flynn070

I have always said that most of my gardening knowledge has come from books, a fact that pertains to almost every other aspect in my life as well. The first thing I did after moving here was find as many gardening books as I could that related to gardening in this region. I was excited when I heard that Paul Bonine and Amy Campion were writing a gardening book. I have met both authors - Paul is the owner of Xera in Portland, a fantastic nursery that offers lots of unusual and unique plants. Amy is a writer and photographer and we both are currently serving on the HPSO Board. They are two of the smartest people I know when it comes to plants and gardening in this region. This book is a great introduction and a must-have for recent transplants to the area (such as myself!). The first section deals with the all-important (and extremely complicated) subject of climate. There are eight climatic sub-regions in the Pacific Northwest. We live in the Willamette Valley and the weather here is fa...

The dark, dreary days are upon us but there are bright spots in the garden. We continue to enjoy our bird-watching hobby. For the past 3 hours, this Juvenile Cooper's Hawk has been sitting in the apple tree. I kid you not - he has not moved for 3 hours! One of our favorite visitors to the suet feeder is this beautiful Northern Flicker. This photo was taken on Christmas Day when we had snow on the ground -  I have been working on the terraced area on off days when the weather permits. This large sloping area will have two terraced borders and wide steps between them. After some contemplation and listening to Michael's suggestions, I decided to use railroad ties instead of rocks for the steps. I was afraid it would be too much rock and I hope that the ties will not command too much attention. I want to have grassy steps here. Believe it or not, one of the most pressing annoyances is what to do with the grass clods that I am removing. We are not supposed to put them in our lawn re...

January February March April May June July August September October November December Happy New Year! Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

I was ready to title this post "Winners and Losers" but then I thought, "Can any plant be a loser?" - well, maybe poison ivy? (And some good news for me - poison ivy is rare here, found mainly in the wilderness areas. No more yearly poison ivy shots and steroid packs!) Another reason I abandoned the losers idea is because there was just a small number of plants that fit into that category. I will give them a mention at the end of the post. So, a trip down memory lane of the past year and a look at the garden plants that excelled. I am focusing on plants that I have grown for the first time. As a new gardener here in the Pacific Northwest, I am still learning. Overall, I would say that gardening in this area of the country is much easier. For me, the absence of humidity is wonderful. It means I can play all summer long in the garden without breaking into a sweat. There are challenges of course, the chief one being the absence of rain during the summer months. That me...

A cold and snowy Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I guess you know you are getting old when you like it but you don't want out in it. We don't have to go anywhere so we are happy inside. A Northern Flicker has been visiting the suet feeder for the past month or so. He is so beautiful! And the hummingbird is a faithful resident. It seems so weird seeing them with snow on the ground. We have been bringing the feeder inside at night to keep it from freezing. This year's Buche de Noel was made by Michael. My work schedule was pretty full last week so he pitched in and did the honors. This thing is heavenly. The frosting and cake has Kahlua in it. I posted the recipe a few years ago . Sadly, we lost the little Cardinal bird that we always decorated it with - we think it was lost in the move. And we have nothing with red berries in the garden. I will have to remedy that. Michael had some tiny little birds from his craft supplies and came up with nice decorations. Merry Christmas ...

I remember as a child, I was never enthused with Moravian Wafer cookies but after I would have one (I would not pass up anything related to dessert), I could not stop eating them. I only remember the round ones that came in small tins or cellophane. You don't have to worry about these wafers being perfectly shaped. I was concerned about getting them thin enough. Maida Heatter suggests using a ruler and cutting at every 1/8 inch mark. I just used a long, thin-blade knife and estimated the cuts. Some turned out too thick (although that certainly does not affect the taste of the cookies) but most of them were just right. The wafers are supposed to be hard and crisp. My first batch were a little soft, even after cooling, so I baked the second batch a few minutes longer. That did make them firmer but they were still somewhat soft. Nevertheless, they are very good and excellent with a cup of coffee! The dominant ingredient for these is the molasses. Have you noticed that molasses is diff...

Typical weather for winter has returned with colder temperatures and more rain. We have had our first freeze and it has dipped down into the 20s (one night 24!) several times. I took a walk around the garden to see how the plants were handling this. The answer - surprisingly well! Some, of course, do not like it at all. I knew Salvia 'Amistad' was very tender. Whether it makes it until next year remains to be seen. It is, however, a plant that I would purchase again. The hummingbirds loved it. Salvia 'Amistad' and Mugo Pine 'Aurea' Another iffy one is New Zealand Flax. I have never grown this before but I have always admired the imposing spikes of it in California gardens. I hear it is marginal here. The 24 degree night did not seem to phase it. Of course the wet conditions here during the winter are sometimes the culprit. Phormium 'Rainbow Queen' (New Zealand Flax) Viburnum 'Spring Bouquet' seems to really like the cooler weather. Look at all th...