Today I'm going to introduce you to a must-have native plant for your garden.

We then look at how plants grow and why it's important to consider it when planting them.

Then we go and visit a unique residential landscape and a very colorful one at that.

All this and more right here on Oklahoma Gardening.

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Today I want to share with you a plant that's really great for our Oklahoma summers, and this is called Rattlesnake Master or Uringium Yuccafolium.

And it's got that species name because of the foliage that tends to look like a yucca.

So you can see it has sort of this kind of spiny blue-green foliage, which adds a nice color into the garden.

But once it starts blooming, it puts up this very unique flower that has kind of this cluster, almost like a thistle-like bud to it.

Now, it's not related to the thistles.

In fact, it's in the carrot family, which is a kind of a unique flower because often we think of that humble flower for carrots, but not in this case.

So it's got tiny little white flowers that are inside there, but actually what we really are seeing more often is the greenish bracks that persist a little bit longer.

But all of this, all the multiple little tiny white flowers that are in there, make it a really great pollinator plant also.

Now, this is native and hardy from zones four to eight.

So it's really well adapted to our Oklahoma conditions, our heat, also our weather, as well as our soil.

So it can handle anywhere from sandy soils to clay soils.

But it does like to be in well-drained soils.

So if you're in the heavy clay, you might consider putting it up a little bit higher.

But it does produce a taproot.

So that's what's really great about it.

It allows it to kind of thrive through any drought that we're experiencing.

And of course that blue-green foliage kind of protects it a little bit more also from the sun.

Now, because it is native, it tends to like less fertile soils.

So you can see here it's kind of flopping for us a little bit.

It normally would get anywhere from four to five feet tall.

It's sort of flopped over because we tend to have a little bit more rich soil here at the Botanic Gardens that has been maintained for so many years with mulch and, and what have you.

And also it needs full sun.

And as you can see as our plants have grown, it's kind of getting shaded out a little bit, which also kind of makes that flopping nature.

But because it has a taproot, it doesn't really adapt well to being transplanted.

So unfortunately, we're going to kind of leave it here.

We might have to think about planting another one somewhere so that you can see it in its full glory as it reaches that four to five feet height, but this tends to flop over a little bit, but still a nice addition to your garden.

Just consider where you're planting it, make sure it's got full sun.

And again, it's one that you don't have to baby with fertilizer in order to really appreciate it in its full glory.

So often you hear us talk about right plant for right location.

And typically we're more concerned with the environmental conditions that we're going to put a plant in.

Of course, if a plant doesn't match those environmental conditions, it's not going to thrive.

And when I talk about environmental conditions, I'm talking about the temperature, the cold and the heat of the summer.

We're talking about the soil conditions, the water conditions, and also the sun exposure.

So those are critical factors to consider when you're choosing which plant to plant and where to plant it.

Now, something else I want you to consider is also the form or the growth habit of those plants.

And we're going to talk about that today.

So behind me, we have some tailored junipers.

So some plants grow very upright.

Now, the tailored junipers have a very columnar growth habit, so they make a nice exclamation mark in the garden.

You can use multiples to make a screen that's very narrow, yet also tall.

Now, upright plants tend to act as screens in the garden.

They're often the backdrop of the garden.

And we need to realize what the full maturity of these plants are going to be so that we can make sure that they have the space to grow into.

So whether you're looking at a tailored juniper or something like a deciduous holly that's just behind the tailored junipers, where it's going to get more of a larger mass on top of it, or something even grander like a pecan or walnut tree that needs even more extensive space, but it's going to provide you with a lot of shade, the form and the growth habit of those mature plants are important.

So now let's go take a look at another growth habit.

Another form you might want to consider is the clumping form.

Now, a lot of our perennials, our smaller perennials create a clump in our garden, which is really nice because they tend to give us a predictable habit.

Hostas are a great example of this as well as daylilies and some clumping ornamental grasses.

Now, yes, they will kind of grow out a little bit over time, but for the most part, where you put them, they're going to stay put.

Now again, all plants have a little bit of variability.

Even within hostage, you can get some very small mousiered hostas or some quite large hostage.

So do keep in mind the space that it's going to need to mature.

But for the most part, on clumping plants, the nice thing is they're going to stay put.

Now there's also plants that tend to creep and spread in the garden, so it's important to know when they're going to do that.

So here we have a spreading juniper.

And this juniper, while it is very low growing, it's going to reach across and grow really wide and cover a lot of that land area.

So the thing is about junipers, it's not necessarily going to root itself as it grows across.

It's just got low growing branches, but it is considered a spreading juniper.

Now we also have plants like this herbaceous plant known as money whart that acts as a ground cover.

So as it kind of creeps across, it's going to actually peg down roots and root itself as it keeps growing and reestablishing and continue growing more and more.

