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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...

Laura Scott's Garden


Following the garden tour last Saturday, the gardeners who were on the tour got together for snacks, drinks and recovery. We met at Laura Scott's garden, who lives just a few miles from our house. I had not seen her garden before and it was a treat. Despite living so close, her house and garden is like being in the country. Very quiet, bucolic and big!

Laura has an artistic eye and she is very good at creating vignettes. The garden is a series of rooms with a vegetable garden, herb garden, perennial and shrub border, a mini-pond and the list goes on. And I just remembered there is an orchard and a peony field!

The photo above and below show the water feature. I absolutely love Clematis recta - a new plant to be on the look for!



 

Another plant that I loved was the pink Bowman's Root (Gillenia trifoliata 'Pink Profusion'). I have the white-flowered variety but didn't know that a pink variety existed. 




One plant that I'm vaguely familiar with but rarely see is the Gas Plant (
Dictamnus albus).




Pineapple Broom (Cytisus battandieri)



Rose 'Kateryna'













Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis russeliana)




A sea of thyme in the herb garden

Did you see the cat in the window?


Thank you Laura for a tour of your wonderful garden!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. A massive garden! And you are right, there are many wonderful vignettes throughout. The slightly stressed sedum Angelina in a pot, or the potted chartreuse bamboo... great artistic combinations.
    I can't tell if it is a rusted shelf or a bench in the photo, but I want it! :-D
    Chavli

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  2. A peony field? I think I my husband and I may need to revisit our discussion of a move to the Puget Sound area...Laura's garden is absolutely fabulous.

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  3. Wowza. Classic PNW garden. Looks like your area got a very rainy rainy season.

    Same reaction as Kris: a peony...field?!?!! I can only dream!

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    Replies
    1. hb, she used to raise peonies. Yes, we've definitely had a rainy season!

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  4. Laura Scott has an excellent eye for garden vignettes. The potted short bamboo agains the rusty metal, the heat stressed sedum Angelina in the urn with glass orbs, the totally drool worthy rusted shelf, or bench. Inspired combinations!
    Chavli

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