Skip to main content

Featured

A Closer Look at Winter Damage

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are noticeable casualties but no outright deaths that I have seen. The bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red') did not like the cold at all. It was planted six years ago, in the north-facing garden no less, and I've not experienced die-back on it until now. A local expert said to cut it all the way back so that is what I did. If it doesn't make it, I won't be too distraught. It is

Trip to Memphis - Dixon Gallery Gardens

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, ivy, and croton.



Dicondra and an assortment of evergreens.

If memory serves me correctly, the plant tag on this said it was a honeydew plants. I was
unfamiliar with it but I'm guessing it is tropical.



A Kousa dogwood - I've never seen so many berries on one.

The Woodland Garden included hosta, cardinal flower, grasses, epimedium, huechera and hellerbores.


This bed surrounding the statue was lined with maidenhair ferns.

A pathway through the Woodland Garden, which features dry shade plants.





Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. You mean there's more?
    What you saw is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your trip.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks formal to me. Great pics. Mary

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rosemary has to be brought in here to survive. It looks great in that urn with dicondra. I love the Cardinal plant and have never been able to establish it here. It is so striking where ever it is planted. Thanks for the tour.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'll have to find a place for the Kousa dogwood now. Love the berries on it. We need rain here. I had to water the weeds so I could pull them yesterday. Mary

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the use of woodies in containers, and the pond is just gorgeous! Also, that Kousa dogwood is stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Those gardens *are* beautiful. I will have to try dicondra in a container. It has such a wonderful draping effect.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful! I really like the rosemary/dicondra combination. And the kousa dogwood! I can't believe I missed this garden those years my son was at college in Memphis. We usually ended up on Beale Street.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for sharing this beautiful garden. I hope to see it one day for myself after seeing your pictures.
    I have an unrelated question, do you grow Angel's Trumpet, Datura?
    If so, can you give me some tips on growing it?
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Bloominganne, I do grow Angel's Trumpet and they are blooming now. I'll try and do a post on them later in the week.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Looks beautiful. Love the glasshouse and the Thalia dealbata growing in the second pool.

    The light looks bright. I like this time of year, the light starts to be less harsh.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the containers with the weeping dichondra. I say wow to all those Kousa berries too! Thanks for posting...I needed a garden tour.

    ReplyDelete
  12. That looks like a lovely garden, and I have never seen Dichondra used so well, or growing so well.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That dogwood is spectacular! Any idea what variety it is?

    ReplyDelete
  14. We are so lucky to have public gardens like this all over the country.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts