Gardening in Busted Stick.: Bloom Day in Broken Arrow

Welcome to Busted Stick

I actually live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where the winters are usually mild and the summers are brutal. I have, in my 15 years here, killed an untold number of plants. It took me a few years to realize that my gardening knowledge was based on living in Michigan for most of my childhood and what works there, won't work here.

I've long had dreams of having an English Cottage look and feel to my gardens. I gave up that dream and settled for "safe" trees and bushes, and then an ice storm unlike anything we've ever seen hit Tulsa in 2007 and killed almost every bush and tree I own. Leaving me momentarily heartbroken, but totally inspired.

I'm slowly re-developing my yard and painting the landscape I've seen in my inner vision since arriving. It can be done. It just takes patience, time, and a lot of research.

That's what this blog is. The culmination of my learning, my mistakes (and I've made many already) and hopefully in time, you will see my new canvas and my studying, trial and error, pay off with beauty.

I hope you keep coming back and checking on the progress. I'm excited.

What I'm Working on Right Now

This South West corner is the newest room in my yard. I will be working on this space most of the winter to get it ready for Spring planting. It is by far the most unsightly, what with the utility boxes and whatnot. It's also under a "no dig" restriction, so I'm having to build up and be creative with pots and planting locations. This is primarily shaded, I'm researching color and cover options while keeping it usable to as much of an extent as possible.

I've already added the trellis, as well as two bushes to hide the boxes - and I'm building up a brick garden spot just outside of the shade and next to the trellis for my climbing morning glories. I like entrances.

In the back will be large pots of ferns, hostas, and whatever other shade loving things I can find. - My "pots" won't be pots so much as they will be feeding troughs from the local AG store. A trick I learned from a California gardener who wasn't allowed to dig in parts of his yard either because of right of way restrictions.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Bloom Day in Broken Arrow

Photo courtesy of the Tulsa Garden Center.

I'm In love! Isn't this beautiful? And it grows in Oklahoma. Yes! Purple fountain grass for my garden - coming soon. I can't wait! well, after last week's freezing temps and today's flower funerals, I'll be patient.

I was really worried that I would have to pass on bloom day this month, what with the snow and freezing temps in April of all things. If it was blooming before last week, it isn't now. My northern friends who still cannot plant have no sympathy for me right now, I know.

Sadly, I lost:

* Two Rose of Sharon
* My Yellow Chain tree that was shipped too early - calling for a refund.
* All of my Forget-me-nots
* And a few other plants that were shipped too early for zone 6b. - This is the last year I buy anything from Spring Hill. Lesson learned.

I did not lose my new grasses, my wisteria, or my new roses, and that is a good thing. I am also happy to discover these little beauties blooming today. I planted these last year.

Right now, I am getting my containers ready, cleaning out two last beds, and working on cultivating some new ornamental grasses and fencing. With the exception of just a few more items, I'm through with perennials for this year, and will be plugging annuals into my bare spots.

I'm thinking there is probably some gardening hack code that I am breaking by plugging in annuals. I know that purists don't do that. But for me, my gardens are still too new. Three of the beds were done last Spring, One was done in the fall and I've added six new beds this year. It takes three full years to really fill out a bed and to do that with all perennials would be drastically expensive.

I'll be playing at some new nurseries around town, and I'll report my finds here.

Until later.

Deana