Dee-lightful visit to Dee Nash’s Oklahoma garden
While in Tulsa last week, my mother and I drove an hour and a half west to the town of Guthrie to visit Dee Nash of Red Dirt Ramblings. We got lost on several dusty, red roads but finally arrived to find her waving at us from the drive. Dee’s charming, log-cabin home is set amid tall trees on a gently sloping lot, and in back it overlooks a formally designed but casually planted garden, fenced with rustic split rail. Just beyond the colorful garden lies a picturesque lake. It was a peaceful, beautiful scene.
Dee gave us a tour, pointing out her favorites among her collections of daylilies and roses, some of which were still in bloom despite a long, hot Oklahoma summer.
As all gardeners do, she maintained that everthing looked better earlier in the summer, and no doubt it’s true because August is tough on most gardens. But I can tell you, her August garden is full of flowers—showy phlox, crepe myrtles, cosmos, and zinnias—plus plenty of cool, green texture. And you wouldn’t believe the variety of insects buzzing about in it: hummingbird moths, dragonflies, butterflies, and fuzzy, fat bees. The place was humming.
A patchwork of colorful zinnias enlivens the back of the garden.
Like me, Dee loves to pair vibrant colors, including these orange cosmos and purplish-pink phlox.
A sunny gaillardia. Is this ‘Fanfare,’ Dee?
Her ‘Pink Crystals’ ruby grass (Melinus nerviglumis ) looks a whole lot better than the parched, semi-crispy trio in my own garden.
As the late-morning sun grew intense, it was pleasant to retreat to the shady side of Dee’s garden, where hostas and ferns visually cool the scene.
After our tour, we retreated indoors to sip refreshing homemade lemonade, and then we went to lunch in downtown Guthrie. All too soon it was time for us to say goodbye.
But look what Dee sent me home with—some of that famous Oklahoma red dirt! Now I’ll be able to do some red dirt rambling too.
She also kindly gave me a piece of her pink phlox.
Thanks for a delightful visit, Dee!
All material © 2006-2008 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
How wonderful that you and your mother got to go see Dee’s garden. It looks fabulous, especially for Oklahoma in August. That is not the way I remember OK looking at that time of year. She is a gardener extraordinaire and a charming hostess as well. I love all that color and also the shady section. Good job Dee, I know you were stressing at the thought of super gardener Pam coming to your place. All good.
Hi, Frances. I had such a nice time at Dee’s. She’s a talented gardener. As for moi, “super gardener” cracks me up. Nice thought, but, well, there’s definitely no cape here, only lots of the ordinary mistakes, a few lucky combos, and a willingness to keep experimenting. —Pam
Gosh, Pam, you made it look better than it really does. It must be that camera of yours or just your good eye. Thanks for such a nice recap of our visit. I hope you and your mom can come back real soon. Frances, I was stressing. Thanks for your kind words.~~Dee
Dee, I feel that my photos don’t do your garden justice. As you know, the mid-morning light was overhead and casting strong shadows by the time we arrived, and I just couldn’t capture the images I wanted. But in my memory, I can still see those scenes and smell the fragrance of that lovely rose. —Pam
Impressive flowers and photos! Love the idea of taking a little dirt home – where will you put it?
Thanks, JGH. The pot of red dirt from Dee’s garden is attached to the phlox she gave me. 😉 I haven’t decided where to plant it yet and will probably keep it in its pot until the weather cools off in late September or early October. —Pam
What a lovely visit. You are very lucky to be able to meet up like that, I would love that opportunity. Dee’s garden looks very lovely even in the dog days of summer. It sounds like you had a wonderful visit. Thanks for bringing us along.
Thanks for joining us, Cinj! —Pam
How wonderful for you to be able to visit Dee’s garden. I love her blog…and all her “Oklahoma Ramblings!” Your pictures are so good Pam. Thanks for sharing!
Our ramble over to Dee’s was well worth the drive. She’s a wonderful hostess. I’m glad you enjoyed the pics, Linda. —Pam
Sounds like you a had a nice visit. Dee’s garden looks great (even though it is August) and I love the rustic effect with the railroad ties lining her bed in the first pic.
Yes, and the diagonal paths enliven the design too. Thanks for commenting, PGL. —Pam
Sounds like a lovely visit and Dee’s gardens are dee-lightful!
Aren’t they? And so is she! —Pam
Love Dee. My red dirt sister! I’d love to stroll around her place, see that log cabin. Sounds like paradise. My grown daughters live in the Tulsa area. One in Tulsa, the other in Sand Springs, where her husband grew up.
Brenda
I’m an Oklahoman by birth too, Brenda, with grandparents who lived near Dee’s hometown. It seemed like familiar territory to me in many ways—and not just because I’d seen pictures of her garden on her blog. —Pam
Another fling. Loved the pictures and thanks for taking us along to see Dee’s garden. Good times.
