Dirt Therapy

Majestic Splendor in Asheville: The Biltmore Estate

2012-05-25T19:51:00.001-05:00

We've been to the Biltmore House and Gardens on numerous occassions in the past but it has been over 10 years so we were excited to visit it again, this time with the garden bloggers at the Asheville Fling. We did not tour the house this time (although we had that option). Most everyone was interested in the gardens, of course!

George Vanderbilt completed his 250- room Châteauesque-styled mansion in 1895, after six years of construction. The gardens and grounds were designed by the noted landscape architect of the day, Frederick Law Olmsted.

I love the three mile "approach road" to the estate, a winding peaceful drive with native plants, mountain laurel, azaleas and bamboo bordering the road. Guests arriving at the estate in its heydey took this journey by horse and buggy and it took an hour to reach the house.

Garden features include a conservatory, rose garden, Italian garden, walled perennial garden, azalea garden, and a woodland walk ending at a large pond and waterfall.

Sorry for so many photos of the house but it is so much fun to photograph with so many outstanding views -

The walled Perennial Garden with adjoining Rose Garden

The woodland walk that leads to the pond and waterfall

The pond with a beautiful brick bridge. If you've seen the film "Last of the Mohicans", there is a brief scene at the beginning of a carriage going across this bridge.


The Conservatory

Incredibly, I didn't take any photos of the rose garden!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

The Garden of Peter and Jasmin Gentling

2012-05-24T13:21:00.004-05:00

Day 2 of the garden tours (Saturday) on the Asheville Garden Bloggers Fling took us way up the mountain to the lush, verdant garden of Peter and Jasmin Gentling. The drive up was not for the faint of heart. Michael, who has a fear of heights, kept his sunglasses on and head averted to avoid glancing at the deep ravines and valleys on the way up.

All of the gardens on our tour were fascinating in their own unique way. This one was my personal favorite.

The garden is composed of a series of terraces on a steep hillside. This wall is about 5 feet high.

That is a dwarf hemlock on the right - I didn't know there was such a thing.

Strong legs required for this garden!

One highlight of the trip was discovering new bloggers. Ira Wallace (strolling above) blogs for Mother Earth News and is an expert on vegetable gardening in the Southeast. A fascinating woman!


That is Pam Penick in front whose popular blog Digging was one of the first gardening blogs I read and influenced me to start blogging.

Busy, busy bloggers

Peter Gentling is a master at combing textures

I don't know the kitty's name but he/she was after something and after seeing a bouncing gray object, I realized that it was a rabbit. The rabbit escaped unharmed!

Poppies, lilies and allium

A great place for contemplation

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

North Carolina Arboretum

2012-05-23T11:40:00.005-05:00

Asheville is a great city and refreshingly liberal for a not-so-big town. If I were younger and just starting out, I'd seriously consider moving there. Another noticeable aspect of the city is how health-conscious everyone seems to be. There are numerous vegan and vegetarian restaurants and all of the regular restaurants have those options (appreciated by Michael very much!). For lunch on our first day, we were catered by 12 Bones and Curve Studios. The meal included turkey barbeque sandwiches, jalapeno cheese grits and cornbread. For dessert, outstanding ice cream from The Hop which I've been craving since I returned home.

Following lunch, the next stop was the North Carolina Arboretum, A 434-acre natural treasure with 65 acres of cultivated gardens and 10 miles of hiking and biking trails.

A curved row of pleached Beech trees edges a stone terrace which overlooks a sweeping lawn area and the forest beyond.

The beautiful Asian garden with zig-zagging pathways led to a bonsai exhibit. This is also where we saw a large black snake in one of the conifers. The arboretum employees were on hand to keep visitors from getting too close to it.

This is just one specimen from the bonsai exhibit.

Overlooking the "Quilt" garden. I would love to see this after it has filled in. You can see the terrace with the pleached Beech trees in the distance.

Some serious container vegetable gardening

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Wamboldtopia - where garden and art become one

2012-05-22T15:26:00.002-05:00

Hearing the oohs and aahs coming from the front of the bus, I knew that we had arrived at the next destination on our tour - Wamboltopia. Nestled on a steep hill in a quiet neighborhood, this one-of-a-kind creation is the brainchild of stone mason Ricki Pierce ("Rock Pirate") and artist Damaris Pierce.

Wamboldtopia (named for the street it resides on) is quite a sensory explosion, filled with creative stone work, art objects, stunning plant combinations, water features, sanctuaries, and the list goes on. You can walk through it again and again and still find new discoveries. In fact, I was just looking at another blogger's photos and I saw things that I had missed.

