Before settlers crossed the Mississippi River and literally ran for 160-acre plots in one of several Oklahoma land runs in the late 1800s, much of the territory's western half was covered in mixed prairie grasses.  In what became Oklahoma Territory, the Osage, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche and Apache tribes hunted bison and other animals. Oklahoma's diverse landscape, including its glorious grasses, made such hunting possible because prairie and forest plants provided cover and forage for animals like bison, elk, bear, rabbits, squirrels, turkeys, and white-tailed deer. On the eastern side of Indian Territory, the land was wooded with blackjack oaks, eastern cottonwoods, post and pin oaks, and many other tree species. Being rocky and hard to develop, much of it is still very wooded today. 1892 Map of Oklahoma and Indian Territories courtesy of the Library of Congress. I live at the junction between the prairie and the forest in what is now...

So many butterflies, large and small, on my plants yesterday. This is 'Bluebird' smooth aster.  Another great plant group for the fall garden is the asters, and the best of these is 'Bluebird' smooth aster. I have many asters , and I've profiled them before, but Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird' is my hands-down favorite and seems to be a favorite of bees, hoverflies, wasps, and butterflies too. Monarch on Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird' smooth aster. This fantastic plant is such a beautiful clear blue, a color that is so hard to find in the fall garden. I have taken cuttings and moved them about, so I have a lot of it now. I think it is better than the shorter, but later-blooming 'October Skies,' shown below, which I also grow. Just remember to cut 'Bluebird' back one or two times before August. With all the rain we've had, I didn't cut mine back enough so I've...

Muhly grass 'Regal Mist,' Muhlenbergia capillaris 'Lenca' is most beautiful in early morning and just before the sun sets. This was taken in the evening. Pink muhly grass is the big star this week in my Little Cedar Garden. My five plants have finally grown into their adult form. It's been a long time coming--five or six years to get this kind of stand in the front bed. It now stops traffic on our rural road. We don't get that much traffic out here, but what does whiz by usually comes to an abrupt halt. I guess you can see why. Muhly grass 'Regal Mist,' Muhlenbergia capillaris 'Lenca' (five different clumps from one angle. In my opinion, muhly grass has very specific conditions that must be met in order to grow well. In this one bed in the garden, I have those conditions. Full, hot, summer sun. Not much competition from...

The urn standing proudly in front of the wide herbaceous border. Since it's the weekend, let's do some armchair garden travel and return to an English summer in Yorkshire, UK. Grab yourself a cup of something warm or frizzante and follow me. Layanee DeMerchant took this photo of me in Pamela's garden. I think it's fun! We went to Yorkshire at the end of June. It was a good time to go although they were in the beginning of a bad drought. As always, click on the gallery photos to see them in a larger format and read the captions. We're off the bus, and we're strolling across a gravel walk toward my favorite garden on this trip at Low Hall. Low Hall is the childhood home of Pamela Holliday, who created the garden from scratch. And, what a garden it is! We saw so many wonderful gardens--about three a day--when...