Dirt Therapy

I've really missed visiting gardens this year. I know that many of the HPSO gardens are open by appointment and I keep trying to put some on my schedule. A few weeks ago, a co-worker introduced me to Reuben Hatch at the nursery and suggested that I go see his garden. He was kind enough to invite me over. It turns out he just lives down the road from us, less than a mile away! Mr. Hatch is a very interesting man. He once operated a rhododendron business on his property. I only saw a few rhododendrons in his garden but he has a great collection of plants, many of them rare and unique. The first tree I noticed when I stepped out of the car was this deciduous magnolia with fuzzy leaves planted next to the driveway. He said that it was from South America. He has many interesting varieties of Japanese Maple. This one is 'Peve Starfish' - A view of the front garden - The small variegated tree in the center of the photo is a Dove tree ( Davidia ). The variety is 'Lady Sunshine...

The flowers and foliage of high summer - Salvia 'Amistad', Sumac 'Tiger Eyes', Phlox 'Blue Paradise', Liatris 'Kobold', Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' and petunias. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Is there a plant more confusing to prune than clematis? Not only are there numerous types but they are all pruned differently. Fortunately, there is a helpful resource and it is Linda Beutler's wonderful book "The Plant Lover's Guide to Clematis". I have referred to this book so many times that it is literally coming apart. In the book, the author lists all the cultivars (well, not all but close) and tells how to prune each one. Our largest clematis are on the front gate arch and they were spectacular this year, blooming for a record amount of time (I am crediting the mild temperatures). On one side is 'Jackmanii Superba' and 'Madame Julia Correvon' is on the other. In the photo above, 'Madame Julia Correvon' is on the right. It is not as strong a grower as 'Jackmanii Superba' but I expect it to catch up next year. After blooming, it is recommended that it be cut back half-way and you will have more blooms from autumn to frost. Of the t...

Our neighbor gave us a huge zucchini a few days ago, the first of the season. It was enough to make my go-to recipe - Zucchini Bread - and enough left over for another recipe. I just saw this in the latest issue of Mother Earth News and decided to try it. It turned out quite good although a little dry. I do intend to try it again because it was quite good. One change I made was to reduce the sugar. It calls for 2 cups (!). I used half sugar and half brown sugar. In the future, perhaps applesauce would be a good substitution for one of the cups. The frosting is simple and divine! Deep Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake (adapted from Mother Earth News , August 2020) 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (chopped) 1 cup butter, room temperature 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt 2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar) 3 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/3 cup buttermilk, yogurt or sour crea...

It is the middle of the month and time for Bloom Day, when garden bloggers share photos of blooms in their gardens. Head over to May Dreams Gardens for links to other blogs who are participating. So far, our summer has been very mild and downright cool. We love it! Locals are saying that the weather used to be like this all the time before global warming reared its ugly head. For us, it is wonderful and one of the reasons we moved here. Next week will bring temperatures in the 90s so I'm trying to brace myself for that. As a result of the great weather, the garden has been really nice this year. Here are some blooms for July - Pineapple Guava ( Feijoa sellowiana) Lily 'Roselily Natalia' Scabiosa Shasta Daisy (sadly I've lost the name) Hardy Gloxina ( Sinningia 'Invasion Force') Coreopsis 'Leading Lady Sophia' and Lavender "Wee One' Rose 'Essex' Bee Balm ( Monarda 'Raspberry Wine') Astilbe 'Ostrich Plume' and Hydrangea ...

The Orienpet lily 'Silk Road' - it was tall last year but I think it is even taller this year. I just got out the tape measure and it is just under 8'. Notice it is leaning so assuming that it was standing straight up, it would surpass 8'. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

One of the most dramatic and beautiful shrubs in the garden right now is the St. John's Wort 'Pumpkin' ( Hypericum x inodorum ). I say shrub but you might call it a perennial. Perhaps we should say it is a sub-shrub (but then, what exactly is that?) The fact is, there are over 400 species of this plant and they range from groundcovers to larger-sized specimens like this one. A few blocks down the road, there is an impressive swath of the groundcover type that completely carpets the corner of the lawn and it is really beautiful when it blooms. When it is not in bloom, it looks very neat (although it did look much better before the house was sold and the elderly lady who lived there moved to northern Washington). I don't think the new owners are that much into gardening. But back to the larger variety that we have - it is a hybrid between H. hircinum and H. androsaemum. Commonly called "toute saine" in French, it means "all healthy" or "all-heal...