Not a mum, but a truly worthy plant I found on the half off table a few years ago at TLC Nursery, Helianthus salicifolius 'Table Mountain' Yes, I know we've had a terrible summer, and it's still hot. Even if you haven't completely thrown in the trowel, it's probably now buried somewhere in the garden of your frustration. In solidarity, I've been leaving my garden bucket outside every night to lure the rain. And, yes, I started off with a perennial sunflower in the first photo, but I wanted you to see something bright and beautiful right off. Going to the fall nursery sales and picking up prairie flowers is a great way to fill in spots where lesser plants have died. One of my many asters taken last fall. Can't remember the cultivar. Whether rain dances, lures or prayers to the Almighty worked, we got some rain. So, it's...

What's there to say? Today's temperature so far is 109F (42.7C.) No rain in my garden since June, and with few exceptions, the temperature has been over 100F. This week has been anywhere from 107F to 114F. That's not a typo. According to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, it is the second driest year since 1936. The real estate section of the newspaper showed a photo of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl with the headline, "It could be worse." Maybe. If this continues much longer, it will be worse. I've gardened extensively since I was nineteen, and this is the worst year I've ever seen. I wait until late at night and water all the containers. If I forget, I get up very early and water them. I soak the soil around the roots and try not to get much water on the leaves. Water droplets on leaves become a magnifying glass...

How Lorene managed to do the lion's share of the work to put on the Seattle Bloggers' Fling and also open her garden to us amazes me. Then, today, I read on her blog she'd had 900 visitors only the week before. I would have been a fright, but she was all smiles. Like all gardeners who tend their spaces, hers was very personal and filled with projects she made for her upcoming book, Handmade Garden Projects. I'm impressed by her clever use of space. Her garden is multi-leveled because it is on a hill and is a standard  60' by 120' lot plus any other space she can garner. I kept wondering if I could garden so effectively in such a small space. Not until I must. When I am very old and can no longer stoop and bend. Then, I plan to move to town and give my...

We visited many beautiful places in Seattle, but none compare to the Bloedel Reserve. It was my favorite destination by far. On other trips, I've seen the Biltmore and Hearst Castle, which were also amazing structures built by very rich men, but neither, in my opinion, has the legacy of the Bloedel Reserve partly because of the old-growth forest contained within. Although we can assist in the planting , only God can create a masterpiece such as this. We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island, and I would like to return soon. I saw unique shops and eateries as our buses passed. Then, our driver turned into a drive with a gatehouse and waited only a moment before we disembarked and were given an interesting introduction by Kate Gormley, Program & Communications Director. She was followed by David Perry, professional photographer and author of A Photographer's Garden Blog, who told...