My top post on this blog year-after-year is Ten easy flowers to grow in Oklahoma. I wrote that post forever ago in 2011, so it's time to update it with ten more easy flowers to grow. Aren't I the clever one? Cosmos bipinnatus, cosmos. The only thing stopping a good cosmos flower is the Oklahoma wind so if you're not ready to stake them occasionally, grow shorter statured ones like the dwarf 'Sonata ' mix. There are also the brighter orange and yellow C. sulphureus. 'Lady Bird Dwarf ' is advertised as a shorter mixture. Personally, I love these dark and brooding 'Rubenza' ones so I'm growing them again this year. Cosmos 'Rubenza' from Floret Seeds. Ipomoea purpurea, morning glory. From 'Grandpa Ott's' purple to 'Heavenly Blue' and many bi-colored varieties, morning glories are some of the easiest plants to grow from seed. Score or soak the seeds and then...

Front border. Please ignore the potting soil. A quick garden update. Spring has sprung at Little Cedar Garden! Click on the galleries to see larger photos.  This miscanthus needs cutting back right now. More grasses to cut back. Good news is that's all I need to do until next year. The newest border has roses that need pruning and feeding. Also, some of the perennials need cutting back. Even more work to do. It's the time of year when everything needs doing all at once.  Small, delicate yellow daffodils growing next to the garage. And, with the good weather we're having, I'm outside working like a madwoman. My daughter, Claire, said I should share what it takes to get the garden ready for May and June's highlights along with September and October's finale. I'm going to try. Orange-cupped narcissus. I don't know the variety. I gave up long ago trying...

Rosa The Lady Gardener has a complicated petal structure. She is also very disease resistant in my garden. Sunday, I wrote an article for Oklahoma Living magazine, which meant going through photographs. It was 22°F outside, and we had a bit more snow. Not the hyped snowmageddon predicted by the weather people, but still cold and windy for what seemed like the millionth day. For some reason--harrumph February--the cold weather and gray skies were getting to me so I decided we should take a look back at last May. Let's see what worked and what didn't at Little Cedar Garden, shall we? Click on the photos in any of the galleries, below, to enlarge the photos for your viewing pleasure. Huisache Tree in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.Lucinda Hutson in front of her purple casita and in the middle of her front garden. Isn't she beautiful? A bed of...

'Winterbor' kale in early spring garden. Because it's curly, it makes great kale chips. Winter is nearly over in Oklahoma. Sure, it will blast a bit more and make us all shiver, but the days are getting longer. Time to think about the early spring garden. Next week, I'll sow seeds all kinds of cold-weather veggies including kale. We know we're supposed to eat more of this delicious vegetable, but a lot of us don't think we like it. I think it's delicious, especially thrown into soups at the last few minutes where it becomes sweet and tender. I also like kale chips. The first year I grew kale I  discovered my family hates it stir-fried or sautéed. Undeterred, I learned to make kale chips. Everyone in the family, except my son--who abhors all green vegetables, loves them. So, let's turn kale into chips. Those fancy chips in the store are...