All the Dirt on Gardening

ONPS - OK Native Plant Society

2012-02-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

The newsletter of the Oklahoma Native Plant Society, http://www.oknativeplants.org, is called "Gaillardia" and the Winter 2011 issue has some tidbits of interest.

Feb 4th is the annual Indoor Outing at Oklahoma City University -
On site registration at 8:30 and the day ends at 3. Cost $5
Speakers include: Bruce Hoagland, Al Sutherland, Karen Hickman and Pat Folley.
Information: Joe Roberts at 405-820-6851

Pat Folley, author of "The Guide to Oklahoma Wildflowers", wrote an entertaining piece for Gaillardia about an adventure she had with a few friends. They traveled to Box, Oklahoma in search of wildflowers and the road sign that says "Edge of the Earth" and found it all. Here's my review of Folley's book.

Sheila Strawn, Managing Editor of the OK Native Plant Record has been working on that project for 10-years. You can access that publication, plus links to info on Color OK, OK Biological Survey, OK Invasive Plant Council, and OK Academy of Science. The BioSurvey link has plants, animals, an eagle camera, everything for the nature lover.

Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens by Lauren & Scott Ogden

2012-01-31T16:18:00.000-08:00

With the weather changes we all experienced last growing season, gardeners and plant lovers are wondering which way to go. Wait and see? Or assume this year will be better, back to normal or terrific. I'm holding back somewhat.

One of the gardening chores that never goes away is watering. What about planting more and more water-wise plants to have the same amount of beauty with a lower water bill and less work? And, if you're living in an area with water restrictions, water wise gardening will make a big difference.

Released in Aug, 2011, "Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens", was recommended to me by Russell Studebaker, long-time garden writer for the Tulsa World.

The 200 plants covered in the book include trees, shrubs, perennials, ground covers, grasses and sedges, bulbs and their relatives, vines, annuals, biennials, succulents, cacti, palms and fiber plants.

Each plant has its own page with photo, growing preferences, attributes and best zones. In addition, the Ogdens say which other low-water plants will be good neighbors.

Example of one page:
Prairie Skullcap, Scutellaria resinosa
grows 8-inches tall and up to a foot wide
Native of the Great Plains, gray-green leaves, small purple flowers.
Short lived but will self-sow.
Combine with cacti, yucca, agave and others.
Related perennials: Suctellaria wrightii, Violet Cloud for zones 6-9 and Suctellaria suffrutescens for zones 7-9 is longer lived, has rose red or cream flowers and is good for roof gardens.

This is a handy volume to have on your desk when making your seed order this winter. I know I am going to have it in hand and use it to help make my final decisions with the catalogs in front of me.

Water is a resource; so are your time and energy. Conserve them all at the same time by selecting ornamental plants for their ability to use less resources!

Drought tolerant selections are covered for all the U.S.D.A. horticultural zones. "Waterwise Plants" is a 240 page paperback; $25 from Timber Press and $17 at online vendors.

Lawn Reform Coalition has a site that will help you find ways to get rid of watering, fertilizing and mowing your "lawn", reducing water usage and work even more. More sustainable ideas. Some of the same plants from "Waterwise" are featured suggestions.

Planting for Bees - So many choices

2012-01-29T16:51:00.000-08:00

Each year we try a few more plants that will feed the bees. Some work pretty well in our climate one year or another and others are less successful. Here's a composite list of possibilities with a few links at the end. What works for you?

Alfalfa - Medicago sativa
Asters - any and all
Basil - when the plants flower the leaves lose some quality but the bees are happy
Black Eyed Susan - easy to grow and self-seeds
Borage - Borago officinalis - the bright blue flowers look great in any bed
Catmint - Nepeta
Clover - sweet white, yellow or red
Coltsfoot - Tussilago farfara
Coriander - Coriandrum sativum
Cornflower - Centaurea cyanus
Cucumber - the bees cover cucumber vines like crazy
Elderberry - Sambucus - when they flower you can hear the bees buzzing
Evening Primrose - Oenothera
Fennel - Foeniculum vulgare - good for butterfly caterpillars, too
Fireweed - Chamerion angustifolium
Gentian - Gentiana
Geranium incanum
Goldenrod, perennial - the native varieties provide the most pollen but the hybrids are appreciated
Hawthorn tree - Crataegus
Hyssop - Anise hyssop - Agastache foeniculum
Joe Pye Weed - Eupatorium
Lambs Ears - Stachys byzantina
Lavender - Lavandula
Leadplant - Amorpha Canescens
Mallow - Malva alcea
Marigold
Mexican Sunflower - Tithonia rotundifolia - this easy to grow plant towers in the back of the beds

Milkweed - Asclepias - plant lots of it!
Mint - Mentha
Melissa - Lemon balm - this is a wonderful plant for tea
Monarda - Bee Balm - perennial and easy to grow from seed
Mustard - Brassica arvenisi
Oregano - Oregano vulgare
Phacelia, Tansy - Phacelia tanacetifolia - this was not very successful for me but I love it
Phlox - adult butterflies can't resist phlox
Poppy - Papaver - reseeds beautifully
Pot Marigold - Calendula - so pretty and edible
Rosemary
Sedum Autumn Joy - Sedum spectabile - fall flowers for migrating insects
Sunflower - Helianthus
Thyme - When the thyme is flowering you can actually hear the buzzing
Valerian - Valeriana - comes back for years
Veronica
Willow

Internet resources - more suggestions than you can possibly grow!
Melissa Garden - A Honeybee Sanctuary
Ohio State University fact sheet
Pollinator.org where you can put in your zip code and get a planting list. The link for our area.
Plant list for the Northeast U.S.
Urban Bee Gardens - California resource

Bees, Wasps and other Beneficials just posted this to their Facebook page

Pollinators need you to grow these plants

2012-01-28T06:29:00.000-08:00

It would be so easy for each of us to add one more pollinator-friendly plant in a pot or a plot.

"Attracting Native Pollinators" provides plant lists by region. The plants were selected to tolerate a wide range of soil land light conditions. Here's a link to the Xerces Society for more information.

First, their list of low cost ornamental plants for pollinator gardens:
Perennials: Catnip, coneflower, lavender, giant hyssop, oregano and Russian sage
Annuals: Borage, common sunflower, cosmos
Shrubs: Rugosa rose, pussy willow and false indigo

Pollinator plants by U.S. region -

Northeastern U.S.
Spring: Wild lupine, eastern waterleaf, cranesbill
Summer: Smooth penstemon, bergamot, giant hyssop, butterfly milkweed, Culver's root, Joe-Pye weed
Autumn: New England aster, New York aster, Canada goldenrod
Trees: American basswood, serviceberry, highbush blueberry

Southeastern U.S.
Spring: Spiderwort, Eastern smooth beardtongue, Manyflower beardtongue, spotted geranium
Summer: Virginia mountainmint, Summer farewell, Dense blazing star, Spotted beebalm, blanketflower, Joe-Pye weed
Fall: Sneezeweed, Pine barren goldenrod, giant ironweed
Trees: Southern magnolia, sourwood, Carolina rose, Smallflower blueberry

Midwestern U.S.
Spring: Smooth penstemon, wild lupine, Eastern waterleaf, spotted geranium
Summer: Wild bergamot, purple giant hyssop, butterfly milkweed, purple prairie clover, purple coneflower, prairie blazing star
Fall: New England aster, showy goldenrod, Riddell's goldenrod
Trees: Lead plant, prairie rose, pussy willow, American basswood

Great Plains and Prairie
Spring: White wild indigo, prairie spiderwort, Largeflowered beardtongue
Summer: Bergamot, blazing star, showy milkweed, purple prairie clover, narrowleaf coneflower, compassplant
Fall: Smooth blue aster, white heath aster, showy goldenrod, zigzag goldenrod
Trees: Prairie rose, serviceberry, lead plant, chokecherry, pussy willow

CA and Southwest
Spring: CA poppy, lacy phacelia, silvery lupine
Summer: Showy milkweed, yellow beeplant, Firecracker penstemon, wild buckwheat
Fall: Vinegarweed, Nevada goldenrod, Eaton's aster, Hayfield tarweed
Trees: Mule-fat, Chamise, Mexican locust, Rabbitbrush, Redbud

Pacific Northwest/British Columbia
Spring: Lupine, Arrowleaf balsamroot, CA poppy, blanketflower
Summer: Venus penstemon, Blue MT. prairie clover, showy milkweed, wild buckwheat
Fall: Canada goldenrod, Western mountain aster, Maximilian's sunflower
Trees: Golden currant, oceanspray, Oregon grape

In the book, there is a 40-page illustrated section of recommended pollinator plants plus 8 pages of charts of bloom time, color and other garden planning help.

The book's source list is not helpful to us home gardeners since we won't meet a $300 minimum wholesale order. But, there are plenty of other seed and plant sellers for us to use.

Native pollinators - help them thrive!

2012-01-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

Bees are responsible for the pollination of every third bite of food you take and sip of juice you drink. Other insects such as flies, moths, butterflies and beetles pollinate the rest. We help ourselves by providing nectar for bees and protecting them from harmful gardening practices.

Intuitively, we can assume that pesticides and other insect poisons used on and around plants will kill bees. But, in fact, herbicides and weed killers do just as much damage to North American native bees and bee colonies.

North America’s bees range in size from one-twelfth of an inch to one inch long. Some bees live in colonies; others live alone. Some bees live in hollow plant material and others dig tunnels in the ground to make nests.

Five of the seven families of bees are common in American gardens. Altogether, there are around 20,000 species of bees in the world; and, 4,000 of those species live in America.

Warm, dry climates such as CA are home to 2,000 species. But the rest of us have more than we realize. One researcher identified 200 species living in rural IL. Over 100 species thrive in New York City, with 50 species living in a single community garden.

Bumble bees are usually round, yellow and black, with hair on their abdomens. Metallic sweat bees are a bright metallic green color. Carpenter bees are usually black with a shiny abdomen. Their strong mandibles dig into wood where they make nests.

There are 1,400 species of North American Mining Bees that come out of their ground nests in early spring. They are black and will sting when threatened. Sadly, the Internet is full of helpful hints on how to destroy them and their nests.

Honey bees are gold to black or dark brown with striped abdomens. These European natives are smaller than bumble bees. They use a hind leg to collect nectar from flowers to make honey.

Just as we learn the names of plants and how to improve our soil, pollinators and bees are fascinating and worth learning more about.

The Xerces Society (www.xerces.org) is a 40-year old conservation movement that focuses on invertebrates, including, bees, beetles, butterflies, moths, aquatic insects (caddisflies), and crustaceans (pill bugs, crabs, crayfish, and lobsters).

Their new book, “Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies”, was coauthored by four Xerces Society staff members: Eric Mader, Matthew Shepherd, Mace Vaughan, Scott Black with help from Gretchen LeBuhn.

LeBuhn is from The Great Sunflower Project, www.greatsunflower.org, the world’s largest citizen science project focused on pollinator conservation.

Both of these organizations urge us to plant more pollinator-friendly flowers, create habitat, and reduce the amount of harm we do to them.

For example, if each of us planted a few more pollinator friendly flowers, spent less money on insect and weed killing, and encouraged public entities to do the same, we could make a difference.

The 380-page, “Attracting Native Pollinators” is divided into four sections:

1) Pollinators and Pollination explains the value of pollinators, their natural history and habitat needs.

2) Taking Action explains how to help pollinators by creating nest sites and foraging areas. It includes tips for golf courses, farms, urban parks, and gardeners.

3) Bees of North America has profiles and photos of thirty commonly found native bees.

4) Creating a Pollinator-Friendly Landscape shows how gardens, parks, and farms, can be enhanced to support pollinators. There are sample planting designs and fifty pages of illustrated plant lists.

Published by Story Publishing in 2011, the book is 384 pages of photos and fascinating information. $30 at Xerces Society, www.xerces.org and $17 at online vendors.

Dig In Festival in Fayetteville and Weed Science Society in D.C.

2012-01-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

Two upcoming events of interest -

Dig In! - Food & Farming Festival 2012 March 2 & 3, 2012
Real food. Real Farms. Real Local.
Global Campus, Fayetteville Square | www.diginfestival.com
Contact: Leigh Wilkerson, co-organizer: 479-856-2088 or wilkerson.leigh@gmail.com

Fayetteville, AR— Dig In! Food & Farming Festival returns bigger andbetter on March 2 & 3, 2012 to celebrate local food, farms andgardens with films, classes, an information fair, seed-swap, tastings and more.

The documentary films at DigIn! are selected to uplift, empower and inspire viewers. Several will be screened for the first time in Arkansas. Filmsinclude: Queen of the Sun, Urban Roots, Seed Swap in the Ozarks, Food Fight,Greenhorns & more. Trailer previews are available at www.diginfestival.com.

Besides films, there will beclasses on organic gardening, cooking from the garden or farmers market, ediblelandscaping, season extension, food preservation, beekeeping, seed saving, andbackyard chickens. The Fayetteville Community Garden Coalition will hold theirannual seed-swap at Dig In! for thefirst time—it is free to all. More special features are being planned forattendees.

