Dirt Therapy

A list of native plant sales coming up in the Vancouver area. Most of these sales also include ornamental or veggie garden plants. These are a great way to support local knowledge around native plants and help the students learn more about these important species.  April 25-28th   Hudson's Bay High School. 7 to 7 Tues-Thurs, 7-5  Friday Plants availabe in the two Greenhouses/area closest to Reserve Street. Cash/Check accept. See list below. April 26-28th  Fort Vancouver High School ,  Wednesday 7am-6pm, Thursday 27: 7am-5pm, Friday 28: 7am-4pm   Native Plant List:   https://docs.google.com/ document/d/15- rnzHR6Qd6QZlnhs1P2_ hhJEn3xmJFvrdDINdLvEGI/edit? usp=sharing April 29th  Columbia River HS, Saturday, 9 AM to 3 PM in the Greenhouse. (Turn into the school at the light.) Plants available: Yarrow, self heal, blue globe gilia, and big leaf lupine    *Cash or Check only  April 29th  Naturescaping Wildlife Botanica...

I've always associated the color Yellow with spring but looking around the garden, it seems that there is currently lots of red - Camellia 'Nuccio's Bella Rossa" Florida Anise ( Illicium floridatum 'Woodland Red') Rhododendron 'Taurus' Rhododendron 'Wine and Roses' Chaenomeles 'Double Take Orange Storm' (Quince) Ribes sanguineum (Red flowering Currant) Barberry ( Berberis thunbergi 'Admiration') Peony Ranunculus Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

My vote goes for Acer palmatum 'Shaina'. Don't get me wrong - this is a beautiful tree any other time of year (see photo below). During the winter months, the leaves cling to the tree and it is an unsightly mess. The leaves are also difficult to remove. I've tried using the rake but that doesn't work. The leaf blower didn't do a thing. Hand-picking is the best method although, as you can see, not too effective - The new leaves are emerging and they will eventually push the old leaves off. It is just a matter of time - Last May -  Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

For me, Rhododendron 'PJM' is one of the main plants that signal the beginning of Spring. Nevermind that it is rather pedestrian, dotted everywhere around town and often residing on properties where it is obvious that gardeners do not live within. The reason for this is that, when it comes to rhododendrons, it is very cold hardy and one of the easiest to grow. The story behind it is an interesting one. It was developed by Edmund Mezitt, the son of Peter J. Mezzit, an emigrant who fled the Russian czar and came to America in 1911. He and his wife Olga founded Weston Nurseries in 1923 in Connecticut. Their son, Edmund, had a passion for rhododendrons but was discouraged by the selection of offerings in the New England region. In 1939, he crossed Rhododendron carolinianum , a plant native to the Carolinas and Tennessee with  Rhododendron dauricum var. sempervirens, an extremely cold-hardy plant gifted to his father by Russian missionaries. The result, Rhododendron 'PJM', n...

Wet, wet, wet. This week another "atmospheric river" invaded us and it has been raining pretty much non-stop since Saturday. Today brought us a break but I think more rain is on the way. The good news is that the plants are happy. Camellia 'Nuccio's Bella Rossa' Camellia 'Magnoliaflora' Euonymous albomarginatus Fatsia 'Spider's Web' Arctostaphylos 'Sunset' (Manzanita) Pieris 'Little Heath' Pieris 'Passion Frost' Rhododendron 'PJM' Rhododendron 'Taurus' Saxifrage 'Touran White' I only purchased 2 plants at Hortlandia and this was intentional. Knowing that my space is limited, I didn't want to be tempted. That, and the fact that I was mainly working the book sale, kept me in one spot. I did buy two plants - The fern is a Japanese Painted Fern called 'Regal Red' ( Athyrium niponicum ). I got it for Michael, who has become rather fond of ferns. And, lo and behold, there sat Hydrangea ...

In our garden A woman I do occasional garden work for asked if I would prune her dappled willow. Hers is in tree form (ours is shrub). I remembered hers as being massive last year although it appeared smaller when I went to prune it earlier this week but of course it is not fully leafed out yet.  Before... After Dappled willow ( Salix integra 'Hakuro-Nishiki') is a beautiful shrub or small tree and when the new variegated pink and white leaves appear in spring, we quickly sell out at the garden center. People come rushing in wanting to know what that shrub is they are seeing all over town. As soon as they start to describe it, we immediately know what they are talking about. They are extremely easy to grow and they are a good recommendation for people wanting a fast-growing plant to screen out the neighbors. They don't require special care and unless you need to control the size, pruning isn't necessary although it will be more attractive and the leaves will be denser ...

The daffodils are blooming along the streetside in front of our house. Every year I tell myself that I should add more but I'm thinking now that hellebores might be pretty sprinkled throughout the bare spots. Regardless of what I add, now is the time to decide where they should go because when the other plants fill out, there is no way of knowing. Winter lingers with cold temperatures and rainy weather. Hopefully warmer temperatures on the way... Everybody finds our huge mailbox humorous. I wanted the biggest one that I could find because we mail out and receive lots of packages and the last thing I want to do is stand in line at the post office. Two different mail carriers have told us it is there favorite box on their route. Ha! Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy