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Out of Hibernation

Michael came out from his sewing room hibernation today! It was a beautiful day - a bit chilly with temperatures in the 50s, partly cloudy with a few sun breaks and just a few very minor sprinkles. The garden is waking up fast. I love this time of year. The trees are just leafing out,  so when the sun does appear, there is a dappled scattering of sunrays dancing throughout the garden. The birds are singing and busy flitting about building their nests. In these crazy times, this is the only place where I feel totally calm and at ease and can filter out life's unpleasantries. We got a lot done today. Yesterday was even nicer with warmer temps and more sun. I got the tarps off the decks, statues and water features. Today was spent mostly cleaning up, more planting and moving pots around. Veronica 'Georgia Blue' Blue-eyed Mary ( Omphaloides verna ) with Daphne tangutica ) Japanese Maple ( Acer palmatum 'Beni Hime') Beesia Red Currant ( Ribes sanguineum 'King Edwa...
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Home Again to a Beautiful Fall Season



I just got home from a trip to Alabama where the weather was pleasant but dry and nothing interesting to see plant-wise. Waking up to a blustery day here in Washington with scattered rain showers and the fall color is beginning to dazzle.

A quick walk around the garden this morning and clean-up is desperately needed. 


Some interesting sightings - Rhododendron 'Hills Bright Red' in bloom and not just one bloom, several! Very odd. Please overlook the the spider mite damage. It is terrible and I must do something... 



A sign that I am in a different climate -


Oakleaf Hydrangea 'Alice' showing nice color -



The Pomegranate (Punica granatum 'Crimson Sky') is a beauty!






And, look what I picked from 'Little Miss Figgy' -


The Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia) has been unimpressive this year but they always have a bloom-spurt in autumn -


Fuchsias that were moved from the deck are blooming much better now that they are getting more light. The Sumac is also very nice this time of year -



Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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  1. Hoover BooOctober 10, 2023 at 7:49 PM

    Gorgeous, Phillip. Wonderful color on the 'Alice' and the Pomegranate. (They color up somewhat even here.) Your garden gets better and better and better. Looks like the PNW is getting at least a bit of rain--that should knock back those spider mites a bit.

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  2. Kris PetersonOctober 10, 2023 at 8:43 PM

    Dazzling fall color indeed, Phillip. I can't say I've seen any of that here yet but then its sparse even later in the season.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 11, 2023 at 5:59 PM

    Agreed, Southeast is a bit lackluster this fall. Been very dry. Japanese maples are crispy, not colored. But oh, the sun angle has changed. Beautiful light is what I’m here for!

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  4. AnonymousOctober 12, 2023 at 8:59 AM

    Beautiful and vibrant garden... not sure what you mean by "clean-up is desperately needed". What's your fall routine?
    Jealous of your Figgies.
    Chavli

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  5. AnonymousOctober 14, 2023 at 11:17 AM

    Hey Phillip, your garden is stunning!, as per every time I check in, its just amazing! I noted your photo of the spider mite damage... I have the same on my eucryphia's. I did a bit of investigating and discovered that what I had wasn't spider mite, but was instead a new pest for us (I garden up in Tacoma) called Pieris lace bug. The damage noted in you picture looks very similar to what i have on my shrubs. It's not a good sign that it is spreading so rapidly. I'm seeing it everywhere in my neighborhood. Hope this helps, so that we can get this pest under a bit of control. .. Erik

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousOctober 14, 2023 at 12:30 PM

      Thanks Eric - I will look into this! -- Phillip

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