By Paul James When plant geeks identify a plant by its botanic name — say Quercus shumardii — they all know that it’s a Shumard oak. Chamaecyparis obtusa? That’s a Hinoki cypress. But casual gardeners tend to use common names, and over the centuries they’ve come up with some pretty interesting ones, often with interesting […]

By Paul James In everyday speech, the word lemon often has a negative connotation — something that’s bad or broken — as in, “the last used car I bought was a lemon.” But to me, the word lemon screams flavor, and I typically use three or four a week in everything from vinaigrettes to chicken, […]

By Paul James I know, I know. Gardening isn’t exactly top of mind for a lot of folks this time of year. My last official act of 2021 was moving my bonsai to a protected area and mulching them with a thick layer of straw to prevent the roots from freezing before temps tumbled into […]

By Paul James I write this post with a mix of shame and embarrassment, and with an apology to those whose lives have been forever changed by a grievous error for which I bear some responsibility. You see, what we’ve been selling as Christmas cacti for the past few weeks are in fact Thanksgiving cacti. […]

By Paul James Poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central America, where they’re a perennial (and often weedy) shrub that can grow up to 15-feet tall. Since their introduction to the U.S. in 1828, they’ve become synonymous with Christmas, although most of them wind up in the trash come January. So for most folks, the […]

By Paul James Lichen are cool. They’re not a plant. Or an animal. But they are living things. And they can be found growing practically everywhere, from the Sahara Desert to tropical rain forests to Antarctica. With great names like Old Gray Dust and Curly Biscuits, they’re also a food source for numerous creatures, and […]

By Paul James I don’t follow trends. Never have. Even when it comes to gardening, I steer clear. I mean, who couldn’t have guessed that fairy gardens or growing tomatoes upside down would be here today and (thank goodness!) gone tomorrow? But the latest trend in gardening is one that I can definitely embrace. That’s […]

By Paul James Pruning can be confusing. I’ll grant you that. But generally speaking, if you remember to prune deciduous trees and shrubs during their winter dormancy (February is ideal) and evergreens, including conifers, in early spring, then you should be good. Of course, there are exceptions, because in the world of gardening — THERE […]

By Paul James How you care for houseplants varies with the seasons, and we’re just beginning to enter a period when you need to make some adjustments. After all, light levels indoors are becoming less intense. Humidity levels typically drop way below the comfort level of most plants when you crank up the heat. And […]

By Paul James Shop Bulbs Spring-flowering bulbs are, in fact, among the most carefree plants you can grow, and they’re pretty much pest and disease free. They’re also a snap to plant with a trowel, mattock, hori hori, auger bit, or specialty bulb planter. Once you get a rhythm going, you’ll be amazed at how […]

By Paul James Fall is THE time to plant. And the reason is simple: root growth. When you plant in fall, nearly all of the plant’s energy is directed toward root development rather than top growth such as stems, leaves, and flowers. In fact (and incredibly) up to 80% of a plant’s root growth takes […]

One of the most popular gardening activities this time of year is sowing the king of cool-season turf grasses, namely fescue, from seed. It’s practically a ritual for folks who’ve come to realize that if you want a thick stand of the stuff, or if you don’t want to stare at brown Bermuda grass all winter, you pretty much have to put down seed. And thankfully, it’s a pretty simple process.

The majority of stories written about bees focus on Apis mellifera, the familiar honeybee that’s native to Europe. Makes sense considering its enormous value in pollinating food crops. But I’ve always been fascinated by our native bees. They rarely get any press, yet they too are effective pollinators. I’d like you to meet them.

Azaleas. Tulips. Milkweed. Yews. They’re all fine plants for the landscape. And they’re all potentially fatal to dogs. Fact is, the list of plants that are toxic to dogs — from mildly so to incredibly so — includes several popular landscape plants as well as houseplants. But while the threat is real, there are far more dangerous substances lurking in your home.

If I had only one season to grow vegetables, it would be fall. No doubt about it. There are a number of reasons why, including cooler temperatures, more dependable rainfall, and fewer pest and disease problems. But the most compelling reason for planting veggies this time of year is that they taste better. Much better. So just what will I be planting, you ask?

The window between the end of summer and the beginning of fall is the perfect time to fertilize deciduous plants and turf grasses. And the reason is simple: Providing nutrients that have been depleted during the growing season will enable plants to enter the winter months with the food reserves they need to stay healthy and begin robust growth in spring.

Whether it’s cutting fresh flowers for an arrangement in your home, or picking juicy, ripe tomatoes for homemade marinara, harvesting is the moment gardeners look forward to most. After all, it’s the payoff for the weeks of watering, weeding, and fertilizing undertaken to insure a successful crop. And it’s a cause for celebration. That is assuming you’re going about it the right way.

As a matter of courtesy, how early is too early — or too late, for that matter — to mow the lawn? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately, especially during the summer months, when it can be in the 90s by 9:00 a.m. So I decided to scour the Intertoobz, wondering if there was such a thing as lawn mowing etiquette. I got over 7 million results in 0.64 seconds. Turns out I’m not the only one asking the question.

The dog days of summer are here, and I’m not happy about it. Neither are my dogs. For me and them, it means less time outside, because we’re all getting up in years, and we just can’t handle the heat the way we once could. Of course they choose to stay inside most of the time, while I have no choice but to mow and edge, tackle numerous gardening tasks, and water, which happens to be today’s topic. Specifically, watering myths.

I bought my first ornamental grasses in 1988 — four Maiden grasses, from Southwood actually — and I can’t begin to count how many I’ve planted since. It’s hard to imagine a group of plants that gives you so much bang for your buck given their beauty and carefree nature. They practically thrive on neglect, requiring little more than a blast of water during dry spells and a haircut in late winter. And they’re so darn versatile!

It’s no secret that a lot of crape myrtles around town got zapped by the February freeze. Some died outright, and some lost their topgrowth but are continuing to rebound from the base. Only a scant few were completely unaffected. As a result, I’ve been asked dozens of times whether we should continue planting crape myrtles. And my response has been the same every time — Absolutely!

No, I’m not talking about cutting back on calories, although I need to. I’m talking about how your annuals and perennials can benefit from a well-timed trim. The process is akin to deadheading, but rather than removing just the flowers, you actually cut back as much as half of the entire plant. It may seem drastic, but it’s a great way to rejuvenate flowering plants.

Last December, Southwood planted several thousand trees as part of a major land restoration project on the Oka’ Yanahli Preserve, a 3,600-acre site along the scenic Blue River in southern Oklahoma. Part of the Chickasaw Nation (Oka’ Yanahli means “flowing river” in the tribal tongue), the goal of the project was to restore the land that over decades had been cleared to create pasture and return it to its natural state by replanting native trees and shrubs, restoring once diverted streams to their natural courses, and preserving valuable wetlands.

Let’s say you walk out into the garden and notice that your tomato is covered with aphids. What do you do? Well for many gardeners, the natural (albeit knee-jerk) reaction is to reach for a broad-spectrum insecticide — whether organic or synthetic — and spray everything in sight. But unfortunately, that’s the worst thing you can do. Here’s why.

Mushrooms have been popping up in lawns all over town, and their presence causes many homeowners to panic and wonder how best to destroy them – some sort of fungicidal spray or powder, or perhaps a pitching wedge? Well you might be surprised to learn that my approach to dealing with mushrooms in the lawn is much simpler.

If I were to plant a tree tomorrow, it would be a Tupelo. No question about it. It’s a beautiful, stately tree with a straight trunk, one that I’ve recommended to dozens of folks, all of whom have subsequently thanked me for turning them on to it. But sadly, it’s underused in area landscapes. And that’s too bad.

Anthracnose. Black spot. Rust. Downy and powdery mildew. Those are just a few of the fungal diseases that can ravage plants. But there are thousands more. Dealing with them can be a drag. Not dealing with them can be disastrous. Here’s what you need to know.

This is a time of transition in the vegetable garden, and I face it with mixed emotions. I’ll soon be forced to rip out lettuce, spinach, and other greens (no more fresh salads!) that will soon be bolting due to the heat. But I look forward to harvesting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and the like, all of which are in the ground and waiting for warm temperatures to accelerate their growth. And as they grow, here’s how I’ll be making sure I get the most out of them.

Spheksophobia is the fear of wasps, and most people I know have it. It’s understandable, I suppose, especially among the 3% of adults who are deathly allergic to wasp venom or those who have suffered a nasty sting (or stings). But I’m going to attempt to convince you of the enormous value of wasps, for a number of very compelling reasons, particularly if you love figs.

Is there a difference between conifers and evergreens? You bet there is. And at the risk of making your head spin, let me make one critical distinction right off the bat by saying not all conifers are evergreens and not all evergreens are conifers. How’s that for clarifying the matter? Hey, I don’t make the rules!

A new study conducted by the U.S. Forest Service says American cities are losing 36 million trees a year due to development of roads and buildings. Tree cover in urban areas is declining at a rate of 175,000 acres per year, and the state with the largest losses is – wait for it – Oklahoma. If that isn’t reason enough to plant a tree, I don’t know what is. But which tree should you plant?

I readily admit that when it comes to plants, I know very little about annuals. I know the difference between a begonia and a petunia, but not much more. So to learn more, I went to two people whose knowledge of annuals never ceases to amaze me. Meet Susan Brammeier, who’s been at Southwood since 1997 and has been buying annuals for 15 years, and her daughter, Emily Grigg, Southwood’s section leader in annuals.

For years, I’ve been asked repeatedly, “What’s your favorite plant”? It’s a difficult question to answer, because there are so many incredible candidates. But the other day, while pruning my Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’ (meaning Lion’s Head), I came to the realization that my favorite plant – or more specifically plant group – would have to be Japanese maples.

Let’s get one thing straight — fertilizer isn’t food. Plants don’t need our help to make their own food. They eat photons. Then they synthesize food from carbon dioxide and water. That’s why the process is known as photosynthesis. But to make that food, they need nutrients in the form of various elements and minerals, and that’s where fertilizers come in. It’s also where you come in. Because now is the time to fertilize.

While sitting on my back porch and watching the rain soak everything in sight last Sunday, I got the bug to garden. But because working wet soil is one of the absolute worst things you can do, I decided to repot my houseplants and stick a few tasty herbs in pots. After all, putting all kinds of things in containers is something you can do regardless of weather – in the garage, on a covered porch or patio, even between downpours.

Although it may still be a few weeks before we know the full extent of the damage done to plants by last month’s tumbling temperatures, it’s safe to say that some plants fared better than others. So here’s my latest assessment of what got hit the hardest, and what you can do about it now. (Hint: Grab your pruners.)

Yes, orchidaceous is a real word. Feel free to look it up. It means showy or flashy, two words that definitely define orchids. But for all their beauty, many people also think of orchids as difficult or finicky, yet in most cases that’s simply not true. In fact, many orchids are among the easiest houseplants to grow. I kid you not.

I’ve grown vegetables in raised beds since 1979, the year I created my first garden, and I’ve never looked back. At the time, it was considered a new approach to gardening, but in fact it has ancient roots, dating back to pre-Hispanic Inca and Aztec civilizations. Basically, it’s a method of growing plants within a framed bed, and it has numerous advantages.

I know many of you are worried about the likelihood that some of your plants were damaged or destroyed by recent brutally cold temperatures. I am too. After all, anything you’ve planted in the past 25 or 30 years has never experienced temps of -15 degrees (or more). And unfortunately, it’s going to be some time before we know the answers. Weeks perhaps. Here’s why.

First, the good news. The vast majority of landscape plants will weather the weather unscathed, despite the brutal cold this week. After all, most are completely dormant and hardy enough to withstand temps at or below zero. In other words, at least 99% of your plants will be fine. Now let’s talk about the 1%.

Imagine harvesting a ripe, juicy apple right off the tree and biting into its sweet, sun-warmed flesh. Now imagine that same tree is in your own backyard. Growing fruit is one of the great joys of gardening, and while it’s admittedly not without a few challenges, the same can be said of nearly all edible crops. But unlike most edibles, which are grown and harvested in one season, fruit trees can produce for decades.

I’ve been asked the same question a lot lately: Is it okay to plant now? So let me say, without hesitation, that the answer is a resounding yes. But to be clear, it depends on what you’re planting. Tomatoes? No way! Petunias? Fugget about it! Ditto plants that can’t handle temps below freezing. Sure, that eliminates a number of possibilities, but what’s left is still a long list.

I get more ideas on how to improve the look of my garden this time of year than at any other time. That may sound strange, but the reason is simple — I can see its skeletal structure. Because what remains after the flowers have faded and the lush green foliage is gone are the garden’s bones. And you can learn a lot by examining those bones.

Not being able to do live seminars drives me crazy, because I love gathering with fellow gardeners and shooting the breeze about all things gardening. But given the times, that’s not possible. However, thanks to the vaccine rollout, I plan to once again take the stage live later this spring. In the meantime, I’m ready to kick off my “Cocktails and Questions” virtual seminars beginning next week. Here’s what I’ve got planned so far.

I usually avoid making New Year’s resolutions, particularly those that involve losing weight or exercising more, largely because I’m not very good at doing either (even though I need to do both!). But I have committed to a number of gardening resolutions. And I plan to keep every one of them.

Poinsettias are the undisputed king of holiday houseplants. That’s a given. But they usually wind up in the trash soon after the new year. Thankfully, however, there are several beautiful holiday houseplants that offer great color and with proper care can last for years. Here are some of our customer favorites, with tips on how to keep them flourishing.

There was a time when I wasn’t all that keen on hollies. But no more. I’ve got five Burford hollies at one end of my back porch that I love for a variety of reasons — they provide excellent privacy, they’re incredibly carefree, and best of all, they produce red berries that the birds gobble up like bon bons. But do all hollies produce berries?

This Saturday, December 12th, is National Poinsettia Day. It’s been celebrated since the mid-1800s, when Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, brought a bunch of “Points” back to the states to propagate. And assuming you’re ready to celebrate (Hey, why not?!), we’ve got an incredible selection of Poinsettias in stock now. Not sure how to take care of them? No worries. Here are some pointers.

Sure, you can always buy a cut tree for Christmas. But instead — or perhaps in addition to — you might consider a live tree that you can plant after Christmas and enjoy for years, even decades to come. Here are selection and care tips, and a list of some of my favorites.

Carrie and I have a motto: No leaf leaves the property. That’s because over the years we’ve learned that nothing has the ability to transform so-so soil into super soil better and faster than leaves. Seriously. Nothing. But it’s best if you shred them first so they’ll decompose faster. Here’s how we do just that.

This year’s display of fall color in our urban forest has been absolutely fantastic. And now is the perfect time to shop for the best trees for fall color because you can see them in all their glory. It’s also the perfect time to plant them. So here’s a list of my favorites, all of which are genetically hard-wired to produce fantastic fall foliage.

Years ago I bought a book that claimed to offer suggestions on how to keep squirrels out of the garden. I read it in one sitting, eagerly hoping to glean something — anything — useful, but the author concluded in the final pages that there’s really not much you can do to keep squirrels out of the garden. Thanks a lot!

If you care for your houseplants during the fall and winter the same way you do in spring and summer, you’re asking for trouble. That’s because the needs of houseplants change as the seasons change. And while fall and winter present very real challenges, they’re not that hard to overcome if you follow these suggestions.

Today’s high should hit 85 degrees. Tomorrow temps will tumble into the low 40s. And freezes are in the forecast for early next week. But as we all know, such temperature swings this time of year aren’t all that unusual. And while we may not be ready for such wacky weather, plants are. In fact, they’ve been preparing for it for weeks.

I first met Renee Shepherd, founder of Renee’s Garden Seeds, in 1996. It was at a Home & Garden show in Seattle, and I literally stalked her, waiting for a chance to introduce myself. I’d started Gardening by the Yard the year before, and she had no idea who I was. But I’d been buying her seeds for a decade, and I considered her a true rock star in the world of gardening. So when she walked out of the convention center into a courtyard for some fresh air, I seized the moment.

Unlike daffodils, crocuses, alliums, and other popular spring-flowering bulbs commonly grown around here that dependably rebloom year after year — often for decades — tulips rarely do so. And yet, technically tulips are perennials. So what gives? Well, what gives is where we live.

Spring is spring. Summer is summer. And winter is winter. No confusion. No problem. So why in the world is the current season — which officially began on September 22 at precisely 8:31 a.m. — known by two completely different yet interchangeable words? Well, as a gardener who knows that now, whatever you call it, is the ideal time to plant darn near everything, I decided to dig into the matter. Here’s what I found.

Back in February, I got sick. Really sick. There were nights when I closed my eyes and wondered if I would see the light of day. I spent three weeks in bed, gasping for air and unable to take more than a few steps at a time. My wife kept insisting that I go to the hospital, but I stubbornly refused, convinced that in time I’d get through whatever was ravaging my body. Turns out, it was Covid-19.

A conifer is simply a plant that produces cones. That’s it. They can be deciduous or evergreen, but the vast majority are evergreen. What I love about conifers is the way in which the incredible range of sizes, colors, and textures can be used to enhance the look and feel of any garden, not to mention provide color in the dead of winter plus nesting sites and food sources for birds.

This isn’t the first time I’ve chosen to write about the benefits of fall planting, and it almost certainly won’t be the last. So just why am I so persistent? Simple. I want gardeners to have the best experience possible, and when it comes to planting trees, shrubs, and perennials, that means planting in fall. And when I say fall, I mean now.

One of the most popular gardening activities this time of year is sowing the king of cool-season turf grasses, namely fescue, from seed. It’s practically a ritual for folks who’ve come to realize that if you want a thick stand of the stuff, or if you don’t want to stare at brown Bermuda grass all winter, you pretty much have to put down seed. And thankfully, it’s a pretty simple process.

If I had only one season to plant a vegetable garden, it would be fall. No doubt about it. And there are a number of reasons why, including cooler temperatures, more dependable rainfall, and fewer pest and disease problems. But the most compelling reason for planting veggies this time of year is that they taste better. Much better. So just what will I be planting, you ask?

Okay, so I may be jumping the gun a bit by writing about fall gardening in August. After all, fall is still 32 days away. But it does seem as though the worst of summer is behind us, which means the time to start planning (and even in some cases planting) is now. So here’s a rundown of the things you should consider getting done in the weeks to come.

I love parsley, especially the flat-leaf, Italian variety. I use it more often than any herb I grow. But lately, my parsley crop has suffered, not because of something I did or didn’t do, but because it’s being consumed by the larvae of numerous black swallowtail butterflies. And I couldn’t be happier about it. After all, I can replace the parsley, but I can’t replace the swallowtails.

Brutal heat. Pounding rains. Insect invasions. The last few weeks have been tough on plants of all kinds, and annuals in particular, from Ageratum to Zinnias. But you can rejuvenate them without too much effort so that they’ll continue to thrive and flower through fall by giving your annuals an annual checkup. Here’s how.

I love rain. The sound of it. The smell of it. The way it cools the air on an otherwise hot summer day. The memories it evokes of playing in it as a kid. And the mesmerizing effect it has on me as I sit on my back porch watching it fall. But I especially love the way it rejuvenates lawns and gardens in a way that city water simply cannot. And there are reasons why that’s true.

I usually write about what you should do in the garden, but today I’m doing just the opposite. After all, it’s the middle of summer, a time of the year when what you don’t do is arguably more important than what you do do. (I admit that’s an odd way to end a sentence, but it is grammatically correct!)

When gardeners hear the word fungus, they usually think of the ones that attack and often destroy plants, such as powdery mildew, black spot, rust, blight, and dozens of others. They can be bad news, for sure, and are often difficult to control. But there are a number of beneficial fungi out there as well, the most important of which are the mycorrhizae.

The number of birds in the United States has declined by nearly 30% in the last 50 years. That’s a startling statistic, for sure, and contributing factors include habitat loss and pesticide use. But consider this: outdoor cats kill roughly 2.4 billion birds in the U.S. every year! So anyway you slice it, it’s tough being a bird. It’s also hard to imagine life without them.

Shrubs rarely get the attention they deserve, and yet they tend to be among the most carefree plants in the landscape. Those that bloom in spring – azaleas in particular – do briefly bask in the glory while in bloom, but it’s the summer bloomers that I find more rewarding, largely because their bloom period lasts so long. Aside from the obvious – crape myrtles and roses – here are some of my favorite summer-blooming shrubs.

I’m a houseplant. Which is to say I’m a plant living in a house. It’s a nice house, but it’s the most foreign and at times hostile environment imaginable. After all, I’m originally from the tropics! But here I struggle to get the light I need. I either get too much or too little water. I rarely get the nutrients I need. I never get a bath. And the humidity I crave is hard to come by. In other words, most of the time my life sucks. But you can make it better.

Beyond their incredible flavors and versatility, I love the fact that culinary herbs are so darn easy to grow, even for folks who don’t fancy themselves gardeners. And now that they’re actively growing in our gardens, whether in the ground or in containers, here are a few pointers on how to care for them…and how to use them.

I’ve been asked a lot lately whether it’s okay to plant everything from trees and shrubs to annuals, perennials, and groundcovers. And the answer is a resounding yes. Spring and fall are certainly more popular times for planting, but there’s no reason not to plant now, provided you keep a few things in mind.

Yes, plants have sex. Sort of, anyway. We refer to it as pollination, the goal of which is reproduction. It’s a process that’s more than just fascinating. It’s also essential to the survival of not just humanity, but all life forms. So yeah, it’s that important. And here — greatly simplified — is how it works.

From asparagus to zucchini, we eat most veggies fresh from the garden. But there are three veggies — garlic, onions, and potatoes — that will last for weeks, even months, if you cure them first. And now’s the time to do just that. The curing technique is different for all three, but in every case it’s pretty darn simple. Here’s what you need to know.

Bagworms can be a bummer. Left undetected and uncontrolled, they can quickly defoliate and destroy their host plant, particularly conifers — junipers, pines, spruces, bald cypresses, and the like — and to a lesser degree maples, sycamores, willows, oaks, even roses. And now’s the time to be on the lookout for them.

Azalea lace bugs suck. Literally. They have specialized mouthparts that enable them to suck the juices out of plant leaves as if downing a smoothie through a straw. And while they don’t necessarily kill azaleas outright, they definitely make their foliage especially unsightly. But fear not, because I’m here to tell you how to identify and control them.

Since the middle of March, I’ve driven a whopping 27 miles — two trips to my 96-year-old dad’s assisted living center (he likes his wine), two trips to the liquor store pick-up window (like father, like son), and one trip to Southwood for some gardening essentials. Other than that, I’ve been working from home, answering questions on our website’s chat line, among other things. And the chats have given me hope for the future of gardening.

The War of the Roses was fought for 32 years in fifteenth-century England between rival York and Lancaster factions. York chose as its symbol the white rose, while Lancaster opted for the red. So why the brief history lesson? Well, because if you choose to grow roses — and I hope you do — it’s only fair to say that you may have to do battle with a few pests and diseases. But no worries. Here’s how to win the war.

For those of you who, like me, have been vegging out a lot indoors, I’m here to tell you that it’s time to veg out elsewhere, namely in the veggie garden. Because finally it looks as though the overnight low temperatures are at the point where it’s safe (fingers crossed) to plant pretty much everything. And tomatoes are just the beginning.

My food pantry was full before life as we know it abruptly changed, but my plant pantry wasn’t. I realized that when I discovered thrips on my parsley and went to my shed for some Spinosad, only to discover that I was out. If you’re looking to restock your plant pantry with pest and disease controls — like I obviously need to — here are what I consider the essentials.

Wondering what to do in the garden right now, especially those of you who are stuck at home? Well wonder no more, because we’ve prepared a long but by no means complete list of all the tasks you can tackle now. And we’ve provided links to our Shop Site so you can just click and shop for what you need. Here goes.

If there’s an upside to working from home, it’s that I can take periodic breaks from my computer to work in the garden. Yesterday morning, for instance, it took only 15 minutes to sow a second crop of arugula, two types of leaf lettuce, and some Lacinato kale in a 4’ x 8’ raised bed. Later in the day I pruned the old, scraggly growth on my Heucheras and Autumn Ferns — another quick, 15-minute task. Then back to work.

Anthracnose. Black spot. Rust. Downy and powdery mildew. Those are just a few of the fungal diseases that can ravage plants. But there are thousands more. Dealing with them can be a drag. Not dealing with them can be disastrous. Here’s what you need to know.

I get people’s attachment to the familiar in their gardens. It’s comforting to know that the bed of begonias you’ve planted for years and years will once again result in the look you like and have grown accustomed to. But what if you were to break out of that mold and try something altogether different?

I overdid it prepping the vegetable garden last weekend, to the point where I could barely get out of bed Monday morning. It’s not that I’m too old to garden, mind you. It’s just that I don’t seem to know when to quit. But after looking at the garden this morning, I can proudly say the aches and pains were worth it. And this weekend I’m going to plant.

Fossil evidence indicates that roses have been on the planet for 35 million years, and in cultivation since 3,000 BC. Today they remain hugely popular all over the world, including here in Green Country, not only because of their beauty, but also because they’re easy to grow if you give them what they need to thrive.

Not all shade and ornamental trees grow well in all parts of the metropolitan area because soil types vary enormously, from sand to clay to practically everything in between. But no matter where you live and no matter your soil type, there are trees suited to your conditions. You just have to know which ones to pick.

I realize that people all over the country read this post, so I apologize in advance to those who’ve experienced harsh winter weather (including my brother in Emily, Minnesota). But here in my neck of the woods, it’s been an incredibly mild winter overall, with only a dusting of snow, no ice (thank goodness!), and dozens of days of above-average temperatures. Of course all that is subject to change without notice.

I’ve always chuckled a bit when people my age – and often considerably older – ask me which shade tree they should plant, knowing it’ll probably be at least a decade or more before the tree will cast significant shade. Then the other night, while watching television, I heard a line that gave me the clarity I lacked: A society grows stronger when old people plant trees, the shade of which they’ll never sit in.

Socrates was famous for answering a question with a question. And I feel like him every time someone asks me when they should prune their hydrangea, because my response is always the same: “What type of hydrangea is it?” And if they can’t answer my question, I can’t answer their question. Here’s why.

Much like the flavors of spices and seasonings in your pantry diminish over time, the effectiveness of garden chemicals can do likewise. But just how long do garden chemicals, whether synthetic or organic, actually remain effective? Or said another way, do they have a finite shelf life? Well, it depends on who you ask and the product in question.

This weekend, I plan on wrapping all the presents I have hidden in my closet, the garage, and under the bed. I just hope I can remember where I stashed everything! And when I’m done, I’ll head outside to do some more wrapping, not of gifts, but of two young pear trees. Why, you ask? To prevent a nasty and potentially destructive condition known as sunscald or southwest injury, that’s why.

I know, I know. You’re busy shopping and decorating and partying, which means the last thing on your mind is watering the garden. But that’s precisely what you need to do between now and Sunday. And the reason is simple: the soil is bone dry, there’s no significant precipitation in the forecast, and drying winds are common this time of year. Those factors combined can be deadly to plants.

Pruning is confusing. I’ll grant you that. But generally speaking, if you remember to prune deciduous trees and shrubs during their winter dormancy and evergreens in early spring, then you should be good. Of course, there are exceptions, because in the world of plants — THERE ARE ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS! And here they are.

I write this post every year, because every year Americans spend $250 million on Poinsettias in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. That’s a lot of green spent on a plant most people toss in the trash after the holidays. But then again, can you imagine Christmas without Poinsettias? So the goal is to keep your Poinsettias healthy and happy for at least six weeks, right? Here’s how to do just that.

The first blast of genuine arctic air arrived today, a clear sign that sooner or later, like it or not, winter is just around the corner. But there’s still plenty of time to get lots of stuff done in the garden. Important stuff. Meaningful stuff. Stuff that’ll make you proud. And stuff that’ll make your neighbors envious. Here’s what I’m talking about.

When temperatures drop below freezing gardeners all across Green Country freak out, convinced that everything in their landscape is going to suddenly die overnight. I’ve already been asked a dozen times by friends and neighbors – and five complete strangers at the grocery store — whether they should cover their plants this week. And my response to all of them has been the same.

Bark is basically dead tissue. It protects a tree’s vascular system, which lies just below the bark layer. And it comes in many textures – smooth or rough, shallow or deep fissured, and exfoliating, just to name a few. On a clear winter day, bark is basically all you see on deciduous trees, so why not plant a tree with interesting bark? And with that in mind, here are several whose bark I find especially attractive.

A new study conducted by the U.S. Forest Service says American cities are losing 36 million trees a year due to development of roads and buildings. Tree cover in urban areas is declining at a rate of 175,000 acres per year, and the state with the largest losses is – wait for it – Oklahoma. If that isn’t reason enough to plant a tree, I don’t know what is. But which tree should you plant?

With the arrival – finally! – of fall temperatures this morning, I feel a sense of rejuvenation. And with that comes a strong desire to get out in the garden. The timing of the two emotions is perfect, because fall just happens to be the ideal time to plant just about everything that grows. And there’s a very good reason for that.

One of the most popular gardening activities this time of year is sowing the king of cool-season turf grasses, namely fescue, from seed. It’s practically a ritual for folks who’ve come to realize that if you want a thick stand of the stuff, or if you don’t want to stare at brown Bermuda grass all winter, you pretty much have to put down seed. And thankfully, it’s a pretty simple process.

A conifer is simply a plant that produces cones. That’s it. They can be deciduous or evergreen, but the vast majority are evergreen. What I love about conifers is the way in which the incredible range of sizes, colors, and textures can be used to enhance the look and feel of any garden, not to mention provide color in the dead of winter plus nesting sites and food sources for birds.

No other plant on the planet gives you more bang for your buck than a single, solitary, spring-flowering bulb, be it a daffodil or a hyacinth or a crocus or whatever. (Yes, I intentionally excluded tulips for the moment – more on them later.)Think about it: in most cases you shell out a buck or so for a gorgeous flower that will return year after year for decades. And in that time all the plant requires is an occasional drink and a light snack.

It looks like it’s shaping up to be a good year for fall webworms…if you’re a webworm, that is. I noticed a nest of them yesterday morning in my black walnut tree, and on the drive to work I spotted at least a half-dozen more elsewhere in the neighborhood. So will this year’s infestation be especially nasty?

I’m no meteorologist, nor have I ever played one on TV. But I am a weather nerd, and the nerd in me says that the intense heat of summer and those awful heat indices of 110 or more are gone, to which I say good riddance. Because now we can all get back to the joys of digging in the dirt without the risk of heat stroke. So here’s a look at all the things you might want to consider planting, beginning this weekend.

I’ve been following stories about the bizarre – and extremely destructive – Asian Jumping worms for a few years, hoping that they would never make it to Oklahoma. Unfortunately, however, they have indeed been found in a few locations across the state, especially here in eastern Oklahoma. And that’s bad news. Potentially very bad news.

Slimy. Gross. Yucky. Those are just three words that quickly come to mind when I think about slugs, those slithering, nocturnal gastropods that can ravage everything from hostas to strawberries while we sleep. And yet, while there’s no getting around the fact that they’re both disgusting and destructive, they’re also fascinating creatures. Really they are.

At a press conference in Mexico City last January, scientists cheered when the official eastern monarch butterfly population was announced. And with good reason: The numbers were an impressive 144% increase over the previous year, and the highest recorded since 2006. At the same time, however, it was announced that the California western monarch population had declined by a stunning 86%. So what gives?

I was hiking with my five-year-old grandson not too long ago, and we came upon a large batch of poison ivy. “Leaves of three, let it be,” I said, to which he replied, “Huh?” I’m pretty sure I had the same puzzled look on my face when my grandfather said the same thing to me 60 years ago. But you’re never too young to learn how to recognize poison ivy, and you’re never too old to learn how to get rid of it.

Late last month, I flew to Atlanta to tape a television show with Joe Lamp’l, host of Growing a Greener World on PBS. In addition to the show, Joe has a huge presence on the web, and his website, joegardener.com, is a treasure trove of excellent information. He also offers online gardening courses, cranks out a regular podcast, and is all over social media. So why did he invite me to be on his show?

After a week in the mountains around Santa Fe, with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s, I was less than excited to return home to sweltering heat and humidity. But then it is the middle of July, after all, so I had no reason to be surprised. After unpacking, I headed out to the garden to water, and that got me to thinking about a number of myths I frequently hear about watering. Seven myths to be exact.

When you sit down to eat, do you ever wonder where the carrots or broccoli or tomatoes on your plate actually came from? Well of course they came from a farm, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about where they came from originally and the paths they took to ultimately wind up here. And along the way, who in the world figured out what was edible and what wasn’t?

Mushrooms have been popping up in lawns all over town, and their presence causes many a homeowner to panic and wonder how best to destroy them – some sort of fungicidal spray or powder, or perhaps a pitching wedge? Well you might be surprised to learn that my approach to dealing with mushrooms in the lawn is much simpler.

It’s safe to assume that in the weeks ahead, it’s gonna get hotter. Probably a whole lot hotter. And that can take some of the fun out of gardening, which is why I tend to get things done early in the morning. But unlike me, a considerable number of plants truly love the heat of summer, and here are some of the best to consider planting now…or at least early in the morning.

Last Sunday morning I headed out to the garden to harvest potatoes, and as I walked past my tomato plants I noticed that they were covered with aphids. Rest assured, I didn’t waste time dealing with them, because aphids can do serious damage by sucking the sap (and the life) out of plants, and they can spread nasty diseases in the process. Worse still, they reproduce at a rate – and in a fashion – that’s truly mind blowing.

Last week I wrote about the need to fertilize plants because all the rain we’ve had lately has leached valuable nutrients out of the soil. This week I’ve got another rain-related issue to discuss, one that poses a serious risk to people, not plants. And that’s mosquitoes, the deadliest animal on the planet.

The relentless storms have taken their toll on area gardens, and while much of the damage is visible – flooding, downed trees, and so on – it’s what you can’t see that concerns me, and that’s the leaching of nutrients through the soil as a result of torrential and incessant rains.

I love rain, especially when it follows a long day of planting or starts right after I’ve finished mowing the lawn. But too much of a good thing is rarely a good thing, and too much rain can wreak havoc in the garden, often in some rather unsuspected ways.

I saw my first hummingbird of the season last Monday, and it prompted me to think not only about cleaning and setting out my feeders, but also adding a few more Hummer-friendly plants in my landscape. And for those of you who are considering doing the same thing, here’s a list of plants preferred by 10 out of 10 hummingbirds.

At some point, all gardeners hear the term pH, perhaps most often when trying to figure out how to turn their hydrangeas either pink or blue. But not all gardeners realize just how critically important it is in terms of how plants grow. And yet there are certain plant problems that we may think are the result of pest or disease or fertilizer issues, when in fact the real culprit is an improper pH.

The azalea show this spring has been nothing short of spectacular, thanks to near-perfect weather conditions. But as the flowers begin to fade, it’s time to take care of the plants’ nutrient needs, as well as things such as pruning, watering, and monitoring the plants for signs of insect invasion.

For years, I’ve been asked repeatedly, “What’s your favorite plant”? It’s a difficult question to answer, because there are so many incredible candidates. But the other day, while pruning my Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’ bonsai, I came to the realization that my favorite plant – or more specifically plant group – would have to be Japanese maples.

If you consider the money you spend on plants as an investment of sorts (and you really should), then you should also know that the smartest way to protect and insure a return on your investment is to apply mulch to your garden beds. Here’s why.

That’s right. Soil is alive. It’s a living organism. And until you get your head around that concept, you’ll never really get gardening. Sorry, but it’s true. So make those three words your gardening mantra. Carve them into the handle of your favorite shovel. Paint them graffiti-style on your fence. Shout them out at the top of your lungs for all your neighbors to hear!

Morning lows earlier this week were colder than a polar bear’s paws. As a result I had at least a dozen friends ask me what effect, if any, the way-below-freezing temperatures might have had on landscape plants. My responses ranged from “We’ll have to wait and see” to “It’s a goner” depending on the plant in question. Here’s why.

A post about moles may seem decidedly unromantic on Valentine’s Day, but bear with me. You see moles are making their moves, so to speak, evidenced by their extensive tunneling. And while they’re certainly on the hunt for food, they’re also hunting for a mate. Yes, my friends, it’s mole mating season, the most romantic time of the year for moles.

I’ve never swooned my sweetie with cut flowers on Valentine’s Day, because I don’t want to express my love with something that’s here today, gone tomorrow. And a dozen, grossly overpriced (and often fragrant-free) roses always struck me as a predictable, last-minute decision. That’s why I prefer to go beyond the bouquet and give live plants instead.

The forecast for this weekend looks absolutely fantastic for getting things done in the yard. And you can bet your begonias I’ll be taking advantage of the warmer-than-average temperatures by tackling more than a few tasks. In case you plan on doing likewise, here’s a list of things to consider.

When is the last time you had your soil tested? Or perhaps more to the point, have you ever had your soil tested? Chances are the answer to the first question is “Can’t remember,” and the answer to the second is “No.” And that’s too bad, because a soil test can reveal problems you never knew you had and make a huge difference in how well your plants grow.

A lot of folks claim that freezing temperatures reduce insect populations. But does that claim have any basis in fact? Not really. Yes, a few bugs will bite the dust, but most have developed truly remarkable (and downright cool) ways of protecting themselves and furthering their progeny.

Winter can be a tough time for tropical houseplants. Light levels indoors are less intense. Humidity levels typically drop way below the comfort level of most plants. But perhaps most critically, folks tend to water and fertilize their houseplants in winter the same way they do throughout the rest of the year. And that’s a big boo-boo.

It looks as though we could be in for a doozey of a winter storm this weekend that may include ice and snow. So what effect, if any, could freezing precipitation have on landscape plants, and is there anything you need to do in preparation for the storm? Glad you asked.

Although it may seem somewhat counterintuitive, it’s crucial that you water landscape plants during the winter months. The combination of dry soil and cold air temperatures can be especially tough on even the hardiest plants, both deciduous and evergreen. So keep these basic watering tips in mind.

Sales of Poinsettias in the U.S. will top $250 million in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. That’s a lot of green spent on a plant most people toss in the trash after the holidays. But then again, can you imagine Christmas without Poinsettias?

When it comes to gorgeous fall color in the landscape, trees tend to get all the glory. And deservedly so. But there are a number of spectacular shrubs whose fall color rivals even the showiest of trees, and here are a few of my favorites.

Next spring, will you be one of thousands of people who, while driving or taking a walk, can’t help but notice all the daffodils, tulips, and other beautiful bulbs in bloom, and kick yourself in the butt for not planting them at your place the previous fall? Don’t suffer another spring of frustration due to your procrastination! It’s fall. Time to plant.

Local is a powerful buzzword these days. It resonates with people of all ages who are concerned about where the products and services they buy actually come from. And for that reason, all kinds of companies try to convince folks that what they have to offer is local. But just how “local” is local?

Every year I get on my soapbox to remind people that now is the perfect time to plant all kinds of things, and this year is no different. But to be clear, I’m not talking about things that most folks know to plant in fall – mums, pansies, asters, ornamental kale and cabbage, cool-season veggies, fescue and rye grasses, spring-flowering bulbs – the stuff that practically defines fall planting. I’m talking about practically everything else, in particular trees, shrubs, and perennials.

Fescue is originally from Europe. It didn’t arrive in this country until the mid-19th century, but it’s been happy here ever since, first as a pasture grass and later as a turf grass in lawns across America. Here in Green Country, fescue is the go-to turf for shady spots, where it thrives with a little fertilizer and regular watering.

No other plant on the planet gives you more bang for your buck than a single, solitary, spring-flowering bulb. Think about it: in most cases you shell out less than a buck per bulb and in a few months you wind up with a gorgeous flower that’ll return year after year for decades. And in that time all the plant requires is an occasional drink and a light snack.

Is there a difference between conifers and evergreens? You bet there is. And at the risk of making your head spin, let me make one critical distinction right off the bat by saying not all conifers are evergreens and not all evergreens are conifers. How’s that for clarifying the matter? Hey, I don’t make the rules!

Despite this week’s heat wave, we all know that cooler temps are on the way and we’ll return soon to working in our gardens blissfully rather than gloomily. And I can’t wait for two reasons. One, I don’t enjoy gardening in the heat of summer. And two, fall is for planting!

I love to watch folks at the nursery as they check out just to see what they’ve got in their carts. Sometimes I try to imagine where the conifers or ornamental grasses or whatever else they bought will wind up in their landscape. Mostly I just get excited knowing that every plant that goes out the door will soon be set free from the confines of its pot and given a permanent home.

If I had only one season in which to plant a vegetable garden, it would be fall. No doubt about it. And the reason is simple: vegetables harvested in the fall taste better. No doubt about that either. And just what will I be planting, you ask?

Twenty years ago, I spotted a sign on a variety of sedum called ‘Autumn Joy’ that claimed the plant would “thrive on neglect.” Convinced the phrase was nothing more than marketing blather, I took one home, stuck it in a one-gallon terra cotta pot, and vowed never to water it, fertilize it, or intervene in its life in any way. I figured it might last a year, maybe two. I was wrong.

A small percentage of people on the planet don’t get mosquito bites. I’m one of them. My daughter in law and granddaughter, on the other hand, can be sitting right next to me on the patio and get two dozen bites in five minutes. So what gives? And what can they do to protect themselves?

Ever heard of a Gallant Soldier, Fat Hen, or Good King Henry? Although they could pass for the names of British pubs, they are in fact common names of plants. And like most common names, they typically require some explanation. Take, for example, the tomato known as ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter.’

I get asked so many questions about ants that some days I just want to scream, “Uncle!” So let me just say right off the top that most ants aren’t bad. In fact, most ants are enormously important little critters. And rather than seeing them as pests in the garden, I suggest you think of them as partners. Here’s why.

Bermuda grass isn’t from Bermuda. Jerusalem artichokes aren’t from Jerusalem (they aren’t even artichokes!) The eastern red cedar seen throughout Green Country isn’t a cedar at all. And cauliflower has been described as “cabbage with a college education.” Oh, how I love the wacky work of gardening. But wait…there’s more!

Recent rains were a nice respite, but now it looks as though we’re heading into an extended period of hot weather, with heat indices climbing well into the 100s and few chances for additional rain. That’s hardly surprising, given that it’s officially summer. And with that in mind, here are the two most important words to keep in mind – mulch and water.

This is a time of transition in the vegetable garden, and I face it with mixed emotions. I’m forced to rip out lettuce, spinach, and other greens (no more fresh salads!) that have bolted due to the heat, but I look forward to harvesting tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and the like. And here’s what I’m doing now to make sure all goes according to plan.

Pollinator gardens are all the rage these days, thanks largely to the concern over the future of honeybees and Monarch butterflies, whose populations have been in decline in recent years. That’s made them the poster children for the pollinator movement, and that’s a good thing. But there are lots of other critters that pollinate our gardens, and they deserve attention too.

When my daughter was 12 or 13, she commented on how pretty a particular tree was as we strolled through the garden. “What’s it called?” she asked. “It’s Acer japonicum aconitifolium,” I said. She then repeated those three words three times, and now nearly 15 years later she can still pronounce the Latin name of the Full Moon Japanese maple perfectly. But why didn’t I just call it that in the first place?

I sometimes chuckle when someone asks me if a plant is hardy, because often what they’re actually asking me is if a plant is tough enough to survive Oklahoma summers. And that’s not what hardiness is all about. Hardiness has to do with a plant’s ability to survive the winter in a given area, and Hardiness Zones are established by the USDA based on historical weather data. So, do you know which Zone you’re in?

Getting kids interested in gardening is really quite simple — just think like a kid! That means forgetting about everything being neat and tidy and orderly and exact. In fact, it often means doing quite the opposite. My first suggestion? Let them get filthy dirty like my grandson pictured here. Does he look happy or what?!

When shopping for plants, one of the first and most important questions you’ll likely be asked is, Will they be growing in sun or shade? And often it’s one or the other. But that’s not always the case. Truth is, the whole sun and shade discussion can get rather confusing, but it’s a critical consideration when it comes to picking the right plants.

When I speak at gardening events across the country, the format I prefer is a simple Q&A. It engages the audience, it helps me understand exactly what gardeners are interested in, and it allows me to perform my shtick. It also gives me the opportunity to debunk common and persistent garden myths, including many that never seem to go away.

I don’t just love Japanese maples. I adore them. Have for decades. To me, they’re the most beautiful of all trees. Interestingly, although they appear delicate, they’re actually tough as nails, and rarely suffer from pest or disease problems. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say every landscape should have at least one of them.

I think I speak for most gardeners– okay, maybe all – when I say, “What the heck. Let’s plant!” After all, it finally looks as though the cold temps are behind us, soil temps are steadily climbing, and I know we’re all dying to dig in the dirt. Plus, the forecast for next week looks downright perfect. So what the heck. Let’s plant! And that concludes my shortest post ever.

There’s no getting around it, folks…sooner or later some of our favorite plants get attacked by pests or diseases or both. Sometimes the invaders are relatively easy to control, although that’s not always the case, which is why there are dozens of products on the market aimed at targeting and destroying them. But what if I told you there are several things you can do to discourage pests and diseases from showing up in the first place?

Funny thing about people’s plant buying habits – they tend to buy things when they’re in full bloom. That’s perfectly understandable. But if you want to enjoy the blooms over a longer period of time, you really should consider planting much earlier. And for some of the most colorful harbingers of spring, that means now.

When you hear the word bulb, you more than likely think of those that bloom in late winter to early spring – daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths, for example. But there’s another group of bulbs that you actually plant in spring for a summer show, and they’re among the most beautiful bulbs of all.

Two significant events occur this month: daylight saving time begins on the 11th; and spring begins on the 20th. That means there’ll be more daylight in the evenings and the days will be getting longer, so we’ll all have more time to garden. Yippee! But what, exactly, should we be planting this month?

Last Sunday I spent six hours in the garden, planting 60 hills of potatoes, 80 leeks, and 120 onions, among other things. Monday morning I had a tough time getting out of bed. But I must say the discomfort I felt was strangely gratifying, because not only did I get a lot of gardening done, I also burned a lot of calories. Just how many calories, you ask?

The other night my son asked me if it was time to plant potatoes. I paused momentarily to soak in the pride I felt knowing that he, along with his younger brother, have made gardening a part of their lives. (I’m sure their sister will do likewise once she moves out of her tiny apartment in Queens, NY.) Then I turned to him and said, “Check the four-inch soil temperature.”

In the past few weeks, I’ve repeatedly heard the claim that the recent snap of cold weather means the bugs won’t be bad this year. The idea of course is that bugs can’t survive prolonged cold temperatures and therefore their populations will be greatly reduced if not eliminated entirely. But does that claim have any basis in fact?

I know. It’s been colder than a well-digger’s foot lately, and for that reason I haven’t spent much time in the garden since the holidays. But I have been thinking a lot about my garden and trying to imagine what changes I want to make once the weather warms up. And thankfully, finally, it looks as though it’s about to do just that.

Although it may seem somewhat counterintuitive, it’s crucial that you water landscape plants during the winter months. The combination of dry soil and cold air temperatures can be especially tough on even the hardiest plants, both deciduous and evergreen. So keep these basic watering tips in mind.

When choosing a tree for your landscape, what attributes appeal to you most? Overall size and shape, growth rate, or maybe fall color? Those are all important considerations for sure, but what is often the most overlooked attribute happens to be my favorite – bark.

It looks as though the overnight lows both Saturday and Sunday could hover at or dip below freezing throughout the area. But given that it’s late October, that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The real question is what effect, if any, will the cold temperatures have on plants?

Looking for trees and shrubs that’ll produce jaw-dropping, car-stopping fall color? Well after careful consideration and discussions with several fellow plant geeks whose opinions I respect, I came up with a list of three trees and three shrubs that’ll do just that. And here they are.

When it comes to spring-flowering bulbs, the stars of the show are daffodils, tulips, crocuses, and hyacinths. But the supporting cast of players, although less familiar, are no less beautiful and deserve a spot in every garden. So when shopping for bulbs this month, you owe it to yourself to consider the following, all of which are easy to grow and come back year after year.

Every year for the past 30 years or more, I’ve tried to convince my friends and fellow gardeners that now is the perfect time to plant all kinds of things. So here I go again. But to be clear, I’m not talking about things that most folks know to plant in fall – mums, pansies, asters, ornamental kale and cabbage, cool-season veggies, fescue and rye grasses, spring-flowering bulbs – the stuff that practically defines fall planting. I’m talking about practically everything else, in particular trees, shrubs, and perennials.

No other plant on the planet gives you more bang for your buck than a single, solitary, spring-flowering bulb, be it a daffodil or a hyacinth or a crocus or whatever. (Yes, I intentionally excluded tulips for the moment – more on them later.)Think about it: in most cases you shell out less than a buck for a gorgeous flower that will return year after year for decades. And in that time all the plant requires is an occasional drink and a light snack.

Fescue is originally from Europe. It didn’t actually arrive in this country until the mid-19th century, but it’s been happy here ever since, first as a pasture grass and later as a turf grass in lawns across America, including Alaska and Hawaii. It’s even planted on the South Lawn of the White House. And here in Green Country, fescue is the go-to turf for shady spots, where it thrives with a little fertilizer and regular watering.

Carrie and I bought our first home in 1979, and before we’d unpacked all the moving boxes I was busy preparing my first vegetable garden. Step one involved removing (by hand) roughly 400 square feet of Bermuda grass, which took two weekends. Step two involved rototilling the entire area. Problem was, I didn’t own a rototiller. Nor did I have a way to transport one.

The window between the end of summer and the beginning of fall is the perfect time to fertilize deciduous plants and turf grasses. And the reason is simple: Providing nutrients that have been depleted during the growing season will enable plants to enter the winter months with the food reserves they need to stay healthy and begin robust growth in spring.

August is ordinarily so hot and dry that I discourage people from planting certain things, in particular large trees and shrubs as well as conifers. But given the current weather pattern we’re in – and the long-range forecast for the rest of the month — I wouldn’t hesitate to plant anything and everything, including large trees and shrubs and yes, even conifers.

I get asked so many questions about ants that some days I just want to scream, “Uncle!” So let me just say right off the top that most ants aren’t bad. In fact, most ants are enormously important little critters. And rather than seeing them as pests in the garden, I suggest you think of them as partners. Here’s why.

Mushrooms have been popping up in lawns all over town, and their presence causes many a homeowner to panic and wonder how best to destroy them – some sort of fungicidal spray or powder, or perhaps a pitching wedge? Well you might be surprised to learn that my approach to dealing with mushrooms in the lawn is much simpler.

Been noticing a lot of mole tunnels popping up in your yard lately? That’s because a new generation of moles, born in April and May, has matured and is busy staking out new territory. The good news is that moles are very territorial, and rarely are there more than three in an entire acre, except perhaps during the late-winter mating season, so typically the average-size yard is harboring only one. The bad news of course is that even one can be a nuisance.

“Only two things money can’t buy. That’s true love, and homegrown tomatoes.” So said the late, great singer/songwriter Guy Clark in his 1983 ode to America’s most popular backyard crop titled, appropriately enough, “Homegrown Tomatoes.” No doubt most of us would agree with him, but getting a good harvest of homegrown tomatoes can be tricky.

Shrubs rarely get the attention they deserve, and yet they tend to be among the most carefree plants in the landscape. Those that bloom in spring – azaleas and hydrangeas in particular – do briefly bask in the glory while in bloom, but it’s the summer bloomers that I find more rewarding, largely because their bloom period lasts so long. Aside from the obvious – crape myrtles and roses – here are some of my favorite summer-blooming shrubs.

Not sure what you should be doing in the landscape now that summer has officially arrived? Here’s a list of things to consider, all of which will help insure that your lawn and gardens continue to look their best in the months to come.

In just about every landscape, there’s a sunny spot that’s not just hot, but crazy, insane, over-the-top hot. It might be an area adjacent to a sidewalk or driveway or concrete patio. It might be near a light-colored brick or stucco wall. It might be in a bed that’s mulched with stone. Regardless, spots like that require plants that can take not only full blazing sun but intense reflective heat as well. And thankfully, quite a few plants fit the bill.

With all due respect to our state tree — the redbud — I think the crape myrtle defines Tulsa and its environs better than any other tree. That’s not to say it’s my favorite tree, because it isn’t, but it’s certainly among my favorites, and it vaults to the top of the list when it’s ablaze in summer blooms.

I’ve been growing tropical plants in containers for decades, and this year is no exception. Yes, I know they likely won’t survive past October. And no, I don’t attempt to overwinter them indoors as I once did on a grand scale. But no matter. I love the way they look, and that’s reason enough to plant them.

A small percentage of people on the planet don’t get mosquito bites. I’m one of them. My daughter in law and granddaughter, on the other hand, can be sitting right next to me on the patio and get two dozen bites in five minutes. So what gives? And what can they do to protect themselves?

When shopping for plants, one of the first and most important questions you’ll likely be asked is, Will they be growing in or shade? And most often, it’s one or the other. But that’s not always the case. And the whole sun and shade discussion can sometimes get rather confusing.

Rains this week have put on damper on gardening, but that doesn’t mean you can’t plant. After all, putting all kinds of things in containers is something you can do regardless of weather – in the garage, on a covered patio, even between downpours. And while obvious choices include flowers and tropicals, there’s a group of plants that’s often overlooked when it comes to container planting.

Being a plant geek, I’m always on the lookout for new plants. At the same time I’m drawn to what’s not necessarily new, but just plain cool, and in my opinion overlooked by too many of my fellow gardeners. So with those thoughts in mind, here’s a look at what I’m diggin’ now.

Last Sunday I was having lunch with my father at his assisted living center, when out of nowhere an elderly woman shouted at me from across the dining room. “Is it time to plant tomatoes?” she asked. “Yes, and everything else that grows,” I answered, which prompted a collective chuckle from the diners. And to everyone else who’s asked me that question in the past week – in the grocery store, at the pharmacy, while walking the dog — my answer is the same…but with one caveat.

I have a confession to make: I’m a compulsive mulcher. You might even say I’m a mulch maniac. It all started nearly 40 years ago when I used a light layer of straw to cover my first vegetable garden, something I’ve done every year since. A year later, I started using bags of chipped and shredded wood mulch in my ornamental beds, a practice that continues to this day. So clearly, I’m hooked on mulch. And you should be too.

Officially, Not everyone fancies themselves a hardcore gardener. I get that. A lot of folks are simply homeowners who want a nice looking landscape but don’t want to spend hours on end taking care of it. That’s why I came up with this list of what I call Foolproof Plants. These are plants that practically thrive on neglect, will tolerate all types of soil, are bothered by few if any pests and diseases, and, as if all that weren’t enough, they’re also beautiful.

