Dirt Therapy

I think this was the fifth morning in a row that we've had a heavy frost. The lows have been getting down around 25, much lower than the local forecasters have been predicting.  'Dublin Bay' (above and below) has a few blooms lingering... And so has 'Tequila Sunrise'... It has been a dry week but rain returns tonight. Pennisetum 'Karley Rose' Beauty Berry ( Callicarpa 'Profusion') Coralberry ( Symphoricarpos x doorenbosii 'Kolmcan' 'Candy') Ferns Lydia Broom ( Genista lydia ) A Japanese Maple 'Bloodgood' leaf on the Hebe Juniper 'Daub's Frosted', Barberry 'Rose Glow' and Clematis montana 'Freda' Phlomis ‘Quilted Leaf’ (Jerusalem Sage) Phormium ' Rainbow Queen' Silver Lotus Clover (Hairy Canary Lotus Shrub) ( Dorycnium hirsutum) Euphorbia 'Miner's Merlot' Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

There is still some fall color left in the garden. A late comer is Sweet Gum 'Slender Silhouette' (Liquidambar styraciflua). The attractive star-shaped leaves have turned into a kaleidoscope of orange, yellow and red. Very pretty!  If you are looking for a super-skinny tree for a tight spot, this would be a good contender. It is said to achieve a height of 50-60 feet with a width of just 5-8 feet. The growth is uniform so there is no tapering at the top or bottom.  So, when one thinks of Sweet Gum, the greatest drawback is the messy, spiky balls that fall everywhere in the fall. This variety is supposedly light and sporadic on fruit production so time will tell. So far, I've not seen any but this is a young tree, planted almost exactly four years ago - in November 2019. Assuming that there is fruit, the slender shape of the tree should keep them from covering a great distance. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

There are so many plants in the garden that I want to move but finding the motivation is a challenge. Part of it stems from the fact that simply moving something in this garden usually involves moving other plants. It is a game of musical chairs.  An eyesore that I have been contemplating all year is the large photinia along the back fence directly in back of the Pan garden. It appears to be dead although I am not certain about that. Whatever the case might be, it is totally leafless.  Photinia I envisioned more evergreens along the back fence line but another idea emerged. I had planted a Cascara ( Frangula purshiana ) (native here) in a truly awful spot along the fence line on the opposite side of the garden, down by the garden shed. Might this tree work where the dead photinia is? I know that it is a fast-growing tree and while it is not evergreen, it is beautiful when the leaves are on and it attracts all kinds of birds and insects. Planted smack-dab in front of the photin...

Last week a friend invited me to go on a hike to Cape Lookout State Park in Tillamook, Oregon. We chose the only day last week when rain was not forecast. It had rained the previous night but, after a foggy start, the sun came out and it was beautiful.  This was my first trip to Tillamook. It is about a 2-hour drive from Portland. Arriving at the parking lot, the filtered sunrays were coming through the trees - We walked down to the beach first. The water was clear blue, a really stunning sight - Just off the beach was a pile of driftwood amidst a stream of water coming down from the mountains - A rocky bank and water pipe deposit - We headed for the wooded forest next to the beach where there are numerous trails - It was quiet with the exception of bird song and the sound of a rushing stream headed toward the beach - Todd heads through a split tree trunk - After trekking up the hill among gigantic trees and lush undergrowth, we came back down to views of the ocean through the tree...

Persian Ironwood ( Parrotia persica ) Overnight, blustery winds have played havoc on our beautiful leaves. Some are still intact, others totally or almost completely bare. I can't complain as this fall season has been stellar and seems to have lasted for a nice period. In my previous post, I focused on Japanese Maples (and I'm happy to say that looking out my window now, the 'Skeeter's Broom' maple appears unfazed by the windy onslaught). Today I'm sharing photos of other trees (and a few shrubs) that have great color. These photos were taken before  last night's wind. The Persian Ironwood ( Parrotia persica ), at the top of the page, is one of my absolute favorites. It only lost some of the upper leaves. My second favorite, Black Tupelo ( Nyssa sylvatica ) has virtually no leaves at all today. Black Tupelo ( Nyssa sylvatica ) The colorful grass underneath is Northern Sea Oats ( Chasmanthium latifolium ) - The Ginkgo 'Prinetown Sentry' had nice color...

The fall colors are just incredible this year and during the past week, it looks like the saturation filter has been dramatically increased.  The most colorful has to be the maples. In the top photo of our front pathway, you can see 'Skeeter's Broom' on the left and 'Sango Kaku' (the Coral Bark maple) on the right.  I've never seen color on 'Dancing Peacock' (in a pot) like this before - Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' ('Dancing Peacock') And 'Golden Full Moon', very small right now, is just getting started - Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum' ('Golden Full Moon') The color on 'Osakazuki' occurs very late, sometimes too late, but happens overnight -  Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki' And then it changes even more. The upper photo was taken three days ago, the bottom on yesterday -  'Sango Kaku', better known as the Coral Bark Maple, so called because of the red stem color (on newer stems) - 'Skeeter...