In early spring David Austin roses sent me three different roses to try for my hot Oklahoma climate. David Austin are considered English roses, hybridized to have old world fragrance, repeat bloom and even more unique colors and forms than old roses. They are to be used in mixed borders in the English style, or the smaller shrubs can be grown in containers. A few can even be grown in some climates as hedges. Because I've had limited success with some of my Austin roses (like 'Teasing Georgia') in the past, I asked them to choose varieties resistant to blackspot and other diseases. Nine small shrubs in three cultivars arrived bareroot. To gauge an accurate test, I planted them on the East side of the garage where they get some protection from the elements. The soil is red sand with some sandstone. In the planting holes, I added shredded leaves...

You know what they say about gifts in small packages? Well, bulbs are little presents you can hold in the palm of your hand. Think about it. You dig a hole, plunk them in any way except upside down and wait. Over the winter, like magic, they secretly spread out their roots and grow beneath the soil. Just when you've had all you can stand of Old Man Winter, small leaves pierce the surface, and suddenly, you know that no matter how many more late freezes, spring is on its way. If you're like me, in early March, you kneel on the ground close to the surface of the soil and visit the little sprigs every morning encouraging their progress. Each day they grow a smidge taller until one sunny afternoon, a flower balances on top of a tall, thin stalk. Petals softer than moonlight open toward the sun, and you find yourself turning...

The last day of the GWA symposium always involves seeing gardens off the beaten track. For the first two years I attended, I didn't take the extra trip, but the last two I have, and I didn't regret it. These are the jewels the convention planners couldn't get to because of time and space. For Dallas, if you took the half day trip, you saw some additional Dallas gardens. I went on the full day excursion and saw several Ft. Worth beauties, including the 109-acre Ft. Worth Botanic Garden, which is the oldest botanic garden in Texas. Its center was a rose garden built in the 1930s on the pattern of Versailles (not unlike our own rose garden at Will Rogers in Oklahoma City.) Unlike the other tours, we had plenty of time to wander and think about our photographs as we toured, which is known throughout the world for...

As a member of the Oklahoma Horticultural Society and a tour volunteer, I'd like to personally invite you to the 2010 Garden Tour for Connoisseurs, to be held this Saturday, September 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If fantastic gardens aren't enough to bring you, think about the all the good you'll be doing by purchasing a ticket. The tour is the OHS's biggest fundraiser and helps support their scholarships for deserving horticulture students. The tour gardens for this year are: Barbara & Melvin Thompson: This is the garden where I will be volunteering. If you get a chance while visiting, please come up and say hello.  Although it is a new home, visitors will encounter specimen evergreens, deciduous trees, along with easy-care shrubs and perennials. There is a large ‘Tuscarora’ crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) an Amur maple (Acer ginnala), along with assorted deodor cedars (Cedrus deodara) ‘Electra Blue’ ‘Blue...