Dirt Therapy

The view from the front porch It seems that I have spent most of my time lately on the back garden pergola project and have neglected the front garden. The fact is that it is almost full already with only a few spots left for smaller plants. Plant, plant, plant seems to be the only chore I do lately. Working at a nursery accelerates matters and I keep bringing home plants. I am hopeless! Is there a 12-step program? Someone please sign me up. But how do I resist such temptations like this Chamaecyparis 'Mariesii' that came in this week? Chamaecyparis obtuse 'Mariesii' I took some wide-shot photos this afternoon and while things are looking pretty good, all I see are mistakes and tasks to do in the future. The photo at the top of the page is the view from the front porch. The only plant on the property when we moved in was the 'Bloodgood' Japanese maple at the left. The tree in the center is the Ginkgo that I put in last year. Note the area on...

Every day, it seems that there is another dire story in the news about the environment and the future of the planet. Bee populations are in decline and monarch butterflies have decreased by 80% in the past 20 years. Various causes are at play but the most obvious is that natural habitats are being eliminated. It seems that every time I venture out, I see another tract of trees being cut down to build houses so close together that it looks like the future residents would have very little room to grow anything. It is disheartening and alarming especially when no one seems to care, even government officials. I know that gardeners do care, however, and as bleak as it seems, we press on and the majority of us do what we can to bring wildlife into our gardens. It can be a daunting task, however, and I confess that I am just learning things such as how to attract mason bees to the garden. Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife  by David Mizejewski (a naturalist ...

Last weekend, I got to see a garden that I had wanted to see for a long time. I first saw Bruce Wakefield and Jerry Grossnickle's garden on an episode of "A Gardener's Diary" on HGTV. It was one of my favorite shows and aired when HGTV actually had gardening shows. I had no idea at the time that I would one day live close enough to actually see their garden in person as well as work with Bruce on the HPSO board.  The garden did not disappoint and was worth the wait. It is like a botanical garden and so many plants that I had no idea what they were. It was a perfect day to see the garden. I was a bit rushed and needless to say, overwhelmed. I hope to return again when their garden will be open again in June. A horse chesnut tree was the first thing I saw when entering the garden. The garden is located on two acres and it is situated on a steep slope that has winding pathways that lead to various gardens.  This water feature (as well as the...

Happy Bloom Day for May 2019! It is truly a awesome time in the garden with new blooms popping up every day (or sometimes every minute, it seems).  We have already had a heat wave which is unheard of here in May. It got up into the 80s for several days in a row but this week we are back to 60 degree temperatures, clouds and some rain today. The heat ruined some of the early blooming peonies. But others are  just beginning. I am starting out with a delphinium. It is one of those plants that was hard, if not impossible, to grow in the South because they don't like the heat and humidity. I think they are just hard to grow period because I am having difficulties growing them here too. People tell me that they like tons of manure and lots of moisture. I don't think I baby them enough but I am trying to do better. I even have a little wire fence around this one because I suspected that something was eating them. I still am not certain but forge ahead.  Gardener's Bloo...