The first Dig In! in 2011 drew 150 attendees to watch documentary filmsthroughout the day and evening. With the addition this year of classes, theinformation fair, a seed-swap, tastings and more, Dig In! 2012 is going to be better than ever.

Location: UA Global Campus on theFayetteville Square - Friday evening March 2, 20012 through Saturday evening March 3rd. Supporter-passes start at $30. Tickets to individual events at the door. The seed-swap, information fair, and other selected offerings will be free.

and

NATIONAL SUMMIT ON THE MANAGEMENT OF HERBICIDE-RESISTANT WEEDS

http://nas-sites.org/hr-weeds-summit/
The May 10 event is being organized by the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences, and will be held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Several WSSA members will deliver presentations or participate in panel discussions. Among them is David Shaw, former president of WSSA and immediate past chairman of its Herbicide Resistance Education Committee. He will address best management practices that can combat herbicide resistance.

"A significant contributing factor in the evolution of resistance is the repeated use of a single herbicide mode of action," Shaw says. "To counter this dangerous trend, we need to move to integrated weed management programs that incorporate a variety of other control methods. Doing so can help us preserve crop yields, herbicide effectiveness and the sustainability of vital agricultural production systems."

Chris Helzer is the Pairie Ecologist

2012-01-22T17:32:00.000-08:00

Chris is an ecologist and program director for The Nature Conservancy. He is responsible for the management and restoration of about 5,000 acres of Conservancy-owned land in central and eastern Nebraska. He devotes time to developing, testing, and exporting techniques for prairie management and restoration.

Prairie Works Sustainable Landscaping and Ecological Restoration

His blog, The Prairie Ecologist, has almost 500 ecology interested followers. This week he wrote an impassioned piece about his love of the prairie and its inhabitants.

Here are a few excerpts -

Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out why I think prairie conservation is so important.

I can list off all kinds of logical and aesthetic reasons that prairies are important. Prairies build soil, capture carbon, trap sediment, grow livestock, and support pollinators.

Those are all very practical reasons to think prairies are important, but I don’t care deeply about prairies because they make soil and grow pretty flowers.

Which brings me to Dr. Seuss.

As I was mulling over why I cared so much about prairies, the story of “Horton Hears a Who” popped into my head.

Dr. Seuss’s intended moral to the story (repeated many times) is “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”

I think the biggest thing that drives me to devote my career (and a fair amount of my free time) to prairie conservation is that I have developed a personal connection to the species that live in grasslands. Not only do I know those species exist, I can also identify with them and what they’re doing to survive. By becoming familiar with them, I became fond of them.

When I was in graduate school, I studied grassland nesting birds. I got to know those bird species well, including where they lived, how they survived there, and what motivated and threatened them. I saw prairies through their eyes, and that made me want to help make those prairies as hospitable to birds as I could. Eventually, I began learning about prairie plants and insects as well. I was fascinated to find that their stories were equally or more interesting than those of birds. Each species had their own unique set of life strategies that allowed them to survive and interact with the world around them.

As the number of species I’ve gotten to know has increased, so has my commitment to prairie conservation. Maintaining the resilience and vigor of prairie communities has grown from something that seemed like a good idea into a personal mission. Now I’m working to protect things I love, not just species I’d read about or knew about only in the abstract.

Why does all this matter? It matters because we need to recruit as many people to the cause of prairie conservation as we can. Excluding a tiny minority of prairie enthusiasts, when the general public thinks about nature and conservation they look right past prairies to the mountains, lakes, and forests beyond – even when prairies are in their own backyard. After all, what’s to care about in prairies? It’s just grass.

If we’re going to fix that, we’ll need to do more than describe how prairies can help sequester carbon, filter water run-off, or support pollinator populations. We’ll need to introduce people to the camouflaged looper inchworm that disguises itself with pieces of the flowers it eats – and to the regal fritillary caterpillar which, after hatching from its egg in the fall, sets out on a hike that will end by either finding a violet to feed on or starving to death. They’ll need to become acquainted with sensitive briar, the sprawling thorny plant with pink koosh ball flowers whose leaves fold up when you touch them. And who wouldn’t love to meet the bobolink – a little bird that looks like a blackbird after a lobotomy and flies in circles sounding like R2D2 from Star Wars?

Still reading? Click over and read the rest. It is a privilege to read writings that come from the heart.
What's your passion?

Seeds you can start now without a heated greenhouse

2012-01-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Our weather is going through a strange phase. We have not actually had any winter - no snow, no rain, a few freezing nights but then back to 55 or 70 within a day or two. It bodes poorly for the water table but it has been nice to be outside without a coat, pulling weeds and transplanting volunteers.

I've been starting a few seeds all winter in the slightly heated and lighted shed I/we use to contain my hobby but we do not have a greenhouse.

Jan/Feb is a good time to start many seeds if your fingers are itchy to get going.

In a cold frame or in winter sowing containers such as gallon milk jugs start these seeds, leave them outside and cold until mid-Feb. Then, bring them inside to plant and grow for the spring.

Fringed Gentian seeds - Prairie Moon Nursery

Native/Flowers

Asclepias tuberosa, Butterfly Weed

Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis

Gentian cinita, Greater Fringed Gentian Gentian andrewsi, Bottle Gentian
Wild flowers

Poppy and Larkspur seeds germinate at 50 degrees so they can be planted directly into the beds now.

Most trees, including KY Coffee Tree, Lily of Valley Tree
Magnolia Virginiana, Sweet Bay, & Sycamore are started

outside in protected containers.

Houseplant seeds to start indoors Jan/Feb include Lily of the Nile, Asparagus fern, Calceolaria - pocketbook plant, and Smithiantha - Temple Bells.

Culinary plants: Start celery and chive seeds inside.

Perennials to start inside now include yarrow, hollyhock, alyssum, basket of gold, marguerite, rock cress, campanula, cornflower, globe thistle, fleabane, blanket flower, rose mallow, hosta, gloxinia, Maltese Cross, Nepeta, balloon flower, soapwort, lambs ears, and speedwell.

Dame's Rocket, Swallowtail Garden seeds

Ornamentals to start inside now include snapdragon, Dianthus/pinks, Dame's Rocket, petunia, lobelia, salvia, ageratum, chrysanthemum, coleus, impatiens, limonium, statice, stock, monkey flower, four o'clock, cupflower, and gloriosa daisy.

Wintersown is the go-to site for tips on sowing seeds during the winter months. Don't waste any time getting started. You'll enjoy the process and most of the time the results will impress.

Honeysuckles are Lonicera - Love them or hate them

2012-01-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

Honeysuckle is one of those plants that gardeners either love or consider a weed to be fought against at all costs. Most of the time, the fight is against the Japanese or Asian species because it has made such a pest of itself throughout all the temperate gardening zones.

Japanese, Korean or Chinese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica, is spread when birds eat the black seeds that form in the fall. Once it takes hold, it can spread widely (and wildly), choking out all the native plants and tripping hikers.

But there are over 200 species of honeysuckle and some of them are useful on fences, in wooded areas, on stream banks and slopes.

Coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, in our yard

Coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, has many common names, including: Evergreen Honeysuckle, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Woodbine, Scarlet Trumpet, Red Honeysuckle, and Red Woodbine.

This one is an American native, twining, vine that grows well in its native range, reaching from Ontario Canada, across the eastern U. S. and into Oklahoma and Texas. In shade, Trumpet honeysuckle thrives in woods and along stream banks, but it becomes a garden plant in full sun. The blue-green leaves and red-orange flowers contribute dramatic beauty from late spring through fall.

Flowering vines add height and background to small gardens. Honeysuckle is favored by gardeners who want to provide nectar for insects, food for wildlife and shelter for nesting birds. In our yard, a Coral Honeysuckle vine is home to a nest of Thrashers every year.

American native plants are not as aggressive as the Asian imports, but require semi-annual pruning to keep them contained. Coral Honeysuckle prefers moist, well-drained soil and can be used to cover a shed, a rock pile or a trellis. Its flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Honeysuckles can become infected with aphids or bacteria that harm their appearance but do not kill the plant. Putting them in a place where they receive adequate sun and air circulation will reduce the number of problems.

There are hybrids of Coral Honeysuckle. Tellmann honeysuckle, Lonicera x tellmanniana, also called Redgold honeysuckle, grows 12 to 16-feet in zones 6 to 8, and prefers part shade. The flowers are glowing yellow-orange.

Hall’s Honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica Halliana, is a Japanese honeysuckle hybrid that grows into a 30-foot tall twining vine with white-yellow flowers and black berries.

The shrub variety, Lonicera xylosteum, European fly honeysuckle, has long arching branches, grey-green leaves and white-yellow flowers. The berries are dark red. European fly honeysuckle shrub will grow 10-feet tall and wide but there are more compact hybrids available. All tolerate road salt, drought, and other urban insults. Emerald Mound or Nana grows 3-feet tall and gets the best recommendations for parking areas, sidewalk strips and other tough planting spots.

Tatarian honeysuckle, Lonicera tatarica, is a shrub variety with 2-inch long, blue-green leaves. The flowers are white to pink and the berries are red. The species is considered invasive but there are less aggressive, aphid-resistant varieties. The variety Arnold Red has red flowers, Freedom has white-tinged pink flowers and Honey Rose has rose-red flowers.

A hybrid of European fly honeysuckle and Tatarian honeysuckle, Clavey’s Dwarf, is a carefree, mid-size hedge plant that becomes 6-feet tall and wide.

Monrovia offers Berries Jubilee Woodbine Honeysuckle, Lonicera periclymenum Monul, that has European parents. It is also a vigorous grower. The new leaf growth is purple-red and the flowers are yellow-white with a pink tinge (www.monrovia.com). Look for Belgica, Graham Thomas, Honey Baby and Serotina.

All honeysuckles are in the plant species periclymenum. The name came from the Greek herbalist's term for surround, to describe its twining habit. The berries can be used for decorating and the vines are used in wreath making.

Persicaria, Fleeceflower, Knotweed, Tovara = formerly Polygonum

2012-01-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

In "Perennials for Every Purpose" (c 2000) Larry Hodgson tells readers that Persicaria used to be lumped in with all fleeceflowers, into the genus Polygonum. The family was broken up into Polygonum and Fallopia. Polygonum cuspidatum is now Fallopia japonica sold as an ornamental but potentially invasive.

Most gardening books leave it out all together. What stimulated my interest is that I have one that I picked up at a free plant exchange and hear very little about it. Last night I was browsing the
Roots and Rhizomes Catalog ("for the discriminating gardener") and there it was.

R & R says Persicaria is also called Tovara and Polygonum.

Their varieties and descriptions are -
Persicaria alata: creeping, trailing and can be invasive so plant in pots.

Persicaria amplexicaulis Firetail: bright red flowers above heart shaped green leaves. Fine Gardening has a piece about it here.

Roots & Rhizomes Persicaria Painters Palette

Persicaria filiformis Painters Palette: Leaves are green with zones of mahogany, splashes of ivory.

This is the one a garden club member plunked on the freebie table with the comment, "I just want that thing out of my garden."

I love my Painters Palette Persicaria! I've moved it several times and yet it thrives. It has other names, too. Persicaria filiformis, Tovara virginiana, Polygonum virginanum, Painter's Palette fleeceflower.

Hodgson recommends Fleeceflowers/Knotweeds for containers, ground cover, rock garden, woodland garden, wet areas, etc.

Cold hardiness zones 3 to 9. No pests or diseases.

He also recommends Darjeeling Red, Superba, Dimity, Persicaria bisorta snakeweed (dnese clumps red leaves in fall.

Plant with hostas since they have similar light and moisture needs. In Minnesota Persicaria virginiana is called Jumpseed. Photos and info at the link.

Digging Dog nursery has several Persicarias including: Dimity, Persicaria amplexicaulis Alba, Atrosanguinea, Golden Arrow, Inverleith, Orange field, Rosea, Summer Dance, Taurus and Superba.

Seeds are available (and on sale) from B and T World Seeds of Persicaria affinis, Persicaria bistorta, Persicaria capitata, Persicaria emodi, Persicaria virginiana, Persicaria virginiana Painters Pallette, Persicaria viscosa, Persicaria vivipara, Persicaria weyrichii and Polygonum persicaria.

Three Forks Harbor Trail - Muskogee Grand River

2012-01-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

Last November I wrote about the primitive trail at Three Forks Harbor in Muskogee that travels along the Grand River. This afternoon it was 65 and sunny so I set out to go farther up river than I have on previous walks. The trail has been cleared by Muskogee Running Club members and goes much farther than I have.

If you are interested in seeing a map of the McClellan Kerr area, I found one at the Wildlife Dept. site. Here's the link.

Along my two hour walk, I took a few snapshots to share. Enjoy.

The trail bed is soft under foot and two people wide.

Look carefully at this photo. On the right side of the trail there is a piece of orange tape.

There are several forks in the trail so keep an eye open for the orange tape as guidance about which way to walk.

One problem with the trail right now is that trucks and 4-wheelers still use it, making deep ruts. Walkers have to climb onto the bank and make their way among trees and brush.

But! Look at the views of the Grand River that are visible from many spots along the way.

I saw a few birds today but since we have had so many freezes, most plants are dormant right now.

Here's another challenging place that the trucks
have made but you'll turn left on the trail at this
point anyway.

Beavers are about to send this tree into the river.

One last shot. Hope to see you on the trail some day.

Can't wait to see it in the spring. The native plants and migrating birds will bring the area to life.

Mrs. Robb's Bonnet, Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae, Wood Spurge

2012-01-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Robb's Bonnet, Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae, is a popular choice for part shade that will become drought tolerant after it becomes established. That means you have to water it at least the first year.

Mrs. Robb's Bonnet and other wood spurges are deer resistant because the characteristic Euphorbia milky sap is slightly poisonous. Some gardeners with sensitive skin have strong reactions to the sap.

Loved for the chartreuse blooms in the spring, Mrs. Robb's Bonnet is a sibling of Euphorbia pulcherrimna, Poinsettia, another plant loved for its leaves rather than its tiny flowers.

Some references say Euphorbia amygdaloides is native of Asia and invasive. Others say it is a European native that grows slowly. Ah, the experts.

Hardy to 10 below zero F, zones 5 to 9. Great for rock gardens, pots, mass plantings in dappled shade.

Native Sun

A Euphorbia sport, Red Martin called Red Spurge, would perk up a bed! It's a cross between Euphorbia amygdaloides and Euphorbia characias.

There is an International Euphorbia Society. A link to their site is here. Look on the links - tips for harvesting and cultivating seeds as well as taking cuttings.

Several nurseries offer the plants, but so far, I've found only one source for seeds, a German company, Rare Plants.

I'll keep looking for seeds since I'd like to have a couple of flats of plants for the dry shade around the Osage Orange trees in the back.

Shopping for spring starts now!

2012-01-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

Seed and plant catalogs can help cure gardeners’ winter withdrawal symptoms. Many companies no longer produce a paper catalog so you have to shop online but the pictures will make you long for spring.

This year’s list includes some old standards for new gardeners, many heirloom seed companies and a selection of unique listings for experienced gardeners.

The companies that our parents ordered from include Burpee, www.burpee.com, 800-888-1447, Parks Seeds, www.parkseed.com, 800-845-3369 and Henry Field’s, www.henryfields.com, 513-354-1494. Also try Hometown Seeds http://hometownseeds.com, 888-433-3106.

B and T World Seeds in France, offers gardeners a worldwide perspective. The Master List has 34,000 listings and the sub-lists have 700 specialist catalogs including eco roof garden seeds, Polish native plants, Shady Condition seed list, Terrarium seeds, Icelandic native seeds, 5,000 food plants, etc. http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com

Select Seeds specializes in antique plants for cottage gardens. www.selectseeds.com,800-684-0395

Heirloom seeds are the specialty of the nonprofit Seed Savers Exchange, www. Seedsavers.org, 563-382-5990. You can just order seeds or join the seed bank and get seeds from other members around the country.

Fedco Cooperative specializes in untreated cold-hardy varieties of tubers, seeds, and trees. www.fedcoseeds.com, 207-873-7333.

For small amounts of heirloom seed try The Sample Seed Shop. http://sampleseeds.com, 716-871-1137. Seed packs are $1.50 and shipping is $3.50 for up to 20 packs.

Artistic Gardens specializes in 35-cent seed packets and sells a 50 sample herb seed collection $20, www.artisticgardens.com, 802-748-1446.

If you love beautifully designed and informative seed packs Renee Seeds and Botanical Interests are good choices. http://reneesgarden.com and www.botanicalinterests.com.

For a gorgeously illustrated catalog, get one from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed, http://rareseeds.com, 417-924-8917. Johnny’s has pelleted seeds at www.johnnyseeds.com, 877-564-6697.

High Mowing Seeds sells only organic seeds at www.highmowingseeds.com, 802-472-6174.

Sky Fire Garden sells easy-to-grow heirloom seeds for $2 a pack. www.skyfiregardenseeds.com/

For a kitchen garden check out Cook’s Garden seeds, www.cooksgarden.com and 800-457-9703, and, Seeds of Italy known for its generous packets of delicious offerings from Franchi, www.growitalian.com, 785-748-0959.

Sand Hill Preservation

Sand Hill Preservation Center has heirloom poultry and organic heirloom seeds, www.sandhillpreservation.com, 563- 246-2299.

Richters Herbs in Canada has every herb you could want and many you have never heard of. Vegetable and flower seed, too. www.richters.com

Seeds of Change is one of the largest sellers of organic seed. www.seedsofchange.com, 888-762-7333.

Bountiful Gardens, a project of Ecology Action, offers open-pollinated and untreated seeds. www.bountifulgardens.org, 707-459-6410.

Territorial Seed is the former company of gardening guru Steve Solomon. Beneficial insects, cover crop seed, plants, etc. www.territorialseed.com and 800-626-0866.

Unique international seeds are available from a public seed bank, The Ethnobotanical Catalog of Seeds, www.JLHudsonSeeds.net. Newsprint catalog.

e'pecies tropical seeds

Lou Thomas, a seed supplier in Belize, Central America offers tropical plant seeds such as ginger, palms, passionflower, tropical vegetables, jewelry seed, etc. www.especies-seeds.com or http://tinyurl.com/6tqxf2m.

Request vegetable (cute drawings) and flower catalogs from Chiltern Seeds, www.chilternseeds.co.uk and Thompson and Morgan, www.tmseeds.com, for British varieties.

Native Seeds, Southwest Endangered Aridlands Resource Clearing House, is a non-profit that conserves and distributes agricultural seeds and their wild relatives from the American Southwest and northwest Mexico. www.nativeseed.org,

The nonprofit Ozark Seed Bank receives and offers donated seed from members including Chinese medicinals. www.onegarden.org, 417-679-1003.

Everwilde Farms

The Landis Valley Museum in PA grows, preserves and sells German settler seed varieties. www.landisvalleymuseum.org 717-569-0401.

Conserving Arkansas Agricultural Heritage, CAAH, sponsors seed swaps. Their seeds are not sold, but are given to gardeners who agree to return seed to the seed bank. http://arkansasagro.wordpress.com.

Oklahoma-grown plants: Bustani Plant Farm in Stillwater www.bustaniplantfarm.com, 405-372-3379 has a print catalog and is open a few days a year. Sooner Plant Farm in Tahlequah, http://www.soonerplantfarm.com, 918-453-0771.

Native plants: Pine Ridge Gardens, www.pineridgegardens.com,501-293-4359 and Wild Things Nursery, www.wildthingsnursery.com.

Plant Delights catalog

Cool and unique plants: Plant Delights www.plantdelights.com, 919-772-4794

Enjoy the hunt!

Better Homes and Gardens - Four new books for plant lovers

2012-01-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

Better Homes and Gardens gardening books have some of the most beautiful photos in the publishing world. Their photographers are many of the best in the business and it shows throughout all four of these books I received for review.

I must wonder out loud why books about organic gardening by experienced gardeners show worn tools, dirty boots, windblown hair and soiled workbenches while most others illustrate new boots, clean hands, bird houses without chewed openings and spotless glass.

My conclusion is that most books are offering us the unspoiled ideal, and for inspiration they can't be beat. These new BHG books, published by Wiley, will raise your gardening aspirations to new levels.

"Orchid Gardening" is both gorgeous and instructional. The Gallery of Orchids from page 132 to 214 is separated by Alliance such as Cattleya, Cymbidium, Jewel, etc. and would be perfect to take to the store with you. Four orchid photos to a page with requirements and assets (e.g. long lasting bloom). The bulk of the book is all the stuff you need to know to succeed with orchids: Selecting, potting, soil, fertilizer, trouble shooting, fertilizing, dividing.

"Herb Gardening" Most of us need to grow more herbs, whether we tuck them between perennial plants, dedicate an entire bed to them or put them in a shrub row. Their benefit to the natural environment cannot be disputed and most are low-care plants.

My garden does not even resemble the ones in the book. With 3-acres and no hired help it cannot. And, most of our beds have herbs in them for at least one season. However, I learned several new things in this 200-page paperback.

Topics include: Controlling opportunistic plants that can become weedy, cook's garden, how to harvest and preserve herbs, architectural plantings, and, my favorite, how to propagate herbs.

Another unique topic is herbal entertaining by season - maximizing your herbs for decorative tablescapes.

Nice.

"Water Gardening" is a topic I cannot learn enough about. Would you like to have a container or in-ground water garden? A dry creek, flowing stream, bog garden or fountain? This volume will help you get it done this spring.

There are illustrated planting plans and plant suggestions along with construction tips, how to partner with nature, attract butterflies and birds, as well as other wildlife. (I want more frogs.)

On the pragmatic side: Water garden care in all seasons, problems and solutions, pest control, site considerations and how to build several sizes of fountains.

Overall a good reference.

"Gardening Made Simple" would make a perfect wedding shower or house warming gift because it has a little bit of everything a new gardener needs to know. The sections are short, understandable and informative.

Painting with flower colors, how plants are sold, choosing and using tools, pruning basics, improving soil, mowing, reliable perennials - every topic a new gardener needs.

For the second year in the house: Planting shrubs, trees, hedges, climbers and support.

The vegetable garden: Selecting varieties. Fruit trees and vines. Seed germination indoors and in the planting beds. Seed balls - how to make and plant. Which mulch to use where. Watering.

Anyone looking for a gardening reference that communicates without lecturing, will appreciate this one. Instructional photos, lots of quick tips, and those gorgeous photos.

Giant Reed, Arundo donax, threatens more than half of U.S.

2012-01-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

http://threatsummary.forestthreats.org/images/maps/Giant_Reed_Map_73.png

Giant reed is encroaching on waterways, international border access roads, and creating dense cover for illegal activities. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has called for a plan to control it.

Giant Reed, Arundo donax,

is native to India and Mediterranean countries including Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Algeria.

Introduced into the U.S. in the 1800s as an ornamental, its common names include Spanish reed, wild cane, cana brava, and carrizo.

This bamboo-like member of the grass family, grows 30 ft. high with deep, tough, fibrous roots.

" Blue-green alternate leaves are elongated, 1-2 in. wide and 12 in. long. Long, dense, plumes of whorled stemmed flowers reaching to 36 in. long occur during August and September. Seeds are not viable. Reproduction is primarily through rhizomes that root and sprout readily. Giant reed becomes established in moist places, growing best in well drained soils with available abundant moisture. It tolerates a wide variety of conditions, including high salinity, and can flourish in many soil types. It occurs on upland sites as scattered dense clumps along roadsides and forest margins. It forms dense thickets that choke riversides and stream channels, crowd out native plants, interfere with flood control, and reduce habitat for wildlife. Giant reed ignites easily and can create intense fires. Due to its rapid growth rate and vegetative reproduction, it is able to quickly invade new areas and form pure stands and, once established, can out-compete and completely suppress native vegetation."

IAPMS - Invasive Plant Atlas of the Mid-South

This vegetation threatening our watersheds also has stems and leaves containing several toxic or unpalatable chemicals, which can discourage native insects and other grazers from helping to reduce its numbers. It is, however, a good candidate for biological control methods. The eurytomid wasp has been tested in a small area of release and found to be a specific enemy to the giant reed, and unlikely to harm native plants.

Other plants commonly called Giant Reed are also invasive.
For example, the Illinois wildflower called Giant Reed is Phragmites australis. Its native range includes North America, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia. In optimal wetland conditions it can choke out other plant species.
If you find Arundo donax growing on your property, eradicate it.

2012 Garden Trends - Can you relate to these?

2012-01-07T14:10:00.000-08:00

Experts make garden trend predictions and here's their list. Which ones can you relate to?

1. Urban-Knights.
One author says Gen X and Y want to protect the earth by planting more edibles, cultivating ugly spaces wherever they find them, seeking new ways to recycle, reuse, repurpose and reclaim while saving water and energy. Look for more chickens in the back yard, neighborhood gardening and cooperative efforts.

2. Eco-scaping instead of landscaping.

Nature moves indoors, sustainable gardening practices become the norm, tranquil and simplified gardens calm the outside. Think butterfly-scaping.

3. Occupy Local farming, growers, producers. With the federal, state and local push toward locally sourced food, look for homegrown as the byword for fruit and vegetable stands popping up.

4. Mindful Consumption and mindfulness in general is the healthiest way to move forward from me to we. Stop, think, consider, contemplate, breathe.

5. Water is the new oil, said Steve Solomon several years ago, and wise as Solomon he was/is. 2012 resolutions: Water-wise gardening, green roofs, rainwater capture, protecting the water supply, coping with drought and native low maintenance planting practices.

6. In Living Color includes the new color of the year, Tangerine Tango. Not so new, since lime green and orange have already returned all around us, but look for more in plant containers, garden furnishings and interior decor.

7. Inner Gardening is not quite as zen as mindfulness, perhaps, but does include oxygenating with houseplants, plus seeking out nature to surround all activities outdoors and in. How about a growing green wall?

8. Techno-Gardening with online garden magazines, motion activated sprinkler repellents, battery operated moisture meters, bird cams, Burpee Garden Coach, Veg Nag, iVeggie Garden app, and solar pods to extend the productive growing season.

9. Seedlings grow from tiny seeds and new gardeners grow from teaching the next generation the wonder of growing from seed. We are committed to growing new gardeners through community gardens, classes and nonprofits.

This list of 2012 trends brought to you by Garden Media Group.

More community gardens - want to play?

2012-01-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

Neighborhood gardens pull people together who want to grow their own produce and take it home to enjoy with family and friends.

With the success of the neighborhood garden at Muskogee’s Spaulding Park, Muskogee Parks and Recreation would like to expand community gardening opportunities and have identified some additional park locations as possible sites.

Doug Walton, Martha Alford, Mark Wilkerson

Wilkerson said, “We are looking for neighborhood partners who are willing to help by being a Garden Sponsor. Garden sponsors can help with the organization, promotion and care of a new community garden.”

The garden in Spaulding Park was built after meetings with interested gardeners, gardening workshops, the development of guidelines and rules for gardeners, site selection, construction and plot assignments. The three years of experience gained at Spaulding Park will help new gardeners with their efforts.

Sharing a garden with other gardeners and their families has many benefits, including community development, outreach to the neighborhood, exercise and eating your own homegrown food.

One of the highlights for the Spaulding Park gardeners is the social aspect. Meeting new people, sharing starter plants and discussing ideas about what to put in and when to harvest, keep the growers coming back.

Renee Russell said she brought 20-clients from Blue Sky Behavioral Health to work in their two garden plots.

“We loved working with other people and growing things together,” said Russell.

A 2-year veteran of Spaulding Park garden, Jo Jackson, said, “I really enjoyed it all and will do it again. In fact, I’m still doing it since my onions are still growing. Some days the gardeners would just stand there and talk until the sun went down.”

Producing nutritious food is a big part of the reason people come out and do the work. Gardeners at Spaulding planted herbs, vegetables and fruit, including: Parsley, basil, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, cabbage, mustard, kale, chard, eggplant, peppers, melons, onions and garlic.

Parks and Recreation Department filled the raised planting beds with soil, and water is provided, so the gardeners’ expense is limited to seeds, plants, fertilizer and sweat equity. Nutritious, organic, food is available to anyone willing to do the work.

The City of Muskogee Foundation is providing funds for the additional gardens.

Chris James brought his girlfriend and her children to work their two garden plots together.

“It was a great experience with the kids,” James said. “They could learn about plants and gardening in a fun family activity. What we plant and take home to eat is secondary to me; it’s neat to do.”

Russell said that her group harvested the food they grew, took it to the kitchen, and learned what to make and how to prepare it.

“We grew and cooked with things you can’t always get in the stores,” said Russell.

Gardeners in a shared space get to know each other and look forward to seeing each other.

For the past 2-years, Mary and Rudy Juarez grew Swiss chard, tomatoes, basil and onions in their Spaulding Park planting bed.

Mary said, “Some people watered for others. One time when we could not come for a week, our bed had been watered for us. It helped a lot. We met new people that we looked forward to seeing when we went back.”

There are four parks that are large enough, have accessible water and other amenities that make them ideal to have a garden. They include Robison Park at Gulick and Augusta, Civitan Park on Gibson St., Turner Hill Park at 11^th and Terrace (one block north of Martin Luther King) and Delaware Park on Chandler RD and T ST.

The primary reasons to participate in community gardens were summarized by Jo Jackson when she said, “You need to be active and you need to eat your vegetables.”

2012-01-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

NEW YEARS WISHES

Sage for the wisdom acquired this year that will guide you next year

Angelica for inspiration.

Lavender for devotion

Fennel to enter the new year with strength

Thyme for courage to face what the new year brings

Lemon balm for success

Coriander for health

Basil for wealth

Dill for luck and money in 2012

Yucca for the opportunities the new year brings

Hyacinth for happiness, love and protection

And the rose to help you find love and beauty

The New American Landscape - Leading Voices on the Future of Sustainable Gardening

2011-12-31T15:54:00.000-08:00

Thomas Christoper edited an enlightening book filled with New Year's Resolutions for gardeners.

"The New American Landscape: Leading Voices on the Future of Sustainable Gardening" is a new release from Timber Press - just in time to help us plan next year's garden with the world in mind, not just our own landscapes.

The authors:

John Greenlee and Neil Diboll on the new American meadow garden.

Rick Darke on balancing natives and exotics in the garden.

Doug Tallamy on landscapes that welcome wildlife.

Eric Toensmeier on the sustainable edible garden.

David Wolfe on gardening sustainably with a changing climate.

Christopher opens the introduction with the observation that gardeners' intention is to enrich the earth. but we tend to nurture that desire by the use of fossil fuels. We tend lawns and nurse plants from outside our planting zone, neglecting the plants from our own area.

Sustainability "is to meet the present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs." We, as gardeners must learn to use plants, methods, technologies and materials, that cause no harm to the earth.

Seems like a good philosophy to apply to all plant and materials purchases in the upcoming year. Less irrigation, less mowing, less fertilizer, less herbicide, fewer exotic species that can become invasive, and more native plants that require little care.

David Deardorff & Kathryn Wadsworth teach insect and disease prevention in chapter 1
Thomas Christopher, explains SITES, Sustainable Sites Initiative in chapter 2
John Greenlee and Neil Diboll explains alternatives to lawns in chapter 3
Rick Darke helps us choose native plants in chapter 4
Eric Toensmeier examines edible, diverse and useful plants in chapter 5
David W. Wolfe explains gardener's issues with climate change in chapter 6
Thomas Christopher will help you reduce your water bill in chapter 7
Edmund C Snodgrass and Linda McIntyre show the way to green roofs in chapter 8
Douglas W. Tallamy shows the value of food plants for all species in chapter 9
Elain R. Ingham illuminates soil and the soil web in chapter 10
Toby Hemenway pulls it all together in chapter 11

You'll have your mind opened and learn ways to make gardening easier and more sustainable.
"The New American Landscape - Leading Voices on the Future of Sustainable Gardening", 256 pages, hardback, Timber Press, 2011, $35 list and $23 from online booksellers.

Wildflowers of OK and Wildflower Wonders of the World

2011-12-29T07:08:00.000-08:00

Even though spring officially begins in March, wildflowers can appear before that. Many of the early ones appear with the first warms days, hugging the ground and creating a field of color that lasts only a few short days. Others wait until the sun warms the soil completely.

For 30-years Patricia Folley has been wandering Oklahoma back roads, observing, recording and collecting wildflowers. Her new book, “The Guide to Oklahoma Wildflowers” is the first of its kind, with detailed descriptions and photographs she took.

The plants collected on her travels reside in the Oklahoma Herbarium collection and are listed in the “Flora of Oklahoma” project.

Oklahoma is unique among the 50-states. It has Rocky Mountain foothills, hardwood forests, rivers and streams, low mountains, sand dunes, cypress swamps, swaths of rangeland, pastureland, and more than ten ecoregions.

There are tallgrass, mixed-grass, and shortgrass prairies in the state, and elevations ranging from 300-to-5,000 feet. That diversity creates the enormous variety of wildflower species available to hikers.

Folley’s book includes two-hundred of Oklahoma’s most common wildflower species that are seen along roadsides and in parks. There are photos of live plants for each entry, with its bloom time, colors, size, habitat, geographic location, common name, botanical name, and plant family.

With this 238-page paperback in hand as you walk through your own property, go for walks, hikes or running, you will be able to identify what you are observing along the way.

Start at the beginning, where Folley explains each type of plant. For example grass family (pages 18-23), lily family (pages 35-42), or legume family (pages 91 to 115). Each plant family is generally described and the individual plant photos and detailed descriptions are grouped.

Folley is a herbarium assistant at the University of Oklahoma’s Bebb Herbarium, a member of the Flora of Oklahoma editorial board, and coauthor of the evolving Bio Survey online project (http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu). A two-time former president of the Oklahoma Native Plant Society, she writes a monthly nature column for the Norman Transcript and is a technical editor for the Oklahoma Native Plant Record.

“The Guide to Oklahoma Wildflowers” by Patricia Folley, published 2012, by University of Iowa Press, www.uiowapress.org, $40 list price and $24 at online booksellers.

If your wildflower searching takes you outside Oklahoma and indeed outside the United States, you will want to have a copy of, “Wildflower Wonders: The 50 Best Wildflower Sites in the World” by Bob Gibbons.

Gibbons is well-known for his wildflower photographs from around the world and you can see wildflowers from five continents in this one volume. As a tour guide he traveled to over 20 countries, including Ireland, Turkey, South Africa, Iran and Australia, to take photos of the best spots.

Wildflower hotspots in the U.S. include Olympic National Park and Mount Rainier in Washington, Klamath-Siskiyou in Oregon, Crested Butte and San Juan Mountains in Colorado, and, Carrizo Plain National Monument, Tehachapi Range, Anza-Borrego State Park in California.

From Europe’s mountains to Africa’s grassland, the account of each wildflower destination is complete with descriptions of travel to the area with location, reasons to go, when to go, protection status, and a page of site description.

The first site of wildflowers in the spring cheers us. Maybe it is time to travel the world to see them. At the back of the book Gibbons provides Useful Contacts for each country, additional sites to visit, and a list of botanical tour operators.

“Wildflower Wonders: The 50 Best Wildflower Sites in the World” by Bob Gibbons was published 2011, by Princeton University Press, www.press.princeton.edu. 8.5 by 10-inch hardback, 192-pages, 200-color photos. $28 list price and $18 at online booksellers.

Understanding Garden Design

2011-12-27T05:34:00.000-08:00

I'm fascinated by garden design concepts but do not actually understand them. The first class I took 25 years ago helped me get the basic plant the tall things in the back bit, but most tips in the general gardening books seem outside my reach.

"Understanding Garden Design" was written by a former interior designer, Vanessa Gardner Nagel, APLD who took a different approach than other authors.

Nagle's approach starts at the beginning: establishing the reasons for designing at all instead of plopping plants in the ground willy-nilly. (my note: Many gardeners stick shrubs here and there without an eye to what that soon-to- be 6-by-10-foot viburnum will add to the landscape.)

"Planning precedes design. It is the time to prepare for design..." The chapter discusses what to consider, including your budget and sustainability. Allow 6-weeks of planning before gathering tools.

The next chapter helps you assess and document the site: Challenges, existing perennial plantings, home style, slope, microclimates, utilities, and neighbors.

Components, chapter 3 asks your family to list its requirements and desires: needs and wants. Rain garden, vegetable patch, fruit arbors, cistern, playground, pond, pets, meditation space, entertaining, greenhouse,laundry etc.

Vanessa Gardner Nagel's blog - link here

Next comes a chapter on how to prioritize what you discovered in the first 3 chapters.

Then, "Design 101" in chapter 5. Basic design includes color, line, shape, form, space, proportion, mass, focal point, repetition and rhythm, movement, sequence, texture, variety, contrast, balance and unity. (This is my weakest link and why I tend to have more of a cottage garden than a landscaped space. I'll re-read this before spring planning/planting begins!)

Finishes and Furnishings make up chapter 6 - furniture and accessories - the things we buy on impulse while traveling and shopping but probably should not.

Watering methods, conservation and irrigation budget make up chapter 7. Yes, we would all love to have a waterfall, in-ground sprinkler systems, pools, ponds, etc. But, there are alternatives.

Then the place where most of us begin: "Plants: A Structural Perspective". By following the first 7 chapters, your plant selection will be easier. Tall and upright or short and large around will fit into the plan you made.

Garden Lighting, chapter 9, addresses safety and security as well as ambience. Grazing, Silhoueting, Thrown shadow, Sparkle treatment, Underwater lighting, etc.

Chapter 10, "The Final Design" helps you stand back and review your design before the contractors arrive or your family begins the construction projects.

"Construction: Working with Contractors" will be valuable if you plan to hire out the projects in your plan. How to screen, bid, review bids and read the contract is followed by site prep, excavation, underground work, hardscape, etc. Chapter 11 will save you headaches.

Art in the garden, chapter 12, will teach restraint as you consider table placement, garden party settings, and maintenance. Less is more in most gardens.

"Understanding Garden Design: The Complete Handbook for Aspiring Designers" (and homeowners!)
236 pages, 8 by 10 hardcover,
List price $35 and $19 at online booksellers. Published 2010 by Timber Press

Library of American Landscape History

2011-12-26T12:23:00.000-08:00

If you have room in your inbox for a landscaping history e-newsletter, I can recommend one from the Library of American Landscape History.

Articles in the Dec. 2011 issue include:

- new publications
Fletcher Steele’s "Design in the Little Garden"
Bob Grese’s "The Native Landscape Reader"
Christopher Vernon’s "Graceland: A Design History"

Each of these volumes explores a different aspect of landscape studies—from garden design to environmental design to consideration of the cemetery as a reflection of American cultural history.

- LALH and Hott Productions of Florentine Films (the Ken Burns company) wrapped production on two inaugural documentary films in our highly anticipated North America by Design series.

- Will Garden of Revelations Meet Watery Apocalypse?
When a band of German religious dissenters arrived in east central Ohio in 1817, they chose a fertile plain in a bend of the Tuscarawas River on which to build a communal society. They laid out a village, called Zoar—after a biblical town near the Dead Sea—in a rectangular grid. In the central block they designed a garden symbolizing the city of New Jerusalem as described in the Book of Revelation. In the center a tall conifer (currently a Norway spruce) represented Jesus, encircled by twelve juniper trees—the apostles. Straight paths divided the garden into beds planted with vegetables and flowers. Although the communal society disbanded in the late nineteenth century, many villagers remained, periodically reviving the garden. Read the rest of this article online at the link.

- UMass Campus Pond in Peril, Horse Barn Saved

In 1893, Massachusetts Agricultural College, acting on a plan commissioned from Frederick Law Olmsted nearly three decades earlier, created a placid pond at the heart of the campus by damming a brook that flowed through an adjacent ravine. The pond reflected a classic Olmstedian use of topography to spatially define the campus and retain its local, pastoral character—despite the fact that campus officials of the 1860s had shelved most of the Olmsted plan. Read the rest online.

- Campaign Aims to Restore Steele Monastery Garden

A year ago Polly Chatfield of Cambridge, Massachusetts, contacted LALH to ask about the potential significance of a courtyard garden designed by Fletcher Steele. The enclosed garden adjoins the guest house at a monastery occupied by the Brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, an Episcopal order, for seventy-five years. The information from LALH confirmed Chatfield’s sense that the garden deserved a historic landscape preservation approach as the order set out to refurbish it, along with a larger garden at the stately stone monastery designed by Ralph Adams Cram. More online.

Click and read this month's issue - subscribe if you like it.
Here's the link again http://lalh.org/new_december2011.html#1

The Heirloom Life Gardener by Jere & Emilee Gettle

2011-12-24T18:31:00.000-08:00

The authors of "The Heirloom Life Gardener", Jere and Emilee Gettle, are lifelong gardeners and the co-founders of the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.

`The Heirloom Life Gardner' is designed to help you/me/all vegetable lovers grow organic food.

Baker Creek specializes in heirloom seeds so the emphasis is on those old fashioned varieties.

Topics include collecting and saving seeds, how to garden, soil development, mulching, disease control, pest management and kitchen tips for your harvest.

As with their catalog, the book is beautifully illustrated.

The Baker Creek catalog is positively gorgeous. If you are not on their mailing list, here's the link to get one. They sell 2 million seed packs a year!

The Gettle's interview with NPR is at this link. You can read it or listen to it online.

The growing guide is 129 pages of the book's 240-pages. It includes help for growing plants from amaranth to watermelon. Reading through it will help you decide which seeds to order from their catalog of 1400 plus offerings.

$30 list and $18 at online book sellers. Hardcover: 240 pages. Publisher: Hyperion (October 4, 2011)

Wise Men Brought Myrrh - The Burseraceae plant family

2011-12-22T06:25:00.000-08:00

According to tradition, the Three Wise Men or Magi brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ child. Gold is a symbol of divinity, the smoke of burning frankincense carried prayers to heaven, and myrrh was used as a holy ointment.

Myrrh and frankincense are the sap of small shrubs that grow in the Middle East and Africa. They do not actually burn, but smolder when heated.

Frankincense, Boswellia sacra, is harvested by cutting into the tree bark and allowing the sap to flow out. The sap was burned to create a pleasant smell during religious services so it became associated with holiness. Today, Catholic priests bless the congregation with the smoke from a Thurible, swinging from a chain.

Myrrh’s native habitat is Arabia. Its Latin name is Balsamodendron Myrrha or Commiphora myrrha, also known as Gum Myrrh Tree. Both Frankincense and Myrrh are members of the Burseraceae plant family.

Gum Myrrh trees grow to 9-feet tall with knotted branches that end in sharp spines. Ducts in the bark and tissue break down and form cavities that fill with the gold-colored, gummy secretion. As it hardens, myrrh gum becomes red-brown chunks.

Institute for Traditional Medicine LINK to more info

Burseraceae trees grow in arid, tropical locations. Frankincense prefers limestone soil and Myrrh prefers basaltic soil and salty wind. 2000 years ago, Rome and Greece imported 3,000 tons a year.

Herodotus (5th century BC) wrote, "Arabia is the only country which produces frankincense, myrrh, cassia and cinnamon...the trees bearing the frankincense are guarded by winged serpents of small size and various colors."

In the first century BC, Diodorus Siculus wrote, "all of Arabia exudes a most delicate fragrance; even the seamen passing by Arabia can smell the strong fragrance that gives health and vigor."

Today, even though only a few tons are produced each year, the beach sand near the original ports still smell like Frankincense.

Throughout the ages, Myrrh has been widely used medicinally both for humans and animals.

Myrrh’s spicy scent made it popular in oils and incense. Its cultural uses include embalming and fumigation, as well as burning it to purify and protect. The Egyptians used it to mummify their dead.

I use these - not a promo

As a medicine, Myrrh was a terrific gift. It acts as an antimicrobial, disinfectant and antiseptic. It is an astringent that reduces discharge, a carminative that eases colic and griping pain, an expectorant to treat respiratory ailments, and an overall tonic that stimulates the stomach, restores gastric juices and invigorates internal organs. Health food stores sell myrrh gum capsules.

Myrrh is often combined with other herbs to make healing tinctures. For example, combined with thyme, it is used to relieve throat infections. You will find it in mouth wash, toothpaste and other dental preparations.

Other products that are widely available combine Goldenseal, Frankincense and Myrrh for skin care in soaps and creams, especially for skin problems such as excema.

Botanically, there are over 100 Myrrh varieties. Today the most popular Turkish gum is harvested primarily from Commiphora myrrha.

Balm of Gilead is harvested from Commiphora gileadensis. Bdellium, Commiphora Africana is used as a fixative in incense.

Middle Eastern Commiphora myrrha was used to treat cancer, leprosy and syphilis in the Greco-Roman world. Traditional Chinese medicine prescribed Myrrh for heart, liver, spleen, blood cleansing, arthritis, and many other ailments. It has long been used as a cleansing solution for wounds and bruises.

To grow a Commiphora shrub, you would have to create a sandy soil planting bed in full sun. Water the plant for a few minutes every other week.

U.S. sources include Out of Africa www.out-of-africa-plants.com, Jurassic Garden www.cycadpalm.com, Rare Plant Research http://rareplantresearch.com, and Arid Lands Greenhouse www.Aridlands.com.

Search for Burseraceae family at these sites.

Boxwood Blight in eastern U.S.

2011-12-18T06:51:00.000-08:00

The Connecticuit Agricultural Station reports that they received boxwood samples with signs of blight in Ocotber. They sent the samples to the USDA APHIS PPQ, and box blight was the confirmed diagnosis.

From the list of effected boxwoods, it looks like all boxwoods have a chance of getting blight. The list includes japonica, microphylla, sempervirens and sincica.

Here's a link to the Conn Ag Station report.

Initial Symptoms - dark lesions on leaves followed by defoliation. Then, dark cankers appear on the stems.

Tsubo-en Zen-garden diary

A fungicide spray is recommended for prevention, not cure. Recommended fungicides include chlorothalonil and mancozeb.

Take a look at the photos on the link to the original article and then go check your boxwoods.

Also, go to Piet M Patings blog (link below box blight photo on left) where he talks about blight in his Zen garden. This is a gorgeous and inspiring website.

You will find a lot of good information about box at that link!

Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs - horticulture professor Michael Dirr hits another home run

2011-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

First let us praise Timber Press for being wise when printing this 970-page reference for all of us who love to learn about landscape plants.

Anyone looking for gift ideas for gardeners can just go to the Timber Press site and pick something - almost anything. By the way, though it retails for $80, it is only $50 at online book sellers.

Next, we will praise Michael Dirr for his incredible talents - photography, personal commentary, diligent research, academic skill tempered with down-to-earth experience and love of woody plants.

You might expect such a doorstopper-sized reference to be unreadable, but you would be wrong. Throughout the entries Dirr's voice is heard praising and criticizing the habits of plants.

Some reviewers say it is for serious plant people, but I'd suggest that it will make plant book readers out of casual gardeners.

3,500 photographs taken by Dirr.
3,700 species and cultivars described.

I'll pick out a few Dirr-isms from the book for your edutainment

on Aucuba japonica "Considered old-fashioned, dated, tired, and dinosauristic, but the infusion of new cultivars has brought the species a rejuvenated lease on landscape life."

on Deutzia scabra "Essentially a dinosaur in modern landscapes but very much a part of older gardens"

on Fontanesia philliraeoides "Rare and 'Jurasic' shrub with nail-like durability. I remember seeing in my travels a pristine planting near Clinton, Oklahoma, where the wind never stopped blowing."

on Forestiera acuminata "What is it? Who cares. Why is it here?"

on Microbiota decussata "The species had the plant world on its toes as the next great needle evergreen groundcover. Plants in the Dirr garden and Georgia campus succumbed to heavy soils, humidity and heat."

This is a book you could sit down and read, just flipping from photo to photo, looking for new ideas for your garden. Or, it could be read as some of us read cookbooks or the dictionary ... for the pure pleasure and relaxation we derive from the activity.

Either way, take a look at it the next time you are in a book store.

How to prune trees and shrubs

2011-12-15T06:06:00.000-08:00

At a recent Muskogee Garden Club meeting, Master Gardener, Oyana Wilson said that the primary reasons to prune trees and shrubs include: Improve health, open branches to allow sun and air to move through the plant, increase fruit and flower size, and to keep the plant the shape and size that is best for its location.

Wilson said that gardeners should have an objective in mind before grabbing the tools. It is always a good idea to remove dead, diseased and broken branches as well as crossing or rubbing branches. A young tree or shrub is pruned to shape the plant’s future growth and an older plant is trimmed to rejuvenate it.

The best rule is to prune spring flowering shrubs and vines as soon as flowers fade and before May.

Prune summer and fall flowering shrubs and vines in early spring prior to new growth. There are exceptions, but the least desirable time to prune is immediately after new growth develops in spring.

It is risky to prune in late summer or fall because pruning encourages new growth and tender growth can be damaged by an early frost.

Trees and shrubs should be examined annually. Broadleaf evergreens, such as boxwood, cherry laurel, holly, photinia and nadina, should be pruned just before new growth in spring.

Prune evergreen shrubs to control their growth and to shape them.

Hedges should be shaped with a rounded or slightly pointed top with sides tapering to form a wide base. Try to make each cut just above an outward facing bud. Never prune more than one-third of a plant’s branches or vines in any year.

Overgrown shrubs can be gradually thinned from the center, removing the oldest branches first.

Renovating an old shrub can be done all at once, cutting entire shrub to within one-foot of the ground, or over a period of 3 years.

To gradually thin a shrub, cut a few older stems down to the ground, leaving room for younger, thinner branches to mature.

When pruning trees, avoid cutting off the entire top. This method causes the tree to put out a large amount of weak, new, growth that may not be able to withstand winter storms.

Slower growing trees are structurally stronger and more resistant to storm damage. Examples include: Bur Oak, Honeylocust, Shumard Oak, Hackberry, Kentucky Coffeetree, and Caddo Maple. Fast growing trees damage easily, including: Silver Maple, Bradford Pear, Cottonwood, River Birch, Willow and Sycamore.

The correct way to cut a tree limb is called a three-step cut. The first cut is made on the bottom of the branch or limb, about one-fourth of the way through and 12-inches out from the final cut. The second cut is made all the way through the branch, from the top, a few inches farther out than the first cut, leaving a stub. Removing the stub is the final cut. This cut is made just outside of the branch collar. Go to the USDA Forest Service site for more information and pictures at http://tinyurl.com/77yhwsk.

Wilson said, “The best tools for pruning may be our own thumbnails. They are ideal for pinching out the tips of plants to control size, increase branching and blooms, and to prune suckers from tomato plants.”

“Use hand pruners or shears for cuts up to one-half-inch thick,” Wilson said. “Anvil shears will often crush part of the stem. If kept sharp, bypass pruners or shears do not do any crushing damage. Loppers are for pruning branches from one-half to one and one-half inches in diameter,” said Wilson.

Whether you are pruning trees or shrubs, well-maintained and sharpened tools will make the job safer and easier.

Hydroponics and healthy plant roots

2011-12-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

A reader asked about the plants grown in the Chia Gourmet Herb Garden as seen in thisYouTube video ad.

