While many of our garden herbs overwinter successfully, others are quite tender. One herb worth bringing in over the winter is lemon grass, because it can be hard to locate in grocery stores. The tasty shoots add a hint of summer to many dishes and tolerate the warm indoor temperatures quite well. Simply dig up several stalks and transfer them to a large, heavy container. The grassy leaves can be trimmed back to make the plant tidier indoors. Transplant enough stalks to

Many of the plants found in Japan’s great gardens are also adaptable to Oklahoma landscapes. The two countries have similar climatic conditions, with the main difference between the two areas being Oklahoma’s weather extremes. The oceans surrounding Japan tend to moderate the climate. As a result, while we use many of the same plants, we often tend to use them in a slightly different manner. For example, in Japan, Japanese maples grow in full sun, which would quickly scor

Bulbs are the most welcomed sight in spring, but quickly become unattractive as their foliage dies back. Though the yellowing foliage may be unsightly, don’t be too hasty to tidy things up. The bulbs underground are capturing valuable nutrients from the foliage as it dies back, storing that energy to support next season’s blooms. Wait until the foliage dies back naturally before removing the dead material. It is hard to resist mowing the foliage off of bulbs that have beco

Any time we move plants from an indoor location, whether a greenhouse or the windowsill, to an outdoor location, we need to take measures to avoid shocking the plants with the drastic change in climate. Conditions are much harsher outdoors than in, the wind is stronger, the sun is brighter, and temperatures fluctuate more widely. To ease the transition, start toughening plants up for the outdoor conditions over a period of one to two weeks. This process is called acclimati

While Zen gardens in Japan are typically very open, I find them to be a great solution to those difficult to plant, heavily shaded areas of the landscape. In fact, many of the plants utilized in karesansui gardens, such as azaleas, mondo, and ferns require shade in Oklahoma. Of course, we cannot grow that amazing moss. Outside of Japan, many karesansui gardens substitute plants that are representative of the forms found in a traditional Japanese dry garden, but are better

As the weather warms we will start to see new growth emerge from our ornamental grasses and find new sprouts from the base of herbaceous perennials. If you have not done so already, take advantage of this week’s warm weather to cut back ornamental grasses and remove dead stems from herbaceous perennials before new growth emerges. Try tying up the stalks with string to make the job easier. A hand shears or pruner will be the best tool for the job. Cut back small grasses to

The park and gardens of Shinjuku were first designed for use by royalty, but opened to the public in 1949. The expansive grounds contain over 20,000 trees which are a riot of color in autumn. The formal gardens are of three distinct styles: an English Landscape Garden, a Formal French Garden and the Japanese Traditional Garden. Within the Japanese garden are two traditional teahouses and a Taiwanese style pavilion or Kyu-Goryo-Tei. During our visit, the annual Chrysanthemum

For the best display of spring blooms plan an April trip to Lendonwood Gardens in Grove, Oklahoma. Lendonwood houses one of the largest collections of azaleas and rhododendrons in the region with over 250 species. The garden is designed with a rich Asian influence and contains numerous features typical of Japanese gardens. The Japanese Pavilion pictured above provides a serene space for relaxation and contemplation. The pavilion overlooks a large koi pond and surrounding

I love adding color to the house in winter by forcing woody ornamentals plants to bloom indoors. Forcing is a term used to describe the process of encouraging a plant to bloom out of season. Spring-flowering trees and shrubs work wonderfully for winter forcing, as these plants develop their flower buds during the fall of the previous year. To force flowers, simply cut branches of flowering plants and place the cut stems in water in a warm environment. Water flow into the

This week’s featured garden is bursting with azaleas and rhododendrons, plants that many gardeners in the southern plains find challenging to grow. Extreme summer heat can take its toll on these spring beauties. Several breeding programs have focused on heat tolerance including the Southgate™ series of Rhododendron hyperythrum hyrbids developed by Dr. John Thornton and the Aromi heat-tolerant azalea hybrids developed by Dr. Gene Aromi. This website is helpful in selecting