flynn070

It does not seem possible that we are already near the end of February! Daylight Savings Time will begin in two weeks and it will really begin to feel different. The sad thing about all of this is that I don't feel like I have accomplished much in the garden this winter. I have all of these projects planned and I have yet to complete even one of them. Of course, our winter weather is less than ideal for outdoor works this time of year. It is usually wet and cold and, as seen during the past week, some ice and snow. However, on the whole, we have had a mild winter and some really nice stretches of dry and sunny days. So I have no one to blame but myself. One of the local weather forecasters is an avid gardener so naturally I prefer to watch him. Last week he said that he normally plants peas on President's Day. This sent me into a mild state of panic as I realized that I had really been neglecting the vegetable garden and the planning of it for the coming year. This brings me to...

I spent part of this blustery, snow-showered Sunday baking this for my neighbor who has a birthday tomorrow. This is very similar to a pound cake and is very fine grained. Like most loaf cakes I have tried, it is easy to make and there is nothing unusual about it. About the baking time - author Maida Heatter says that it is very long - about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Knowing about her baking times in advance, I questioned this and started checking the cake after one hour. Sure enough, it was done in about 1 hour and 10 minutes. The cake will crack along the top (she says that is expected) so don't be alarmed by that. The cake slices beautifully (not crumbly at all) and tastes wonderful. It is great with milk, tea or coffee. 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 8 oz. unsalted butter 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup sugar 5 large eggs, separated Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter an 8-cup capacity loaf...

Our friend Cindy is visiting from Alabama and we visited a new spot yesterday - Rocky Butte in Portland. This is a small park atop a hilltop that overlooks PDX airport. You can watch planes coming in for landings. The city where we live - Vancouver, Washington - is across the Columbia River in the distance. That is Interstate 205 on the left. This is the overlook area. Personally, I think they could do some things here to improve the landscaping but I suppose the views are what brings people up here. The clouds prevented us from seeing Mt. Hood which is to the west. On the East side, you can catch glimpses of downtown Portland in the distance. Another view looking west There is some landscaping along the mound leading up to the Overlook. Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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...