Just Walking

Just walking around the garden this night. Moving plants from overcrowding and weeding a few neglected areas I always miss. I'm in tune with the garden, almost like a part of the orchestra.
I glance upon the abundant number of butterfly's. It's seems they are all in a hurry to feed before the cupboard goes bare.

Nepeta 'walkers low'

Saponaria ocymoides

 Iris sibirica 'Caesars Brothers'

Rhapsody.

April Bloom Day: 101, Tornado's, Flu and Landscaping

Corner Hell Strip- - (LtoR) Viola(front),Saponaria ocymoides(soapwort),Salvia 'Rapsody in Blue', and Aethionema schistosim (Persian stonecress).

What is the title suppose to mean you ask? Good question.
101: this is post number 101.
Tornado's: As many of you who live in the central plains know, this is tornado alley.
Flu: stomach flu.
Landscaping: I provide free landscaping services to my sons.
Story Line:
All last week my son has been communicating that he wanted to take me up on an offer to add a perennial bed to his new house in Edmond (near Oklahoma City). I responded with some regret as I knew that the rain had been dropping there all week. And as some of you many know the soil there is nasty red clay. It is so bad that Acme brick has a Edmond quarry near there manufacturing plant that they make brick out of. We're talking sorry soil! Anyways my plan was to add compost from the local municipal recycle plant into the bed. When I drove to the compost plant on Thursday it was closed due to weather! Weather! Come on. Well it probably turned out to be a mixed blessing. Therefore I went to plan B which was purchase compost in Edmond and take tiller and tools along to amend bed.
Friday night finally came around and off we go. As we were leaving we heard we were in a tornado watch. This warning was not a normal warning, as words were using such as total destruction, loss of life possible if not in a tornado shelter. Whoa, never heard that before. (Come to find out the the national weather bureau has stepped up theie warnings as many people were becoming complacence when tornado's never became real. They later replied that this saved lives this weekend as they knew the weather conditions were going to be severe. The tornado's in Kansas were called a month's worth of tornado's in one day.)
We arrived and my son and I immediately went to work removing the builders applied Bermuda sod with mesh netting. This allows the sod to stay together during application. We worked into the night under the street light shadows and completed step one. Not a easy task as the mesh was rolled into the clay soil and was difficult to remove. The wind was blowing 40 mph along with interspersing rain.
That night we were watching the storms on tv radar move through Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The tornado siren went off at 2;30 a.m. Freak out! Went to the inner closet until the storm had passed. Missed it as the funnel never touched ground. Needless to say it was hard to sleep.

The next day we went after bulk compost. None to be found. So we added two yards of amended topsoil and elevated the bed in berms to improve drainage.

Perennials (seedling volunteers from my garden) were placed for review. Rudbeckia hirta, fulgida, Salvia fairnancea, Salvia  guaranitica 'black and blue', Stipa tenuissima, Echinacea purpurea, Gallardia, Napeta 'walkers low', and Foeniculum vulgare (bronze fennel) were added. I finished planting them and then we added shredded hardwood mulch. Done. Then it rained and rained. Then I got the stomach flu. I had not regurgitated since college ( many, many moons ago). Up and down all night.
That night Wichita, Kansas was hit by multiple tornado's. Wichita is only 40 miles from our home. The warnings were well advised. Our home was spared any damage.

 As always the 15th of month is garden bloggers bloom day where bloggers meet and share their blooms at May Dream Gardens. Image above is Yucca rigida, Verbascum (common mullien), and Linum (blue flax).

 Saliva 'Rapsody in Blue' and Aethionema schistosim (Persian stonecress)

As always, have a great gardening season.

In and Out

An out view of an Oklahoma sunset.

Captured this image as we were driving down I-35 south to visit my son for Easter weekend. Cindy didn't want me to stop but I couldn't resist the view. The yellows of the rapeseed were muted because of the fore-light of the sunset. Viewing this field was stupendous, bright yellow Brassica napus (rapeseed, a type of canola). I wish I could have taken this photo early in the morning with back-light.

In,

Out. Forthergilla

 In,

 out. Phlox subulata 'Amazing Grace'.

In,

out,

and out. View of early prairie garden hell strip. Flags are marking new native bare root plantings, Dalea, Baptisa and Geum. Look forward to this new part of the garden.

Wordless Wednesday-Bright Lights, Little City

Wildflower Wednesday - March 2012

Gail at Clay and Limestone hosts the Wildflower Wednesday meme the fourth Wednesday of the month. Gail always has something special to share and I enjoy reading her detailed post as well as the great photography.

Image above is Geum triflorum 'Prairie Smoke'. This new transplant Geum was added to the 'prairie garden' in October via a bare root plant purchased from Prairie Moon Nursery.

Cercis canadensis, the Eastern Redbud is the state tree of Oklahoma and is native here in Kansas. This understory tree is a harbinger of spring.

Verbascum thapsus, the common mullein. Although this is not native to Kansas this introduced species has been around long enough to grandfather in I believe. Most people call it a weed as it is commonly found in open disturbed soils in ditch banks and poor soils. I especially like the foliage.

Please join Gail and other native wildflower aficionados and plant natives!

Pass it On

Spring break has always been a special time for our extended family. Cindy my wonderful wife has been an educator most of our married life so we have had many spring breaks to enjoy. This year was even more meaningful as our granddaughter from Corpus Christi, Texas visited us at home. She is a first grader and flew by herself (chaperoned of course) to Dallas where she was picked up by my son and grandma. Days later she arrived and her gardening indoctrination soon began.

 Potatoe planting was in order as the moon phase was perfect along with the 80 degree weather. Of course we had to do a few hula hoops to stay interested. New daughter in law to the right of me.

Onions were next. Yuch for a while.

That wasn't so bad was it. Like the boots Skylar.

Ok, it's time for radishes and lettuce. 

Okie dokie, grandpa.....but I don't want to get my red boots muddy!

GBBD/Foliage Followup March 2012

 Iberis

It's been in the 80's (20 degrees above normal) for about 5 days now and spring is rapidly becoming a reality. Anxiety seems to be a catchword these days. Winter foliage needs cutback, leaves removed to compost pile, division of perennials, transplanting, seeding, and of course numerous other tasks all at once! But lets not forget our blogging. It's garden blogger bloom day/foilage followup already, and I'm already a day late. Oh, well. Deal with it, right? Join Carol at May Dreams Garden for bloom day from around the globe and Pam @ Digging the 16th has foliage followup. Enjoy a few minutes, then get back to work knuckleheads!

Viola

Volunteer Native Mullien with Sedum 'Dragon's Blood'

Gotta love this combo. At least at this stage of growth.

Stachys byzantina-Lamb's Ear

Variegated flag. Iris peeking through. Gotta get to work!

Succulent collection, first day out of the house.

Created this image with Picasas new graphics tool. Echinacea spent bloom. Looks pretty cool. Happy Bloom day.