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A Visit to Cistus Nursery

I rarely go to nurseries anymore since I work part-time at one and another reason being that I don't have much room for additional plants. When a garden fanatic runs out of room, the brain goes into overdrive, dreaming up ingenious ways to incorporate more plants. And another thing happens - a burning desire to obtain rare and unique plants. I've been moving plants around, a tricky process that has a domino effect. A plant is unhappy - it is getting too much shade or perhaps too much sun. There is a plant that did not get as large as you thought it would or it is just a slow grower and now it is hopelessly hidden behind a taller plant. Sometimes a plant is just a dud for reasons unknown (Rhododendron 'Golden Gate' anyone?). I find the plant in question a better home, but it means that another plant will have to be moved. And the merry-go-round continues to turn... However, for those plants that are to be discarded, a space opens up for a new one! I decided to move a Mou...
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Waiting for the fall color



Despite us having a drought-free summer, I am afraid that we have been paying the price for it this fall. It has been extremely dry for over a month now. There has been rain around us, especially in Colbert County, but every time a mass of rain heads this way, it tends to break up when it gets to the Tennessee River. Last weekend the weather forecasters screwed up big time when they predicted a 70% percent change of rain and we ended up getting nothing! They are saying the same thing for this coming Monday but I am refusing to listen to them.

Yesterday, I turned the sprinklers on in areas that needed it the most. Really the entire garden looks pretty pathetic. The garden wall area (above) was the only spot worth photographing. 

Also, the Hardy Orange (Poncirus) is covered with small fruit.  


The fall color has yet to arrive but it is usually late here - sometimes well into November. I have noticed a few trees around town changing color.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. sweetbayNovember 15, 2014 at 11:24 AM

    I have noticed that a long dry spell before the leaves change is a real death knell for fall color. Luckily that didn't happen here this year, but in dry years past the red maples -- usually our chief source if color -- would barely change and the leaves would just fall off.

    Drought is very frustrating.

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