Looking down from the top of the property. That is Ricki Pierce in the center.

Everyone wanted to know what the red rose was cascading from a rock wall. (Damaris Pierce told us that it was a gift from a friend and she did not know the identity of it). It looks like "Scarlet Meidiland" which I grow in our garden but I'm not positive about that.

That is one fancy doghouse!

Gothic touches abound!

I'm so glad we were able to experience this enchanting garden!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Christopher Mello's Garden

2012-05-21T23:37:00.002-05:00

(Our vacation started earlier in the week with visits to other gardens in Raleigh, N.C., Richmond, Norfolk and Seaford, Virginia). We then headed back to Asheville for the Fling which officially started on Thursday evening with a meet and greet as a local jazz bar. On Friday morning, the garden tours began. I'm starting here with the gardens on the Garden Fling tour first. I'll be blogging about the other gardens on our trip later.)

Day 1 of the Asheville Garden Blogger's Fling started off with a bang with a visit to Christopher Mello's garden. The focus in this garden wasn't really the plants but a dazzling array of bottle trees and found objects including old rusty shovels and Tonka trucks (yes Tonka trucks!). Asheville is a meca for artists - an appropriate beginning for our tour!

Here is Mr. Mello talking about his artistic vision. I missed some of this because I was engrossed in photographing so you will have to refer to more attentive bloggers for the story behind this!

A circle of old shovels surrounds a gravel area filled with Tonka Trucks

Larkspur and company

It had rained the night before and the morning was overcast, perfect for taking photographs. We really lucked out on the weather. Most of the days were cloudy and cool. It seems like everyone grows poppies in North Carolina and you see them along the roadway borders as well. They were so beautiful. I love this combination!

A rusty trough of sedums with bottle tree (Smoke Tree - Cotinus coggygria)

Campanula (C. punctata "Cherry Bells") and Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

Stay tuned for the next garden on our tour, another artist inspired creation (this time with rocks, bricks and stucco) called "Wamboldtopia".

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Roses D-F

2012-05-11T20:54:00.000-05:00

Daydream - This rose was selected as an All-American Selection in 2005. Most of the roses I grow are older varieties but occasionally a rose catches my attention and I can't resist. This was the case with Daydream at our local Home Depot a few years ago. I have been very pleased with it. It is a low-growing rose, well rounded and covered with fushia-pink single blossoms throughout the season. The blooms remind me of an old rose which is probably why it first caught my attention.

Daydream

Daydream in the border - its low-growing habit makes it a good choice for the front of the border.

Dusky Maiden - This little floribunda rose has been around since 1947 and was one of the first roses we planted in the garden. The poor thing has been moved around numerous times and still exhibits a few blooms every year. The bush itself is rather puny and has never been a vigorous grower. Dusky Maiden is a popular rose used in breeding programs and is a favorite of David Austin. The deep red velvety single blossoms with gold stamens are very striking.

Dusky Maiden

F. J. Grootendorst - Another tried-and-true performer, this is one of just a few rugosas in the garden. Rugosas are usually better suited for coastal climates but this one does remarkably well here and is a survivor. Ours was crushed one year by a felled hackberry tree during a storm. I thought the rose was a goner but it came back stronger than ever. Recently it has suffered by eccessive shade but still does well. Rugosas are extremely thorny. This variety has small fushia-pink blooms that remind me of carnations.

F. J. Grootendorst

Fantin-Latour - This rose is named after the French artist who painted beautiful flowers and roses such as this one in the nineteenth century. It is a classic "cabbage rose" but one whose classification is somewhat controversial. It is generally considered to be a centifolia because of its flower and blooming habits but many rosarians say that the foliage is definitely china. Despite the questionable origin, it is a favorite among old roses. It flowers only once a year with blush pink blooms that open in a swirl design to reveal a button center. Foliage is pale green and it is not thorny. It is very tall and upright (more than 6 feet) and somewhat lanky in my garden. Over the years, flowers have become more profuse. Delicious fragrance!

Fantin-Latour

Felicia is among the more mild mannered of the hybrid musks. Her dainty semi-double blooms are small (about 2 1/2 inches) and sweetly scented. Color starts out as clear pink and fades to silvery pink. Blooms are long lasting and repeat is good. They make excellent cut flowers. In girth, Felicia is not as vigorous as most hybrid musks. Growth remains narrow and tall and thus makes a good candidate to train on a pillar. Left to her own devices, a 4' x 4' bush can be expected over several years (growth rate is slower than other hybrid musks). This rose would work better in a perennial grouping or shrub border than as a specimen plant. A good choice for a smaller garden.

