Dirt Therapy

The St. John's Wort ( Hypericum 'Pumpkin') was one of my favorite shrubs last summer, a real stunner in early July. I'm hoping for a repeat this year and pruned it a few days ago. I had planned to take it back about halfway but after watching some videos, I found that most people cut it completely back to the ground. Which is what I did. Before -    And after - Another good reason for pruning it is to be able to see Rhododendron 'PJM'. It looks puny here but since this was taken, the blooms have opened more and it is looking better. Maybe it felt crowded. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

There comes a time every year when I glance out the front door and notice the early morning sun shining through the orange sedge. Since our house faces north, this area is shaded during most of the winter months. At this point, the sun has traveled far enough to the north to begin shining on the north side of the house. We can also tell a difference by the way it comes through our living room windows.  This is Orange New Zealand Sedge (Carex testacea), boxwood and the rose 'Lady Emma Hamilton'. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

  The two viburnums ('Spring Bouquet') that were plagued with mildew all last year has been banished from the garden. In hindsight, I'm not sure why I planted them out by the street but I felt that they might make a nice matching anchor to the front gate. I call this area the hell strip although technically I don't think it is that, it is just the strip between the street and the fence.  The two viburnums had good air circulation with only groundcovers surrounding them and they were in full sun so the mildew problem is puzzling. They were stunning during the winter months when they bloomed. That is, until the mildew began. I've tried Neem and various sprays and even cut them back a little but the problem persisted.      Since this area is not regularly irrigated, I've tried to concentrate on drought tolerant plants for this area. The viburnums didn't fit the bill anyway so I didn't feel too bad about replacing them. My neighbor Judy said she would like t...

  Camellia 'Black Magic' It is exciting to get back in the swing of things with Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day , a monthly practice on the 15th of each month, hosted by May Dreams Gardens for bloggers to show what is blooming in their gardens. I find that is also a great way for me to keep up with what is going on in my garden and for future reference. The garden is quickly waking up with warmer temperatures although the mornings are still very cold. I've learned that it is best to wait until around noon to get out in the garden to avoid the cold. It has been close to 60 this week in the afternoons and the sun has been out for weeks now with very little rain (actually that is probably not a good thing but let us not linger on it). Anenome My favorite at the moment is the anenome in the above photo. According to my records, it should be Anenome nemerosa 'Royal Blue' which came from Far Reaches Farm. However, when looking at photos of it online, the flower petals ...

Gorgeous weather we've been having lately and new growth and buds popping up all over the garden. I'm still cleaning out perennials and ornamental grasses as well as moving plants. My time will be more limited as I've been called back to the nursery. I'm working a few odd days this week and go back on my regular 4-day a week schedule next week. I also have rose pruning to finish in a garden on Sauvie Island. In my own garden, I decided to move Pieris "Mountain Fire" before it gets too late. I've observed this one elsewhere and it can get quite large. It was crammed in this space between a euphorbia and conifer    Miracle of miracles, I had a spot that did not require moving another plant. Prime plant real estate behind the parrotia in the back garden. The pieris will get some shade here but actually more sun that the prior location which was on the north side of the house.   Let's hope it survives the upheaval. While digging it up, I noticed the root s...

That is a convoluted title but it pretty much wraps up what I've been doing this well. We are having the type of weather that makes you want to uncover the statuary and the fountains and get on with the season.  I've been pruning roses on Sauvie Island and when you are in that area, a trip to Cistis Nursery is required. I picked up a few things but before getting them in the ground, some juggling had to be done. I purchased a kniphofia called 'Christmas Cheer' which has the unusual distinction of blooming during the winter. I wanted to put it in one of the terraced beds but something had to go. Rhododendron 'Yaku Princess' is one that I've wanted to move for a while now.  I'm trying to focus on drought-tolerant plants for the terraces and this one doesn't really fall into that category. So I'm moving it to the front border where, upon reflection, I've planted several rhododendrons this year since expanding the borders. The transplant went ver...