Ever since we returned from Portugal last month, I've been swamped. December is a busy garden time of year. November is pretty busy too with Thanksgiving and such. Then, I caught a cold, and I'm finally recovered. Although my garden may not seem busy in December, it really is. Spring-blooming bulbs need to be planted sometime in December. I'm planting spring-blooming bulbs in the perennial beds and blowing out the oak leaves. We also work to get the leaves off of the front fescue lawnette. It's important to remove oak leaves from the garden because, unlike less fibrous tree leaves, oak leaves mat down when it rains, cover emerging plants, and suppress seed germination. I love using shredded oak leaves as mulch on top of my garden beds, but I have so many leaves I can't use them all. This is the sidewalk border. You'll see it with flowering bulbs...

The cuttings and tropical plants I want to save are all tucked into the greenhouse for winter. The cuttings will root and continue to grow until they lose the light. After the winter solstice, the plants will patiently wait as the days lengthen to grow again. It's a cool process to watch each year. I just have to keep everyone alive until spring. I love this photo of the greenhouse. I was walking the pasture and caught it just right with the pink muhly grass and that cloudy sky. It says everything about how I feel about the greenhouse. It's an ark in my garden holding some of my most precious tender plants. Temperatures were way above normal until a few days ago. Large thunderstorms swept through our region, and a cold north wind barreled into the state. However, daytime temperatures are still in the 50s. Nighttime temps have been...

In the middle of October, my fall garden puts on its late, late show. Pearly heath asters combine with pink roses for a beautiful crescendo. Japanese beetles that so devastated my roses are gone, and the roses responded with beautiful flowers due to cooler temperatures. As always, click on the photos in the galleries to enlarge them. Rosa 'The Poet's Wife' looking pretty ragged in the fall garden. Symphyotrichum ericoides, white heath aster. Rosa 'Desdemona' so much prettier in person.Rosa 'Desdemona' with sneezeweed which is a really odd pairing I would only do. Rosa 'Desdemona'Rosa 'Carefree Beauty.'Rosa 'South Africa' touched by cold and looking a little pink. 'Jefferson' or 'Softee' rose, an heirloom found in Texas. This rose is almost disease free and extremely tough. But, don't be fooled, having a beautiful late, late show isn't just about pastoral views. Splendor in the fall garden begins in spring. Many of...

Plant fall flowers and hot-weather tropical plants in fall colors like gold, orange and dark red. Yesterday, I spent most of the day outside bringing fall color to my front garden. Last week, I placed fall flowers in my containers by the front door and on the back deck. The back of my house faces east--the best place in Oklahoma to grow things. We spend a lot of time on the deck in the evenings in late September and October. Normally, these two months are two of the most beautiful in Oklahoma. Hot-weather plants in autumnal hues are important to a southern garden like mine. I simply added ornamental peppers to my front pots this year since the other plants still look good. I can always add ornamental kale later. Previous years of fall decor. In the past, I've put together different fall front-door decorations if you'd like to go...