Wordless Wednesdays: Wishing for Summer

It's 34 degrees in Tulsa. Much colder than I think it should be allowed in March. While I'm waiting for it to warm up enough for me to examine my beds and get my Spring garden work done, I thought I'd share some photos of last Summer.

My purple fountain grass -- it looks dead right now, I'm hoping it comes back.

My Hollyhocks were a new addition last year. They were pretty sparce, only a few stems. I'm hoping they've reseeded well enough and more will come back.

And my reliables. I have Daylillies and Stella Doro's tucked throughout my gardens for splashes of color. I'm really looking forward to seeing these beauties again this year.

Do I dare Try Again?

Okay, I'll admit it. I have a black thumb. Seriously. I must.

When the ice storm of 2007 killed all but one of my trees, I didn't panic. I viewed it as a chance to learn how to landscape and plant flowers. Glorious, beautiful, colorful, flowers.

So for two years, I've tilled, studied, and planted my heart out. And by the end of 2009 almost everything DIED. It wasn't a sudden death -- it was more like a slow painful death caused by unusual heat waves, and soil that is still either too sandy or too acidic or somewhere in between.

Being surrounded by such wonderful garden bloggers -- I didn't want to tell anyone. I just slowly faded away from places like Blogtanical and other wonderful pages because I didn't want to admit that my blog was quickly becoming a horticultural obituary.

I mean seriously who wants to see photos of whithered, dead, bushes and flowers?

I turned into a garden blog lurker. Reading your pages, and coveting your work. Wishing that somehow your smarts, your hard work, and maybe even your "green genes" would magically rub off on this transplant to Oklahoma. They didn't.

I was going to simply delete this blog and pretend my journey into the dirt never happened. And then, in the middle of my winter reverie, the catalogues started arriving. I threw them away at first, and they must have sent out the alert, because they multiplied in number. My mailbox is full of those sweet tempations. Promising me roses, and daisies, and flowering bushes, veggies and fruit. Baskets overflowing with forgetmenots and whimsical art and "easy to make" stepping stones.

And I caved.

So, as the weather warms up in Tulsa, and I venture out to the graveyard as I now call it to see what glimmers of hope are there -- I'll once again blog about my journey. I'm sure I'll have the occasional obituary here and there -- but all in all let's face it -- If nothing else, I make the rest of you guys... look really really good.

I am Back!!

okay, it's official. I am too technically inept for wordpress, plugins or otherwise and feedblitz? forget about it. In a single click I lost it all. I'm admitting my own ineptitude and returning to blogger, where at least I know how to appear to know what I am doing. So. Did you miss me? Joke. Now to figure out how to get my domain pointed back in the right direction. Happy to be back ya'll

Where has the time gone?

Greetings from a very hot and very dry Oklahoma. I had great ambitions for my blog this summer, and while my garden is showing the fruit of my work, my blog is not. Between working up new beds and chasing teenagers I have not been online at all these days. I've made a promise to myself that I would be more consistant with updating this. I have fallen in love with gardening, right up until our latest heat wave. We had a heat spell last month where it was over 100 degrees for over a week straight. My normally curly hair went from frizzed out (which it does in the 80's) to plastered down limp. I did not know that was possible.

The heat wave came too early and my blueberries and Joseph's coat were not well enough established and I lost them. I watered every day, but the poor little roots couldn't handle the heat - even with covering.

Other things, however are doing spectacularly. I do want to show off one new bed.
This is my before shot after the icestorm.





This space on the South side of my house is my most recent conversion. It is still in progress, but for a first year garden, it's filling in rather nicely I think.

Hidden is my new Scarlet O'Hara plant in the back. Added to that are Gladiolias, Azalea's, blueberries and purple plumb grasses which I'm told are indigineous to Oklahoma. I had cut down a wild redbud when creating this new bed, however, it is showing signs of re-emerging. I have not decided whether or not I'll let it stay.

It was in this garden that I learned how to "make dirt", which is a nasty proposition all the way around. Oklahoma has sandy loam and clay. Bushes like azelea's and blueberries need dirt beds. They need rock, compost and topsoil mixed with the loam for drainage. Flowering bushes do not like wet roots, which explains why all of my other azaleas died previously. I was planting them in straight loam and clay.

Another lesson learned this year is how prolific my daisies are. I planted SIX plants last year in my front garden - and now I have this:



I had no idea they would do that. Daisies are lovely, no doubt, but these bad boys are covering up my spirea and my coral bells. They need to be somewhere else, and so I will be digging them up this week.

Jeff and I traveled to the Cumberland mountains a few weeks ago for rest and relaxation. While were there, I had the chance to take an awesome photo in our friend's garden. Enjoy.

It is Graduation Day

The month of May has wings. It must. How else can I explain why it is already the 21st and my son is graduating highschool. My absence on the blogosphere is directly tied to our getting ready for today. I'm not ready.

I did take some garden pictures this week so that I could check in and touch base with everyone. I missed bloom day and when I slowed down enough to look around, I noticed that my roses, Lupines, Ceriopsis and shasta daisies were blooming. They look great.

My Yard is a Swamp, but that's okay.

I know that the weather is fickle in Oklahoma, but rain for a week solid is enough for me. My yard is presently a swamp and while other parts of the start are flooded and I should be grateful we are not, I'm not. I'm worried.

Worry won't change a thing, so I thought I'd show you a few recent photos of my gardens to date. My Iris and dwarf lillies are blooming and once the rain stops, I'll show you more pictures.

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