This is where we all will post our outdoor landscapings and gardenings.

These pictures was taken with my new Virgin Mobile X-TC phone.

Amazing pictures for a cell phone!!! :LolLolLol

Here is the outside of my apartment. Now, am I lucky to have a lawn!

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163715jpg-0.jpg

^^^ I constructed this with the border edging, bricks, and rocks from Walmart.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163729jpg-4.jpg

^^^ The chairs and table I bought last year at Target (while I was working there) and it was after Summer that everything was reduced. These was at 75% Clearance Sale along with my 10% Discount Card. The hanging pole with basket was bought at Big Lot.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163744jpg-3.jpg

^^^ The pot on the table was bought at Walmart the same day I took the picture. The flowers inside was just planted. They're standing straight up now.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163758jpg-5.jpg

^^^ I bought the Cardinal bird at Family Dollar. The tail was lost due to high wind the last several weeks. My guess is that a stray cat found the tail on the ground and took it. The aligator or croc was bought somewhere way out in NW OKC or Rockwell, maybe Bethany at a cornerside place.

The flowers shown is Lemon Zest (yellow) bought at Home Depot and the Red Wave bought at Home Depot or Lowes. There is some Rose Moss around the aligator or croc. Behind the Red Wave is a plant with purple flower. I'll take a closer pix soon.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163811jpg-6.jpg

^^^ The red and white flowers is pretty much common. I chose the darker colored leaves due to more exposure to the sun. At the very leading edge is the Blue Daze.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163822jpg-7.jpg

^^^ Some rocks mom had given to me. The solar lights was bought at Walmart. 4 in a pack for $40. They are super bright LEDs and stay on for 6 hours with auto timer shut off.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163843jpg-8.jpg

^^^ This is the Wishbone (a nickname) and it is behind the tree due to needing to be in the shade. I love this! Last year, I found a really awesome blue color. This time, I couldn't find any, so I settled with blue/purple. The bricks and rocks was bought at Walmart. The statue of a mushroom with birds on a log was bought at Family Dollar.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163922jpg-9.jpg

^^^ Hanging pole at Big Lot for $10 and bought the basket there too. The orange flowers was from Marcum's.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163857jpg-11.jpg

^^^ Here is another view of the patio.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163910jpg-10.jpg

I can't remember the spelling name of the one on the left. The right is the Blue Fan and it's quite growing great.

Here is pictures of mom's house. Same X-TC phone.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509091111jpg-2.jpg

^^^ Used to be filled with white rocks and had a small tree. The tree died a long time ago, so it was just white rocks with a wheelbarrow of flowers. It was really tough digging all those white rocks out!

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509091126jpg-0.jpg

^^^ This was also filled with white rocks and it had a healthy tree until mom decided to have it pulled last month, so I pulled the tree out. The white rocks was tough to dig them all out.

And down below is the rest of the pictures.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122606jpg-26.jpg

^^^ Note the black plastic border to keep the mulch from overflowing everywhere due to heavy rain.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122624jpg-24.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122637jpg-25.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122648jpg-22.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122805jpg-16.jpg

^^^ A little oopsie on the bottom left corner! :LolLolLol The bricks seem to have gotten out of align, so I'll need to readjust them next time.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122838jpg-15.jpg

^^^ That tree is the two I was talking about earlier up above.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122851jpg-14.jpg

^^^ The shrub on the right suffered ice/snow storms damage.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122903jpg-13.jpg

^^^ She got one too!!!

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122919jpg-12.jpg

^^^ I bought her that pot 5 years ago at CVS.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509122935jpg-11.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509123236jpg-10.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509123718jpg-6.jpg

^^^ I got her that at Family Dollar.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509123731jpg-7.jpg

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/210509123742jpg-5.jpg

^^^ I was planning to get that big turtle on the right, but she got it before I did. :omg:

Looks really nice!

Great pics T-man. Heres a link to some pics I've taken of our yard the last few years....most of them are in the spring. As you will see we collect chainsaw bears from Colorado, and OU gnomes. The yard is a neverending work in progress, and the garden was started about 10 years ago. The only things in the yard when we moved in was the Oak trees and alot of dirt. When the link comes up, click on the full screen option on the top right for better viewing. If you pause on pic #3 (button top center) you'll see a predator lurking about. (maybe hes the one who got your cardinals tail!!!) Dont worry....he hasnt gotten any fish yet. He mainly comes around to drink from the waterfall. But the first year we built the pond the egrets ate about 12 of our fish. grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Thats why theres a net over the pond in that pic. I hate egrets.

