Dirt Therapy

  Iris reticulata 'Harmony' It is not even February yet but you would not guess that by the weather and the flowers that are blooming. Yesterday, the dwarf iris started blooming. These were planted last fall. Hellebore 'Merlin' has been blooming for weeks. I added another last year and it has a fat bud on it. I believe it is 'Berry Swirl'. Hellebore 'Merlin'  Hellebore 'Berry Swirl' More winter interest - Heather ( Calluna vulgaris 'Firefly') Heather ( Calluna vulgaris 'Multicolor') Winterberry ( Gaultheria procumbens 'Berry Cascade') Mahonia 'Charity' What is blooming in your garden? Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Shrubs and Hedges: Discover, Grow and Care for the World's Most Popular Plants by Eva Monheim Cool Springs Press Publication Date: March 3, 2020 In the introduction, the author reminisces about growing up near Philadelphia and the memories of hedgerows. There was the neighbor's magnificent hedge of privet that completely surrounded their farmhouse, a relatives distant farm whose fields were divided by mixed shrubs and her own families hedges of honeysuckle and roses. These hedges not only provided an attractive facade and means of providing privacy but also acted as a powerful magnet for wildlife, ablaze with singing birds and buzzing insects. Sadly, as time and development encroached, the hedges were razed to make way for houses and more houses. The passage saddened me as I see it happening on a daily basis all around me. It seems that every time I venture out, I see another field being leveled to make way for a cluttered mass of houses with barely enough space aroun...

Pinus mugo 'Aurea' (Mugo Pine) Strolling through the wet garden today, I concluded that we have a lot of conifers. Most are still very small and this is not an exhaustive list. These are all in the front garden. I didn't photograph any in the back yet... Cedrus deodara 'Feelin' Blue' Chamacyparis O. 'Maiesii' Juniperus conferta 'All Gold' Picea abies 'Pusch' (Norway Spruce) Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb' Pinus contorta 'Taylor's Sunburst' Pinus longa 'Sherwood Compact' Pinus mugo 'Valley Cushion' Pinus parviflora 'Catherine Elizabeth' (White Pine) Pinus strobus 'Nana Blue Shag' Pinus sylvestris 'Hillside Creeper' Sequoia sempervirens 'Kelly's Prostrate' (Prostrate coast redwood) Abies pinsapo ‘Glauca’ (Blue Spanish Fir) Tsuga canadensis ' MonKin...

My latest project is a simple one but has been weeks in the making. I've been suffering from a bad sinus infection and on top of that, the weather has been really cold and wet.  For now, I'm finished, only because I'm out of twigs.  This is our back property line, a chain-link fence and a row of overgrown photinias that have never been pruned property (thus they have become small trees). The previous owners had attached one of those willow/bamboo screens to the fence which helped tremendously in screening the houses behind us. However, the fence is only about 5' high and since we are elevated a bit, it did little to provide much privacy. The plant growth during the summer months help but, even though the photinias are evergreen, they are not dense enough around the bottom to provide much cover. I've long wanted to put up a paneled fence or, if money wasn't an issue, I would go with a stone wall.  Either choice would be expensive and tricky. It is a long a...

No, we didn't have a baby but something much better than that entered the household over the holidays - Michael Dirr and Keith Warren's new book The Tree Book . It is a massive book - 940 pages and covers 2400 tree species and cultivars. It isn't a book that you can curl up in bed with, as I love to do, but it looks nice on the coffee table and it is excellent browsing material. It is a reference book for the plant professional (all nurseries should get a copy) or tree-loving plant geeks like myself. Each entry gives detailed information about foliage and flower characteristics, native range, adaptability, landscape use, street tree use and descriptions of cultivars commonly seen in trade. The photos are most helpful and usually include multiple views of the entire tree seen from a distance as well as close-up shots of leaves and flowers. The information in the book is valuable although you will have to read the individual entries closely for informat...

  Tsuga canadensis 'MonKinn' Golden Duchess ™ (Eastern Hemlock) The weather has been a bit wet and gloomy (with predictions of snow for next week) but there are some bright spots in the garden.  One of my favorites at the moment is this little hemlock called 'Golden Duchess'™. Every time I glance out the study window and look out into the front garden, it is the first plant I notice. When we got it at the nursery, it was inside the greenhouse and kind of a drab green, nothing like the photo on the label. After I planted it, in a mostly sunny spot, it brightened up and changed color in no time. The ultimate size is supposed to be around 4 x 4 feet. Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb' Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb' is a dwarf spruce that grows very slowly (only about 1 inch per year!), eventually reaching 1 ft. high. Acer palmatum 'Bihou' The Japanese Maple 'Bihou' just gets better and better and equals 'Sang...

Since I no longer keep a paper gardening journal, blogging provides the best means of keeping up with what has happened in the garden. The visual references along is most rewarding as well as the ability to search quickly for a specific topic. Taking a glance through my entries over the past year, I can get a quick look at what worked and what did not. I always like to start January off with a project and last year was no exception. After removing the vegetable garden from the central portion of the back garden, I cleared out the grass and marked off the area. I wanted a strong visual focal point in this area and finally decided that a deck covered with a pergola would provide us with a striking visual element, a place to grow vines and would also be a nice place to entertain (although I must confess that we do very little entertaining and have dined there with company ONE time since building it).  The "before" shot - At first I thought I would build the structure ...