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Waterwise Gardening - a book review

Waterwise Gardening: Everything You Need To Know About Efficient Watering to Grow a Healthy Yard by Richard Restuccia Published by Rizzoli, 2025 I would guess that watering is the major issue that most gardeners grapple with, especially novice gardeners. I know from working at the nursery that the majority of questions and issues we get stem from either watering too much or not watering enough.  Many people in our area have sprinkler systems and I'm sure that can be a good thing if used properly but I feel that they primarily keep the lawns green but fall short for landscape plants. Especially when it comes to trees and larger plants, the timing and amounts are not satisfactory for many plants. I often hear people say that their sprinklers are set to come on every day - yikes! And there are those who did not water because it "rained" when it actually drizzled.  The best thing to do in this situation is to have a xeric garden but that would mean sacrificing favorite plant...
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More Garden Clean-up and Transplanting a Pieris

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 system was quite extensive and there was the sickening crunch of roots being cut.


 

Other pieris in the garden that remain in their spots -


'Valley Valentine'


 

'Valley Rose'

  Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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  1. AaronMarch 11, 2021 at 5:31 AM

    I've never really gotten into Pieris, but yours look fantastic.

    I think the plant transplantation was the right move. It looked cramped in its former spot. Hope it thrives in its new location!

    Even after a decade, plant placement -- not too close, not too far -- is still a real challenge for me!

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  2. chavlinessMarch 11, 2021 at 8:27 AM

    Transplanting the Pieris was a good move, literally. The sound of root ripping is always scary, but not always consequential, so fingers crossed its a successful one. As much as I appreciate the blooms, I find the most exciting time for a Pieris is when the new leafs starts growing. It's usually an eye popping display.

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  3. Kris PetersonMarch 11, 2021 at 10:57 AM

    It's always great when you find a perfect spot like that. I really like Pieris but, dry as it is here, I just haven't been able to justify planting it.

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  4. Lisa at GreenbowMarch 12, 2021 at 12:40 PM

    I love these shrubs but I haven't been able to get a Pieris to survive in my garden. They keep getting smaller and smaller instead of getting larger and larger. ????

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