Happy Easter my friends! I hope that all of you who celebrate Christ's resurrection have a joyous and blessed day. We're headed to church this morning, and I'm excited lent is over. For everyone else, I hope Easter whispers spring's message of rebirth, and you hear it in gentle warm breezes. Apricot tulips, part of the Van Engelen blend. I like these blends a lot. This morning, at 5:00 a.m., a cold front roared through Oklahoma and Kansas bringing rain, hail and cooler temperatures in my garden. I'll be wearing a sweater to church this morning. In Kansas, they got snow. I'm sorry. Found the name of this daffodil in an earlier post. It's Narcissus 'Geranium.' For Kansans and everyone else who is battling cold and snow, I want to share some of my Easter garden. I took these pictures yesterday when the wind didn't blow for the first time in over...

Long before Oklahoma's mighty oaks show a little green, along creek beds and in the dappled shade of larger trees, a purple haze breaks through the winter gray. Cercis canadensis var. texensis 'Oklahoma,' commonly known as Oklahoma redbuds, are one of our first signs that winter is waning. The common name for redbuds without the 'Oklahoma' designation is Eastern redbuds. They are also called Texas redbuds, hence the texensis in their botanical name. The Eastern redbud is the state tree of Oklahoma. I can't imagine a prettier tree especially in spring. Plus, it has heart-shaped leaves! Dead redbud with native sumac in the fall. Even in death, they are beautiful. Can you imagine how happy the settlers and American Indians were when they first saw the purple blooms in early spring? Oklahoma winters can be very harsh. Redbuds are such a cheerful symbol of new life. Old redbud half dead and falling over on my property. Redbuds...

Freezes happen in spring so be prepared. You may remember I cautioned against getting too excited over spring's warm temperatures and gentle breezes. It's only March. We still have a month before Oklahoma's last average freeze date of April 20, and freezes happen.

Can this only be March 15 and Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day? The temperature feels like late April, but before you run to the nursery and get tender plants, please don't. This weekend, Oklahoma is forecasted to get down to 34°F which is too cold for tender tropicals--the basis of our summer gardens. We may still get a freeze too. Remember, April 20 is our last average freeze date.  You've been warned. If you simply must, bring those flats home and let them sit in the house for a couple of weeks. You can move them in and out everyday. Doesn't that sound fun? I can't tell you how many times I've done that over the years. Helleborus x hyb. Ballerina Mix that's grown in my front bed for years. It's now really strutting its stuff. Alternatively, you can go buy yourself a new hellebore. That will help stave off spring fever for a week or...