Dirt Therapy

  Wow, that was fast! In just one day and a half, Luis and a helper completed the new fence and gate and I couldn't be happier. It is quite a change from the previous fence - The next big job will be staining it to match the other wood structures in the garden ('Mahogany Flame' is our go-to color). That will have to wait until things dry out later in the spring. I haven't looked closely yet at the plants surrounding the fence but I think the workers were pretty careful and everything looks to be intact. The huge Armandii clematis is still there, lying on the ground. I'm going to try and get it back on the fence this weekend if weather permits. I also love the gate. I showed Luis a photo of ones that I liked and he took it from there. He is very creative and always comes up with good ideas. From the back (inside the garden), it also looks fantastic - Now to decide what to grow over the gate. I moved an ornamental kiwi vine and I will probably put it on one side. Of ...

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Dorothy Wordsworth avidly walked the mountains and vales of the Lake District. She even scaled the area's highest mountain, Scafell Pike, with a friend, maid and hired porter accompanying her. Her lyrical observations of the native beauty of the area were recorded in diaries that were written primarily to be shared with friends and family members. Later, they would be published as “The Grasmere Journal”. This is the first of 25 women who are profiled in "Writing Wild" by Kathryn Aalto. Covering a diverse range of women from all walks of life (scientists, conservationists, writers, poets, spiritualists, etc.), these women influenced audiences with their observations of the natural world around them.   Some of the writings, such as those of Dorothy Wordsworth, were not meant for publication. She just wrote and shared her diaries with friends and family. Along with her famous brother, the poet William Wordsworth, both shared a fon...

I hate to cloud a glorious day with an ugly image but I'm sharing a view of the garden that I'm not proud of and have been desperate to change ever since we moved in. Actually, the ginormous power lines behind our property is also an eyesore but I can't do anything about that. The chain link fence, however, must finally be addressed and yesterday I made the decision to have it replaced. This fence divides the back garden from the driveway and while we are thankful to have the back fenced off, I hate the look. One of my goals for the winter months was to build the fence myself which, if you know me, is laughable. I think I could come up with something that might pass as decent but it would never be professional looking and I am hopeless when it comes to getting anything level or straight. So I've called the man who built our deck and pergola (you can see it on the top right) as well as our front fence and gates. He is phenomenal and will take a look next week. I have a t...

I've been experimenting with making videos and finally finished this one after almost pulling my hair out trying to learn how to do it. Unlike the straight videos I posted earlier of our garden, this one is composed of still photos that I took at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens in 2016. I started off with one software program and was unhappy with it and eventually switched to another one (Shotcut) which worked much better. I'm still learning and it is a fun process when everything cooperates. I also learned a lot about what it takes to put a commercial together and found the whole process fascinating. Let me know what you think and how I can improve. I would be particularly interested in knowing about the video quality on your particular device. A sunny day today - time to get outside and do some real gardening work! Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

A Townsend's Warbler at the suet feeder today It seems that every day brings a grim news story and earlier in the week a story from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife came out about a virus killing wild birds. This saddens me deeply and totally ruined my day as we have quite a number of feeders out and get tremendous pleasure from watching the birds outside our back windows. Salmonellosis, also known as "Songbird Fever", usually occurs in the winter months when large flocks of birds congregate together at bird feeders. It affects mostly songbirds and, here in Washington, the pine siskin is cited as a common victim in the current outbreak.  The WDFW recommends taking down your feeders until February so that the birds will forage in the wild. If you plan to keep your feeders up, clean and disinfect them thoroughly and continue doing this on a daily basis. We just could not bring ourselves to take down the feeders altogether so I opted for the second recommendat...

'Gabriel Oak' Two new roses have just been introduced by David Austin Roses.  Both roses are named for Thomas Hardy characters and will be available in the U.S and the U.K. this year. They can also be ordered from the company. See details below to get their sumptuous free catalog. The following descriptions are from the David Austin Roses press release: 'Gabriel Oak' 'Gabriel Oak' is a a magnificent variety bearing large, many-petaled rosette blooms in a striking shade of deep pink. Over time, the outer petals pale slightly. The wonderful fragrance is strong and fruity. A vigorous rose, it forms a shapely, broad, rounded shrub with mulberry purple stems and dark green foliage. It grows 4 feet tall by 4 feet wide. Named after the beloved character of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel Far From The Madding Crowd. 'Eustacia Vye' 'Eustacia Vye' is an exceedingly pretty rose with glowing mid-pink flowers with a touch of apricot. The rich hue gradually pale...

Rosemary 'Foxtail' ( Rosemary officialinalis ) A few days ago, I shared some photos of plants in the garden that look great this time of year. Guess what? There's more! Rosemary is one of the best and it always seems to bloom at the oddest of times. My favorites are 'Irene' and 'Foxtail'. 'Irene' was pictured in the last post . It is a creeper and can trail to 4-5 feet. It is great for walls or as a groundcover. 'Foxtail' (in the photo above) has a very graceful cascading effect. It has never bloomed for me but the foliage alone is great. Two more creepers - Vinca 'Illumination' and Abutilon megapotamicum 'Variegatum'. The vinca is beautiful although it does spread and you have to stay on top of it. The abutilon was purchased the first year we moved in and it has survived every winter since. It has been moved several times and I was reading a book by Vita Sackville-West who suggested that it was good on a wall. I moved to th...

Congratulations to Suellen who wins two books from Timber Press! Thanks to all who entered the contest!   I have had the pleasure of knowing Loree Bohl since moving here to Washington. We work together on the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon board. Unfortunately, most of our meetings have been virtual for the past year. I got a chance to preview a digital copy of her book and posted the following review. I also got a physical copy of the book afterward and it is a beautiful book and very inspiring, especially to gardeners who hate to hear the phrase "that can't be done here".  The concept of “fearless gardening” encourages gardeners to defy convention and grow the plants they love. Author Loree Bohl has done just that in her Portland, Oregon garden where she grows an impressive collection of “spiky plants” like agaves and yuccas. Climate-wise, Portland may not seem like an ideal location for these types of plants but as she proves in the book, where there's a will, the...