So both of these are good examples of creepers and spreaders.

And then finally, we also have vines.

Now, it's important to know how your vine is growing because not all vines grow the same way.

And how it grows can dictate which type of support you need.

But vines want to spread out, so you might see that they're growing across the ground.

If they're not supported, they might be growing over plants, but ultimately most vines are wanting to grow up.

Now, vines work well in the landscape.

They can be used as a screen as we've done here in a very narrow space where maybe you can't quite fit an upright form plant in.

So this is why it's important to consider the shape and the form of the plants, not just the environmental conditions when you're choosing the right plant for the right place.

Because you're not just picking a plant as it is in the container, you're picking a plant that's going to be successful in the future.

Today we're visiting the OSU Kappa Delta House, one of the many sororities here on OSU's campus.

And joining me is Jason Voskal with Zimplify Landscaping.

And you guys have the privilege of maintaining this beautiful landscape Mode to Add.

So tell me a little bit about what's all involved in that.

So a lot, right?

We have a ton of events from Mom's Day, Rush even graduation where we have to stay on top of this property.

One of the, the daily or weekly tasks I have is to just come and ensure that this landscape is beautiful.

We have tons of foot traffic coming in here.

So, you know, having to work around the girls, making sure we're not in anyone's way can be a challenge.

Right.

It's a residential landscape essentially, but yet you have, what, almost a hundred residents that live here?

A hundred residents here and thousands that just, you know, are always, always going to class, going to school, wherever they're going.

Yeah.

So how do you be mindful with the maintenance that has to happen and the irrigation schedule?

Yes, ma'am.

So you can almost say we have spotters.

Uh-huh.

Right?

So as we're blowing debris, as we're needing to weed whip, whatever's needing to be achieved, we need to make sure that we're keeping in mind that there are students here.

Okay.

And respecting their space, so.

And I bet a lot of the ladies like to come out and enjoy this space - Oh yes, ma'am.

In their free time and Stuff as well.

Absolutely.

We get all the comments.

The, the young women who are here are absolutely wonderful.

You know, they're always checking in on us thanking us for the work.

So it's a privilege to work for Cappa Delta.

Well, let's talk about the, some of the details of this landscape.

I mean, the first, I think, thing that everybody notices is the amount of color that you guys have incorporated from the front entrance, along the raised bed, or the, the beds here by this house.

Let's talk about some of the annuals you used.

Yeah, absolutely.

So, you know, I have a very naturalistic type of approach.

I like bunches.

I like colors.

I like height.

I like cool textures.

Whatever that's unique that will work in our climate and in that area, that's what we're looking to do.

And it looks like you've used a lot of porche lacka.

Porche lacka.

Some Gumfrina.

Yep.

Gumfrina, blue days coliuses.

We have the Vulcan coleuses right up in the front, the Lantanas.

I mean, it all just looks immaculate.

Yeah.

And it's just a real explosion of color around here.

But yeah, you have some real good strong foundation plans also.

Absolutely.

Can you mention some of those that you have?

I mean, obviously the hydrangea behind us here Is beautiful.

Yes.

This hydrangea, it just always takes off.

I mean, it's absolutely beautiful.

I love the structure of the scarlet peak yo ponds and how we shape them.

There is a lot of maintenance that goes into keeping that shape.

It doesn't just stay like that, right?

Right.

But absolutely beautiful structure.

The Magnolias, the Arizona Cypresses.

I mean, it just great bones.

And that's what we want to build off of our landscape, right?

Is, is a good bone and then everything else is gravy.

Right.

Absolutely.

And I know, you know, anytime you have a small sort of lot, because it's mainly house, but yet you still have yard space that we're here.

Yes, ma'am.

And also kind of a patio area around the corner.

Yes, ma'am.

Can you tell us about those?

Describe Them.

Yeah.

So we have Bermuda over here and we have some fescue zones over there.

All of this is controlled off of a hydro-wise irrigation clock where I can actually control and adjust off of my phone from the office, from my bed.

You know?

So it's all dialed in.

It's all manageable in a very, very efficient way.

And yeah, our mowers are also going through the same challenges where, you know, it's rush.

If it's like, for instance, this week, rush is coming up.

Well, my mower has to mow twice this week before rush happens.

Okay.

It's a maintenance challenge.

And I think we do a really good job at achieving it.

Yeah.

It's got a lot of detail to it.

It's not just one we call mow and blow properties, right?

No, ma'am.

No, ma'am.

And so around the corner you have that patio and there's kind of a pondless water feature.

Yes, ma'am.

Can you explain that a little Bit?

So the bubbling rock.

It's about a 300 gallon reservoir, a single stack bubbling rock and just beautiful face, beautiful moss boulder.

The girls really, really appreciate it as well.

What does it do for that space?

What - Oh, the ambiance.

You know, you're out there, you're reading your, your books, you're studying, and you just have a nice shaded area in the middle of summer to just relax, throw your feet up, maybe drink some Aspen coffee and call it good.

And you can actually feel it kind of cool off not only because of the shade, but just because of the sound of water.

Exactly.

I think kind of is a cooling effect.

So - Yes, ma'am.

It's a beautiful landscape, but there are sort of plans coming up in the future, right?

Big plans.

A lot of the houses, the Katy house is gonna go through some construction.

Yes, ma'am.

So initially what that will entail is everything you see around the house is gonna be destroyed, demolition, because they're actually working on the house.

So all this landscape's gone.

Unfortunately, Yeah.

So with that, you know, the challenge for me is, okay, now we are redoing everything.

We're redoing irrigation.

We're redoing the lighting.

We're redoing the landscape.

And so this, you know, it's beautiful here, but it's gonna look different in a couple years.

Yeah.

Which is okay.

But, you know, it's gonna take some time for those plants to mature up.

Right.

And just like a house sometimes needs renovation or kind of to rebuild, a landscape does too.

Yes, Ma'am.

Well, we look forward to seeing what comes in the future.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us today.

Today, we're talking about fall gardening and joining me as Candace Bacon with Shape Your Future.

And Candace, so are, have you ever done fall gardening before?

I haven't.

And to tell you the truth, I haven't really gardened at all.

Okay.

Well, it's a great way to get outside and get some exercise.

And so I know that's what Shape Your Future's all about.

Absolutely.

And this one we're gonna do sitting down.

Okay.

I love it.

Let's get started.

So Fall gardening, a little bit of a misnomer.

I think a lot of times people think, okay, fall gardening.

Wait until.

Wait until fall.

October-ish.

Right, right.

But really, that's when you're gonna be harvesting.

Okay.

So we need to get started now.

There's a lot of actual pros to fall gardening.

People call it kind of that second spring.

Okay.

Because think about the patterns, the weather patterns, right?

What's happening in spring?

It's going from cold to warmer, getting close to summer.

Yeah.

And you're asking the plant to start producing right when it's getting hot.

Yes.

Whereas this is the opposite.

So we're going to be coming out of the heat.

Okay.

We just got to get them established.

Okay.

So that can be a little tricky, but we're going to show you two different ways to do that.

Okay.

So first of all, we got some seeds.

I think you have some too.

I do.

So I've got yellow moon carrots.

Ooh.

Which is a really cool yellow carrot.

Okay.

And I think you got some radishes There.

I do, yes.

So those are, was it Niro?

Nero Tondo.

So it's a black radish.

I've never seen a black radish before.

I know.

So this is great for kids too, because most kids have never seen this.

And if they grow it themselves, they're more likely to eat It, right?

Absolutely.

And you know, with Shape Your Future, that's something that we really try to focus on is adding color to your plate.

And you mentioned getting the kids involved and having them, you know, try something new.

And I think if they grew it themselves, they're more excited to try it.

And you mentioned the quick turnaround.

So I think, you know, being able to pull these fresh veggies out of your garden, turn around and take them straight into your kitchen.

And there are so many recipes on the Shape Your Future website for healthy, fresh, seasonal produce and just how to get more color on your plate.

So real simple.

We're just going to go ahead and tear open those packages here.

Okay.

And gardening can't be any simpler than doing this.

So we're going to just take some of those seeds.

You can put them in the palm of your hand.

Okay.

Tiny little seeds, right?

Yours are a little bigger than mine.

And we're going to just kind of spread those around our potting soil here.

Okay.

So I love doing fall gardening in.

These are some smart pots that are made right here in Oklahoma.

Okay.

But I liked using these containers because they have handles and they're really easy to move.

Okay.

You know how the weather can be this time of year?

Absolutely.

It can change at the turn of a dime.

Right.

It's kind of overcast right now and it's supposed to be a hundred degrees this afternoon.

Yes.

And so we want to make sure that while they get warm, we don't completely dry them out during the daytime.

And so we're just going to kind of cover those over a little bit.

Now, Do I use the whole package?

You can if you want.

Okay.

I don't know how many's in there, but yeah, go ahead and sprinkle those around.

Okay.

The thing about radishes and carrots is you'll kind of, as they start to grow, you'll come back and sort of thin them out.

Okay.

So if you see two that are right next to each other - You want them to have some room?

Yeah.

They need that space to have their roots to develop.

So, but the other benefit of carrots and radishes is they're going to go really quickly.

Okay.

So if you're the inpatient for sure.

You want quick instant gratification.

I mean, in as short as like a month, you'll have some produce.

