Dreaming of Spring amid frosty temps.

SpringFest Garden Market and Festival

Some people mark the beginning of Spring with Robins or sunshine. Not me. I know it's Spring when the Tulsa Garden Center has their annual SpringFest. I'm so excited, I can't stand it.

We had Spring, or so I thought. Then I planted flowers and it snowed. It never snows in April in Oklahoma. It did this year. Why? Because I am ahead of the curve this year. Our open house for my son's graduation is only a month a way and by golly my yard is going to be beautiful.

My yard is going to be whatever this crazy weather and my skills allows it to be by then. And that's just the way it is. So where does a gal like me (who kills things and can never figure out why) go for answers, knowledge, and ideas? The Tulsa Garden Society, that's where.

What is so great about SpringFest? Everything. Everyone is going to be there. All the local nurseries with their best stuff. Do you have gardening questions? Linnaeus Gardens will even be open. Tulsa Master Gardeners are the best people to ask about anything. They taught me how to make dirt. I know that sounds stupid to people who live in what I call "real dirt" country. But I live in red clay and sandy loam country. I spent years, digging holes and killing bushes because I carelessly planted them in unprepared beds. I had no idea I was doing anything wrong. The Tulsa Garden Society is teaching me how to create beauty. I knew how back in Michigan, and I'm learning how again in Tulsa.

Check out their web page and see for yourself. If you live in the Tulsa Area, you do not want to miss this.


I can't wait!

My Southwest Gate

This is the section I've been spending most of my time on before the snow. The city has right-of-way in the far back corner. There are cable and gas lines running through there and I'm not allowed to dig. So, I'm building up. I have three new beds here and will have Morning Glories over the trellis. The beds closest to the trellis contain hostas, a Beauty of Moscow, forget-me-nots, Monardas, Coral Bells, and a green envy cone flower. I can't wait to see that they do.


My magnolia bloomed this Spring. She looks funny with just one branch and one clump of flowers. I'm hoping she'll really grow up this year.


This is how she looked when I got her last year. I think there is hope.

Till next time.

Mother Nature's Last Hurrah

Thunderstorms and lightening kept me awake most of last night. They've subsided and now we have.... snow... big white fluffy flakes of madness. It's snowing sideways here in Broken Arrow. My pictures aren't really doing the beauty of it all justice. We have snow here, but not like this.

If I look out my living room window, I can see the Northern wind blowing the snow sideways across my yard. It's the kind of snow fall I would expect to see in Denver or Syracuse, but rarely Tulsa.

This is a picture I just took of my SE garden. My beds are created, and planted, buried underneath this white blanket are hostas, ostrich plumb ferns, lung wort, Canterbury bells, and forget me nots. There is a red twig dogwood towards the front of it. I'm hoping it provides a nice screen, hiding the utility boxes in the back. I'm almost ready to replace the temporary fencing you see here, with a more permanent structure.

There will be Morning Glories climbing the trellis, as well as a path underneath. This will be a quiet resting place. A room for peace and shade. But for today, it's blanketed by mother nature as winter makes one last hurrah in Broken Arrow.

A Spring Update

I had great visions of building out all of my new beds over the winter - getting them ready for my Spring plants. What was I thinking? Tulsa usually has enough warmish weather during our winters to allow for such planning. Not this year. Either my thermostat has severely changed or it really was too cold to be working outside.

None the less, I thought I'd offer ya'll a peak at what I've been doing over the past two weeks. This is just part of it. I'll post more on Monday.

My plants arrived from Spring Hill two weeks early. Being on the northern cusp of my zone, I know my weather. Even though it felt like Spring, mother nature had one last hurrah up her sleeve.

Undaunted - and desperate to put my new babies in the ground, lest they die on my front porch, I set out to build the four garden beds that I was supposed to build out over the winter.





One of my new beds. This new bed is located directly over the spot where our Bradford Pear resided prior to the ice storm of 2007. I let that part of my yard rest for a full season before building out anything new.

Going through my gardening journal, I noticed that I have nothing yellow. This bed fixes that. My Golden Chain Tree arrived while I was in Nashville two weeks ago, and she really needed a place to belong. The bed was not ready when she arrived. Oklahoma does not have black dirt. I'm learning as well that I can not simply dig a hole and plant a bush. I have to "build" my beds. This bed is built up with cotton burr compost, top soil, and sandy loam for drainage.

A thoughtful note here: While black dirt smells wonderful back home in NY, clean and crisp. Created black dirt made with compost - does not.