Backyard | Slideshow (http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/pictures/slideshow?site=snicksflicks&page=snicksflicks&album=370)

Looks good there Thunder.

Those are awesome! You should give me a tour!

I've always wanted my own pond with a bunch of Koi in them.

I could make a mini pond, but I need the large bush to the right to be cut down, then I'll have room for a pond and waterfall. Maybe next year! The management like what I've done, so next year, I will present my idea and see how it goes.

Ya got a really nice back yard. Thx for sharing!

Thanks Thunder. Koi ponds can be a lot of work, so think about it before you commit. Cleaning pond pumps & bottoms can be naaaaaaaaasty. But it is very relaxing to watch the fish. I often wonder if they can think.....then what do they think of me. Am I like an alien that appears in their sky once a day to feed them......lol
And when they eat....they're like lil piranahs. And its weird how they just float there under the ice all winter witout eating. Glad Im not a fish.........

Thunder, you really put a lot of love in those and obviously have a green thumb. My compliments!

How do you post pictures on the individual posts?

I'm going back to look at Westsidesooner's now.

WDSooner, that looks so serene. Loved the Sooner helmets! Your are reminds me of the neighborhood south of 16th beyond Rockwell. I used to go over there in the spring to see the Azaleas. Just lovely.

WSS, I used to have a 55gal tank with several Goldfish. I'm experienced in caring for them, but never done a pond fun, but it's basically the same. I know how it can be.

ECO, you can upload pictures anywhere, in this case, I uploaded them to my Photobucket account, grabbed the direct links for them, and post in here. There's a yellow square icon above the text writing post, click on that, and put in the direct link. You do that each time for each picture.

Unless you wonder how I got the pictures from the phone to here. I uploaded them from the phone to the Virgin Mobile account, saved those pictures, then uploaded them to Photobucket.

Thanks, Thunder.

ECO....I live just a couple of blocks from the area you mentioned. Basically the same Oak grove. It is a beautiful area, especially spring. I planted about 40 azaleas when we first moved in......but I didnt know how to take care of them at first and only about 6 survived......Thanks for the comments. The OU helmets were a gift from my brother. All the Oaks are both a blessing and a curse.......beauitful.....but very messy.

ECO....I live just a couple of blocks from the area you mentioned. Basically the same Oak grove. It is a beautiful area, especially spring. I planted about 40 azaleas when we first moved in......but I didnt know how to take care of them at first and only about 6 survived......Thanks for the comments. The OU helmets were a gift from my brother. All the Oaks are both a blessing and a curse.......beauitful.....but very messy.

Thought that looked really familiar. That is one of the most beautiful areas on OKC/Bethany. I think it is a treasure. I used to live just north of 16th about three blocks west of Rockwell.

Thunder and Westside thanks for sharing those pics. I drive down 16th almost everyday on my way to work. Maybe I have seen your garden. I am also an avid gardener and was wondering how may other gardeners there were here at OKCTalk. I have an acre in the middle of town and am sometimes overwhelmed by all of the work. After 10 years in my garden I am almost satisfied. My husband and I have been looking at places to live downtown to downsize house and yard but I know I need to have at least a little garden to keep me happy. I just love plants. Some of my favorites are the heucharas (coral bells in the shade), pincushion flowers ( I have seen them bloom with ice on the flowers), lambs ears and yellow lantana and homestead purple verbena. My lavender is blooming like crazy right now. I will try to have my daughter take some pictures to post later.

CCOKC, we will be waiting! http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/45.gif

fab photos, especially from a phone cam. Good work on the plants, and
a real nice cam eye Thunder

Thought that looked really familiar. That is one of the most beautiful areas on OKC/Bethany. I think it is a treasure. I used to live just north of 16th about three blocks west of Rockwell.
I grew up a couple of miles east of there, my parents and my sister still live in the area. When we considered moving back to OKC we looked at some houses in the Council Grove area and one on Alexander and Oak Hill Lanes. I've always liked the area.

CCOKC: I'm a gardener...sort of. We have a little veggie garden that the apartment manager let us put in. Two apartments have a little plot of land, facing west. I have four kinds of tomatoes, including heirlooms, green beans, 3 kinds of peppers, basil, flat-leaf parsley, and garlic chives. Strawberries are in pots next to the plot and I planted a row of marigolds to keep the bugs out :)

Otherwise, I've tried to grow things on our shady balcony, and it's just impossible. Ever had impatiens die from not enough sun? I have.

I look forward to having a real yard someday...ahem Midtowner...ahem.

Nice work, Thunder!

