Sorry, I'm late to the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day party. I didn't realize it was already mid-February. How could I miss it with Valentine's Day right before? Well, everyone here has been sick since Christmas. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. There's so much blooming in my red dirt world so let's get on with the show. Among my indoor plants, I've forced hyacinths, and I've also bought some small daffodils already doing their groove thing. Hyacinths 'Delft Blue' I forced this fall and winter. Dreamy aren't they? All of my hyacinths performed wonderfully except the white ones. Most of them rotted. I prepared them the same way as the others. I placed them in paper bags in the garage refrigerator in late August because we don't get that cold in Oklahoma at the beginning of winter--at least most of the time. I used paper bags because we...

It is dark and dreary in Oklahoma this morning so of course, my thoughts turned to London. The photo, above, is one of my all-time favorites from our trip. Bill and I set off almost every evening on our own, and we had a couple of free days to explore too. We're quite the adventurers, and one night we walked all over the shopping district of London. We were trying to have tea at Harrod's and maybe again at Selfridge's all in one afternoon and evening. We had tea at Harrod's. Then, we set off on foot to Selfridge's.They are very far apart, and it took us awhile. We had dinner there. I caught the double-decker bus and London cab as we waiting on the very busy corner. Cream tea at Harrod's. Gluten free for me. Of course, Harrod's tea is served on Wedgwood China. This pattern is called Wild...

After last week's post, I implemented my seven ways to smile through winter plan. This quiet season covers at least five months of the year in Oklahoma so smiling through winter is vital. Like Demeter, we gardeners pine for Persephone until she returns from Hades, and green shoots push forth from the earth once again. A yellow kalanchoe brightens my day as I sit on the sofa and read. How did I implement my plan? First, I went to three four local stores--TLC Nursery, Whole Foods, Lowe's and Under the Sun--and bought four or five six or seven indoor plants including a variegated airplane plant. The 1970s are alive and well my friends. The airplane/spider plant is in the greenhouse video below. Consider it horticultural retail therapy. New rugs for the living room and two orchids help too. I move the plants in and out of the windows so that they get light. You...

It's only mid-January, and I've reached winter's crying time. After the recent ice storm, I feel almost as frozen as this holly. We'll both thaw out in time. You think I'm being overly dramatic? I'm not. Usually, I reach this stage mid-February right after Valentine's Day, but crying time came early this year. Ice storms are beautiful, but hard on plants and people. I don't mind snow as much. In one week, Oklahoma had a snowstorm, an ice storm and copious rain. Don't panic. I'm not really crying. I am a bit lethargic and misty-eyed in winter's aftermath. So, this morning, I took myself in hand, sat down with a cup of tea and a breakfast bar, and considered ways to smile through winter. More of Mother Nature's icy grip. After 54 years of circling the sun, I know myself pretty well. First, I thought about why I'm in such a...