Felicia

Fortune's Double Yellow - Robert Fortune (1812-80), a plant hunter, discovered this rose growing in the garden of a wealthy mandarin in Ningpo, China. The rose is also known as Beauty of Glazenwood and San Rafael Rose. This is a glorious beauty when in full bloom but it took six years before it ever bloomed for me which brings up an interesting story! I was about to give up on this rose when it bloomed for me the week my father died. It is therefore special to me. I did go ahead and move it because it was suffering from too much shade. It seems to be happier out on the front fence (the following photo was taken last year).

The blooms come early, in late April here, and last for several weeks. The copper buds open to yellow with a hint of pink and they gradually become darker with age, sometimes displaying hues of orange red. The blossoms open at intervals so the combination of all the different colors at once is truly spectacular. This is a very tender rose and performs best in a warm climate. It can be trained as a climber although be prepared to wrestle with the hooked thorns. Left to its own devices, it will sprawl into a large cascading mound.

Fortune's Double Yellow

Francois Juranville - Lovely! This vigorous climber can attain 25 feet in just a few years. Like most of the wichuraiana bred roses, it has long thin pliable canes that are virtually thornless and easy to work with. It is an excellent candidate for a pergola or large structure. It and Rambling Rector fight for dominance on the pergola. The blooms are small (about 2 inches), extremely full and a soft powder pink color. Cooler climates will produce coppery pink blooms. Fragrance is moderate and similar to that of green apples. Leaves are very small and a dark green glossy color. This is a one time a year bloomer.


Francois Juranville

Francois Juranville

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

The "C" roses

2012-05-09T20:09:00.000-05:00

Caldwell Pink - This rose was discovered in Caldwell, Texas and some think it might be the same as "Pink Pet" but regardless of its true identity, it is one tough landscape rose. It is rather tame in our garden but at Michael's salon, where I planted a sprig a few years ago, it has become a monster of a rose and roots wherever the canes drop to the ground. He jokes that we could open a nursery and sell only "Caldwell Pink" roses. Lilac pink flowers appear late in spring and throughout the season on a 4' tall shrub that will cascade if given the room.

Caldwell Pink

Carefree Delight - This is not a great photo and our specimen is also not the best. "Carefree" is an apt name because this is truly a carefree rose. It is vigorous and upright and will be loaded with blooms if given enough sun. The flowers are single, soft pink with a creamy white center.

Carefree Beauty

Cecille Brunner (Climbing) - How roses can grow - take a look at the photos of this rose in its infancy and look at it today. It is ten times its former size. One of the very first roses we planted, it is still very reliable. Unfortunately, it is best appreciated from the roof of the house and we rarely get up there. :)

Cecille Brunner, seen from the ground

Cecille Brunner, seen from the rooftop

Clair Matin - I don't keep up with ARS ratings anymore but when I did, this rose was the highest rated rose. I never understood why. It is an okay rose but it has been prone to blackspot. The single clear pink flowers with yellow stamens are pretty and appear in a flush of bloom in early spring with mild repeats. This rose can be grown as a shrub or climber.

Clair Matin

Climbing American Beauty on archway

Climbing American Beauty - This probably should have appeared in the "A's" but my brain was out to lunch so here it is. We first saw this rose growing at the Antique Rose Emporioum in Dahlonega, Georgia on one of our earliest rose-buying excursions. Anyone in their right mind would have to have it after seeing it blanketing a series of archways along a garden path. Large-flowered and spectacular, it blooms much too early and much too brief. It has never been remontant in our garden and that makes me sad.

Climbing American Beauty

There is one more "C" rose to add to the list and unfortunately I didn't get a good photo of it this year. Carefree Wonder, a Meilland shrub rose, is a good upright rose with lovely pink blooms. You can see and read more about it on my website. I would not call this rose "carefree" as it is prone to blackspot but it is one that I've kept and admired for many years.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Gardening: Not for the Faint of Heart

2012-05-07T10:11:00.001-05:00

My friend Rebecca posted this on her blog (a private blog) and she gave me permission to repost it here. I didn't know she was taking photos. It does look a bit scary doesn't it?!!

