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Of course it isn't but I marvel at the size of this camellia when I pass it on my way to work. I am not good at judging sizes but I am guessing that it is at least 20 feet tall? It is in the corner of someone's front lawn and you can compare it to the dogwood next to it and the house behind it. It is past it's prime in blooming but look at the number of blooms! I have never seen camellias bloom the way they do here. They just completely cover the bush (or in this case - tree).  Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon's Open Gardens is now in full swing and is a wonderful opportunity to see some great gardens in the area. Every weekend through mid-October, private gardens and some nursery gardens are open. I saw a lot of the gardens two years ago after moving here but did not go to many last year. This year, I hope to catch up on some of those that I have missed as well as new ones on the list for the first time. A garden that I have really wanted to see is the Cecil & Molly Smith Garden in St. Paul, Oregon. The Smiths are no longer with us and the garden is owned and maintained by the Portland chapter of the American Rhododendron Society .  Cecil Smith had a passion for rhododendrons and he was fortunate to live in an area where they flourish. The Smiths built their house in 1951 on a north-facing hillside. Their windows overlooked the slope which were developed into a spectacular woodland garden filled with rhododendrons. Today, many of the rhododendrons...

Erisymum 'Bowle's Mauve' and 'Apricot Twist' I begin April Bloom Day with the beautiful wallflowers that are in full bloom. The purple ones started blooming about a month ago and the orange just started. I never grew wallflowers until I moved here. I loved the combination of the orange and purple when I saw them side by side in the greenhouse where I work. They have been stellar performers, blooming non-stop all last season and off to a robust start this year. I hear that they are short-lived (how long, I don't know) but they have more than earned their keep so far. I am almost giddy over the first rhododendron bloom. This is 'Taurus' that is planted underneath the dogwood tree. Rhododendrons were hard to grow in Alabama because of the heat and humidity. Here they thrive (the Coast Rhododendron is the state flower of Washington). So far, I have only planted a few but I do plan to add more. Making a decision from the hundreds (or thousands more likely) va...

Sedum 'Angelina' Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum . Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

I have always said that I would be unhappy living in the desert because it is not green enough for me. I still adhere to that belief but I do enjoy looking at photos of desert gardens and the plants that inhabit them are certainly dramatic. I was recently sent the book "Desert Gardens of Steve Martino" by Caren Yglesias to review for Library Journal and I really loved the book. Martino, a Phoenix-born landscape architect, calls himself "an accidental landscape architect". He was fascinated by the desert from a young age when he would explore the surrounding Sonoran Desert on horseback. Later, he majored in architecture and found himself more interested in the outside spaces between buildings and how to use them as expansions of the interior. He became highly interested in native desert plants at a time when other landscape architects considered them nothing but weeds. He questioned why they were using plants that relied on water instead of local plants that thrived ...

Rhododendron 'PJM' and Acer 'Sango Kaku' I find myself a bit impatient for spring to arrive. Wait a minute - spring has arrived but you would not be able to tell it by the terrible weather we have been having. Cold, wet, windy, blah. I started back to work at the nursery last week and almost froze to death. Warmer and drier conditions are predicted later in the week. I think this is Spring Break for the school kids so I know they will be excited. I myself am ready for leaves on the trees. Roses are on my mind. We just purchased a moon arch and I was hoping to get it up but the weather prevented that. We did get it together without any major problems. It lies waiting at the moment... I already have a rose planted for the arch - 'Phyllis Bide' - a new one for me. I purchased six new roses yesterday and got all of them planted today except for one. I picked up several David Austin roses as well as a Romantica rose. You can tell that spring has arrived when you loo...