Dirt Therapy

Looking out from the front stoop - Japanese Maples 'Skeeter's Broom' at left, ' Murasaki Kiyohime' at bottom 'Shaina' on the bottom right, and 'Sango Kaku' at top right. In the background is the Eastern White Pine ( Pinus strobus 'Fastigiata'). The most popular rhododendron at the moment - 'Oceanlake' - The pink dogwood that came with the house - More tulips - this one looks nice with the rose 'Lady Emma Hamilton' in the background.   Text and photos by Phillip Oliver

Apparently there is an issue with Blogger and photos are not showing up. They are working on the issue. So, the above photo that you probably cannot see at the moment, is one of the wall project. We've had some really nice days to work on it. I am ready for it to be over. It is a project that I wish I had hired a professional to do. I am just not cut out for this type of work! Thankfully, the wall will be stuccoed and painted to hide the imperfections (and there are many!) Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Camellia 'Unryu April 15th is here and it is time for Gardener Bloggers Bloom Day. Head over to May Dreams Gardens blog to find links to more blogger's posts. It has been a beautiful week here with temperatures in the 60s and bright, sunny days. I have started my main project of the year, a garden wall to separate two areas. It is absolutely horrendous at the moment and any decent mason would get a big laugh at it. I can never get anything level and true to form, the entire wall is currently going downhill. More on that later. In the meantime, here are some blooms for the garden this week. I am starting out with a new plant. This is Camassia and it is a native. Dicentra 'Gold Heart' (Bleeding Heart) popped up really quickly. I swear it was nowhere to be seen last week. Mukdenia - a plant that I thought had died but here it is - An epimedium - possibly 'Sulphurium' - The rhododendrons have started to bloom. This is 'T...

I just read that baking bread has become very popular during the quarantine. While I have not been baking any bread, I did make a cake. Michael loves pound cakes and I found this one in "The Fannie Farmer Baking Book". My mother made one very similar to this. The original recipe doesn't call for the glaze but we think it is much better with it! We like it with strawberries and cream. Buttermilk Lemon Pound Cake (adapted from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham, Alfred Knopf, 1992) 4 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 2 sticks butter (16 TBS.) 2 cups sugar 1 tsp. lemon extract  1 TBS. grated lemon zest 1 cup buttermilk Glaze (optional): 1 cup confectioners sugar 3-4 TBS. lemon juice Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan or two 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pans. If the eggs are not already at room temperature, place them in a bowl of warm water for several minutes...

The rhododendrons are just beginning to bloom. The first one is the beautiful red 'Taurus'. This is one of the first I planted and it has improved every year. This is the first time it has had this many blooms.   'Blue Baron' is one I found at Home Depot after first moving here. It is a puny shrub but that color makes me weak. Another small one is 'Ramapo'. It is planted next to the front steps. True to the description, it is staying under 2 feet. 'Ramapo' And finally, 'PJM', the very first rhododendron to bloom. It has been blooming about two weeks now. 'PJM' Text and photos by Phillip Oliver

A Golden-crowned Sparrow visits the seed dish. Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum . Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy