All the Dirt on Gardening

one of the perennial beds Here's a pictorial of our garden this week - just a few shots so you can see what we're growing in USDA Zone 7 Northeast Oklahoma - feel free to click on images to see a larger view. Pinks, Dianthus or mineature carnations Pink Oxalis crassipes Moon Carrot,  Sesli gummiferum American Elderberry, Sambucus canadensis  Our preference for tall, dramatic plants is balanced by the need to have flowers on the ground under them. Plus, you will see in our gardens, a strong preference for flowers that feed pollinators and birds. Clematis jackmanii Mexican Hat, Ratbida columnifera Upright Prairie Coneflower Yarrow, Achillea paprika  For example, the Elderberry shrubs, Mexican Hat, Moon Carrot, Verbena and Yarrow in these pics. The only places we use insecticidal soap and fungicide is on the food crops. In particular the broccolini, the grape vines and the fruit trees need to be protected from fungal infecti...

Photo: The asparagus broccoli/ broccoli raab / rappini from last year is blooming and re-seeding again. It is definitely a seed packet that keeps on giving. I think the first seeds I planted were put in 3-years ago and it replants itself around the yard every year now. PERENNIAL REFERENCE GUIDE Livingston Daily has a Buddy Moorehouse column about a new book on perennials that tells the reader what plant to put in which environment. The authors Karleen Shafer and Nicole Lloyd wrote their "Perennial Reference Guide" in response to a perceived need. Perennial Resource dot com says, " An exceptionally thorough book of lists of every category of perennial including: dry shade, erosion control, aromatherapy, native, winter interest, and much more." Has anyone read this one? Is it as great as it sounds? HAY FEVER THOUGHTS FROM SUE HOLLIS Sue Hollis of Kansas City pointed out on the Trillium conversation that as a general rule, pollen from showy flowers will not cause ...