Dirt Therapy

Our forlorn apple tree still stands despite my constant plans for removing it. Since the trunk of it is the size of a small house, taking it out is something to think about. And heaven forbid hiring someone to trample over my plants. So it remains. Every year, in the dead of winter, I cut it back although several of the limbs are difficult to reach and some always remain. This year, I cut more than I usually do and only two or three large branches still stood, reaching straight up into the sky.  Judging from the apples this year, maybe I'm doing something right - However, it is hard to find a good apple unless it is picked from the tree (hard to reach). The ones on the ground always have bad spots on them. We've never treated the tree for disease or insects and the thought of doing that doesn't appeal to me.  I usually make at least one pie or cake every year from the unblemished apples I am able to retrieve.  My go-to apple recipe is the French Apple Tart f rom Ina Garte...

Dahlia  Dahlia  Caryopteris 'Gold Crest' Caryopteris 'Gold Crest' Abelia 'Frances Mason' Coleus and Hydrangea 'Little Quickfire' Hibiscus 'Midnight Marvel' Hibiscus 'Midnight Marvel' Feather Reed Grass ( Calamagrostis acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') and  Crape Myrtle 'Dynamite' ( Lagerstoemia ) Crape Myrtle 'Lunar Magic' Peacock Orchid ( Gladilous acidanthera ) Turtlehead ( Chelone obliqua) Turtlehead ( Chelone obliqua) Silene uniflora 'Druett's Variegated' (Sea Campion) Lily 'Casablanca' Check out more gardens and blooms at May Dreams Gardens ! Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

A weekend of hazy skies from distant fires and hot and humid days. But change is in the air and we even got a trace of rain - a whopping 0.4 inch - overnight Sunday.  I can feel the change and I love it. A crisp feeling in the air, overcast skies and, when the sun is shining, stark shadows and lazy rays from the sun. I love autumn almost as much as I love spring. All these elements are especially noticeable in the early morning sunlight - Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

It has taken me a long time to get into night lighting for the house and garden. It is something I've always wanted to do but the mere suggestion of electrical wiring sent me running. These days there is solar lighting and even electrical lighting kits that plug right in. I've slowly been adding more and more lights. Now, only a stretch along the front fence is the only dim area. That project will be next, but it is going to require some digging to hide the cords. The photo at the top shows the entrance to the front garden from the driveway that runs along the east side of our house. The light on top of the gate is a solar light and the ones on the ground at the right are electrical landscape lights. They work with a timer that comes on automatically at night. The same area from a different angle is the view looking down the driveway. The tree is Ceanothus 'Black Diamond' which Michael has masterfully pruned into tree form. The entrance to the back garden is at the bott...