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Professional Pruning

I rarely resort to hiring help in the garden but I'm learning that sometimes it is wise to do so and worth every penny. Case in point - some hideous out-of-control trees that were beyond my ability to deal with. If I were smarter, I would have tackled these issues from the beginning but I didn't know better. The first is a pear tree that was planted along the back fence line. I've worked on this for the past several years, every year with the intent of reducing the height or possibly removing it altogether. As you can see in the photo, I had cut back everything but three limbs and finally realized that it would be dangerous for me to try and bring them down. The limbs grow straight up into the air and the remaining three are about 20 feet tall.  After -- there is a hole in the sky view but the tree should fill in nicely for a good screen and I can keep it trimmed down from this point forward. Farther down along the fence line, and the view from the deck, are two massive pho

Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

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We drove to Woodburn, Oregon (about one hour south of Portland) on Monday to visit the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. Last weekend, over 70,000 people were there! The crowd was not bad at all the day we were there but there was a continuous line of cars coming in as we left. It was quite a spectacular sight.


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Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. What lucious color. I have always wanted to see a spectacle like this.

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  2. We went to the Skagit Valley Tulip festival last weekend (north of Seattle). The dates for the festival are firm even if the weather changes the dates of the floral display--nevertheless, it was peak festival timing. Luckily, we wanted to do other things in the area, anyway. When we got there, the tulips had been "topped" to prevent rain going down the stem and spoiling the bulb. So, if you miss the peak show, it's not like you'll still have plenty of slightly overblown flowers to look at...they level the fields...there's nothing but bare soil! Glad you were able to appreciate a beautiful floral display.

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  3. Oh my! Now I'm a fan of the Holland Michigan Tulip Festival, and I'm going there in a few weeks. But this makes that one look wimpy! Lovely Philip, I'm sure you enjoyed it. Your photos are great!

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  4. What a glorious array of tulips, Phillip! We are expecting a major storm this weekend so I spent some time today gazing at my paltry few before they are squashed by snow. I'm enjoying catching up on your blog since your move. A fresh palette - exciting!

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  5. Wow. I did not know such sights existed outside of the Netherlands! Great shots, Phillip :)

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  6. I love seeing the tulip fields in all of their glory! I'm glad you got to see this and even happier that you shared your great shots with us! Did you get a catalog? Did you select bulbs to order for this fall?

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  7. I love seeing the tulip fields in all of their glory! I'm glad you got to see this and even happier that you shared your great shots with us! Did you get a catalog? Did you select bulbs to order for this fall?

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  8. This looks over-the-top, but in the best way. What an opportunity, and what good photos.

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  9. wow!!!! what a beautiful display!

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  10. WOW! I would have thought you were in Holland; fantastic that this is in Oregon! I guess this means you can grow tulips there. I am jealous, as tulips wimp out after only a year or two in my garden.

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  11. Wow! At first I thought you might have gone to Holland!!!

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  12. So spectacular! Looks just like Holland!

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