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Although my parents gardened and owned a floral shop and nursery in Idaho when I ws growing up, I traveled quite a lot when I was younger and only started gardening in my midtwenties while raising two children and living on a ranch in NW Oklahoma. Learned many things the hard way about the differences between gardening at 10 thousand feet in the Rockies and gardening in Oklahoma over that ten year stint, like why all the trees in northern OK tend to lean to the north, exactly how fast hot, dry southerly winds can dry up sweet corn plants, that sweet potatoes in the south don't grow like Irish ones in the potato state(there is a really funny story related to that!), and more. I divorced, moved to the OKC area, and lived in apartments for a few years while working on a masters degree and doing some professional writing. When I remarried and bought a home in a 1950s neighborhood in NW OKC, there were only a few scraggly trees and one dying climbing rose on the entire lot. Since then, I've had a lot of fun (and my husband has enjoyed my efforts) turning the neighborhood eyesore into a sort of public garden that neighbors enjoy walking, jogging and driving by. Have made lots of friends while up to my elbows in the front flower beds! Since I started working on my yard, other neighbors have caught the bug as well and now our neighborhood is really quite pretty. My elderly neighbor across the way had cancer surgery a few years back. I watched her sit in front of her picture window, looking out sadly at her little round flower bed, and finally decided just what I wanted to do that I thought might cheer her up. So I did a bit of "drive by" gardening by sneaking over one afternoon and revvamping her front flowerbed while she was napping. I had to work fast in case she woke up and caught me, so plants, compost, top soil, mulch all flew into place and I rushed back across the street. Then I sat and watched. Juanita woke up and came to her window just a few minutes after I finished. The surprise and joy on her face when she came to the window and looked out was priceless--like a childs face on Christmas morning, really. Since then, I've done a couple of other "drive by plantings" and have really enjoyed them, even though I haven't always been there to see the reaction, I can imagine it.

I live in: United States

My zone is: OK

First registered on April 09,2004.