Dirt Therapy

I've always been intrigued by flowers that start out with a deep color in the buds and open to a different color, particularly pure white.  Rhododendron 'Loderi King George' is an example of this. The buds begin in almost a solid deep pink, opening to white. I would not call them "pure white", as there are traces of pink left, but the pink is on the underside of the blooms. When backlit by sunlight, the pink softly glows through the white. Lovely! I remember looking at photos of massive rhododendrons in my early gardening days, and it was one of the features that lured me to the Pacific Northwest. They were difficult to grow in Alabama, not liking the hot, humid conditions. After finally moving to Washington state, I was a bit mystified to learn that many gardeners here tend to dismiss them as "common". I suppose they are over-used and often not grown under the best circumstances, but seeing them used properly and grown in the right conditions, they are ...

                 Kiwi Vine (Actinidia kolomikta) 'Arctic Beauty' This and that on a very rainy Earth Day 2026. Many of these photos were taken during the past two weeks. Chilean Potato Vine ( Solanum crispum  'Glasnevin') Brunnera ' Diane's Gold' Redbud ( Cercis 'Flame Thrower') Clematis 'Pauline' Maidenhair Fern and Epimedium Geranium pyenaicum 'Bill Wallace' Anise (Illicium floridanum 'Woodland Ruby') Michelia ' Fairy Cream' Peony 'Shima Nishiki' Rhododendron 'Loderi King George' Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' Columbine (noid) Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

I usually do most of my walking during the winter months, so getting out for a spring walk feels like a bit of a rarity. The garden was still soaked from a night of rain, and a light drizzle hung in the air, so I decided to get exercise elsewhere.  The first things that caught my eye were the groundcovers, profuse blooming carpets. Creeping Phlox ( Phlox subulata ) Candytuft ( Iberis sempervirens ) Lithodora I'm not sure what this groundcover is with the tiny, daisy flowers. I suspect that it is native. This garden has habitat signs, nice plants and landscaping. Lilacs are very popular in the neighborhood and I saw several - I'm a sucker for plants falling over walls, and this camellia caught my eye - Dogwoods are another popular tree. The one in our garden is just beginning to show color on the buds. These were in farther along - A gorgeous Japanese maple and azaleas - My favorite garden along my route. I remember this stunning Darwin's barberry ( Berberis darwinii) last ...

Narcissus 'Sweet Ocean' Tulips, Pansies & Glory of the Snow ( Chionodoxa ) Rhododendron 'Loderi King George' Rhododendron 'Blue Baron' Tulip 'Icoon' Skimmia & Pieris 'Little Heath' Red Flowering Currant ( Ribes Sanguenium ) Saxifrage 'London Pride' (?) Foamflower (Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket') Veronica 'Georgia Blue' Text and photos by Phillip Oliver,  Dirt Therapy

Much to my dismay, I have cut back on sugar consumption. Difficult, because I love sweet treats, but on the other hand, I want to be a healthier person. I still like to bake and I've just discovered  "Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen"  on You Tube and enjoying it very much. That said, I normally make a dessert at least once per week, but I try to have only a piece or two, and share the rest. Going through some of my cookbooks, I came across a series of books by Todd Wilbur, who reproduces recipes from popular chain restaurants.  In the first volume, I saw the Ruby Tuesday Strawberry Tall Cake and remembered that it was a favorite of ours. I haven't visited a Ruby Tuesday in ages and I don't know if they still serve this. I decided to give it a try and it turned out pretty good. The photo I took doesn't show the cake layers and is not a very good representation, but you get the idea. Actually, we thought the best way to eat this was in a bowl, kind of like a t...