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Waterwise Gardening - a book review

Waterwise Gardening: Everything You Need To Know About Efficient Watering to Grow a Healthy Yard by Richard Restuccia Published by Rizzoli, 2025 I would guess that watering is the major issue that most gardeners grapple with, especially novice gardeners. I know from working at the nursery that the majority of questions and issues we get stem from either watering too much or not watering enough.  Many people in our area have sprinkler systems and I'm sure that can be a good thing if used properly but I feel that they primarily keep the lawns green but fall short for landscape plants. Especially when it comes to trees and larger plants, the timing and amounts are not satisfactory for many plants. I often hear people say that their sprinklers are set to come on every day - yikes! And there are those who did not water because it "rained" when it actually drizzled.  The best thing to do in this situation is to have a xeric garden but that would mean sacrificing favorite plant...

Snow & Ice

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16) 
It started snowing yesterday around 1pm and continued for the remainder of the afternoon. Sleet and rain followed and is still lingering today. We did not have too many travel problems - I actually made it into work in Portland yesterday. My ice-encased vehicle was the most frustrating problem. It took forever to dethaw. 

Although temperatures hovered around the freezing mark, it felt much colder. The wind was just ferocious. Someone previously told me that it is the wind that is more detrimental to plants than cold temperatures. I covered a few tender plants with pots and I put a plastic sheet over my new camellia with all the buds. It will be interesting to see how everything copes.

These are some photos I took this morning.


Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)

Snow & Ice, Vancouver, WA (12/9/16)


Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. I'm so glad to see these pictures. I've read the forecasts but have not seen the results until now. The rose lying in the snow is very poignant. The mailbox and decorations with the snow crystals ... just perfect.

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  2. Glad you managed to stay safe. I'm not a fan of either snow or ice. It does make pretty pictures though.

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  3. Despite the ice and wind your place looks cheerful with the red ribbons and greenery to greet the world. It sounds like you have your garden all tucked in good for the winter season.

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  4. Hi Philip, I do love your fence. Your garden is really shaping up. Your images look wintry! We heard it was snowing up there. Temps are going below freezing here, and with more rain predicted - who knows, we may get snow in Alabama! I could do without frigid wind, however. And ice, especially on roadways.

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  5. This post is so beautiful that maybe even *I* could learn to like winter!

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  6. The rose-in-the-snow photo is great, if poignant. Based on several PNW blog posts the past couple days on frost and snow and ice--must be fun to photograph, but does a camera start to freeze up? Does the lens get frosty? I can't imagine that weather.

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  7. Your pictures are lovely, especially appreciated from outside the reach of your horrible ice storm. Glad you and your garden are safe and sound!

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