Fake Spring is almost gone and real spring is almost here! Ranger’s favorite time of the year is real Spring. He loves flowers and taking walks through the garden that I can only assume he thinks is his... he leaves his scent behind occasionally to make sure other animals know whose place it is.
Ranger helps out in almost every aspect of gardening, the only part of a garden he does not participate in is the clean-up. He will monitor the situation from the porch though.
Cleaning up the flower beds, for me, is the first step and the worst step. Removing all of last year’s dead flower remains is a big task,but once done it’s pretty rewarding. Having a fresh blank flower bed is very exciting for both Ranger and me.
Some people plan gardens down to the last paver stone, some just sew chaos in the form of every kind of flower known to man. I am of the chaos variety and Ranger approves.
Last year I put out a variety of wildflower seeds and native seeds in two flower beds and had great success. I made a happy accident by putting out too many Holly Hock seeds in a small area, they got as tall as my house and as thick as a jungle. Also, I now have a plethora of Holly Hock seeds to spread around. There were enough bundles of wildflowers to give to friends and family as well as have more than enough left out for pollinators. My plan is chaos but chaos with a purpose. I like to make my flower beds as pollinator friendly as I can. Ranger loves to sit and watch the bees and butterflies.
Keep Oklahoma Beautiful (KOB) is a statewide nonprofit organization and is a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Last year I applied for a grant that would help me fund a pollinator garden, it was called “Keep Route 66 Beautiful”, and I was approved. I live right on Rt. 66, and per Ranger’s orders, we need another garden for the butterflies.
I am in the beginning stages of planning an extra special native plant pollinator garden that will have a touch of Rt.66 flair to it. If you are interested in learning more about pollinator gardens, or just gardening in general you should check out some of the new books being added to the Elk City Carnegie Library. They’re pretty awesome!
