Dirt Therapy

I wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy new year. For some reason, the spirit has just not hit me this year and I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow. I do have all of my shopping done but the excitement isn't there. I wanted to share photos of the German Chocolate Cake I made for Christmas dinner. This is Michael's favorite cake and this is the best recipe I have found for it. It is rich, moist and has a wonderful flavor. Dutch process cocoa makes a big difference so I highly recommend that you use it. It is hard to find (I order mine from Penzey's ) and I've yet to find it in a grocery store. Our new Publix doesn't even carry it. :( This recipe comes from the "Baked" boys - Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito, who own the Baked bakery in Brooklyn. The recipe is included in their first book Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.  Their new book is on my Christmas list - I wonder if I will be getting it? :) Here is the recipe: ...

My mother isn't able to cook anymore but she used to bake all the time. Peanut brittle was one of her specialties and she made it often.  I have never made it the way she did, which involved lots of stirring, using a candy thermometer (although I don't think she used one, she just knew when it was ready by the way it looked), and more stirring. Here is a simple recipe for making peanut brittle in the microwave and it is easy as 1-2-3. 1 cup sugar 1 cup raw peanuts 1/2 cup white corn syrup 1/2 tsp. salt 1 TBS. butter 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. baking soda You will need a microwave-proof container that will hold 2 quarts.  Stir together the peanuts, sugar, syrup and salt. Microwave on high for 8 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes. Add the butter and vanilla and stir. Microwave for an additio nal 2 minutes. Add the baking soda and stir gently until the mixture is light and foamy. Pour the mixtu re out onto a warm , buttered pan or a pan lined with aluminum fo...

Another extremely mild weekend with temperatures in the 70s. A change is on the way though with rain coming tomorrow and much colder winter-like temperatures. We need the rain. It has been very dry lately. I noticed there were lots of roses and camellias blooming right now and picked some yesterday. In the bouquet are roses "Mrs. B.R. Cant", "Knockout" and "Mrs. Dudley Cross". The camellias are "Pink Icicle" and "Debutante". Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

It is December, right? Gorgeous weekend with temperatures in the lower 70s. I took some photos yesterday, did a few chores and changed into a T-shirt before heading to my mother's house in Franklin County. Here are some shots from the garden on December 2. Armandii clematis over the front gate Alabama Snow Wreath ( Neviusia alabamensis ), one of my favorite shrubs for fall color Camellia "Snow F lurry" Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena), already bitten by frost, against a ba ckdrop of ornamental grass Camellia "Pink Icicle" with Kerria in the background Oakleaf Hydrangea Oakleaf Hydrangea Rose "Mutabalis" Rose "Mrs. B.R. Cant" Mohawk Viburnu m with Holly "O'Spring" in the back Kerria jap onica Camellia "Debutante" Witch Hazel "Diane" Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

It seems I was a bit premature on my post about Japanese maples a few weeks ago. The "Boskoop Glory" was outrageously beautiful then but now all of its leaves have fallen. In the meantime, the "Bloodgood" that was rather drab next to it, has suddenly intensified.   In the back, next to the garage, is one of the most beautifully colored Japanese Maples and I don't know the name of it. It also sits next to a "Bloodgood" variety. The brilliant yellow and orange leaves next to the crimson of the "Bloodgood" is what I'm guessing must be like a religious experience! The Japanese Maples have never disappointed me with their fall color. You keep thinking that the color isn't going to be spectacular but you just have to be patient. It will come! Happy Thanksgiving! Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Japanese Maple "Boskoop Glory" Before we left for Florida last week, there was practically no fall color. I kept apologizing to a garden group from Huntsville because color-wise, there wasn't much to see. I guess you just have to be patient. Like last year, the color comes in November. I don't think this has always been the case but perhaps it is a result of the changing climate. When it happens though, it seems to occur overnight.  "Bosk oop Glory", the Japanese Maple at our f ront door. Notice on the opposite side how "Bloodgood" pales in comparison. It makes you wonder why "Bloo dgood" is so p referred in nurseries? Another famous Japanese Maple is "Sango Kaku". The bark turns red in the winter and is spectacular in all seasons. This maple is in our neighbor's yard. Not sure what kind it is. It is massive and the color is usually prettier than this. The maples are not the only tree with beautiful co...

We are back at home from our annual trip to the Florida coast. We spent an entire week in Santa Rosa Beach. This year Michael's aunt, cousin and our friend Joann went with us. We were able to rent a larger house and we loved it. I'm always looking for houses with lush landscaping and this time we hit the jackpot. The owners are avid gardeners and have created a spectacular cliffside garden filled with decks, pergolas, pathways and shrubs. The monarch butterflies were everywhere and we also saw many dragonflies, lizards and birds.  We arrived on Saturday with the dire predictions of a cold front coming through. This was distressing and the weather forecast changed every time you checked it. The front did come through on Monday and it was a bit chilly through Tuesday. We used those days for shopping. It warmed back up on Wednesday and the weather was fantastic the remainder of the week. So, we only had 2 un-beach-like days and with Sandy and all up the East Coast, I'm not c...

The Huntsville Master Gardeners visited our garden yesterday (unfortunately there is no fall color yet and very few blooms but aside from that, I hope they had a good time) and then Michael and I headed to Huntsville for the Fall Plant Sale. Of course, I had only planned on getting a "few things". Ha! Famous last words. Just last week, Michael had to trade in his Pathfinder for a new one due to electrical problems so here I go dirtying it up. He read somewhere to keep a shower liner for such purposes. It worked great and I don't think we got a speck of dirt anywhere.   We came home with: Cherrybark Oak (Quercus pagodifolia) Chinese Chestnut (Castanea species) Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica) Cypress "Carolina Sapphire" Winterberry Holly  Yellow-berried Holly American Beauty Berry Sourwood Azalea - Flame (R. calendulaceum)  Azalea - Confederate series Azalea - Aromi hybrid Virginia Sweetspire Sunflower Helianthus maximum) Fire Pink (Silene virginic...

It is time for the fall camellias. These are the "sasanqua" camellias (the ones that bloom in late winter through spring are "japonica"). The first sasanqua to bloom for me is "Hana Jiman". It is covered with lovely blooms right now. The blooms of the sasanqua camellias are not as showy as the Japonicas but shine in their own delicate charm. I absolutely love camellias and if we ever move to the woods, I plan on having a lot of them.   Another great sasanqua is "Bonanza" which grows next to our back door steps. For some reason, it has always been hard to photograph. It is pure red and just beginning to bloom. I regret that I did not plant one on the opposite side of the steps. "Yuletide", a Christmas blooming camellia is there and it is rather puny. This could be because the poor thing was moved 3 times before I put it in its present location.  Other sasanquas that will hopefully bloom soon are "Cleopatra" and "Cha...