************************

My friend Phillip and I went to the land fill the other day to get mulch/dirt for our gardens. Usually we have to load our trucks ourselves, which is a bit of work. This time, a very helpful city employee was there and loaded our trucks for us. It was great to have the help. It saved us lots of time and effort. At the same time, it was a little unnerving to have that giant machine so close to our vehicles, especially while we were in the vehicles!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

The "B" roses

2012-05-04T23:21:00.000-05:00

Belinda - I love the hybrid musks and am constantly recommending to people, especially those with shade. Of course all roses love sunshine but some can tolerate a bit of shade better than others. I have hybrid musk roses that bloom and perform beautifully with only 4-5 hours of sun. Belinda is one of the first I grew. Like most hybrid musks, it has a mounding habit, about 4 feet high and 5 feet wide. A once bloomer.

Belinda

Blaze - This old workhorse has been around since 1932 when it was introduced by Jackson & Perkins. It is easy to find and readily available. Unlike most of the roses in our garden, it doesn't have to be mail ordered. Just go to any outlet that sells roses and you'll probably find it. There is a "new and improved Blaze" and to be honest, I have no idea which one we have. Suffice to say is that it blooms beautifully every year and continues off and on throughout the summer.

Blaze rose growing with Clematis "Duchess of Edinburgh" and yellow honeysuckle

Bobbie James - Rambler roses are not for the faint of heart and should be carefully planted. If they are positioned near trees or any type of structure, you can be assured that the rose will find and take advantage of it. You may remember my love/hate rant about Rambling Rector. Bobbie James is not as vigorous but it is a force to be reckoned with. The thorns are dangerous and pruning shears are needed to keep this monster in check. It is planted in our "secret garden" over an iron gazebo. In full bloom, it is a beautiful sight that lasts all too brief.

Rambler rose Bobbie James

This photo was taken when the rose was very young. It is now much larger and you can hardly see the gazebo.

Buff Beauty - The last of the "B's" but certainly not the least, this is one of my Top 5 roses. This gorgeous rose begins as buff yellow and matures to a rich apricot hue. Good roses in this color range are hard to come by - most fade in the sunlight and many are disease prone or not very hardy. Buff Beauty's color holds well and as the blooms do begin to fade, there are plenty of others waiting to open. This rose can be grown as a climber (reaching to 12 feet), however, some canes will be shorter than others and may have to be trimmed off in order to achieve satisfying results. If you decide to grow it as a shrub, as I do, give it plenty of room. It sends out long arching branches and looks somewhat like a giant spider spreading its tentacles. An expanse of 5 feet in height and 8 feet in width can be expected. Other good qualities is attractive medium green foliage, strong fragrance and repeat blooms.

Buff Beauty

Buff Beauty (full)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Rose Inventory A-Z - The "A's"

2012-05-02T17:44:00.001-05:00

So here goes with the rose inventory. I didn't realize how much work this was going to be. Of course, getting photos is the hard part. I'm sure I will miss some along the way but hopefully I can catch them in the end.

Roses A

Altissimo - This poor rose is squeezed into a tight spot - in between a Colorado Blue Spruce and a red maple tree along the front fence. It blooms every year and I really should consider moving it - where, I'm not sure. This is one of the deepest reds I've seen in roses. It is a climber although the canes are very stiff. They stand straight up in the air and I think they would be hard to work with.


*Altissimo*

Aloha - I planted this rose a few years ago so it is one of the newer ones in the garden. It is classified as a climbing hybrid tea. The blooms are full, pink and very lovely. It is planted in one of the lower borders among other roses and perennials.


Aloha

Close-up of Aloha bloom

Abraham Darby - One of David Austin's exquisite English roses. They are simply stunning but I've had mixed results growing them. They are prone to blackspot and are not as carefree as the older roses. I've learned that some Austin roses do very well in our hot and humid climate and others simply sit and mope. 'Abraham Darby' is kind of in the middle. It is a strong grower and needs a support to grow on.

Abraham Darby

Alba Meidiland - We planted these roses on the bank in front of our house the first year we moved in (1992). We also have 'Scarlet Meidiland' which is just as good. I recommend the Meidiland roses highly. They are great shrub roses an do well as a hedge or covering banks. There was a Rose Rosette episode in the garden a few years ago and a few of these were affected. I managed to destroy the infected ones and the rest are fine. 'Alba' easily makes more plants when the long canes fall on the ground.