Officially, spring doesn’t arrive until Monday, March 20, at precisely 5:28 AM. But if plants could talk, they’d tell you that it’s already here. And according to experts, they’d be right. Climate scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey have confirmed that in terms of average temperatures, spring has arrived in much of the south-central and southeast areas of the country between 20 and 25 days earlier than normal. So does that mean it’s time to plant anything and everything?

Back in the mid 90s, researchers proposed a new way of planting trees that involved digging a wide, shallow, saucer-shaped planting hole that measured five times the diameter of the tree’s root ball. The idea was that roots would grow more rapidly in the monstrous planting hole, thereby enabling the tree to become established faster. Lots of so-called experts immediately jumped on the bandwagon and praised it as the most important revelation in tree planting since the invention of the shovel. But the question is, Does it really work?

For me, the 2017 gardening season officially began last Sunday. I planted potatoes and onions. I pruned some fruit trees, a few Japanese maples, and several shrubs. I spread five bales of straw in the paths of my veggie gardens. I tidied up my ornamental beds in preparation for planting. And I raked and composted well over a dozen trash cans full of leaves. Then, just as the sun was setting, I sat on the porch with a beverage and admired my accomplishments. (Full disclosure: Later that evening I also took two tabs of Aleve PM.)

A lot of landscape plants are looking pretty sad right now. In fact, some of them look downright dead. The question is, will they bounce back this spring, or should I dig them up and start thinking about what to plant in their place?

Acer palmatum ‘Sango kaku’, better known as the coral bark maple, has been growing in popularity in recent years, and with good reason: It’s beautiful all year long, even in the dead of winter – as in right now — when its show-stopping, coral-colored trunk and twigs are at their peak.

Not every bird is lucky enough to find a warm, cozy spot when the weather turns foul. Even those that do find shelter still need food and water to survive. And there’s a genuine payoff for gardeners who tend to their flock: The birds will call your garden home and eat everything from weed seeds to pesky plant pests.

More houseplants bite the dust during winter than any other season, and that’s too bad. But it’s really not all that hard to keep your houseplants healthy and happy this time of year. Just follow these suggestions.

Sales of Poinsettias in the U.S. will top $250 million in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. That’s a lot of green spent on a plant most people toss in the trash after the holidays. But then again, can you imagine Christmas without Poinsettias?

When it comes to gorgeous fall color in the landscape, trees tend to get all the glory. And deservedly so. But there are a number of spectacular shrubs whose fall color rivals even the showiest of trees, and here are a few of my favorites.

In my final installment of terrific trees, I’m gonna go out on a limb and focus on several not-so-well-known trees, all of which are white pines. 

Last week I discussed three of the best trees for this area – Chinese Pistache, Shumard Oak, and Lacebark Elm. Now it’s time for three more that perhaps aren’t as well known, but are nevertheless great choices, especially if you’re looking for something a bit more unusual.

Here in our neck of the woods, we have dozens of great trees to choose from, both deciduous and evergreen. But there are three in particular that are as close to foolproof as you can get because they tolerate an incredibly wide range of soil conditions, are relatively pest and disease free, and are tough as nails. Oh and on top of all that, they’re beautiful.

Imagine being able to add something to your garden that makes plants far less susceptible to insects and diseases, provides essential nutrients and micronutrients, improves soil structure and water retention, activates beneficial soil microbes, and basically provides the perfect growing conditions for anything and everything you grow. Now imagine that “something” is free.

Yeah, you read that right. It’s time to plant spring-flowering bulbs. There’s really no point in waiting any longer. And there’s really no point in planting some now and some later. Why not just get the job done in one fell swoop?

Every year for the past 25 years or more, I’ve tried to convince my friends and fellow gardeners that now is the perfect time to plant all kinds of things. So here I go again. 

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about conifers, and it won’t be the last. My love affair with this amazing plant group began many years ago with a visit to Rich’s Foxwillow Pines Nursery in Woodstock, Illinois. Owner Rich Eyres took me on a tour of his place, and as he described the plants in his considerable (as in $12-million) inventory, his passion oozed like sap from a fresh-cut spruce.

This Saturday morning at 10:00, none other than Piet Stuifbergen of Holland-based exporter Stuifbergen Bloembollen will be at Southwood to share his vast knowledge of bulbs with us. I don’t pretend to know what Piet knows, but I have successfully planted thousands of bulbs over the years, so I thought I’d give you a brief primer on bulb planting in advance, including a few of my favorite tips and tricks. First, the basics.

I moved into my current home just over four years ago, and from day one I’ve dealt with rabbits ravaging my vegetable gardens. I actually made the situation worse by building fences to keep my three dogs out of the gardens, which basically created safe havens for the rabbits (and squirrels, but that’s another story).

Sales of spring-flowering bulbs – tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and more – have been declining nationwide in recent years, and I can’t for the life of me understand why. 

Fall in Green Country means cooler temperatures, more dependable rainfall, fewer pest and disease problems… and lots of stuff to do in the garden! In the next few weeks I’ll be looking at the most important fall gardening topics and presenting timelines for what to do and when. This week my focus is on lawn care.

The quote above is my own. And while it may not pass for profundity, it captures the essence of what I think is the most important lesson I’ve learned in 40 years of success and failure as a gardener.

If I had only one season in which to plant a vegetable garden, it would be fall. No doubt about it. And the reason is simple: vegetables harvested in the fall taste better. No doubt about that either.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard the term deadheading. It was in the late 70s, and it curiously coincided with the moment I decided that the Grateful Dead was the most overrated band of the era.

Deadheading is the process of removing spent flowers. It’s not something you have to do, but in some cases it’s worth doing.

Given the dome of heat and humidity that seems to have perched directly on top of us – and with little if any relief in sight — I thought now would be a good time to remind you what not to do in the garden. Here it goes.

I first met Jared Chamberlain in 2010, the year he joined Bodean’s Seafood Restaurant as Chef de Cuisine. I took an immediate liking to him, thanks to his big, friendly smile and contagious laugh. But I was particularly impressed by his take on food preparation: less is more, freshness is key, and pretentiousness has no place on the plate.

Three Big Bloomers for Summer

Funny thing about trees and shrubs: Most of them do best when planted in either spring or fall. In fact, I can’t in good faith recommend that you even consider planting most trees – and to a lesser extent, most shrubs — this time of year. Better to just wait until fall.

But there are three notable exceptions – all deciduous — and they are among my favorite plants because not only do they bloom like crazy in the intense heat of summer, they actually do best when planted in the heat of summer. And the three I speak of are Crape Myrtle, Vitex – also known as the Chaste Tree – and Desert Willow.

The genera Taxus and the related Cephalotaxus include the beautiful and familiar yews and the equally beautiful but less familiar plum yews, respectively. 

Back in Victorian days, a sort of Coleus Fever swept through much of Europe after plant collectors returned from the tropics – especially Indonesia and Sri Lanka — with dozens of the new “it” plants. 

I first fell in love with ornamental grasses in the mid-80s, and my affection for them continues to this day. Not just because they’re beautiful, but also because they’re tough as nails and about as low maintenance as any plant on the planet, so much so that they practically thrive on neglect.

Hostas practically define shade gardening. And unlike most other plant groups, they can do it boldly or subtly, with a shout or a whisper. 

I could easily rattle off a dozen or more reasons why I like succulents so much – their rich diversity, mind-blowing colors and textures, ease of care, and so on – but what I like best about them is they’re just plain cool. And funky. And in some cases downright bizarre. Succulents are native to […]

Twenty-five or so years ago, I planted a tree that at the time I’d never heard of, let alone seen growing anywhere around Tulsa. It was a Japanese Snowbell, known botanically asStyrax japonicus. I treated it as an understory tree, sticking it in a spot that received dappled light all day thanks to a twisted, strangely contorted old hackberry that looked like it belonged in a scene of The Hobbit

To paraphrase Will Rogers, I never met a Japanese maple I didn’t like. After all, few trees evoke a sense of tranquility the way Japanese maples do. And few trees light up a landscape the way they do, regardless of leaf shape or color. What’s more, they’re small trees – rarely growing to more than […]