Dirt Therapy

Happy Thanksgiving from a dark and stormy looking Vancouver, Washington. I know people think I am weird (I am) when I say that I like the weather to be dreary on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I just love the cozy atmosphere it provides when you are inside cooking and puttering about. Plus sunny days make me feel guilty that I should be outside doing something in the garden. As I made my way through the garden with the compost pot this morning, I noticed that there is still some color and beauty on this late day in November. The Japanese maple above is next to the back deck. It was an unnamed variety and it is very late to change color. It just started changing during the last week. The Persian Parrotia (Ironwood) wins the award for holding on to the majority of its leaves. Very few have fallen and it has been brightly colored for about a month now. Ironwood (Persian Parrotia) The Katsura is also pretty but it has already faded quite a bit. I have never noticed t...

We've had a few frosts during the last week. There were still lots of blooms left in the garden so I cut a few of them before the cold snap.  The rose 'Gold Medal', one of our favorite hybrid teas, is sending up 6 feet stalks that we see outside the bathroom window. The hydrangeas are still covered with dramatic, dark purple balls of color. I don't have many dahlias in the garden and I don't recall where the orange one came from but it is very pretty. Dahlias are to be dug up after the first frost so that is a chore I must do this week. There is another pretty pom-pom dahlia called 'Lolipop' in the front garden that I purchased at a Master Gardener plant sale shortly after we moved. I have been very pleased with Baby's Breath (Gypsophila) although it has gotten much bigger than expected. It is too tall for the front of the border it resides in and I would like to transplant it before spring. And in the rear is the remnants of Goldenrod, a good fi...

Don't get too excited. I am not offering a contest to meet the esteemed British actress but I do have news that she now has a rose named after her. The David Austin roses for Spring 2019 have been introduced with three beautiful additions for gardeners in the United States and Canada. From the press release: Here are detailed descriptions of the 2019 North American introductions provided by Michael Marriott, technical director and senior rosarian of David Austin Roses Ltd in Albrighton, England. For more on these and on the full collection of 114 English Rose varieties now available to North American gardeners, see www.davidaustinroses.com .   English Rose ‘Dame Judi Dench’ (PPAF) 'Dame Judi Dench’ is an apricot English Rose with an arching habit that marries lissome beauty with robust garden performance,” says Marriott. The large flowers are a rich, sun-kissed shade of apricot that pales prettily toward the edges. Blooming starts with plump, red-tipped bu...

This is the view outside our front window right now. I finally decided on the Ginkgo variety 'Princeton Sentry', which grows in an upright, conical habit. I think it provides some height and adds more definition to the area. It just started changing color a few days ago and did it all at once, overnight it seems. Notice the huge maple on the right across the street - it is absolutely stunning right now especially when the late evening sun hits it. It absolutely glows. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

'Buff Beauty' 'Coral Cove' 'Cornelia' 'Essex' 'Golden Celebration' 'Mary Rose' 'Chinatown' 'Lady Emma Hamilton' 'Red Eden' 'Tequila Sunrise' Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Snakeroot ( Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate') and Bear's Breeches ( Acanthus mollis )  I am starting off Bloom Day with one of my favorite plants at the moment - Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' (aka 'Snakeroot'). This is a plant that a co-worker recommended and it is lovely right now in the shady border under the dogwood tree. Next to it is Bear's Breeches ( Acanthus mollis ) which is also beginning to look good but it hasn't bloomed yet). Other bloomers in the mid-October garden - My favorite coreopsis - 'Red Satin' Aster lateriflorus 'Prince' is completely smothered in blooms Agastache 'Electric Punch' Helenium 'Bishop' Colchicum (Autumn Crocus) - I love these. There were two clumps already here when we moved in. They are in a bad spot though and I want to transplant them. Peruvian Lily (Altromeria 'Colorita Kate') Begonias Rudbeckia fulgida 'Little Goldstar') S...

The front border along the street I am deeply saddened by the destruction and loss of lives from Hurricane Michael (of all names!). If you've read my blog in the past, you probably know that every year in late October, we would go to the Florida panhandle for our anniversary. Although we never stayed in Mexico Beach, we were just right up the road on Highway 30-A and sometimes in Destin. If you've seen my vacation photos (just type in "Florida" in the search box), you know that it is a spectacularly beautiful area. I don't know how the neighboring communities have fared but I do hope that they can recover from this as soon as possible. We miss going there every year. On to cheerier things - autumn is arriving in the Pacific Northwest and the colors are beautiful. I love this time of year. The rainy season, which is usually here by now, has been delayed. We did get some much needed rain for three or four days in a row last week but now it is back in the...