'Pieter de Leur' lily-flowering tulip in the front garden. It is my favorite tulip this year thus far. Our high yesterday was 51 degrees F, and we are supposed to get another morning freeze by Friday. Then, more cool temperatures with extreme lows for late spring. Normal average temperatures for mid-April are: High--71.9° Low--48.8°. Today's forecast is ominous. A dry line is setting up in the middle of the state which means storms with hail and possibly, tornadoes. As an Oklahoma gardener, spring storms I understand. The unseasonable cold I don't. I am perplexed. I know the average last frost date for much of Oklahoma is April 20, but we haven't had it run that late since 2009. I have my row covers in the garage standing at the ready in case I need them yet again. I hope I don't. Tulipa 'Prinses Irene' growing very low. The stems will lengthen...

Brrr . . . it's cold outside, isn't it? Yesterday, I wore flip flops and a sleeveless shirt, and today, it's jeans, a sweatshirt and wool socks. Good grief, it's April 10, not January! Frozen garden on April 10, 2013 The weather this spring has been weird, but never fear, things will improve. If, like me, you already planted some of your annuals, you'll want to cover them tonight unless replacement is your plan. I'll cover my favorites, but I'm waiting for the rain/freezing rain to end. The ground is so warm it's not sticking here in north central Oklahoma, but things could change. Below is the same view last April 9th. Weather is a funny thing. Lower garden April 9, 2013. Remember how hot everything got in summer though. Because I'm stalling on an article I'm not sure how to approach, I've been bidding on daylilies, my June favorites....

Everything! Well, not exactly. Oklahomans, here's the deal-i-o. Our last average frost date is April 20, but if you wait that long to plant, summer's nasty heat may move in and clobber your plants.  Personally, I wait until April 15 to plant most heat loving crops including beans, corn, tomato plants, peppers and eggplants outdoors. Mine are cooling their heels outside in the shade a few hours on the days over 50°F while they harden off. Watch your weather forecasts to decide when to plant based upon late freezes and such. I'm watching both News 9 and KFOR because I find they are more accurate in my area. If you started seeds indoors, set a timer to bring the little plants back inside as they harden off. That way, you won't forget. Seedlings take work so you want them to survive. European honeybee on the most beautiful poppy in Christopher...

Resurrection of Christ, St. Mary's Church, Guthrie, Oklahoma I hope everyone has a happy and blessed Easter. We're going to brunch this morning with family, and it will be a quiet time unlike past Easters. I've enjoyed the quiet. We went to Easter Vigil last night, and it was beautiful as always. Lovely to see people so excited to come into the Church. I wanted to share some photos of our small church in Guthrie. It is a beautiful thing and reminds me of a wedding cake, all covered in white frosting with the stained glass windows as sugar flowers. Maybe not the best analogy, but it's all I've got this morning. St. Mary's steeple, Guthrie, Oklahoma Our steeple, stretching upward into a cloudy sky, has terrible, internal damage from a tornado that ripped through Guthrie and Piedmont on May 24, 2011. On this map, you can see the path...