Here are some pictures my daughter took this afternoon in my garden.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0285.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0286.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0287.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0288.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0289.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0290.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0291.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0292.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0293.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0294.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0295.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0296.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0297.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0298.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0299.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0300.jpg

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/Ashelin_Fox/Flowers/100_0302.jpg

Those are so nice. I can see that you enjoy the serenity that comes with growing things. Nothing like relaxing in your own space at the end of the day or enjoying it with you first cuppa Joe.

I used to always have hanging plants on my deck but last year I knew we'd be in OKC for several weeks and they'd die without water. Same, this year. I miss having the plants and with a new puppy, we didn't put in any bedding plants - she'd just transplant them.

I don't drink coffee but I do enjoy a nice cold beer under the shade of one of my pecan trees after I have spent a few hours out in the hot sun trying to keep up with the weeds. By August I have given that up and just go for the beer under the large oak tree by the pool. That is when I truly think life can not get any better and I am lucky to be me. But then again I am truly convinced heaven is going to be floating in a warm pool sipping a nice cold Shiner Bock.

That is when I truly think life can not get any better and I am lucky to be me. But then again I am truly convinced heaven is going to be floating in a warm pool sipping a nice cold Shiner Bock.

Oh yeah. Happiness is reaching that point in life where bliss is something so...attainable!

Those are some nice pictures everyone.

Very nice photos all! It is inspiring me to get back to work and plant some more flowers!

Great pictures and the works! Thx for sharing!

I see you've got a pool. Maybe you should set up a weekly OKCTALK Pool Party! :LolLolLol

A weekly pool party? Are you going to provide the food and drinks?

CC Im jealous. As much as I love the council groves area and all the beautiful trees there one thing missing. I've always wanted a pool. (I'm solar powered) While some of our neighbors do have pools I just cant see fighting all the tree debris to keep one clean. Also I miss having a sunny area to plant veggies. The only sun we have is a small part of our front yard. I may have to look into a community garden to grow my veggies if there are any on the okc area.

Since there appears to be several gardeners here I'll pose two more question. 1. Is there any plant that can survive in total shade? We have a large eave on our home 3-4' and Im trying to find something that will grow on the north side where it recieves absolutely no sun. and 2. whats your favorite plant in your gardens. I have an Oleander (its just getting ready to bloom) that Ive had for around 7 years. Each year I have to find a bigger pot to put it in, then drag it into the garage to survive the winter. Its geting pretty heavy. Thanks again for sharing.

WSS, the best flowers for total shade in my opinion is the red and white flowers I have. I can't remember the name of them, but they are fairly common and comes in either light or dark green. I choose dark green leaves, because those can withstand sun, but can also grow nicely in the shade. The lighter green do better in shade.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163811jpg-6.jpg

They come in red, white, and pink.

Marcum's have a bunch of healty sized flowers of them for a bux each and I believe the pot is 4", generally the size shown in the pix above.

The other kind of flowers, the Vinca or Periwinkle, whichever name you prefer to call them, I believe they do better in the shade now, especially when the temperature has gotten much hotter than 10 years ago. My mom used to have a bunch of them at a rental house a long time ago and the front was facing E/SE, so they got the afternoon shade and grew so huge. Later, when she bought the house across the street, she used to have a bunch of them grown so big, but the past several years, they don't seem to be able to tolerate heat very well, so she stopped buying them. In extreme heat, their leaves curl up and if watering too much, it turns yellow. So, in my opinion, with experience, they do better in shade, at least morning sun and afternoon shade, despite the marketing saying full sun for them.

There is another flower, Impatient (spelling?), and they do quite well in total shade.

My favorite is the red and white (pix above), because they grow quite well and they love so much water. Excess rain helps them a lot! Watering the yard, no problem, they can take on the xtra water. They just love all the water. Mom got the pink around her oak tree (pix of it in previous page) and you can see how nicely they are growing. Now, they're getting bigger.

Westside, here is a link to a list of community gardens around town.
Community Garden Locations | Regional Food Bank Of Oklahoma (http://www.regionalfoodbank.org/communitygardenlocations)
I have often thought the lack of sun would be somewhat of a problem in the neighborhoods around you. I have a really large oak tree in one corner of my pool which is fantastic in July and August for the shade but really sucks in late November on the one day that all of the leaves seem to fall into the pool. We have to pay a pool service to take care of the pool since we work such long hours.
By the way my favorite plant right now is my oak leaf hydrangea which is in the second picture that I posted. It is about 5 years old now and probably 4 1/2' tall now. A far cry from the little pot I planted all those years ago. With such a big yard I have to buy smaller plants and wait for them to mature. If you notice the Nellie R Stevens against the fence in the last picture they were about 2 1/2' tall when I planted them and they are now well over 7' tall.
There is no way I could have afforded 7 fully mature hollies or gotten them home in my pickup at one time.