The question is do the plants' roots in the commercial have enough room to be healthy?

The way the growing sponge works is that it wicks the roots with water drawn from the sponge. Basically, the herbs are grown hydroponically, i.e., in a water world.

Growing seeds in sponges in a hydroponic setting is common. Click here to see an eHow video by Yolanda Vanveen on growing tomatoes in a similar way.

The water has to be kept fresh and fertilized since the plants can't reach out into the soil for nutrients. And, the plants still have their usual sunlight and temperature requirements.

Any more tips on hydroponics and growing seeds in sponges for a fellow reader?

Traditional Mayan Paper Wasp Recipe - yes, recipe

2011-12-13T14:25:00.000-08:00

Jim Conrad reported in today's edition of his Backyard Nature Naturalist Newsletter, that he saw a paper wasp nest attacked by red-headed soldier ants.

Then, he provided a link to the Yucatan Times with a story, recipe and photos - how to prepare and eat paper wasp nests.

Interested? Curious? Here are the links

Yucatan Times article with paper wasp nest recipe
http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2011/07/eek-a-traditional-mayan-paper-wasp-recipe/
The recipe comes with a warning that the wasps will sting you several times!

Backyard Nature http://www.backyardnature.net/

Jim Conrad's newsletters are at http://www.backyardnature.net/n/
and they are each fascinating.

Sales everywhere!

2011-12-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

There are dozens of sales going on now for plant lovers! Here are the ones in my email inbox.

Botanical Interests - free shipping and calendar with orders
Special link http://www.botanicalinterests.com/products/index/srch:collection

Thompson & Morgan Seeds
http://www.tmseeds.com/category/Christmas_Gifts&p=2403754&r=121211TM&utm_source=em&utm_medium=spec&lm=tmus

Brent and Becky's Bulbs
https://store.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/?us

Easy to Grow Bulbs
http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com//c-125-bumper-crops-other-deals.aspx

Touch of Nature
http://touchofnature.com/specials/fall1.htm

Tomato Fest seed sale
http://store.tomatofest.com/Tomato_Seeds_on_Sale_s/43.htm

Burpee - gardening supplies sale
http://www.burpee.com/

Johnny's Selected Seeds
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/v-28-sale.aspx

Check out your favorite seed and supply vendors and let me know what good deals you find!

Ninebark - Physocarpus opulifolius - beautiful leaves, bark & flowers

2011-12-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

Our Zone 7 is just about the southern limit for Ninebark since it doesn't like a lot of heat and humidity. Some need cool, wet feet. A few can take more heat and adapt.

According to Missouri Botanical Garden (the common species is native to Missouri)
"Easily grown in average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Best foliage color occurs in full sun. Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Prune as needed immediately after bloom. Plants may be cut close to the ground in winter to rejuvenate."

As a matter of fact Physocarpus opulifolius (L.) Maxim., orth. cons. or, common ninebark is native to more than half of the U.S. according to the USDA's site.

The native will grow into a 5 foot tall, suckering, thicket that thrives along riverbanks.

But it's the hybrids that most gardeners are looking for. They have the characteristic peeling bark but add dramatic leaf color and stop-the-clock flowers.

Here are some of the special ones -

Monrovia

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Center Glow'

from Monrovia

"A mounded, vase-shaped, ninebark cultivar that typically matures to 6-8’ tall and as wide, and is most noted for its attractive foliage.

Maple-like leaves (to 4” long) emerge greenish-gold in spring but age to burgundy, with leaves showing both colors as they mature.

Foliage is nicely complemented by small pinkish-white, five-petaled flowers that bloom in dense, flat, rounded, spiraea-like clusters (corymbs) in late spring.

Plants in this genus exhibit exfoliating bark on mature branches. The bark peels in strips to reveal several layers of reddish to light brown inner bark, hence the common name. This interesting bark provides winter interest but is usually hidden by the foliage during the growing season."

Sooner Plant Farm sells it mail order when it is available.

Ninebark's famous peeling bark - Purdue Univ.

Physocarpus opulifolius var intermedus 'Dart's Gold'

Phagat says (Don't you love Phagat? Follow the link if it's new to you.)

"Three-lobed leaves emerge golden in March & age to lime-green or chartreuse in summer, then back to yellow & bronzed red in autumn before leaf-fall reveals the upright twiggy structure with vertically-cracking exfoliating orange-brown bark on the oldest twigs.

In June & July, the arching branches produce two-inch terminal pompoms of tiny white flowers with pink shimmer. These turn into red seeds about September, which are like another flowering, so that 'Dart's Gold' has multiple phases of beauty."

Forest Farm

Physocarpus opullifolius Nugget - Gold Ivd NinebarkThe west coast nursery, Forest Farm offers Nugget. It also needs regular water.

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Monlo' Diabolo® purple-leaf ninebark
The leaves emerge deep purple, which is beautiful in spring. The color fades to green or purple-green in hot, humid climates. The patent owner, Monrovia says Monlo diabolo likes the west coast's moist acidic soil.

MOBOT also recommends 'Seward' Summer Wine and 'Mindia' Coppertina

Proven Winners - details here

They say about Summer Wine, "Easily grown in average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best in full sun in the northern part or its growing range, but appreciates some afternoon shade in the St. Louis area. Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Prune as needed immediately after bloom.

Coppertina "Easily grown in average, slightly acidic, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Best in full sun in the northern part of its growing range, but appreciates some afternoon shade in the St. Louis area. Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions. Prune as needed immediately after bloom and no later than mid- August."

Digging Dog Nursery has Coppertina.

Fine Gardening says Summer Wine is a tough, drought tolerant, beautiful shrub and they also mention that it doesn't do well south of zone 7.

An image search for Ninebark flowers will illustrate why they are so popular across the country! Do you grow any of the Ninebark varieties? Where do you live? Which ones thrive where you are?

Hardwood cuttings taken in winter make next year's perennials

2011-12-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

Making more plants from cuttings provides duplicates of your favorite garden specimens and hours of indoor gardening fun. Watching plants take root and grow is rewarding.

Hardwood cuttings are taken from trees and shrubs during early winter months and can be grown outside or in a cold frame.

Winter hardwood cuttings are not taken from the tips since they are to be grown outside and tip growth is easily damaged. Tip cuttings can be grown inside with heat where the conditions simulate early spring.

Some of the many plants that are good candidates for winter hardwood cuttings include: Barberry, Boxwood, Callicarpa (Beauty Berry), Campsis (Trumpet Vine), Caryopteris, Chaenomeles (Flowering Quince), Cotoneaster, Crataegus (Hawthorn), Cytisus, Deutzia, Forsythia, Fothergilla, Hedera (Ivy), Hibiscus syriacus (Rose-of-Sharon), Hydrangea, Ilex (American and Japanese Holly), Kerria, Lagerstroemia (Crapemyrtle), Ligustrum (Privet), Lonicera (Honeysuckle), Osmanthus (Holly), Parthenocissus (Virginia Creeper), Philadelphus (Mock Orange), Roses, Rubus (Blackberries), Skimmia, Spirea, Staphylea (Bladdernut), Syringa (Lilac), Taxus (Yew), Viburnum, Vitis (Grape), Weigela, and Wisteria.

If your goal is to plant a large area, trees that easily root from ¼ to ½ inch thick cuttings include willow, dogwood, and poplar. Information at USDA link http://tinyurl.com/7tgkeqw.

A 4-to-6-inch long stem cutting is made early in the morning, where this year’s growth meets last year’s growth. If time does not allow cleaning and planting the cuttings immediately, put them into a plastic bag with a moist paper towel and store them in the refrigerator.

Horizontal shoots will not produce as nice a plant as vertical, terminal shoots. Shoots closest to the roots of the parent plant will root best and healthy plants produce the most successful cuttings. Roots will grow only on the earth end of the cutting so mark cuttings with a pen so you will know which end is up.

Prepare the planting containers. Fill a large pan or several small growing pots with peat moss and perlite or coarse sand. Water and drain several times. When the planting medium is saturated and drained, make planting holes with a pencil.

Remove all but the top 3 leaves from each cutting. The top cutting is made at an angle. The bottom cut is made just below a leaf bud or node.

Without cutting into wood, make a wound in the stem by cutting or scraping away a small strip of the outer bark, exposing the green cambium layer beneath. Roots develop along the wound.

Dip the base of the cutting into rooting hormone/auxins for a few seconds.

Plant the hormone treated portion of stem in the prepared pots. Firm the soil around the cutting with the top of the cutting visible. If the cuttings blacken, remove and start again.

Cuttings taken from cold hardy plants will remain dormant outside all winter. Remember to keep the soil damp but well drained. Slow growing plants will take longer to produce roots and rapidly growing plants such as grapes and forsythia will show roots fairly quickly.

When plants have the same amount of above-ground and below-ground growth, they are ready to be moved into containers. They are tender and should be checked a couple of times a week, if not daily. Slow growing cuttings will be ready to plant in the ground next fall.

Bundles of cuttings can be hormone dipped, placed in a shallow box and surrounded with sand. Keep the container about 45-degrees. Over the winter the cuttings will form a callus where roots will form when they are planted in a shady spot next spring.

Turning hardwood cuttings into landscape plants is a fairly easy and low cost hobby.

Propagate Umbrella Palm = Cyperus involucratus

2011-12-05T10:59:00.000-08:00

Each summer a tub of Cyperus sits by our back door where we can enjoy it coming and going. The fountain base that the pots sit in holds enough water to keep the plants happy and sometimes birds find it refreshing, too.

In our zone 7, it will not survive the winter outside. And, during the summer it likes a little afternoon shade.

Each fall, I cut off the fronds and trim them to the circumference of a small peach. After a few weeks in water, they sprout shoots and roots and are ready to plant.

And, yes, this plant is called Cyperis alternifolius and Cyperus involucratus due to a professional disagreement among botanists, according to one author.

Propagate umbrella palm (Cyperus alternifolius).

According to Dr. T. Ombrello - UCC Biology Department Umbrella sedge is native to Madagascar, Mauritius, and Reunion Island but has naturalized in South America and the West Indies.

"Besides propagation by seed, the Umbrella plant has an unusual means of vegetative reproduction. The plant’s stems are relatively weak and tend to crimp and bend over when subjected to even the slightest pressure. This results in the stem apex and leaves being submerged in water, or at least contacting the moist marsh soil. Soon after, the bent stem sends out roots and shoots from beneath its leaves, establishing a new plant. This can be easily duplicated at home by cutting a whole stem from the plant, removing the leaf tips and lower stem to make it more manageable, and placing what remains upside down in a glass of water."
The original frond does not look good but notice the new shoot on the left and the root on the right.

At John & Jacq's Garden, they have photos of rooting the fronds in moist soil. Here's that link.

Roots grew out from between the leaves in several places. These will be planted right side up - in the direction they were originally growing.

Birds to Watch in Oklahoma

2011-12-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

Now that you have a few bird feeders up and filled, there are several resources that will help identify just what you are seeing.

For families, observing and charting birds is an educational and fun activity during the winter.

The only book I know of that is dedicated to Oklahoma birds is Lone Pine's Compact Guide to Oklahoma Birds by Scott Seltman, Gregory Kennedy, Krista Kagume and Ted Cable.

The publisher, Lone Pine, has bird books for Canada and most U.S. states.
Here's their link.

On the Internet there are several places to find bird identification help.

Bill Horn's Birds of Oklahoma
http://www.birdsofoklahoma.net/

The Oklahoma version of Birdzilla.com network
http://www.oklahomabirds.com/index.php

Oklahoma birds and birding locations
http://www.birding.com/wheretobird/oklahoma.asp

Oklahoma Ornithological Society
dates and locations of bird count events
http://www.okbirds.org/

Oklahoma Winter Birds at OK Wildlife Department
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/okwinterbirds/index.html

Oklahoma Birds and Butterflies
http://oklahomabirdsandbutterflies.com/

There may be others. Let us know what you use to identify birds in your yard.

Make Birdseed Feeders - Illustrated Step-by-Step

2011-12-01T17:56:00.000-08:00

Make bird feeders for bird lovers and for your own back yard. We used sonbird feed from Lowe's because it has nuts and dried fruit as well as canary feed all in the same bag and was on sale.

The classic cake mixing directions are to mix the dry ingredients in one bowl

to ensure good combining. This is the flour and plain gelatin.

This is the flour and plain gelatin.

Then the wet ingredients are combined in another container.

I put a few drops of olive oil in the measuring cup and used my fingers to

coat the cup so the Karo syrup wouldn't stick to the

sides or bottom of the glass. Then, the cold water went in.

When the wet and dry ingredients were combined

it was more watery than I expected.

Also, it had to be beaten to get the lumps out.

Next the bird seed. We used 2.5 measuring cups to get the flour mix saturated with seeds.

I had read that if you skimp in the seed, there will be chunks of flour/gelatin mixture that the birds don't like.