Close-up of Alba Meidiland bloom
(the pink bloom in the bottom left corner is Climbing Fairy)

Alba Meidiland on the bank in front of the house

Another view of the Alba Meidiland roses, looking up the street

Stay tuned for the B's!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

First hummingbird

2012-04-27T08:54:00.002-05:00

This morning as I was washing the breakfast dishes, I glanced out the kitchen window and saw the first hummingbird of the season. It was flying around the archway covered with the climbing rose "Blaze", yellow honeysuckle and a white clematis that I can't remember the name of. This photo was taken two weeks ago and the honeysuckle flowers had not fully opened yet. They are open now and the hummingbird was really enjoying them.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Peony "Top Brass"

2012-04-26T22:30:00.003-05:00

Peony "Top Brass"

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Jerusalem Sage

2012-04-24T10:32:00.003-05:00

For me, some of the most rewarding plants are those that you don't know anything about when you put them in the ground and they end up being an unexpected stellar performer. These plants may come from friends or you might buy them on impulse at a nursery or gardening center. You plop them in the ground somewhere, forget about them (if you are like me) and lo and behold, they rise up and put their neighboring companions to shame.

Case in point - Jerusalem Sage (Phlomis fruticosa). I bought it years ago at a local plant sale when Margie Anderton told me I needed to have it in my garden. Margie is one of my gardening gurus so I trust her recommendations. She was right of course and Jerusalem Sage has become a favorite of mine and it gets better every year.

A native of the Mediterranean, it has many characteristics that prompt admiration. First, woolly, velvety leaves are silvery gray/green with white undersides. They appear on a robust, compact plant that gets much larger than what I had anticipated. I planted it in front of a border - big mistake - as this plant can get up to 4' x 4' according to descriptions. It would be better placed in the middle or back of a border.

In early spring (April), fat flower buds appear in whorls up the stems which open to bright lemon-yellow flowers that usually last at least a month and appear throughout the summer. The fruit which appears afterward also last a long time. It is woody and can be trimmed back in spring after it flowers. I've never trimmed it although I am going to this year because it just keeps getting bigger.

Hardy to at least 20 degrees, it needs good drainage but otherwise minimal care. It is drought tolerant once established. This is a plant that does exceptionally well in California and dry, warm climates. In our garden, it gets complete shade from 1pm onward which does not diminish the bloom. In fact, plants in Alabama prefer a bit of shade to keep the yellow flowers from washing out. I've read that this plant reseeds easily although I've never seen this happen in the border (probably because of the crowded conditions).

There are other types of Phlomis available with slightly different characteristics including some that have purple flowers.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Roses already!

2012-04-20T13:36:00.000-05:00

"Buff Beauty" (left) and "Rambling Rector" (on pergola)

The roses are a month ahead this year. I'm in the process of doing an inventory of all our roses and I plan to share photos of all of them during the next month (if I can get them photographed!). At one time, we had around 130 - 150 roses but I don't think there are as many today. There is much more shade in the garden now and that takes a toll on the roses as well as other sun lovers.

I am not liking this early season. I haven't even had a chance to get the weeding done before the roses bloomed. Maybe the temperatures will stay in the normal range and we will at least have a long blooming period.

A hybrid musk rose named "Moonlight"

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Getting tomatoes planted and buying new plants

2012-04-15T18:27:00.000-05:00

A productive weekend. Our tomatoes and peppers are planted and I got about half of the containers planted. I found this plant at Lowe's. It is Jacob's Ladder "Touch of Class" (Polemonium reptans). I also bought Wallflower "Bowles Mauve" (Erysinum linifolium) for $1 on the sale rack at Home Depot. I have never grown wallflowers but I remember Elizabeth Lawrence praising them in one of her books.

Jacob's Ladder "Touch of Class" (Polemonium reptans)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Could this be the reason my containers don't do well?

2012-04-14T07:48:00.000-05:00

Hmmm......

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Show me the Money Plant

2012-04-10T09:49:00.001-05:00

An old-fashioned biennial, Money Plant (Lunaria annua) is also known as Honesty and Silver Dollar Plant. Native to central and southern Europe, it was brought to the United States by the Pilgrims. The attractive purple (or white) flowers appear in early spring, from 1 - 3' feet tall. After flowering, the seedpods develop. They start out green and turn to silvery white or translucent orbs that resemble coins. The seeds inside can be dried or simply removed and scattered (nature will also do this for you as it is a notorious re-seeder.) They also are popular in dried flower arrangements. A member of the Mustard family, it is said that the white tapered roots can be eaten raw or boiled.

