Take your home’s location into account when deciding what plants to use. “Every plant I choose is viewed through the lens of ‘Will it do well in Oklahoma?’ ” Vater says. She learned what would endure the Sooner State’s long, hot summers and harsh winter ice storms by asking friends who are pros, reading publications by her local Cooperative Extension service, and old-fashioned trial and error. Spring is her big colorful season. Then for summer she says, “I do the minimum, because in Oklahoma, color in hot weather equals work. I don’t particularly want to be in the garden when it’s so hot, and I don’t think the begonias do either.”
1. French Blend Rose Tulip - Traffic-stopping blooms come in light pink, rose, and apricot hues. Vater mixed these midseason tulips with early season white ones to extend bloom time. White ones start in mid- to late-March; pinks and reds pop up in April. “Plant them close together in a rickety-rackety fashion with 15 to 20 bulbs in a single 2- to 3-foot hole,” says Vater.
2. Columbine - This perennial with fascinating purple flowers is irresistible to hummingbirds.
3. ‘Coral Bells’ Kurume Azalea - Abundant pink flowers grace this mounding evergreen.
4. Pansy - With dark purple markings, the petals pop next to vivid green foliage.
5. ‘Snow’ Kurume Azalea - An avalanche of icy white blooms accents this compact shrub.
6. Ajuga - Captivating blue flower spikes adorn a ground cover that needs good drainage and likes sun or shade.
7. German Chamomile - Also known as “false chamomile,” this aromatic plant offers feathery foliage and daisy- like blooms.
8. ‘Gold Heart’ Bleeding Heart - You’ll fall in love with its stunning gold leaves and delicate pink blooms. It thrives under shade trees.
9. Golden Feverfew - Give it plenty of sun, and it will thank you with eye-catching chartreuse foliage.
