Dirt Therapy

  A member of the family who owns the nursery where I work has a fantastic vegetable garden and he brings wonderful things (corn!) in to share with employees. It is the time of year for these delicious plums and he has presented us with two boxes full during the past two weeks. A customer and I were discussing them and she shared a recipe with me for a Plum Coffee Cake. It is wonderful and I would think that you could substitute apples, peaches or just about any fruit if you don't have plums. Cake: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. lemon zest 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (softened) 2 large eggs 8-10 plums (about 1 lb.), pitted and sliced Streusel Topping: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (softened) Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper. Spray or butter the paper and the sides of the pan.   Whisk together the flour and th...

The Modern Cottage Garden: A Fresh Approach to a Classic Style by Greg Loades Timber Press (publication date September 15, 2020) My heart did a little flip when I saw the title of this book. Are there people out there in this day and age actually interesting in creating cottage gardens? There is hope for the world! Working at a retail nursery, I find that I mostly spend my day listening to requests for privacy hedges or plants that are evergreen - they want everything evergreen! But I digress. After looking at the book closer, I saw that the author is from the UK, but I am being optimistic that there are young gardeners here in the US who want such a garden. If there are, this book is a good primer on creating one for anyone, no matter where you live.  The cottage garden was popularized in the late 1800s by William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll. Characterized by dense plantings of perennials and annuals in herbaceous borders, it provided maximum color and dramatic plant combinations...

Vitex agnus-castus , commonly called Chaste Tree, is often recommended as an alternative to Crape Myrtle ( Lagerstroemia ) in the South since the latter is so overused. However, in all honesty, the crape myrtle is so lovely, who would tire of it?    The chaste tree may not be as dramatic as the crape myrtle but it does offer a delicate charm and is a worthy addition to the late summer garden. The chaste tree gets its name from the mythic legends of its anaphrodisiac properties. Athenian women used the leaves in their beds to keep themselves chaste during the feasts of Ceres. In Rome, virgins carried twigs as a sign of chastity. The tree was sacred to Hestia, the virginal Greek goddess of hearth. The spicy fruit and seeds of the tree has been used extensively in herbal medicine to aide the symptoms of female hormonal imbalances as well as other ailments ranging from migraines to premens...

  I was going through some old photos and the difference from five years ago is pretty amazing. The above photo was taken on March 14, 2015. We had moved into the house in January and I was just getting started on the garden. This was the view from our back deck. You can see the cardboard on the ground for future garden beds.  This photo was taken on February 4, 2015 and even more dismal -   Here is that same view taken on August 19, 2020 -  Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

I was working on this post for the nursery blog and realized I could share it here since all of these plants are in our garden. With diminishing property sizes, the question of what plants to use in restricted spaces is a common one. I see these new neighborhoods popping up over all town and I cringe at the lack of garden space. There barely have a front yard and I imagine the back is about the same. I have a fear of living in such a place - even our 1/4 acre lot is too small for me. Here are some plants that I've planted in our garden for such purposes - Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil'  'Sky Pencil' Holly ( Ilex crenata ) - This is planted next to our front door and faces north so it gets very little sun. So far, it has done well. 6'-8' tall and 2'-3' wide. Evergreen.  Japanese Plum Yew ( Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Fastigiata’) Japanese Plum Yew ( Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Fastigiata’) is a dense, upright shrub with fine textured leaves. 10′ tall an...

Pots on the garden wall include Million Bells ( Calibrachoa 'Cabaret Orange'), Fuchsia 'Autumnale' and Bat Face Cuphea ( Cuphea Ilavea )   August 15th already - this summer has flown by! Weatherwise, this has been the best summer since we've moved here. Cool for the most part with only a handful of hot spells. Beginning tomorrow, we're in for a doozy - 100 probably all weekend and really warm next week. Not too happy about that but overall, can't complain.  Gardener's Bloom Day is hosted by May Dreams Gardens . Follow the link to find other bloggers who are sharing their bloom photos this month. Blooming today - Echinacea 'White Swan' and Rose 'Coral Cove'   Persicaria 'Blackfield' with Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Redhead'   in the background   Calluna 'Firefly' (at least I think this is 'Firefly', it might be 'Multi-color') and Weigela 'Wings of Fire'   Buddleia 'Flutterby Petite ...

Windcliff is the home and garden of Daniel Hinkley and Robert Jones. It is their second garden, the first being Heronswood , the famous botanical garden and nursery in Kingston, Washington that they created in 1987. In 2000, Heronswood was sold to the Burpee corporation, who ended up closing the business in 2006. In 2012, the Port S'Klallam tribe purchased the property and set about restoring the neglected gardens and Hinkley returned as consultant and director.  Before returning to Heronswood, Hinkley was focused on creating a new garden at Windcliff, a six-and-a-half-acre property overlooking the Puget Sound with Mount Rainier visible in the distance on clear days. While Heronswood is situated amidst a forested enclave, Windcliff is aptly named, sitting on a wind-swept cliff exposed to the elements. Hinkley says that his greatest challenge here was how to compete with the dramatic inlet view. Both gardens, however, share a common trait - they are filled with plants collected by H...