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Moving Schipka Laurel for Rhododendron 'Loderi King George'

Picture it - a 6 ft. tall Schipka Laurel used to stand here (I forgot to take a "before" shot and don't feel like searching for one).  I knew when I planted it that it was probably a bad idea but thought it would be good for a fast-growing screen along the back fence-row. I'm sure all gardeners do this, especially if you have a new garden and are eager for greenery. In all fairness to the laurel, it is a useful plant and I would argue even a beautiful one when nicely maintained. Before I dug this one up, I stood back and admired it and felt the guilt pangs stabbing at my heart.  I removed a much larger laurel than this a few years ago and they are not the easiest plant to dig out. I was determined to save this one and I believe I was successful.  Here is a thought and you can take this to the bank - the pot you choose to hold a plant that you dig up will ALWAYS be too small. Always!  So, after finding the largest pot I could, here it is, after being cut back pretty dr
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A Change in the Air

'Dragonwing' begonia in a pot with
Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' in the foreground


Fall is in the air and I already notice how the light is beginning to change and the shadows are growing longer. I love this time of year although I do often experience a tinge of melancholy and an increased need for sleep.

We've had some wonderful cool days in the 70s and an occasional warm day here and there. Tomorrow will be a warm one, getting close to 90, but overall those days have been outnumbered.

The rain situation or lack thereof is dire and with the exception of a few sprinkles in the forecast, we remain dry. At this point, a rainy day is only a distant memory.

I try not to think about the water bill. Michael spends about two hours every morning watering pots and the plants that look like they need it. Once a week sprinklers are turned on and the entire garden is watered. That takes all day. So we use a lot of water here.

We also spend a lot of money on birdseed. We have a ton of goldfinches and you can hear them in the following short video I made. This is looking off the back deck. The chickens you hear belong to the neighbor.

 



Osmanthus (False Holly) 'Goshiki', Fuchsia 'Cardinal' and
faded fronds of an astilbe in a shady bed under the dogwood tree only requires a weekly watering.

 

                      This bed gets by with only a weekly watering -
             Salvia 'Hot Lips', Heliotrope and Sedum 'Cherry Truffle'

 

Pomegranate 'Crimson Queen' in a pot


Roses are also quite drought tolerant although they perform
best with regular watering - 'Buff Beauty'

'Tranquility'


 

Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'


Clerodendrum (Harlequin Glorybower)

Fuchsia 'Little Giant'
 

 

Ligularia 'Desdemona'

 

Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)

 

Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster')

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy


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  1. Kris PetersonSeptember 6, 2021 at 8:34 PM

    Your September garden is glorious, Phillip. Your plant combinations, like to one at the top of your post, never cease to impress me. It's horribly dry here and, as we've been asked to reduce our water consumption by 15%, I feel guilty every time I water anything. Only my cutting garden is well watered now and even then it's getting less water than I formerly provide it in mid-late summer.

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    1. Phillip OliverSeptember 6, 2021 at 9:36 PM

      I hear you! I feel guilty too. Although we are not rationed, it seems like we are using too much. I know that we overwater and some of our plants would probably be fine with less.

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  2. chavlinessSeptember 7, 2021 at 7:43 AM

    Pomegranate! And in a pot no less! Perfectly timed (for the Jewish new year...), a symbol of abundance among other things.
    I must get Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'. It looks so good late in the season.

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  3. Hoover BooSeptember 12, 2021 at 10:19 AM

    Your garden looks fabulous, just as good as in Springtime. Sort of good it's too hot to go outside here today--that way I don't have to look at the summer-weary plants.

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