These two shots are part of my new "wall." Built out on either side of our old swingset, I have three hedge roses - promised to grow five feet tall.



At the far of of this shot you can see the boxes that I am trying to hide her. Also planted at the end of these roses is a Freedom Rose - that grows about 10 feet tall. I thought that would make a good focal point for the end of the row.

The picture below is my Blue Wisteria vine. I am planning on training her up the swing set. Next year we will turn the set into a pegoda - by extending it either forward or backwards depending on where the city will let us dig. For now, I'll leave it alone and see what the wisteria does.



I was right about Mother Nature - today's low is in the low 30's and they are predicting ice rain mixed with snow. I mulched my beds and I'm hoping for the best.

More to come...

haven't posted in a while

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I've actually been busy in the garden, building new beds and getting things arranged.

I will be back on line in a week - so look for new updates, flowers and excitement soon.

Blessings
Deana

Heading Out Doors

It is 76 degrees out today. I am heading out doors and playing in the dirt. I can wait to see what is blooming.

Planning for Winter in March

Spring doesn't officially start for another two weeks, but it is 79 degrees here today. I'm climbing out of my skin trying to resist the impulse to plant stuff that I know cannot handle the frost that will come next week. My sunny spot in my house is almost ready and next year I will be able to start things from seed, just not this year. This year, I have to wait and purchase whole plants.

I'm still trying to figure out my "zone." Some maps show me in 6, others show me in 7. I'm apparently on the cusp of both.

My gardens look great in the Spring and Summer with some nice fall interest as well, but in the winter? Even here, I have nadda. Everything is dormant, there is no color, not contrast. B-O-R-I-N-G. I used to have pine trees and they stayed green, but boy did I miss that this year. So, in looking for color for my gardens I came across two beauties I could not resist.

This wonderfully looking specimen is called - Beni Kaze Japanese Forest Grass
(Photo Credit: Spring Hill Nursery)

Botanical Name: Hakonechloa macra 'Beni-kaze'
Form: Herbaceous perennial
Sun Exposure: Partial Shade/Full Sun
Height/Habit: 2 - 3'
Spread: 2 - 3'
Spacing: 2 - 4'
Hardiness Zone: Zones 5 - 9
Foliage Type: Mounds of arching linear green leaves which turn to rich red tones in fall.
Flower Form: Pale green spikelets. Not significant.
Flower Color: Green
Flowering Date: Late summer.
Planting Requirements: Tolerates a light shade without compromising the brilliant fall color.
Soil Requirements: Well drained, fertile, humus rich soil.
Growth Rate: Moderate.

Unique Characteristics: Flowing mound of green grass blades that turn a brilliant red for the fall season. Great for cascading over a bank or retaining wall. Tolerates a light shade area without compromising on the great fall color. Compliments most broad leaf plants nicely in the landscape setting.
Pruning: Cut to base in late winter or early spring.
Additional Information: Beni-kaze translates to "red wind". Describes its flowing nature and beautiful fall color.

I'll admit, there is nothing wrong with owning these - I'm just bored with it being my only "grass" planting. This one is mature enough to divide and place in other spots in my garden. Places where I have Spring and Summer color and need some green.

My other colorful beauty is the Red Twig Dogwood

(Photo Credit: Spring Hill Nursery)

Like I said, my yard has zero color in the winter. I need something pretty.

Botanical Name: Cornus alba 'Argenteo-Marginata'
Form: Deciduous woody shrub
Sun Exposure: Partial Shade/Full Sun
Height/Habit: 5 - 8'
Spread: 5 - 8'
Spacing: 6 - 10'
Hardiness Zone: Zones 3 - 8
Foliage Type: Variegated green and cream ovate to elliptic leaves.
Flower Form: Small starry flowers form 1 1/2 - 2" flat topped cymes, insignificant.
Flower Color: Yellowish white
Flowering Date: Spring
Planting Requirements: Best coloration in full sun.
Soil Requirements: Well drained, but adaptable to a wide range of soils.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Unique Characteristics: An old fashioned favorite that is still one of the best shrubs for year round appeal. Attractive variegated cream and green foliage all growing season followed by brilliant red stems that last all winter. Provides great color against a snowy backdrop or used indoors as an accent in cut-flower arrangements.
Pruning: Best coloration on new wood. Prune out 1/3 to 1/2 of old wood each year.
Time of Pruning: Late winter.

PLANT DESCRIPTIONS ARE COURTESY OF SPRINGHILLNURSERY.COM I'm using these until I learn what means what and how to properly log things in my gardening scrapbook.