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Swapping Huckleberries

Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album)  Himalayan Honeysuckle ( Vaccinium glauco album) has been an attractive feature along our north-facing foundation since I planted it in 2016. You will have to take my word for it since I cannot locate a photo although I know one exists somewhere in the realm of the Internet or floating on a cloud somewhere.  I did locate a photo of how it looked when it was first planted - It took a few years to fill out but it did so nicely to an attractive mound about 2 feet high by 3 feet wide.  Last year, it started to look bad.  I cut it back but it had not improved and this is how it looked a few weeks ago - I decided to rip it out and plant another huckleberry - this time Vaccinium ovatum , more commonly known as the "Evergreen Huckleberry".  This is a plant that I've wanted for ages and kept putting off getting one because I could not find a good place for it. By most accounts, this is an amazing plant, a native one and excellent for

The Little Amaryllis That Could



On my recent report on the three amaryllis, you may recall there was one dud - "Red Peacock". I was ready to toss it in the garbage when I noticed that there was growth emerging. Sure enough, it continued to grow and now there is a big beautiful bloom and at least three more waiting to open. Apparently, some take more time than others. Or, perhaps it was the threat of eviction? I'm a firm believer of that. There are many plants in the garden that have improved after I threatened them with a shovel prune.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Comments

  1. Gorgeous! I guess I should hold onto 'Estella' to see if she comes through, although threatening to toss her into the green recycle bin hasn't worked so far.

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  2. It was worth waiting for. I agree with you about the threats. They sometimes work. :)

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  3. What a beauty! Worth the wait?

    Mine will be late this year because of our cooler winter, but they seem to be starting to wake up with the increasing daylight.

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