Easy to grow, just sprinkle seeds in the fall or early spring. It flowers the second year from seed and will probably re-seed for you. You can always scatter more seeds to assure successive flowers.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Brent and Becky's Bulbs order

2012-04-06T18:56:00.003-05:00

Getting plants in the mail is so much fun! My order from Brent and Becky's Bulbs arrived yesterday. Here is what I ordered:

Begonia Boliviensis 'Bertini'
Canna 'Stuttgart'
Canna 'Robert Kent'
Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'
Buddleia 'Evil Ways'
Zantedeschia 'Mango' (Calla Lily)

Now to figure out where everything is going!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

A beauty of a bush

2012-04-02T22:19:00.002-05:00

Aptly named - Beauty Bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis) - I've always been puzzled as to why I never see it in nurseries or other gardens. This was one of the first shrubs planted in the garden so it has to be around 15 years old.

The heat is ruining the blooms. The bottom photo is from last year when it was prettier.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Tree Peony "Kamatanishiki"

2012-04-01T16:34:00.001-05:00

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Viburnum "Shasta"

2012-03-30T18:02:00.001-05:00

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Shasta' (aka "Doublefile Viburnum")

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Kerria

2012-03-24T00:07:00.000-05:00

Japanese Kerria (Kerria japonica)

There are some plants (okay, a lot of plants) that I consider "must haves" in the garden and this is one of them. Kerria, also known as the "Yellow Rose of Texas" or the "Easter Rose" is simply a wonderful shrub, easy to grow, and it has never failed me. In fact, a few weeks ago when it started to bloom, I wondered if it would meet the same fate as the Yoshino Cherries and the Alabama Snow Wreath - the week-long temperatures of 80+ degrees did them in and their blooms only lasted a few days. A sad disappointment, but the Kerria stood its ground and it is still beautiful. It blooms for a long time and is always blooming at Easter time.

This is a woodland-type shrub and does well with some shade. I've always been partial to shrubs that have cascading fountains of blooms. Kerria sends out long branches loaded with bright yellow pom poms, growing anywhere from 4 to 10 feet in height and spread. The bright green stems remain green throughout the winter. It will sucker and you can dig these up and plant elsewhere or share with friends. I rarely see this shrub in commercial nurseries but it is easily found in local plant sales.

"Plenifora" is the most common variety and I think it is the most beautiful. It has lush double flowers. "Picta" is a variegated variety and there is a single variety that isn't near as profuse or showy as the double.

Plant it in a semi-shaded location with good soil. Once established it is drought tolerant. After blooming, cut back the oldest stems to the ground to encourage new growth. This is a wonderful heirloom shrub that I highly recommend.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Chinese Snowball

2012-03-22T11:04:00.001-05:00

Chinese Snowball (Viburnum macrocephalum)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

Lady Banks rose and white wisteria

2012-03-20T14:35:00.001-05:00

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

March Bloom Day

2012-03-14T23:19:00.003-05:00

I have not participated in Gardener's Bloom Day since I don't know when. Usually when I think of it, it is too late but I'm actually on the ball this time. As most of the country seems to be fast-forwarding toward summer, thoughts of 2007 keep creeping into my mind. That was the year we had an early spring and a devastating late freeze. I'm hoping the same fate is not lurking around the corner this year.

I actually feel like I was cheated out of a winter this year! I do enjoy winter - it gives me a chance to unwind and do things inside (like baking, catching up on movies, etc.) that I otherwise feel guilty doing when it is nice outside. Michael tells me I need to get over this but I just can't help it. I can't stand being inside when I could be accomplishing outside.

The bright side of this early spring is that I'm getting much accomplished so maybe I won't be overwhelmed later.

Gardener's Bloom Day is the 15th of each month and garden bloggers across the nation post photos of what is blooming in their gardens. To get in on the action, visit the May Dreams Gardens blog.

Carolina Jessamine announces that spring is here even if the calendar doesn't agree. Note the increasing dilapidating fence. My goal this year was to replace it but I proscrastinate (plus have you priced fencing lately?)

There are many camellias blooming at the moment but I think "Taylor's Perfection" is the prettiest.

Another camellia (unidentified) with Alabama Snow Wreath (Neviusia alabamensis) in the background

Azalea "Coral Bells"

Hellebores and Camellia "Sawada's Dream"

Add caption

Helleborus foetidus (Bear Claw Hellebore)

Jacob's Ladder "Stairway to Heaven" (polemonium reptans)

Pansies and Candytuft

Vinca major

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy