A Little Dirt Therapy
Monday, May 26, 2014 at 10:50AM When stress is getting you down, a little dirt therapy always helps. Last week a couple of friends and I visited fellow blogger Phillip Oliver's garden in Florence, Alabama. His blog is aptly called Dirt Therapy. His garden is over twenty years old, and it has a unique character that reflects its owners. My first impression, standing in front of the house, was that it was a relatively small garden; but that was deceiving, as arbors open to garden rooms and more paths to explore. It climbs and reaches and stretches about, and with the soothing songs of happy birds and chattering squirrels, the peace of it all enveloped me as I explored its paths.
I love the way art objects dress up the side of this old garage.
One can not walk fast through this garden! There are many art objects and interesting statues to study:
With lush plantings and several water features, this garden is a wildlife refuge in the middle of a city.
A satisfied Brown Thrasher!
It was a great day of Dirt Therapy for internet friends, brought face to face through our love of gardening.
Reader Comments (20)
What a treasure trove of garden art to compliment his landscaping. I particularly liked the concrete head stuck in among the pots and the giant key. It pays to stay put because someone who has to move around a lot, for their job, would never be able to create such a paradise.
Gorgeous garden ! I really like the fountain and other garden figures. And the flowers are wonderfully colorful !
Have a great week :)
Yes Deb, this is perfect in the description of our trip to Dirt Therapy! Or was that a session??? What great fun that was!!
What a beautiful, tranquil looking garden Debs, thank you for sharing!
Great capture of the Thrasher. They tend to be camera-shy.
I'm a big believer in dirt therapy. Your pictures are the next best thing to getting my hands in the soil.
Thanks for introducing me to this garden, it looks great fun to walk around.
What a beautiful garden, it could be somewhere in England or France, at least somewhere where the weather is mild and humid! I lived in Decatur AL. for a few years, going to Decatur High school and I certainly remember very hot summers and grass in our yard which was burnt by the sun.
Nice photos, Deb! As Martine says, you've shown out Phillip created a haven for beauty, birds and all kinds of life. It seems like a real refuge.
Oh my goodness, what a treat to see on your blog, and to imagine being in there in person...whew, this gardener is rather envious. What a gorgeous garden.
Jen
I've followed Dirt Therapy for awhile, and Philip's garden is breathtaking! Thanks for sharing!!
Very beautiful tour, Deb. Love the photos and the way you framed them. I think I could have written the same from,"His garden is over ..." about Charles Cresson's garden in Swarthmore, PA. It to was many rooms and went on and on. The discovery was the design. The viewer just did not know what was around the next turn. Great design and boy does he know plans.
As a loyal reader of Phillip's blog I am happy to see what caught your eye in his garden. I would love to see it sometime too.
Looks like a wonderful place to spend time with a fellow garden blogger. So many wonderful little pieces of whimsy. I really enjoyed all the statues and garden pieces--especially the art objects on the garage. Nice job.
It is so much fun to get together with other bloggers and see their gardens. I am glad you had a good day.
Oh I love walking through other people's gardens! It looks like an interesting garden, with so many treasures to see. How fun!
Hi Deb
What a lovely garden! It reminded me of yours in that there always seems to be a secret path to follow or a mysterious corner to explore. I have that exact same Celtic key!!
I've only been to a few other gardens created by local friends. It would be incredible to see the garden of another blogger in person. His is beautiful, indeed. :o)
It's always a joy to visit a garden of someone who loves gardening. I've never visited a garden bloggers garden. They all live in faraway places. Too bad. I would love to visit your beautiful garden.
Deborah I am adoring this garden you visited!!