Garden bulbs being forced on the window sill. I was recently with a friend, Emma Jeffery from Hello Beautiful, and we started talking about how to force bulbs. Emma is originally from England, and she said, "Oh yes, Mum always did that. I did too." She seemed genuinely surprised that in America we aren't as likely to force bulbs. I told her I think it just never caught on here like it did in Europe. Well, like Justin Timberlake, I've decided I'm bringing sexy back, and it's in a small vase full of water. Forcing bulbs is the cool way to get your garden going on in winter when you're bored out of your skull. Using vintage containers like forcing bowls makes bulb forcing even better. If you're not bored, you can read the next post. I am, however, easily bored in winter which is why I started buying bulbs...

The seed catalogs arriving daily in our mailboxes and email inboxes are a sore temptation for a gardener especially when it's cold outside. Google tells me Guthrie is a balmy 54F today, way up from the high of 10F we experienced only a few days ago. The clouds that have dogged us for days finally burned off, and skies are that clear wintry blue. Winter sky in Oklahoma That's winter on the prairie. Warm, cold, warm, cold--no wonder plants heave themselves out of the soil.It's enough to send a gardener into a seed buying frenzy. Stop. Before you plunk down that credit card, consider a few things. How much space do you have to garden? If your space is tiny like my potager, and you don't belong to a community garden, you don't need a lot of seeds. I hear your groans from here, but trust me and start small. If you succeed...

Paradise Under Glass by Ruth Kassinger I think the end of the year is a good time to celebrate and do a giveaway. While I wish I could give you a greenhouse, I don't have that kind of sponsorship. Actually, I don't have any sponsorship on this little blog. I think the Pioneer Woman might have that kind of clout though. Let's ask her. Just kidding! I do, however, have wonderful friends, who write great books. When I finally met Ruth Kassinger, the author of Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden at the Garden Bloggers Conference, I felt like we were already friends. The book chronicles a changing and challenging time in Ruth's life. It shows how she healed through garden therapy by creating a conservatory in her house. She would be the first to tell you she didn't have a green thumb, but through trial and...

The end of the year usually marks a roundup of posts. However, this year, I thought I would change things up a bit. Let's look instead at a series of fantastic plant combos. I mean, we're in the depths of winter, but the Winter Solstice is past. The days are growing longer, and it's time to look ahead to the new year and 2014's garden. The following are combos I saw around the country and here at home that I thought especially beautiful or striking. Will you agree? Let me know what you think. Several are from my favorite nursery, Bustani Plant Farm which is always worth the drive. I make at least two trips out there every year, in spring and in fall. I go in fall to pick up any asters and non-asters Steve and Ruth found, along with other perennials, but I also go to look at the...