My sister, Sarah, did the sweetest thing upon our arrival in Tulsa this week. Knowing how depressed I was over leaving my beautiful yard and garden in Delaware (just the yard and garden mind you) she presented me with a small potted pansy. This was sweet for two reasons: First because the pansy is one of my favorite flowers, and secondly it is a cool weather plant and I’ll be able to plant it outside even though fall weather has begun. I’ve been pretty busy since getting off the plane, just trying to get settled in at my dad’s house. It’s always difficult trying to mesh two personalities and my dad and I are no exceptions. I did begin looking around for an area to plant my little flower though. I have noticed that a flower bed I had begun ten years ago has become overrun with blackberry brambles, grass and weeds; looks like a new outdoors project for me. I’ve also been eyeing the mums at our local Wal-Mart. There is some beautiful lilac and burgundy ones that might make nice statements in the flower bed building in my mind.
Drawing out a plan and strictly following it has just never worked for me. I may draw something out, but then next thing I know something doesn’t look right, or maybe this flower would look better there, or even a new plant is found at the store. The plan goes out the window and I just end up putting things where they belong. Now I depend on a rough draft picture in my head, and go from there. It works so much better.
I love placing rocks in a flower bed. Especially uniquely shaped or colored ones. Here in Oklahoma’s northeastern corner there are plenty of rocks - you just have to drive down any dirt road to see them. To use them in a garden setting however requires a little bit more of a critical eye. I remember when I first started creating the flower bed. It was a spot where a tarp had lain so my two youngest kids, two young nephews and I dug the area up, moving the rocks aside as we went. One rock was particularly deep, all the same I was determined it was coming out. We did manage after several weeks of digging and prying to bring it up out of the bed. It was more of a boulder than a rock, so the most we could do was just kind of rolling it to the border. Thereafter, it was referred to as the “sitting rock” by the kids. It was just about perfect for that purpose. The rock is still there since no one has ever had enough oomph to get it moved any further than its original placement.
Every region has its own plants and flowers that grow in each season, so I can’t tell you what to plant in your particular fall garden; I’ll just encourage you to put in something for a little color. Besides, gardening is a therapeutic activity and it couldn’t possibly be a bad thing to give something back to the earth.