Dirt Therapy

I think of tulips as annuals. They do come back although probably not all that you initially planted and they never look as good as that first year.  There always seems to be some that do keep coming back faithfully especially in our present garden but it is hit and miss. When we gardened in Alabama, the only tulip that ever came back was 'Maureen' and it lasted for years. I decided to add some new tulips this year and I wanted my favorite 'Princess Irene'. However, I've waited too late to shop and I can't find them anywhere. So I dropped into Lowe's where they had a lot of tulips but not many varieties. In my quest to find another orange, I chose the only orange available which was 'Van Eijk' (anyone care to pronounce it?) I also picked up an orange/yellow variety called 'Dreamland' and was quite happy with the photos I found of it online. For 'Dreamland', I pulled out the frost-bitten snapdragons, a perfect spot for 6 tulips (and wh...

A freeze warning tonight means that the annuals will be toast in the morning.  A last look - Fuchsia 'Firecracker' - Not all fuchsias are tender and many are perfectly fine in the ground and will come back next year. Tender varieties that I mostly grow in pots can be overwintered in the garage although buying new ones in the spring is less hassle. We do love 'Firecracker' which the only place I've found it is Fred Meyer. Maybe I should try and save this one. 'Southgate' was a new one this year and it is just now coming into its own. I do plan to over-winter this one since I'm afraid I won't find it next year.  Heliotrope - This has not been the best year for Heliotrope. I planted some in pots and in the ground and they just did not want to grow. We like to plant one near the front window where the vanilla-like fragrance flows into the house.  Dorotheanthus 'Mezoo Trailing Red' (Red Apple)  I love this plant and buy it every year. It is alwa...

Just a few... 'Lady Emma Hamilton' 'Mutabalis' 'Coffee Bean' 'Lamarque' 'Tranquility' 'Buff Beauty' 'Radway Sunrise' 'The Fairy' Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

This is absolutely delicious and not that difficult at all. It is a Maida Heatter recipe and comes from her chocolate cookbook. I did change the crust recipe (her recipe calls for crushed wafer cookies). The consistency is custard-like, very velvety and super rich. I have to say that I got more compliments on the crust than the cake itself. We served this with some marionberry jelly and it was excellent. A little goes a long way! Crust 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I use Dutch process but any would be ok) 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup melted butter Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Press on the bottom of the springform pan and refrigerate while preparing the filling. Cheese Mixture 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 12 oz. cream cheese (room temperature) 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 cups sour cream Pinch of salt Adjust rack 1/3 from bottom of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the chocolate over barely simmering water in t...

With recent rains, the garden has exploded with growth. There is not an abundance of blooms though, just a scattering here and there.  Thursday the sun came out and it was a perfect day to be out in the garden. The grass strip was overgrown and desperately needed cutting. I did that and managed to fill the debris bin with pruning and clean-up. Notice the deepening shadows as the sun treks farther south. Our front garden faces north - Here are some flowers from perennials that blooming this week - Persicaria 'Blackfield' Aster 'Purple Dome' Alstroemeria 'Aurea' Anenome 'Cinderella' Fuchsia 'Voodoo' Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus 'Compacta') Dahlias Aruncus 'Horatio' Geranium 'Azure Rush' - this is a new variety that is similar to 'Rozanne', the queen of hardy geraniums. It is supposed to be smaller in size. We shall see. Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' This post doesn't include annuals in pots and roses. I'll...