Dirt Therapy

But first, take a look at this gorgeous rainbow that we had on Friday! The five-day stretch of warm temperatures last week really jump-started the garden. Now that plants are putting out new growth, it is easier to see what kind of damage the winter left. Back in mid-January, we experienced five straight days of below-freezing temperatures. This caused much damage in Portland and areas where frigid winds were a factor. Here, we were fortunate to not get the wind and the cold temperatures were dampened by a blanket of snow. That said, it was a tough time for the garden and there are noticeable casualties but no outright deaths that I have seen. The bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Woodlander's Red') did not like the cold at all. It was planted six years ago, in the north-facing garden no less, and I've not experienced die-back on it until now. A local expert said to cut it all the way back so that is what I did. If it doesn't make it, I won't be too distraught. It is ...

Barberry 'Orange Rocket' & Spirea 'Ogon' I am home again after a 10-day trip to Alabama. The weather there was pleasant for the most part and even had a wonderful 3-hour rumbling thunderstorm (one of the few things I miss about living there). I did some gardening there, but the ground was very wet and it is pure clay. Not a pleasant experience, especially when digging. Guess who else had great weather? Vancouver, Washington! It would figure when I leave the frigid cold and wetness, the weather could do a complete turn-around. There have been about 4 days of record-breaking warm temperatures (above 70). Probably not that great when you think about it from the climate aspect, and it makes me wonder what the summer will be like. As you can imagine, plants are popping! Pieris 'Brouwer's Beauty' I got home late last night (Monday) and hit the ground running today. Fortunately, the warm weather continued. There is so much to do and it is overwhelming at the mo...

I rarely resort to hiring help in the garden but I'm learning that sometimes it is wise to do so and worth every penny. Case in point - some hideous out-of-control trees that were beyond my ability to deal with. If I were smarter, I would have tackled these issues from the beginning but I didn't know better. The first is a pear tree that was planted along the back fence line. I've worked on this for the past several years, every year with the intent of reducing the height or possibly removing it altogether. As you can see in the photo, I had cut back everything but three limbs and finally realized that it would be dangerous for me to try and bring them down. The limbs grow straight up into the air and the remaining three are about 20 feet tall.  After -- there is a hole in the sky view but the tree should fill in nicely for a good screen and I can keep it trimmed down from this point forward. Farther down along the fence line, and the view from the deck, are two massive pho...

Recently Kris at Late to the Garden Party  shared photos of landscapes around her neighborhood and I thought it was a great idea because I love seeing what others are doing (or not doing) in their gardens. I also love to look at houses. About a month ago, I started walking regularly, something I've never done in the past, and I like it so much that I feel guilty if I miss a day. A neighbor has been walking with me and she introduced me to her 4-mile route ( 10,000 steps)  that goes through a very nice neighborhood that borders our own.  There is not a great deal to see garden-wise because of the time of year so I am looking forward to seeing these in the spring. For the past week, the weather has been awful with cold temperatures barely getting into the 40s and rain, rain, rain.  This neighborhood is on a bluff that overlooks Vancouver Lake. Flowers are beginning to make an appearance, however, such as this Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'. Blue seems to be the "in"...