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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...
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Fiery Fall Colors

Dogwood (Cornus kousa) 'Celestial Shadow'
The autumn colors here are still magnificent. We have yet to have a freeze and I love how the temperatures stay on an even scale, just dipping ever so slowly. The overnight temperatures are averaging around 40 with the daytime highs around 50. The gray wet weather pattern that dominates the winter season has begun.

Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) (seedling)
The two Japanese Maples that flank our back deck have been very slow in turning color but all of a sudden they are spectacular. These were unnamed varieties and I chose them mainly because they were large specimens at a decent price. They have put on quite a bit of growth this year.


Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'
An existing Japanese Maple in the front yard is "Bloodgood". It too has grown well but there is significent bark damage and I am reluctantly considering replacing it. I would like a taller tree for that spot. It pains me to dig this one up though.
Acer palmatum ‘Murasaki Kiyohime’
A dwarf Japanese Maple, also already in existence, is planted next to the front door stoop. It is 'Murasaki Kiyohime' and it has been slow to change color.

Acer palmatum 'Shaina'
 'Shaina' was just added earlier this summer. That is Japanese Blood Grass planted at the base.

 Some more trees and shrubs showing off their fall finery -

Dwarf Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea 'Kelseyi')
 
Barberry (Berberis thunbergii 'Orange Rocket')

Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica)
 
Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum)

And lastly, although not really fitting the "colorful" category, is nevertheless an amazing plant at the moment - the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus). This is a new plant for me and I am loving it.
Strawberry Tree (Arbutus)



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Lisa at GreenbowNovember 12, 2017 at 3:39 PM

    Fine fall foliage. I too like the looks of this Strawberry Tree but what attribute gives it it's name? The red stems? Interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Phillip OliverNovember 12, 2017 at 10:06 PM

    Lisa, it produces a small, red fruit that resembles a strawberry.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MulchMaidNovember 12, 2017 at 10:09 PM

    These are all gorgeous but I am particularly happy to hear you are growing to love one of my favorites, the beautiful Manzanita species. Is your strawberry tree A. unedo, or a cultivar?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverNovember 13, 2017 at 8:19 AM

      I think it is unedo.

      Delete
    2. AaronNovember 14, 2017 at 7:53 AM

      Various sources claim that the fruit on Arbutus unedo are edible. For instance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXxTMupwbFY

      Delete
  4. Alyse LansingNovember 13, 2017 at 12:37 AM

    What fantastic japanese maples! They do seem to take their time, don't they? I could never remember their foliage-turning time very well until one year at Thanksgiving, for our guests, my window was filled with the bright yellow J-maple, sun shining through it. I remember it also because of the photos from that day. Funny, how I need the photos to remember. Wow--that Shaina & Bloodgrass!

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  5. chavlinessNovember 13, 2017 at 8:24 AM

    The strawberry tree is a favorite of mine. I love everything about it, especially that it has fruit and flowers at the same time. Plus, the fruit is eatable.

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  6. Debbie TeashonNovember 14, 2017 at 8:02 AM

    That cornus is fabulous! Your garden is a riot. Of color that is.

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  7. UnknownNovember 14, 2017 at 2:18 PM

    Nice that so many things are late to color up. I'm for keeping the parade going as long as possible.

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  8. LINDA from Each Little WorldNovember 15, 2017 at 8:03 PM

    That Acer and blood grass combo is gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  9. RobinLNovember 24, 2017 at 4:33 PM

    You’re right, your fall colors truly are magnificent! Swoon! I miss our autumn colors already.

    ReplyDelete

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