I put a piece of waxed paper on a kitchen towel and spooned a fourth of the mix onto the paper. I had a can of fruit and a rolling pin handy, but the easies way to flatten the goo was simply to fold over the paper or put a second sheet of waxed paper on top.

When the cutter is put into the flattened blob of birdseed mix, they should be about the same depth. I found that if you are pressing decorative berries into the mix, do it while the cutter is still on. After the cutter is removed, pressing the decorations in will smash the shape of the seed hanger.

Then, remove the cutter and make a hole in the center with a straw.

Here's a wax paper lined cookie sheet filled with hangers.

After 2 days of drying, the hangers are ready for ribbons and hanging for the birds.

Gifts for Bird Watchers

2011-12-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

Birds help reduce the population of unwanted insects so gardeners encourage birds to take up residence. Making wild-bird feeders is an ideal indoor project for your garden and to give as gifts.

Hang homemade bird feeders under the eaves or on tree limbs where family members can enjoy observing which birds show up.

GOURD OR GRAPEFRUIT BIRD FEEDER

Backyard Landscape Garden Shop

Cut off the top and hollow out a gourd, or winter squash. Remove enough of the inside to make a bowl. Use a hammer and nail to make holes on each side where you will thread a string for hanging. Stretch the string across the opening, leaving a long piece on both sides to knot into a hanger. Large grapefruit and melon skins can also be used.

Make suet to fill the feeder. Melt ½ cup lard or bacon grease and ½ cup crunchy peanut butter in a saucepan. Stir in 1-cup oatmeal, ½ cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, 1-cup cornmeal and ¾ cup birdseed.

Pour into the hollow fruit or vegetable and chill in the refrigerator. Hang at the end of a tree branch where squirrels will be challenged to go.

GELATIN & SEED FEEDERS

This is a fun project to do with children. Cut the dough with cookie cutters and decorate with dried flowers and colorful ribbon.

Mix ¾ cup flour, and 1-package plain gelatin powder. Combine 3-Tablespoons corn syrup and ½ cup cold water. Pour the wet into the dry and beat. Stir in 2.5 cups of bird seed a little at a time, until the mixture is thick enough to work. Dried fruit or nuts can be added.

Put the mixture between 2 sheets of wax paper and flatten to the thickness of the cutter (cookie cutters, or empty tuna can). Remove the excess from the outside of the cutter, collect it on a fresh sheet of wax paper, and reuse it.

Songbird Garden

Poke a hole in each feeder with a drinking straw. Let them dry for two days. When dry, put a long piece of string, fishing twine, or colorful ribbon through the hole. Tie a bow to decorate and a knot at the top to make a hanger.

Gelatin feeders melt in the rain so hang them under the eaves or in another protected place. Or, cut a piece of cardboard or Styrofoam, poke a hole in the center, push the string through the hole and tape the two ends of the string together below the feeder roof. Tie the string ends into a loop to use as hanger.

BAKED MINI-MUFFIN BIRD FEEDERS

Yard Envy

These can be put on window sills and in tray feeders for bird watching.

Grease muffin pan and preheat oven to 400-F.

Combine 2/3 cup flour, 1 1/3 cups whole grain flour (wheat, buckwheat, etc.), 2-teaspoons baking powder, 1-cup raw sunflower seeds, ½ cup chopped raisins, ½ cup chopped dried cherries, ½ cup chopped peanuts, ¼ cup chopped dried apricots, ½ cup chopped apple, 6-slices cooked and crumbled bacon.

In another bowl combine 1 beaten egg, 2-Tablespoons corn syrup, 1-cup milk, 3-teaspoons melted butter.

Combine all. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 25 minutes.

UNBAKED BIRD SEED MUFFINS

In a pot on the stove, warm 2-cups suet. Add 1-cup breadcrumbs, 2-cups raisins, 2-cups oatmeal, and 1-cup water-moistened dog kibble. Mix well and put into cupcake pan. Put a straw in the center and chill until firm. Remove the straw and put a long ribbon or string in the hole and hang by tying the two ends together.

Branch

Tie with a ribbon, wrap in colorful plastic wrap to give to bird watchers on your holiday list.

The four illustrations are from online vendors. The links will take you to their stores - in case you don't have time to bake and stir but would like to give these to your bird loving friends and family.

Moldy Tulip Bulbs

2011-11-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

Moldy tulip bulbs are a big disappointment when you are hoping to fill a bed or some pots.

It is not that unusual for their skins to have a bit of penicillin mold but these are beyond that tad bit stage.

Mold penetrating tulip bulb

Mold on emerging tulip bulb growth

So, what to do? The plant references say to throw them out and buy new ones but I already spent $22 for 50 of these white tulip beauties.

First, they got a soak in 1% bleach solution in the kitchen sink in the hope that the bleach would stop the mold from continuing to grow without killing the life force in the bulb itself.

After a good slosh around, I wiped them off to see how much damage was beneath the blue and black.

This tulip bulb is soft to the touch and there is little chance it will thrive in the soil.

This basal root on these have been ruined by mold.

The final step I took to try to salvage part of them was to spray them thoroughly with fungicide.

They are all planted in the garden now though some of them will probably not do well. In particular, the ones that the mold turned black and softened.

I hope you don't accidentally get moldy bulbs but if you do, try these methods and go ahead and plant them.

Propagate Begonia Stem Cuttings in water - Cane-like Angel Wing Begonia

2011-11-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

Propagating by stem cuttings is just about the easiest way to make more begonias for next summer's garden. During the fall, I regularly trim off 3-node long cuttings and put them into the growing pots where they take root.

Now that cold weather has arrived, I root the stem cuttings in a vase of water. It's a great way to produce more pots of Begonias for next summer's garden.

Water the plant well the day before.

Take a cutting about 4-inches long, with 3 nodes, from a healthy stem.

Use a perfectly clean container. Rinse the container with a drop of bleach if you are uncertain about its spotlessness.

Remove all but the top leaf or two. There should be no leaves in the water.

The cutting should have a healthy leaf node at the bottom. Don't leave a stub below the node. Place the cutting into the water, and place the container out of the sun. In a couple of weeks, you will see new roots beginning to form.
Check the water periodically to make sure it is still fresh. If it begins to smell, pour it out, clean the container, gently run water over the cuttings and put them in fresh water.

Angel Wing Begonia rooted cutting

When the cuttings root, keep an eye on them. If they are left in water too long, the stem will rot.

Notice the long roots on the cutting on the right. Those little leaves grew under water!

Prepare planting pots by filling with potting soil. Make a hole with a pencil. I sprinkled some moisture retention crystals in the hole.

Water well and let the water drain out. The soil will settle when you water. You may have to remake the hole and add more soil.

Remove all but the top leaf or two from each cutting. Large leaves can be cut in half.

A few of these stem cuttings could or should be shorter, but they'll be OK. When they get settled in their pots and new growth emerges, I'll pinch it off to encourage branching and leafing out.

Even though their flowers are very pretty, Cane-like Begonias are grown mostly for their beautiful leaves. I keep pots on the kichen windowsill in the winter and in a shady seating area in the summer.

To keep your plants full and attractive, pinch off the top growth. Fertilize with half-strength houseplant fertilizer.

The photo on the right is the pan with two-types of Cane-like Begonia cuttings potted and ready to grow in the shed

There is a lot more to learn about Begonias at the American Begonia Society webpage - here.

Carols and Crumpets Craft Fair - Dec 3 - at Tulsa Garden Center

2011-11-23T22:24:00.000-08:00

Tulsa Herb Society Carols and Crumpets: An Herbal Craft Fair Dec 3 from 8 to 3pmSnowflake Café open from 11 to 2

Tulsa Garden Center,2435 South Peoria AV, Tulsa

Information – Patsy Wynn 918-496-8019 or patsywynn@cox.net

The annual Tulsa Herb Society holiday craft fair, Carols and Crumpets, will be held on Saturday, December 3 from 8 am to 3pm at the Tulsa Garden Center.

Their annual raffle is always popular. This year’s winner will take home table top white wool, feather tree with felt beaded cupcake, petite four and ribbon candy ornaments with a coordinating beaded tree skirt.

Many of the outside vendors will be familiar to attendees but there will be plenty of new crafters and the artists’ creations will make great gifts for yourself and anyone on your gift list.

Herb Society members contribute a room full of fresh greenery from their gardens that you can take home to use for decorating. In addition, Utopia Gardens will have live wreaths and Lori Wilbins Designs will have greenery wreaths.

Herb Society crafts include: Button Christmas wreath pillows, beaded trees, felt wool penny rugs, button mini wreaths, wool fern felt pillows, muslin snowmen, crocus crackers, cinnamon reindeer, felt beaded star ornaments, lavender water, lavender sachets, chutneys, herb vinegars, felt stockings, metal ribbons, Iris folded paper cards, hypertufa planters, large snowflake ornaments, green bags, and forced narcissus bulbs in vintage china cups.

Judy Bailey of Artistry & Old Lace will sell handmade greeting cards, ornaments and vests.

Kirk and Loretta Bowers, owners of Clear Creek Farm & Garden are offering birdfeeders, photo cards, seeds and potpourri, in addition to garden wisdom.

Dan and Jennifer Brandt with Dutchess Chocolates are bringing from their shop: Handmade chocolates, fudge, truffles, mini breads, cookies and confections.

Sandy Chapman of Silver Spoon is selling salsas, fruit butter, fruit jam, mixes and teas.

Taking a cue from the environmental spirit, From the Farm will offer repurposed items made of architectural salvage, Steampunk Jewelry will sell earrings and bracelets made of recycled clock parts, and, Chrissie Gray has fashioned garden art out of old glass.

The Spice Market will have a booth with their spices, herbs, and spice blends for gifts and holiday cooking.

Ann Humbert of Raintree Farm is bringing handmade pottery including hypertufa puddlers.

Chateau Debris’s Nancy Parke made bags, sweaters, shawls, mittens, booties, slippers, children’s hats, baby caps, and felted hair ornaments for the sale.

In another booth you will find Randy Pennington’s handcrafted wooden stools, pens, cooking utensils, boxes, and cutting boards.

Garden Deva Sculpture Company will have a booth filled with their whimsical and functional steel art for home and garden.

Tulsa Herb Society members have booths at the event. Ann Sittler Designs will have whimsical clay art at her booth. Lois Galpin owner of The Open Leaf made garden art and decorated concrete leaves; Lou Ann Gray crafts Christmas tree skirts, needle keepers, and feed sack stockings; and, Maureen Hemmert owner of the Butter Churn creates primitive art pieces.

New this year is the 2011 cookbook. “It's About Thyme: Tulsa Herb Society Celebrates Herbs” with 449 recipes submitted by members; $20.00. THS member Sharon Ferguson penned all the illustrations.

Tulsa Herb Society members get together all year to work on crafts and culinary items the second Tuesday of each month at 9 am. The members also hold hands-on crafting and culinary workshops and programs throughout the year. Their meeting schedule is online at www.tulsaherb.com.

In addition to their other activities, members of the Tulsa Herb Society maintain the Anne Hathaway Herb Garden at Woodward Park. William Shakespeare’s wife, Anne, was said to be an avid gardener.

The Anne Hathaway Herb Garden was started by Jewel Huffman in 1939. Herbs in the garden include: scented geraniums, sages, mints, basil, summer and winter savory, lemon thyme, burnet, rosemary, marjoram, oregano and tarragon. The herbs bloom from May until frost and are labeled for identification.

Winter's approach

2011-11-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

No longer frost warnings, the freeze warnings are coming on the local weather forecasts. Seems too soon but everything has been pulled into the shed despite my current state of denial.

The local big box store had these hostas on sale for two bucks so I bought a few. On the right side of the photo is one of the plants as purchased and on the left is another plant that I divided into two pots to double my bounty for spring planting.

Each fall for the past three years, I've taken cuttings from our trailing petunias and potted them. They root easily in potting soil, without growth hormones. A few died so the empty planting cells were re-planted with fresh cuttings. They grow like crazy and will bloom in the shed this winter.

The succulent in the clay pot made a dozen babies, or pups, as they are called by growers. When bringing them in for the winter, each pup was carefully pulled away from the parent plant and potted. They will probably be given away.

The plant on the far right is a begonia I'm growing from cuttings.

Purple Heart, Tradescantia pallida, is native to LA and FL in the US. It is a zone 10 plant that is often grown as a houseplant. I like to put it in the front of a flower bed especially because it thrives in sun and doesn't faint if we are not watering that week.
MOBOT says it is native to Mexico and can be grown in part shade. I removed it from the front bed and even though it returns every year (we are in zone 7), I am growing plants from cuttings for next summer - by which time I'll know where to put it.

Thank heaven for Daddy Long Legs! They eat aphids, caterpillars, beetles, flies, mites, small slugs, snails, earthworms, spiders and their fellow harvestmen.

They are welcome in the shed as long as they want to stay.

