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Swapping Huckleberries

Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album)  Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere.  I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted - It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide.  Last year, it started to look bad.  I cut it back but it had not improved and this is how it looked a few weeks ago - I decided to rip it out and plant another huckleberry - this time Vaccinium ovatum , more commonly known as the "Evergreen Huckleberry".  This is a plant that I've wanted for ages and kept putting off getting one because I could not find a good place for it. By most accounts, this is an amazing plant, a native one and excellent for
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Winter Is Here

hinoki-cypress
Cones on Hinoki Cypress

Our first full year in the Pacific Northwest has definitely been one for weather records. One year ago today, we got a light snow and later in January we got almost a foot. Summer brought a lot of really hot days (I can't remember if there was a record number or not). Now, we are experiencing an unusual dry spell. This has happened about eight times in the past. The present stretch of dry days is expected to last a week or so. During the last week, we also got our first major frost.

strawberry-plants-frost
Strawberry plants

The frost is pretty but it is so cold. Last night the temperature dipped into the upper 20s. I brought the last of the tender potted plants from the deck into the garage just last week.

rose-frost
No more roses for a while

ornamental-grass-hamelyn
Pennisetum alopecuriodes 'Hameln'

mugo-pine-frost

Pinus mugo 'Aurea' (Mugo Pine)


lettuce-frost
Not sure if it will help or not, but I covered the lettuce and cabbage although I forgot to cover this patch.

aster-frost

I am taking advantage of the dry weather and continuing work on the terraced area. My goal is to get this section completed over the winter months. That is, if the weather and my budget will cooperate. I have been so discouraged by the price of rocks. The small section you see below was a full load and you can see they don't go far...

steps-wall


garden-steps

And the Christmas decorations are up...
xmastree


mailbox-christmas Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. organicgardendreamsDecember 9, 2017 at 7:31 PM

    Hi Phillip, the frost looks so pretty on your plants! I love the tiny cones on the Hinoki Cypress. I probably couldn't resist to use some branches for the Christmas decoration indoors.
    The dry stack wall that you started to build looks fabulous. I think you really will enjoy it in the years to come, so the investment is well worth it.
    Last but not least gorgeous Christmas tree. Happy 2nd of Advent!
    Warm regards,
    Christina

    ReplyDelete
  2. debsgardenDecember 9, 2017 at 7:39 PM

    Hi Philip, last night our temps here in Alabama dropped into the upper 20s also. Winter has definitely arrived! I love your close-up images of the frosty foliage. They are quite beautiful. About the cost of those rocks: I sympathize. I once bought a load of rocks, and a Mexican delivered them for me. He mentioned that in his country such rocks lay everywhere and were free for the taking. He laughed and said, "You Americans will pay for anything!"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lisa at GreenbowDecember 10, 2017 at 5:17 AM

    I have never seen cones on a Hinoki Cypress. My HC is too young to have cones but I have seen more mature plants around here and never a cone on them. They are beautiful. I hope my Hinoki grows up to have these cones. I understand the pain of having to pay for rocks especially when I know people that fuss about all the rocks they have to pull out of their fields. If their fields were around here I would oblige them by bringing loads of them to my garden to make walls. I love stone walls. They give such personality to a garden. Your terraced area will be such a handsome addition to the garden. Good luck with it. The corner windows are a perfect setting for your Christmas tree. Keep warm.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AlisonDecember 10, 2017 at 9:08 AM

    Ah, your pictures of frost are so pretty! I was wondering if frost would eventually hit you folks down near Portland. We've been getting overnight frost up in the Seattle area for the past week. It takes all morning to dissipate and warm up, which makes working in the garden difficult. I don't like the cold any more than I like extreme heat. Your terraced area is looking good, it's really coming along nicely.

    ReplyDelete
  5. danger gardenDecember 10, 2017 at 10:56 AM

    Beautiful frosty photos, still no frost at our house. The winds from the Columbia River Gorge are keeping things stirred up just enough I guess. The last shot, of the decorations on the mailbox, is so pretty I thought "I should do something like that!"...then I remembered we don't have a mailbox at the street. Oh well...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rainy Day GardenerDecember 11, 2017 at 6:18 PM

    Philip! What gorgeous frosty pictures! The color of your Aurea, mugo pine, is beautiful!! My 'Louie' eastern white pine hasn't turned a golden hue yet...I'm waiting. I understand your pain about the price of hardscaping material. My projects are on hold as well, but you are making progress and it will be worth it after all the saving and sacrifice! Happy Winter!!

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  7. http://whatsitgarden.blogspot.comDecember 11, 2017 at 8:13 PM

    Lovely frosty photos ! You must have braved the cold for a bit . I was complaining about the all the rain , now I'm too cold to enjoy the frosty garden .

    ReplyDelete
  8. chavlinessDecember 12, 2017 at 10:10 AM

    I never had cones on my HC either, maybe because it's a dwarf. I love what you are doing with the terraces: one full load at a time, you'll get there. Pinus mugo 'Aurea' is so bright it really stands out this time of year.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AaronDecember 13, 2017 at 7:34 PM

    Beautiful photos and holiday decorations.

    You sir, are an artist!

    ReplyDelete
  10. SallysmomDecember 15, 2017 at 10:14 AM

    What a great Christmas tree!

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousDecember 16, 2017 at 12:41 PM

    Phillip, it's all beautiful with the light dusting of frost. Merry Christmas to you and Michael. I hope it's your best yet. Why are rocks so danged expensive I wonder? They are here too.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  12. sweetbayDecember 17, 2017 at 8:43 AM

    The cones on the conifer look like frosted cranberries in that picture. All of your frosty pictures are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete

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