Dear Carol, Mary Ann and all of our garden friends, Always late to the party, but I'm still here. Monday was our fourth day in a row over 100F. So, you can imagine my thrill when, yesterday, I woke to thunder and lightning. The rain chased away those bad temperatures and washed the garden clean again. Come outside with me, and let's take a stroll about the vegetables and flowers on this 74F day. I'm not a fair weather gardener, but with the kids going back to school, I've not had much time the last couple of days. ASW is in football, and that's a commitment for parents and players. I wish I could describe the scents in the garden right now. Light floral with an herby freshness from basil, lemon basil, spearmint and sage, and beneath it all, the earthy scent of good garden soil. Production in the vegetable...

After I walked about taking photos, I kept thinking of that song, Silver and Gold, and I repeated purple and green as I searched. Why are these two colors so striking and yet soothing in the garden I wonder? One, the four varieties of coleus planted next to the Virgin Mary in the side garden. All have performed beautifully even during our 100F plus temperatures. Being sun coleus, they can take a lot of heat as long as they have plenty of water. ' Two, the dark purple millet I bought at TLC for $5.00 a container on sale. I also have seeds for next year and will definitely plant them throughout the garden if the millet doesn't replicate itself. Three, Japanese dianthus with its fleshy leaves beat the heat by a mile and looks cool doing it. Everyone who can should grow this plant. It's cold hardy through USDA...

Dear Carol, Mary Ann and all of our gardening friends everywhere, Sorry to be late to the party. I'm in the midst of kids going back to school and high school football practices. If last week's post theme was "Do Not Despair," this week's is "Do Not Panic." Instead, rejoice that most of the state finally got rain from a cold front which moderated temperatures. Hallelujah, and thank God. The don't panic part comes in when you go outside and see what the garden has become. Yesterday, I did and thought, Ack! Crabgrass, bindweed and wild morning glories invaded. They and Bermuda grass love the heat, and while I was inside reading, they snuck into every patch of good soil. I can see you breathing hard. Grab a paper bag, breathe into it and don't panic. Just grab your hand weeder and pruners and jump right in while applying the...

Hi Everyone, I saw a clever church marquee on my way home the other day. It read, "No it's not as hot as . . . " Well, since I've never been to hell, I can't say, but it sure feels like we have arrived. Three solid weeks of over 100F degrees every freakin' day makes this red dirt girl a snarly stick in the mud (if any mud could be found).  However, I'm reminded it's not as bad as the summer of 1936 in which the hottest day ever recorded in Oklahoma was July 19th with a high of 109F. With no air conditioning, several folks died from heat related injuries, but not as many as I expected. So, although it's hot, I'm thankful for "refrigerated air," something which schools didn't have even when I was a child, and one of the reasons why we went back to school...