Clematis - 3 types and 3 pruning guidelines

2011-11-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

Regular pruning is much better than letting plants grow and grow without shaping. But, I've never pruned our 3 clematis vines. It's a little confusing since you are supposed to know what you have in order to prune at the correct time to make the plant healthier and bloom more.

Did you know that the color we enjoy is not clematis's flowers? Their flowers have no petals. The color is sepals and stamens. The pretty fluffy plumes that show up after flowers fade is the stamens expanding and curling.

In "Armitage's Vines and Climbers" Allan Armitage confesses that his favorite Clematis varieties are the Clematis texensis, Texas clematis, because they are not rampant growers, are idiot proof, slow growing, take full sun and have little trouble with our humidity.

Scarlet Leatherflower is another name for the Texas native Clematis.

Our 3 vines came from assorted plant sales so their lineage is questionable. They bloomed less this year than ever before so one can assume it is time to prune.

The first step is fairly easy - Does your vine bloom in the spring or summer? Or, is it a newer variety that is a repeat blooming type?

SPRING BLOOM

Prune after bloom since they set bloom next year on this year's woody growth. Don't just cut old wood because it's there. Just prune to shape.

SUMMER AND FALL

The flowers bloom on current season growth so prune before the plant breaks dormancy or when it first begins to grow in late winter/early spring. Sweet Autumn clematis (C. terniflora) can be cut to one-foot tall.

Always look for and prune to a healthy leaf bud.

REPEAT BLOOM
If your Clematis blooms both spring and fall, basically just deadhead it, removing the spent flowers. If you want to prune and shape it, just do it regularly to preserve flowering.

The California based Clematis Society is disbanding as of December, 2011. http://clematis.org/

Their clematis tips link reminds us to fertilize which I really need to make a note of on a calendar to remind me in the spring.

"Clematis are heavy feeders. In spring, once the clematis buds are about 2 inches long, start feeding them with Gro-Power Flower 'n' Bloom. Alternate feedings every 4 to 6 weeks with Gro-Power All Purpose Plus. Use approximately 2 tablespoons per plant. Continue this alternate feeding until the end of September."

Oh, and the answer to what you really want to know? "The correct pronunciation is CLEM-uh-tis."
The international society is going strong at http://clematisinternational.com/
Here's the link to their pruning guidelines.

If you know my/our Clematis varieties just by looking at the photos, please let us know!

Gardening in Dry Shade - Graham Rice has recommendations

2011-11-17T05:51:00.000-08:00

If there is a tree, shrub row or a building on your property, you have dry shade. Shade by a fence, overhanging roof or wall often has enough light several hours a day to make many plants grow. The shade under a tree can last all day and the tree’s roots can steal all the water, making it even more difficult for flowerbeds to thrive.

Fall and winter are a good time to take on these areas. The drought seems to be behind us for the time being and it is easier to work outside in cooler temperatures. Perennial plants (those that live more than one year) can successfully be planted until the ground is frozen.

If you are adding trees to an existing landscape, choose the ones that allow sun to filter down to the ground. Trees that produce dense shade include maple, beech and magnolia. Trees that allow sun to penetrate to the soil include paperbark maple, dogwood, birch, white beam and ginkgo.

Some of the best shade trees to plant if you want lawn and plants to grow below are: Paperbark maple, paper mulberry, Kentucky coffee tree, Gondenrain tree, black locust, Japanese pagoda and Himalayan whitebeam.

It is relatively easy to increase the sunlight to plants under trees by removing the lowest limbs and pruning out some branches. Thin out scrawny trees that add nothing to the appearance of your yard.

To increase the amount of moisture for plants under trees, you can replenish and improve the soil, put in drip irrigation or mulch the entire area to hold the moisture longer.

Once the soil and the growing conditions are improved it is time to select suitable plants for those shady spots.

Graham Rice, author of “Planting the Dry Shade Garden: The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden” says that these plants should be ones that:

1) Lose less moisture through their leaves than most

2) Have roots, rhizomes, tubers, or stems that store water.

Plants that can thrive in low light

1) Are evergreen and can take advantage of light in any season

2) Come out early in the season so they collect light before the leaves emerge on the trees

3) Naturally thrive in low light

At this time of year, tucking bulbs under trees is a natural. Early blooming bulbs will flower before the trees have leaves. The ones to plant include: Snowdrops, winter aconites, glory-of-the-snow, miniature daffodils, wood anemones and squills. We put 300 little grape hyacinth and crocus bulbs under four trees this fall.

In order to create a nice appearance, you can plant perennial ground covers in dry shade.

Epimedium rubrum Rainy Side Gardens

Epimedium is a popular, flowering; perennial that grows well under shrubs and trees. It grows about one-foot tall and has no trouble competing for moisture. The dry-shade tolerant varieties are: Epimedium perralchicum, Epimedium pinnatum colchicum, Epimedium perralderianum, Epimedium versicolor, and Epimedium warleyense.

Digging Dog Nursery

Hardy Geranium is another good choice. They grow about one-foot tall and form thick, woody-stemmed clumps that flower. The varieties that will work best include: Geranium cantabrigiense, Geranium endressii, Geranium macrorrhizum, Geranium nodosum, Geranium oxonianum, Geranium phaeum and Geranium versicolor.

Another option is evergreen Sweetbox. The low growing varieties for under shade trees are: Sarcococca hookeriana humilis (18-inches) and Sarcococca ruscifolia Dragon’s Gate (2-feet tall).

Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae

Universally recommended Mrs. Robb’s Spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae) is an evergreen perennial with chartreuse flowers.

“Planting the Dry Shade Garden” by Graham Rice, published 2011 by Timber Press, www.timberpress.com and 800-327-5680. $25 list price and $17 online.

The photographs in this 190-page soft-cover are worth the purchase price. They will inspire you to use the cool of fall and winter to rehabilitate your shady garden spots.

Plant paperwhites inside now for Christmas bloom

2011-11-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

Paperwhites are daffodils or narcissus that are commonly used for winter indoor forcing because they need no chilling period to successfully bloom.

They are perennials in zone 8 but annuals in colder climates such as our zone 7. I confess that when I take them out of the forcing bowls each winter, I do plant them in the garden. If the winter is not too harsh, they bloom at least one more year.

Ziva has become popular because this variety has less scent than the others and many people think the scent is too strong.

They bloom 6-weeks after planting so if you want them for Christmas, it's time to start.

These came from a big box store and are already sprouting which is not necessarily desirable.

Do not remove the outer skins but if they fall off while you are working with the bulbs it's OK.

You'll need bowls, vases or pots without holes. Add 2-inches of sand, soil or stones. I've always used gravel and stones.
If you google containers of forced daffodilsyou will see coffee cups, boots and all manner of containers being used.

Arrange the bulbs on top of the gravel. To get them to stand up, you'll have to tuck individual stones under each bulb. The top of the bulb should stick out of the stones.

After the bulbs are settled in you can top the bowl with decorative stones, marbles, or other cute stuff.

Add water. This is important: Do not let the water go above the bottom of the bulbs.

Next, put the container into a 50 to 60 degree location where the light is low to give the bulbs a couple of weeks to establish roots.
If you put them into the light immediatly they will be weak and the stems will fall over. Maintain the water level at the base of the bulb.
When the roots are established, move the container into 70 degrees and bright light.

It is popular to add a teaspoon vodka to the water after the roots emerge though the daffodil society says that is the worst gardening advice ever given.

Your bulbs will not bloom if they are too cold or too dry so add bottom heat if your house is below 70-degrees F.

Three Rivers and Three Forks Trail

2011-11-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

Today I went on a trek with Scott Robinson, Muskogee Port Authority Director, to see places along the Three Rivers where the extension of the current Three Forks Trail would be extended.

By the way, if you are interested in walking/hiking trails, here's a website to check out -
ArklahomaHiker.org "Arkansas and Oklahoma Hiking Trails"

Here are a few photos from places that will eventually be opened up to walkers, hikers and mountain bikes. The larger, long-term plan is to connect the Three Forks Trail with the Jean-pierre Choteau trail that goes from Ft. Gibson's Clinkenbeard Park to Lock 17 on the waterway.

This snapshot of a map of the area shows the three rivers area with the Port of Muskogee on the left.

Here's one of the beautiful places along the rivers. Right now it is accessible - notice the fishermen on the other side. Usually it can be walked over but the recent rains have filled the "road" so it's too deep to go across.

There are several places along the way that will need walkways put into place because there are so many creeks and rivers.

Even where there is private ownership of the land,

the Corps of Engineers owns land adjacent

to the waterway.

This is another spot that will be visible from the trail eventually.

This is an island that the convergence of the rivers created. Gorgeous.

This is the bridge behind the Ft. Gibson historic fort that you cross to get to Clinkenbeard Park to the Jean-pierre Choteau trailhead. We only walked an hour on that trail but I'll definitely be back to that one!

More information about the J-p Choteau trail is at
Slackpacker.com.

Three Forks Harbor Trail

2011-11-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

The new primitive trail at Muskogee’s Three Forks Harbor has a lot to offer nature lovers. The winding dirt and sand paths take hikers through Oklahoma native trees and wild flowers that are alive with butterflies and skippers. Plus, there are phenomenal bird watching opportunities.

A primitive trail is one that is unpaved and maintained only enough to keep it open. There are holes, rocks, and a few tree trunks in the path to walk around, so sturdy shoes or a mountain bike are required.

Sometimes called the Port-to-Fort Trail, it is opened up 2-miles so far, and will be 4.5 miles long by next summer. When complete, it will end at the historic Ft. Gibson landing where steamboats loaded and unloaded until the railroads replaced them.

Lewis McLemore, Port of Muskogee operations manager, said that the idea for the trail came out of 1999 planning sessions. Then, in 2003 the trail’s GPS coordinates were established and a 50-year Corps of Engineers lease was signed. A rough trail was cleared in 2006.

This year, Joel Everett, special events coordinator for Muskogee Parks and Recreation Dept., and members of the Muskogee Running Club volunteered to re-clear and widen the overgrown trail. Mark Ging, Steve Mashburn, Zach Hill, Darin Parks and Everett worked with McLemore and his staff to clean up the trail from the harbor to the Grand and Arkansas Rivers.

McLemore said, “The Port has spent thousands, fishing groups have pitched in, parks department employees and running club members have all contributed. Together, we have removed many truckloads of trash and debris off the trail.”

Recently Sadler students held a Halloween running event and other events are planned.

“Next spring there will be a modified iron man race,” said McLemore. “The three parts include swimming the harbor, running the trail and canoeing back to the harbor.”

The trail is open for walking, running, hiking, fishing and mountain biking. Motorized vehicles such as 4-wheelers and jeeps are not permitted.

Individuals and groups of volunteers are needed to continue the trail’s development.

“You can’t get trucks in there but if I had volunteers, it could be cleaned out more,” McLemore said. “We would get a dumpster for the trash and take some dirt in to do fill work.”

Besides hiking and fishing, the entire area is ideal for bird watching.

Avid birder, Jeri McMahon said, “At this time of year you could see eight Sparrow species, plus Dark-eyed Juncos. They all arrived in OK the last couple of weeks. Also look for Bald Eagles, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Flickers, and Woodpeckers. The river itself might produce Ring-billed Gulls or Double-crested Cormorants.”

In places, the sand and gravel that have been dredged out of the rivers make up part the trail. The untamed nature of the area means that wildlife such as lizards, deer and raccoons live in the surrounding woods.

McLemore said, “During the Civil War there were no trees at all in that area so the trees are less than a hundred years old. Now hikers will see oak, elm, cottonwood, willows and massive sycamores that three men could not reach around.”

The Tulsa Running Club, Muskogee Running Club and Cherokee Nation’s Wings use the trail and work on it.

“The activities at Three Forks Harbor are quality of life improvements for Muskogee area residents,” McLemore said

If you would like to hold an event, organize or participate in volunteering, or talk about the potential of the Three Forks Harbor Trail, call Lewis McLemore at 918-869-8347 or Joel Everett at 918-684-6302 Ext 28.

Three Forks Harbor - link to Directions and more information

More scenes from Lauritzen Gardens - Omaha NE

2011-11-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

It took my breath away to be strolling along and suddenly see the Japanese Garden.

Sunpu Castle Gate with the Mt. Fuji replica in the distance.

The Song of the Lark Meadow is a gift to the hundreds of insects and birds that visit.

Song of the Lark Meadow

There are many restful places to stop and soak in the beauty.

Scenes from Omaha

2011-11-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

A portion of Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha is named for the Union Pacific Chairman and CEO John c. Kenefick. The area is beautifully landscaped.. There is no charge to visit this incredible display.

Kenefick Park is home to Centennial No. 6900 and Big Boy No. 4023. Largest, most powerful diesel-electric and steam engines ever built.

The Lauritzen Gardens landscape is dotted with significant art pieces.

Everywhere you walk you will wonder if you are in an outdoor art museum.

This bronze is in the Founder's Garden, a shade garden filled with 50 varieties of hostas and ferns.

Doe-icelli's Birth of Venus by artist Jaqueline Eihausen