Tag: Oklahoma City

Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)

lil b fall black k

Little Bluestem fall color at Black Kettle National Grasslands

Type: Perennial Bunchgrass
Height:  1 to 4 ft. (average height 3 ft.)
Spread: 1-2 ft.
Origin: Much of the U.S. including most Oklahoma counties
Exposure:  Full Sun to Part Sun
Water: Medium to dry.  Can tolerate some wetness
Edible: n/a
Medicinal: Used as a switch in sweat lodge ceremonies
Companions: Echinacea (pallida, angustifolia, purpurea), Agastache, Baptisia, Pinus mugo, and Perovskia, Yucca glauca

Notes: Few plants are as integral a part of the aesthetics of the Great Plains (and Oklahoma) as Little Bluestem.  This grass is an essential component of prairie ecosystems and should be an essential ornamental grass in every landscape.  Not many ornamental grasses, (native or otherwise) have the characteristics of beautiful year round color/form and also such a graceful appearance that doesn’t overwhelm spaces.  It’s unique attractiveness embodies a wonderful balance between tough ruggedness and delicate elegance.

Little Bluestem grows in dense clusters, and is a warm season species that thrives on the sun and likes well-drained soil.  It is very heat and drought tolerant and does well in a variety of situations.  It is fairly easy to grow from seed but seedlings are often slow to get established.  There is a great range of diversity in this plant but the colors generally range from shades of red, purple, greens, blue, copper and gold (often all of these colors are present in one plant throughout the seasons.)  The color changes throughout the season give year round interest.

We use little bluestem in mass or scattered throughout sunny perennial beds.  It’s makes an excellent background for showy perennials and ground covers.  It’s color and form provide a wonderful sense of movement and dynamics to a landscape, and it plays nicely with perennials, shrubs and other grasses.

Many Little Bluestem cultivars and selections have been released both for forage value and as “improved” landscaping varieties.  Some of our favorites include ‘The Blues’, ‘Praire Blues’ and ‘Blaze’.  ‘Cimmaron’ is a native Oklahoma selection from the 70’s that is harder to find but a good choice for our region.  Although we generally like to avoid patented plants there are a few new patented Little Bluestems that offer very unique color and growth habits including ‘Smoke Signal’, ‘Twilight Zone’ and ‘Prairie Munchkin’.  If you venture out into most rural areas of Oklahoma chances are that you will see a wide variety of local specimens that have interesting and unique traits that are likely to adapt well to your landscape.  These local ecotypes could be your ideal “variety”.

Little Bluestem benefits a wide diversity of wildlife both as nesting and roosting habitat as well for food in the form of it seed and as forage.  It is also the host plant for a number of butterflies.  As Oklahoma’s native grasses and plants become more and more rare in many of our most populated areas it is important to bring this beautiful grass back into our landscapes.  With it’s combination of beauty, hardiness, versatility and ease of growth there is no reason why any Oklahoma garden should be without it.

Little Bluestem field Lake Arcadia

Little Bluestem field Lake Arcadia

backlit seedheads

backlit seedheads

 

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Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’

serviceberryHeight: 15-25 feet
Spread: 15-25 feet
Type:  tree
Origin:  Hybrid of two native Amelanchier species:  Laevis and Canadensis
Exposure: Full sun to part shade
Water: medium
Edible: serviceberries are very similar to blueberries in flavor and appearance. They can be used in pies, jams, and jellies or simply eaten raw.  This is truly one of the sweetest and tastiest native fruits.
Medicinal: Native Americans used serviceberry for a variety of different purposes from toothaches to cold remedies and more.
Companions: Quercas (oaks), Celtis occidentalis (hackberry), Chasmanthium latifolium (river oats), Heuchera (coral bells)

Notes: Being a hybrid this particular variety of serviceberry has been cultivated for the best qualities of fruit production, blooms and fall color. The blooms start in April giving way to the fruit in June (they are also called Juneberries.) The leaves on the apple serviceberry are fantastic. In early spring they emerge with bronze tints which change to dark green from summer until fall when they turn a stunning red or orange-red.  Serviceberries are under story trees best grown under the dappled shade of a larger tree but given enough moisture and fertile soil they can tolerate some sun.  Best to at least provide some afternoon shade and make sure to give adequate water.  Once established they can be somewhat drought tolerant but generally like moist soils.  If left un-pruned a suckering bushy colony may form but keeping it trimmed into a single or multi-trunked tree form doesn’t require much work.  Just prune off suckers as they appear (mainly in spring).  This small tree really has all of the qualities which make for a standout edible landscaping plant.  Even if you don’t eat the berries the birds and other wildlife really love them too.  “Autumn Brilliance” is really a no brainer for most landscapes.  Many of the other Amelanchier native species are also good candidates for landscape use.

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Valentine Rose Care

roses
It’s that time of year again when love is in the air and the hearts of all turn to one beautiful flowering plant, the rose.  It’s fitting that Valentine’s Day marks a good time for the late winter care of roses.  Now is the time of year when roses need to be pruned, fertilized and top dressed in anticipation of the coming spring.  Roses may seem to be somewhat imposing, but with the proper gear (rose gloves and a sharp good quality pair of pruners) they can actually be fun to work with.   Pruning your roses comes down to a few simple steps of reducing the size to a desirable shape, removing dead and diseased canes and opening up the center to allow for better air flow. Roses are susceptible to fungal diseases and proper air circulation will help decrease their chances of catching one of these diseases. The best place to cut is just above an outward facing bud on each cane you wish to keep.  A good rule of thumb is to reduce the rose by about 30%, but they can often handle much harsher pruning.  It’s also a good idea to rake up any fallen rose leaves around the base of you plants and discard these.  If your roses have had any disease problems cleaning up last years leaves will help maintain a better chance for health this season.  But it’s not just pruning and clean up that roses need this time of year, they also need to be fed!  One simple approach that roses love, is to sprinkle around the base of the plant out to the drip line (to the width of the rose bush) a good organic fertilizer.  These days high quality organic fertilizers containing bone meal, blood meal, microbes and mycorrhizal fungi can found at most garden centers and even big box stores.  Roses do seem to have a particular affinity for bone meal, alfalfa meal and kelp meal.  All of these contain various nutrients and trace minerals that roses like.  The phosphorous in bone meal is particularly good at promoting abundant and lovely blooms.  After sprinkling your organic fertilizer around the base of your plant, gently cultivate it in with a cultivator or hoe.  A top dressing of compost of 1-3 inches on top of this will provide a nice mulch and continue to gently feed the roses for the rest of the season.  Some summer pruning may also be needed to keep your roses in good shape.   Follow these simple steps and you will have healthy and beautiful roses every year.  If you don’t want to tangle with the thorny little beasties yourself, contact us for our expert organic rose care service.
mont roses

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