Dirt Therapy

It was sad leaving Pam Harper's garden but the journey continues. Driving about one hour south to Norfolk was the Norfolk Botanical Gardens which had been recommended by Pam and others. Along the way, we drove through some torrential downpours (ah the memory of rain!), went through some scary tunnels and across enormous bridges. The rain had stopped once we arrived at the gardens but it had turned hot and steamy. This was the only time during our trip that we experienced hot temperatures. A guided tour on a tram was just about to depart so we jumped on board. As soon as we pulled out from the welcome center, the rain started again. Thankfully it was a covered tram. The tram took us through the major parts of the garden. Most impressive was the Flowering Arboretum, a massive field with the biggest tree specimens I had ever seen. Even the smaller trees, like crabapples and crape myrtles, were huge! Since we were moving, I wasn't about to get good photos, so we decided...

This is Canna "Panache" that we purchased at Plant Delights. This was a plant that I first read about in Pam Harper's book "Time Tested Plants" and it has been on my wish list for a long time. It is rather unique looking for a canna, don't you think? The blooms look a little tired from the heat but it is performing nicely and growing fast. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

One of the most thrilling events on our vacation was visiting Pam Harper's garden in Seaford, Virginia. She is an award winning garden writer, photographer, and plantswoman extraordinaire. After her arrival in the United States from England in 1968, she began gardening on two acres near the tidal creeks of Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. She has tended that garden for more than 40 years and shared her experiences through her lectures and writings. She has authored five gardening books – The Story of a Garden (1972) ,  Perennials: How to Select, Grow and Enjoy (1982) , Designing with Perennials (1991) , Color Echoes (1994) ,  Time-Tested Plants: Thirty Years in a Four-Season Garden (2000)  – and earned awards from the Garden Writers Association of America and the America Horticultural Society. In the beginning, most all of my gardening knowledge came from books and Pam Harper's books were particularly wonderful and to this day remain ones that I turn to ofte...