And it's just fun to go out there and harvest those.

That's exciting.

So the other thing we have here is transplants.

Yes.

Now, I think you've got a zucchini.

I've got a squash or yellow neck squash here.

Yes.

Yellow crooked neck squash here.

And so these are really great to start from seed too.

But I know sometimes with fall gardening, it's hard to find seeds out in the market.

People aren't necessarily thinking, "Oh, it's time to get out in the garden in July."

But if you have some that you've saved, you can start those because they really start really easily from seed as well.

But sometimes you can still find transplants.

Okay.

And so that's what these are, are transplants that we've got here.

And we're just going to pop those out.

Okay.

Kind of hold it with your hand.

Tease those roots a little bit.

That doesn't hurt it or anything.

Okay.

And then we're going to dig a hole here in the center.

So obviously we have a lot more carrots and radish in the container than what we do for squash.

So all of these work well for fall gardening.

And one of the problems with squash is a lot of times you get squash bugs.

Okay.

So doing it in the fall gardening, a lot of times those squash bugs have kind of done their thing and moved on somewhere else if you don't have squash previously in your garden.

Okay.

So they're already happy at your neighbor's house.

So now you can plant your squash.

They don't really - You're safe.

Yeah, it's safe.

And so a lot of times people have less squash bug problems if you haven't planted them that spring.

So if, if you were late to gardening this spring, there's still a chance to do that and enjoy that.

So, all right.

What do we all need in the summertime?

Water.

Water.

Yeah.

We need water, right?

So plants need water as well.

And so I think you have got some burlap.

This is just a little trick that we like to use here at the garden.

Okay.

Obviously we're going to have to water this.

We're not going to put burlap on it.

But what we can do is put burlap on our seeds.

Okay.

Before they germinate to keep them moist.

Okay.

Because the thing about seeds is once you start to water them, it starts breaking that seed coat.

And they need to stay hydrated.

Okay.

Because they don't have any roots or anything like that.

So we're just going to put some burlap in here.

Okay.

And there's some landscape pins because we have some wind, Right?

We do in Oklahoma, yes.

So just kind of staple that down.

And then we will check these every, you know, so often to see when they're germinating.

And then we'll pull that off as we start to see stuff growing.

So How often would I want to check this once I cover it?

Yes.

So I would say, you know, at least every other day initially.

Okay.

Some of these seeds will germinate in a couple of days.

And then as you start to see one germinate, you might start checking it more often.

Okay.

When, when you really have more of them coming up than just one, you're going to want to remove this, okay?

But again, the nice thing, you know, we as people, we need to get out in the shade.

We do.

We need to make sure we're not getting heat stress or anything.

Stay hydrated, but we can move these.

So if you find That- That's nice.

In full sun, it's just too much.

I'm not being able to water as often.

Yeah.

Go ahead and kind of move them into the shade a little bit where maybe they get some sun.

They do need some sun still to go ahead and continue growing, but they don't necessarily have to be in full sun all the time.

Okay.

So and then this intensity of the sun changes, right?

So as you go in a month later, it's not going to be quite as intense and you can start pulling them out a little bit more.

Okay.

How do you feel about this?

I feel good.

I feel like I could maybe actually do this on my own.

Well, and I know Shape Your Future is all about staying hydrated as well.

Absolutely.

So These are just little tips on how plants can stay hydrated also.

Plants sounds like are very similar to people.

We do need our water for sure.

Absolutely.

It's important when it gets so hot during The summer.

Yes, definitely.

And it seems like, you know, even if you're a beginner gardener, this is a good way to get outside and get moving really anytime of year.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Well, thank you so much For joining Us today.

Thanks for having me.

And as always, if you have questions about today's show, feel free to reach out to your local county OSU extension office or leave us a comment on social media.

There are many great horticulture activities this time of year.

Be sure and consider some of these events in the weeks ahead.

Join us next week as we recap a leaf structure and how to properly identify poison ivy right here on Oklahoma Gardening.

Soil conditions that you have, the sun exposure conditions you have, the hardiness the climate that you have, and this I already said sun exposure, the water conditions.

Shoot.

To find out more information about show topics as well as recipes, videos, articles, fact sheets, and other resources, including a directory of local extension offices, be sure to visit our website at oklahomagardening.okstate.edu.

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Oklahoma Gardening is produced by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service as part of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Oklahoma State University.

The Botanic Garden at OSU is home to our studio garden, and we encourage you to come visit this beautiful Stillwater gym.

We would like to thank our generous underwriters, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, and Shape Your Future, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.

Additional support is also provided by the Tulsa Garden Club, Greenleaf Nursery, and the Garden Debut plants, the Tulsa Garden Center, the Oklahoma Horticultural Society, and the Tulsa Herb Society.