Ready to sow some seeds? It's almost time. I usually plant my cold crops the last week of February. In the meantime, head on over to Blotanical and check out some of the best garden blogging around. Created by Stuart Robinson, Blotanical is the place to find garden blogs all over the world. Among the best things about the site are the eight maps which show with a stickpin flower exactly where the bloggers strut their stuff. If you're starved for current photos, go to Indonesia, or South Africa, or check out Stuart's own blog, Garden Tips 'n' Ideas, in Australia. I kid you not. You can see what others plant in their climates. It's educational. It's fun. When I first started blogging, I looked to Blotanical's previous incarnation to find other bloggers in Oklahoma. I found three. Only three, but after contacting them, we all became friends who read...

HH and I took a little trip. We went with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law to the Big Apple for four wonderful days. It was my second time to visit, and HH's first. I loved what he said about it. "It's like they took the Oklahoma State Fair and dropped it right in the middle of town." I was afraid he wouldn't like the hustle and bustle, but he's ready to go back. Today. We saw two Broadway shows, Wicked and Young Frankenstein. The actors were true professionals and the stagecraft, from the sets to sound effects, was mesmerizing. It was exciting to travel the Brooklyn Bridge, and to ride the elevators to the top of the Empire State Building and 30 Rock. We also went to Ground Zero. For me, it was emotional, like Oklahoma City's own bombing, but on a super-devastation scale. The other time I visited was 1980,...

These rose leaves don't know it's winter still. Although I am enjoying them today during our 61 degree weather, I know that they will probably get zapped again by a winter blast. We've had freezes as late as April 20th. Branches of 'Ogon'/'Mellow Yellow' Spiraea thunbergii, Sedum repestre 'Angelina' and Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella teniussuma) show off in the tiered gardens. The Sedum lasted all winter and developed this lovely bicolor. It is normally chartreuse and goes well with the grass and the yellow leaved Spiraea. This Mexican Feather Grass is showing green at its base. It is saying "Hurry up Spring." So am I. In a month or two, I will cut it back to the green and wait for new strands to emerge. I love this grass for its ease of growth and its movement in the landscape. When the wind blows, it makes a swishing sound. It...

In the newest Garden Bloggers Design Workshop, Gardening Gone Wild gave us a color challenge. Specifically, what color combinations do we have in the garden and how do we use them? When I first began to garden, I only thought about harvesting vegetables and gathering armfuls of roses. I think I had visions of skipping through my garden, trug in hand, clipping blossoms. I couldn't imagine the hard work it would take to achieve even a wisp of this dream. Later, color itself became more important to me. I always thought of it in threes: yellow and blue with red or pink; silver with pink and white; purple with yellow and orange, the last one being a bright combination not appealing to everyone. I liked silver and pink for their softening effect, but I found that in my rural garden, they often appeared washed out and tired, instead of soothing....