Thunder, are those impatiens?

The ones with the red flowers look like begonias. Westside have you tried Hostas? Caladiums also do very well in full shade.



Deep Shade Plant List (http://www.backyardgardener.com/shade/index2.html)

Yes, they start with the B and that could be it.

ECO, my adopted mommy, I'm not really into Impatients.

Yes, they start with the B and that could be it.

ECO, my adopted mommy, I'm not really into Impatients.

I thought those were begonias, too, but they like the sun, don't they?

Thunder, I personally really like impatiens but if they miss a watering or get too much sun, they shrivel up. One afternoon with do it. When they are working right, they are gorgeous. IMO.

I thought those were begonias, too, but they like the sun, don't they?

They do great either way.

Wax Begonia (http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/flowers/annuals/waxbegonia.asp)- Garden Basics - Flower - Annual
(Begonia X semperflorens-cultorum)

This widely used tender annual produces single or double one-inch flowers in red, white or pink. The flowers are held on succulent stems among shiny bronze or green leaves, providing color in sun or shade from late spring until frost. Wax begonias tolerate hot humid conditions well.
* Light
sun or shade

They actually start blooming early Spring. I got mine done in April.

I love all the flower pictures! I think the longer growing season is one of my favorite things about OK (vs my home state of Ohio.)

My house faces North and I have azaleas, hostas, and impatiens growing in the spots that get almost no sun. In the areas facing North that do get a little sun, I have spirea, spiderwort (they do great in total shade), ageratum, and even daylilies. Astilbes are also a good option for shady areas - and they come in several different colors. Bleeding hearts love shade too.

I'm loving this thread.

Oh, the Wishbone grows in the shade! Those are really awesome to have, they attract hummingbirds!

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc92/thunderokc/150509163843jpg-8.jpg

Those are Begonias in Thunders pix. I tried them a few years ago but I seem to have a tough time with snails eating my Hostas and anything tuberous? like Begonias. We plant alot of Imaptients because they are cheap, they make a great groundcover and they bloom from early spring until late fall.

The spot Im looking to fill is right next to the front porch and Im really looking for a bush (strong enough to support Xmas and Halloween lights) Did I mention we decorate for most holidays? We have a large holly bush that is beautiful in the winter with its green leaves and red berries but damn they are deadly to unprotected hands. I hate trimming it. I'm thinking about a hydrangea but not set on the flower colors. I'd really like something that is evergreen. We have lots of japaneese yews.....I may have to go with that but Id like something different.

And CC I only wish all of our leaves from the Oaks fell on the same day. lol We have two different kinds of Oaks. Live oaks which tend to lose their leaves November thru December. And Black Jacks which tend to hold some of their leaves til spring. The ice storms did a helluva a job on the black jacks!! AArrgh. If only I could get all the neighbors to rake on the same day. Otherwise its pointless to rake when the wind blows all the neighborhood leaves the next day.

We also have two really nice sweet gum trees that I wish would blow down..........they are awesome in the fall but their roots grow close to the ground and suck up all the moisture making it impossible to grow anything underneath them. Unfortunatley they are really strong.

Towards the back of the yard we have another pond connected to a fifty foot stream. I love it but the pump on that portion isnt working right now. The pic I posted with the timelapse waterfall is part of it. I'll try to get more pics up as soon as I get it working again.

I have lots of older (construction of the yard) pics saved on cd. Il try to find them and post them soon.

Why rake? I never rake! :LolLolLol I just start up the mower, use the bag for it, and pick up all the leaves. I also mow the lawn, the final time, to be very short.

We rake ours into one area of the yard, (so I dont kill the grass with the wet leaves or mowing over it to many times) it usually turns into one huge pile then mow over them and throw them on the compost pile. Great for use later in flowerbeds....and we dont waste trash bags. And its an adventure everytime I turn it.....lotsa cool bugs.

:sofa:

A weekly pool party? Are you going to provide the food and drinks?

I think it should be a BYOB pool party.

:busterbunI have had a rabbit in my yard for a while now. We were away the last two weeks and the dog was gone so the rabbit was left to its own devices and has eaten some of my plants. The dog will be back tomorrow and will certainly kill the rabbit if he catches it. I don't know if it can't get out of the yard or doesn't want to, but I would like to remove it without it coming to any harm, any ideas?

Set up a bunny trap and release it into the wild, if it's a wild bunny. If it's a pet bunny, somehow escaped from somewhere, then post an ad saying Free Bunny You Catch It.