A week ago, when I started this post, it was cold, bitterly so, after a very long and warm fall. Any tropical I didn't get moved into the greenhouse froze. Deciduous trees and shrubs started their leaf fall and began pulling in their sap to wait until spring to rise again. The asters, garden mums and other flowers are all finished too, but they had their moment of glory. Let's look back at their reign. Tagetes lucida, Mexican tarragon is truly a thug so plant it in an area where it has room to roam. It does bloom school bus yellow, but the smaller pollinators love it so much, and it's great for fall color. Plus, the leaves taste good, like tarragon. Summer in Oklahoma is hot and usually dry. The sun bakes the sky until it's only a soft and hazy blue. In fall, that same sky is the...

Ornamental grasses breathe life into your garden and knit your landscape together blade-by-blade. Let me count the ways. As the wind blows, grasses sway with feathery grace and swishing sound. They provide cover, summer through winter, for pollinators and the small creatures that make your garden sing. Often, they bloom in late summer and early fall when the rest of the garden is winding down. They offer elusive winter interest. Unless we get heavy snow, grasses stand straight and tall until spring. They look good during every season of the year except in early spring when you cut back most, but not all. Even then, they blend in with other plants until it's their turn to shine. Pink muhly grass is a garden superstar. Until September, it waits patiently looking like a small bluish grass. Then, Kapow! Everyone should grow this beauty if its hardy in your climate. I know it's...

Head with me to visit the Tulsa Botanic Garden, an Oklahoma jewel

Last week, I did a live video on Facebook about my fall container rehab. Click below to see me in action. embed-code      It's time to pull out the old and bring in the new. I threw the old plants on the compost pile. They had a good run, but summer is thankfully over, and it's time to begin anew. Empty container just begging for new plants. Fall is a great season for these containers because they actually get enough sun. In summer the container on the right side of the door gets afternoon sun, and the left one is mostly in the shade. It's hard to pull off anything that looks symmetrical, but I still try. In Autumn, all is forgiven because the oak trees in the front yard begin to lose their leaves. Plants from four stores and a new doormat for fall. The mat says "You...