We learned several lessons from our open garden. Sit down with a cup of coffee or an iced tea because this post is a long one. Visitors see gardens differently which is cool. Little Cedar Garden as you drive in from the street. There’s another driveway to the right. Does this garden tour make my garden look big? Several visitors to our open garden told me they couldn't believe how large our garden is. I was surprised. Because I'm here all the time working in it, I just assumed everyone knew it's large. Visitors said the garden doesn't look as large in photos as it is in person. Perhaps, it's because much of the back garden is broken up into small rooms. If you only saw it in photos, it might look small. Small rooms make the back garden more manageable. I use these small rooms to organize how I...

It's the 15th of June, so that means it's time for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Special thanks to Carol Michel of May Dreams Garden who has hosted this meme now in its fifteenth season. It may be the longest-running garden meme there is, and it's all about the bloom. So, what's in bloom? In June there are lots of wonderful plants in flower. Let's see what's out there, shall we? Of course, there are daylilies. June in Oklahoma means daylily magic in my garden. I don't know what my garden would look like without their fabulous faces. H. 'Cancun Candy' (Holley-B., 2012) is such a gorgeous flower. H. 'Sherry Candy' (Stamile, 2006) is even prettier in person than it is in photographs. It is very, very complex. Hemerocallis 'The Band Played On' (Stamile, 2006) with 'Orange Rocket' barberry and 'Australia' cannas. H. 'Luminous Intentions' (Pierce-G., 2015) is one of the...

Rain is again falling from the sky, so I have a rain-washed garden. My French door is open. Birds are singing, and my new windchime is gently swaying in the wind. It's a nearly perfect spring day. In fact, when I was at my regular doctor's appointment this morning, his nurse said she felt like we live in the Pacific Northwest. This might not be blog-worthy in your world, but a rain-washed garden is a blessing in mine. There is nothing better for the spring garden than rain. I thought I'd lost Rosa 'South Africa' because she was down to two canes on the bud graft. She has surprised me by growing like gangbusters. Weird, but welcome weather It is also 68°F on the last week of May which is weird, but welcome. Some years, winter slides into summer with barely a passing thought, but not this year. The same...

In early spring before the full extent of plant destruction showed its ugly face, I placed an order of perennials to High Country Gardens, and it came two weeks ago. Would you like to know what I bought? Sure you would! The expanded sidewalk border. Most of these are for the border extension in full sun. I want it to be a pollinator (bee) buffet. Agastache Blue Fortune hyssop tends to overwinter better in my garden than other agastache. I do like 'Bolero' too, but it's planted in another part of the garden. Agastache 'Blue Fortune' I planted with Salvia 'Rose Marvel' last fall. I found a larger plant of 'Blue Fortune' in Tulsa at a garden tour/festival. Monarda fistulosa, wild bergamot (Wichita Mountains form) found in the Wichita Mountains of southwestern OK. I planted it in the cut garden for now. I may move it to the upper pasture...