Welcome!
I’m Dee Nash, a native Oklahoman, and I’ve gardened here since my teens. I know from personal experience how challenging our prairie climate can be.
But my blog isn’t just for Oklahomans. Gardening can be challenging in other climates too. So, I share how to garden wherever you grow.
Enjoy the garden you’ve always wanted!
Featured posts
Magical, fleeting spring
Part of spring’s magic is its fleeting nature.…
Navigating Alpha-Gal Syndrome: What Can I Eat?
Newly diagnosed alpha-gal syndrome patients frequently ask, “What…
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Why I’m Downsizing My Garden: A Personal Journey
I’ve been planning on downsizing my garden piece-by-piece,…
Continue Reading Why I’m Downsizing My Garden: A Personal Journey
Oklahoma Winter: Coffee, Power Outages, and Greenhouse Woes
Good afternoon! Yesterday morning my part of Oklahoma…
Continue Reading Oklahoma Winter: Coffee, Power Outages, and Greenhouse Woes
Dear Spring Garden, I love you
Dear Spring Garden, I love you. You are having a banner spring. I took a few photos and recorded you for posterity because heavy rain is supposed to fall this weekend. These pink irises were from my mother-in-law's garden. I've had them since I married Bill. They were being smothered in the lower garden, and they are much happier in the kitchen border. Irises and Center Glow ninebark and Peaches and Cream Japanese maple. Does the spring garden get any prettier? Another dark purple beauty. The beard is almost dark blue. I like dark irises a lot. I like irises, but it never fails. We have a giant rainstorm every time they bloom. Well, this year, I took photos for posterity beforehand. Dark and handsome iris. That's not its name, but it's what I call him. We need the rain. We always need rain even if irises and peonies don't...
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Easy plants for your containers
Last year, I wrote my container garden tutorial, but I neglected to post the information about easy plants for your containers. Let's remedy that, shall we? These are some of my favorite easy plants for containers. Many people like subtle monochromatic pairings, but I'm a bold kind of girl. There is trailing verbena, calibrochoa, sun coleus, gaillardia (not tropical, but works great in containers because of good drainage), and an agastache. Consider this my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post. Carol Michel hosts GBBD each month on the 15th at May Dreams Gardens. Tropical plants are the easiest ones to grow in summer containers. Tropical plants are the easiest plants to grow in containers in Oklahoma and other hot places. You can also grow perennials and shrubs, but tropical plants are more forgiving than others. In fact, tropical plants are a summer garden's best friend. Here are a few I try...
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A quick garden update
So, how is everyone's garden season so far? I thought I would give a quick garden update and tell you what I've been doing for the last few weeks. Front border with an angel. See the air conditioner on the left? It was once covered by hollies, but I lost those in the ice storm. Eventually, the Hicks yew will cover, but it will take years. Front border on parade. This is still my favorite spot in the garden right now. 'Jane' deciduous magnolia. Although the weather has been unseasonably warm, we are closer to normal this week. Oklahoma is also supposed to receive some rain this afternoon which we truly need. Earlier this month, Oklahoma had fires just north of me and in the western part of the state. Ours were smaller than those in Texas, but still caused problems. Remember the Simpson wildfire that roared through my neighborhood...
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Spring garden preparations
There's a lot of advice online about spring garden preparations. One rule of thought is to do nothing until temperatures are consistently over 55 or to wait until after the last spring freeze--around April 20 in Oklahoma. One of my beautiful hellebores with old leaves. If I don't get out there now, I'll miss the show. Well, in Oklahoma, spring weather temperatures are rarely consistent, and I cannot wait to do my spring garden prep until after our last freeze date. I'll already be behind the eight ball as it were. I live in a prairie climate that is all over the place, especially in spring. Plus, our winters aren't what they used to be. It feels more like North Texas most of the time. I have plenty of spring garden prep to do. The shrubs on the right that are about to flower and leaf out are 'Ogon' spireas,...
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