Dirt Therapy

It is time to take a look back at the garden year of 2022. Normally, I post one favorite photo from every month. However, in looking back through my photos, I see that I didn't take many photos in January, February or even March. Of course, things really do not get going here until late April and May... Once again, it was a year of extreme weather events. In April, we got 7 inches of snow . This was another record - the Portland/Vancouver area has never had a snowfall like this in April. It was a heavy, wet snow that really did a number on trees in the area. We did not have too much damage, thanks to me running around the garden shaking branches with a broom. The Strawberry Tree was damaged and still doesn't look good. We lost another branch last week when the ice came. April After the snow cleared, we got a freak hail shower that covered the ground in white again... May There is usually a winter project (although not this year) and last January, we had our deck floor and raili...

Extremely popular in the South - always on the menu at parties and get-togethers - and something we always made for our annual Christmas parties. They can be made as straws or wafers - it is just a matter of how you shape them. Michael, who is a cheese straw connoisseur - says they are best when made very thin. Some shape them into straws with a cookie press. I have tried to do this in the past but found that the mixture was too thick to come out easily from the cookie press.  The recipe can be divided for smaller portions or doubled for larger. This recipe makes about 4 dozen wafers or straws. 1 lb. sharp grated Cheddar cheese (room temperature) 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, (room temperature) 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1/8 tsp. (or pinch) garlic powder Preheat the oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift or whisk together the flour, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper and gar...

Wishing everyone a beautiful holiday season and a great 2023! Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Beautyberry (Callicarpa ) As we hunker down and await whatever the Weather Gods send - freezing rain and snow coming later this afternoon - I'm taking stock of the remaining plants that bring some interest in the garden this time of year. I previously wrote about conifers and evergreen trees and shrubs. Here are a few more, some that are not evergreen at all, but offer drama in the form of structure and form. Evergreen Clematis ( Clematis armandii ) It got really cold last night - around 20 and today's high is only 21! I covered a few things - a eucalyptus that I planted late in the summer, the loquat tree and I brought the African Boxwood into the garage. Everything else will have to fend for itself. We were mainly concerned about our beloved hummingbirds. I brought in the feeders last night and got up earlier than usual to put them back out. Michael tried wrapping them in fabric so we will see how that works.  Azara microphylla Bamboo 'Foxtail' Rosemary The retaining ...

I've loved reading Marta McDowell's previous books on Beatrix Potter, Emily Dickinson and Frances Hodgdon Burnett. She also has a book on Laura Ingalls Wilder that I have not read. This one is just as entertaining although it sat on my shelf for over a year before I finally decided to read it. I've never thought much of the White House gardens and when I visited Washington D.C. back in 2007, I can remember Dumbarton Oaks and the Exorcist stairs (!) but I only vaguely recall seeing the White House. What does that say about me? I looked up my photos from that trip and sure enough, there were a few shots of the White House. I recall that we were a distance away from it but you can see from my photo below, there isn't much to see and any serious gardener is probably thinking "All that grassy area is really taking up some valuable real estate for plants." Granted, I do understand why they need these open areas for events and have room for people. Still - blah! So,...