Dirt Therapy

Containers in the Garden by Claus Dalby Publication Date: April 12, 2022 (Cool Springs Press) In his first English-language book, Danish floral designer Claus Dalby shares his passion for creating colorful containers.  Dalby's containers are simplistic in design. He uses minimal plants per pot and often only one plant species. When massed together, however, his displays create a stunning effect.      His garden in Denmark encompasses fifteen hedged garden rooms themed by color.  Large groupings of pots are positioned in tiers in displays by walls, fences and doorways. The pots change with the seasons and tulips, dahlias, daffodils and annuals are central players. He covers every color theme and notes some of his favorite plants.       Although the "how-to" aspects of planting and maintaining a container are not in-depth (his potting soil mix is a professional blend not available to the average customer), the photographs are beautiful and reason en...

  I feel like the new season really begins the day I uncover the water features, uncover the garden statuary and the patio furniture.  I didn't get all that done today but I got the water feature going which took me several hours because I'm plugging it up through the garage this year. I run the extension cord through a PVC pipe underground so I had to reposition that and dig a shallow trench. I worked all afternoon on it after working this morning in someone else's garden. It was beautiful and sunny today after previous days of cold and wet. I noticed today that plants are budding out.  The grass in the front looks great -     In the back, not so much -     More pruning to commence after the bins are emptied on Thursday -     This morning on my Facebook memories, Camellia 'Bella Rossa' popped up as blooming one year ago today. I checked it and it has 3 blooms. More to come I'm sure as last year it was covered with blooms -     Came...

The Elegant and Edible Garden by Linda Vader Publication Date: April 12, 2022 (Cool Springs Press) I often wonder how many people actually look at the construction and design of a book before diving in. I am one of those people and the first thing I noticed upon receiving this book in the mail was how beautiful it is and how it feels in the hand. It is by no means a large book and measures a compact 10" x 8" (approx.), not too big, not too little, just right. It is also very tactile with a rough canvas texture and embossed lettering. It is a beautifully designed book book inside and out. But enough about that - what's in it? Photo courtesy Cool Springs Press Judging from the title, one would assume that it is about vegetable gardening and that does play a significant role but the book is more about designing your dream garden as opposed to how to grow specific vegetables. Linda Vater is a garden designer and social media personality who lives and gardens in Oklahoma City...

Pieris 'Passion Frost' After an unexpected and lengthy trip to Alabama, I am behind in the garden. Normally I would have the roses pruned by now. I'm only a few weeks late so I'm not in panic mode yet. I love this time of year when the roses, ornamental grasses and the dead stalks on the perennials can be cut back and carted away. The neat and tidy appearance of the garden appeals to me and the bare spaces give the promise of what is to come. Being out in the garden for an extended period after months of indoor idleness makes me realize how out-of-shape I am. I see exercises, especially back exercises, in my future. And finding a weather-friendly day to do this stuff is challenging. It is rare to get a full sunny day and if the sun makes an appearance at all, it will be after 11 before it does so. The temperatures are not going to warm up until the sun appears. It never fails that beautiful, sunny days always occur on days when you have to do something else (dental and...

  Here's another winning recipe from the King Arthur Flour folks ! Chocolate fans rejoice!  The recipe showed up on my Instagram feed a few weeks ago and after looking at the photos and reading the reviews, my curiosity was peaked. I printed out the recipe and put it aside. I just made it today and it is an amazing cake. Making this all at once would be quite time-consuming. I made the cake yesterday and the filling today. I skipped the frosting entirely after reading the reviews. The cake is delicious without the frosting although I'm sure that would elevate it to a new level. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy