Before settlers crossed the Mississippi River and literally ran for 160-acre plots in one of several Oklahoma land runs in the late 1800s, much of the territory’s western half was covered in mixed prairie grasses. In what became Oklahoma Territory, the Osage, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche and Apache tribes hunted bison and other animals. Oklahoma’s diverse landscape,…
‘Bluebird’ smooth aster
Another great plant group for the fall garden is the asters, and the best of these is ‘Bluebird’ smooth aster. I have many asters , and I’ve profiled them before, but Symphyotrichum laeve ‘Bluebird’ is my hands-down favorite and seems to be a favorite of bees, hoverflies, wasps, and butterflies too. This fantastic plant is such a beautiful clear…
Pink muhly grass in Oklahoma
Pink muhly grass is the big star this week in my Little Cedar Garden. My five plants have finally grown into their adult form. It’s been a long time coming–five or six years to get this kind of stand in the front bed. It now stops traffic on our rural road. We don’t get that much…
Yorkshire Garden Trip: Low Hall Garden
Since it’s the weekend, let’s do some armchair garden travel and return to an English summer in Yorkshire, UK. Grab yourself a cup of something warm or frizzante and follow me. We went to Yorkshire at the end of June. It was a good time to go although they were in the beginning of a…
What’s up in the September garden? Butterflies!
Good September afternoon! Hope all is well in your little world especially if you’re in the path of Hurricane Florence or one of her ilk. Here, at Little Cedar Garden, everything is refreshed from the rain, but a little tired too. There are great swathes of green, but very few blooms. We do have plenty…
Yorkshire garden trip: Cow Close Cottage
Finally! I’ve found time to post again about our Yorkshire garden trip. My first post was about Newby Hall. You may get really tired of these UK posts, but as Robert Browning wrote: “Oh, to be in England now that April’s there,” or perhaps, in this case, June. I hope you don’t mind me sharing…
My first season of beekeeping
My first season of beekeeping. Several people have asked about my bees and my first season of beekeeping so I thought I would share some photos my daughter, Claire, took of a hive inspection yesterday. When I’m working alone, I don’t have enough hands to take photos very easily, and I haven’t yet created a setup…
Yorkshire Garden Trip: Newby Hall
One of my favorite gardens we visited on our Yorkshire Garden Trip was Newby Hall. Newby Hall was built for William Weddell, but the first home wasn’t like the stately one now standing. The main part of the current house was designed by Sir Christopher Wren for Sir Edward Blackett. Sir Blackett must have had some pull to…
Best plants for summer containers
This morning, I was outside watering the containers on the deck and those next to the potager and greenhouse. We had very hot temperatures in Oklahoma last week. One day we topped out at 108° and another, 110°F. We are now back down to the normal mid to low-90s, but Oklahoma’s extreme summer weather proved…
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day July
Good morning campers! It’s the 15th of the month so, you know that means Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day hosted by the splendid Carol of May Dreams Gardens. I went out last night and took some photos. Because we had popup showers all day, and my son mowed the grass, which is still surprisingly green, everything…
Garden triage
For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably know Bill and I traveled to Yorkshire on a fabulous garden tour arranged during England’s National Garden Scheme. For those of you who don’t, posts about our trip are in the works. My mom is unwell, and I’ve been spending a lot of time with her, and…
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: Daylily season
It’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day, and since it’s June, it’s daylily season. Time for me to flit about the garden and wax rhapsodic about these big, bright perennials which take over for about two months each year. As I walked the back garden this evening, I pondered why daylilies garner so many gardeners’ imaginations including…