lingered here before turning back up and heading toward the pots of portulaca. He crawled ha...