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Rhododendron 'Blue Baron' Greetings from a wet, wet garden. In between rains, I've managed to get a few photos... (And sorry for the erratic quality of these. I have a new phone and still learning how to use it. Some of these are from the phone and others from my camera). Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' ('Dancing Peacock') Flowering Currant ( Ribes sanguineum ) 'King Edward VII' Clematis 'Stolwijk Gold' is beautiful for the first time after languishing in the garden for five years. Turns out, it is all my fault. This is a clematis that should not be cut to the ground in early spring. You live and learn, and I know that I will never understand the rules of pruning clematis.  Clematis 'Stolwijk Gold'  Aucuba japonica 'Rozannie' - the aucuba that doesn't really look like the others.  But what a fine shrub this is, especially for shady situations. This was planted in 2019 and didn't grow much for the first few years but n...
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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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