The flings just keep coming, don’t they? I’m hoping to meet you at the next one in Chicago, Layanee. —Pam
I enjoyed seeing Dee’s spot and also followed the link to your mom’s garden as well…both amazing! Keep Digging!
I love showing off my mom’s garden. She’s an avid gardener too, so I knew she’d enjoy meeting Dee and seeing her garden as much as I would. —Pam
Beautiful! Thanks for giving us this look at a wonderful summer garden. In Oklahoma, no less! Just proves that it can be done if you have the touch. And the patience.
If Dee and my mother are any example, Oklahoma gardens can be stunning in all seasons, harsh though the climate may be. Patience and persistence are the key, in my view, more than a special touch. Though that doesn’t hurt. 😉 —Pam
Dee is a peach in person! (We spring flingers can’t stop reminiscing.) Having such a colorful, fun garden suits her personality, doesn’t it? So Oklahoma is warm enough for crepe myrtles but has enough cool days for hostas…sounds like a very interesting zone for gardeners, Pam. Phlox is a lovely souvenir of your meeting.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Yes, and as you can see, she wore a bright pink shirt to match her phlox. She and her garden definitely suited each other. —Pam
What a wonderful way to spend a few hours… and Dee’s garden looks full and fresh, especially for August. I also enjoyed her “companion post” about getting ready for your visit. Thanks for sharing your day with us through your blogs!
You are most welcome, Carol. I know that you enjoy visiting other garden bloggers yourself, even if you have to fly in an airplane to do so. —Pam
What a beautiful garden Dee has, thanks for showing it to us Pam! Gail
It is, and you’re welcome, Gail! —Pam
Damn, she makes August look easy. Very impressive show, and your pictures – as always – are beautiful.
Thanks, Jenn. Did you read her post about getting her garden ready for our visit? She totally went overboard, and you can read how much work a beautiful August garden can be. Though I’m certain it would have been lovely even with a few unpulled weeds. 😉 —Pam
I enjoyed your photos of Dee’s lovely garden. How nice that you got to visit.
I’m so happy that I was able to see her garden and talk with her again. —Pam
Pam,
I think it’s wonderful that you got to see Dee’s garden. It’s just fantastic to be able to explore someone’s garden after reading about it so long. I also got a chance to visit a fellow bloggers garden this week as well. Phillip at ‘Dirt Therapy’ was such a gracious host and his garden was incredible. I was so absolutely enchanted by my visit, after I left to return home I realized I did not take a single picture while I was there! I could have just kicked myself! I’ve never been treated with so much hospitality in my life. Aren’t gardeners just wonderful people?
How lucky you are to be close enough to visit Phillip, Randy. His garden is enchanting, and I can see how you might have forgotten to pull out your camera. (Dee reminded me to get mine out of the car.) —Pam
Dee and red dirt are obviously a winning combination: put them together and you get a truly glorious garden! It sounds like a splendid visit.
It really was, Cindy. Thanks for “joining” us. —Pam
It’s so fun to see a blogger’s garden through another blogger’s lens. Your photos show a whole other side to Dee’s garden. She so rarely shows off her lovely shade area. It sounds like you three had a great time, even though August in Oklahoma is probably not that pleasant. (Although I doubt it’s worse than Austin!)
I’m glad you enjoyed the visit, MMD. Although the day we visited Dee was very warm, the next couple of days in Tulsa were surprisingly mild and rainy. I was only wishing I could have brought the weather home with me. —Pam
What a delightful treat for both you and Dee! It was great to see her and her garden through your lens.
I’m glad you enjoyed the virtual visit, Robin. Thanks for stopping by. —Pam
How wonderful you made time to get together and do a garden tour. Dee’s garden looks great to me (August or not!) I need to get on over to her blog and check it out there too. I’ve had a hard time keeping up on blog reading this summer. This was a nice treat to find on yours tho. I’m sure it was a fun day.
A fellow blogger’s garden is always a good excuse for a road trip, and Dee was very welcoming. Thanks for stopping by again, Kathleen. —Pam
How lovely that you and your Mom got to visit a fellow blogger’s garden and such a lovely garden it is. Dee looks pretty in (the) pink and matches her phloxes. I love a woman who can colour coordinate. 😉 It had to be the phlox as a souvenir of this visit to Dee and her garden, hadn’t it? How I wish that we garden bloggers would all live much closer together so that we could come for a regular visit. Either that or it’s high time that they really get cracking with that beaming over thingy. Beam me up, Scotty!
I feel fortunate to live where I can visit other garden bloggers on a regular basis. And I see that you’ve had a visit with a garden blogger too recently. So we’re not doing too badly, are we, despite not having “beam me up” technology? 😉 I’m still hoping to meet you at a future Spring Fling, YE. —Pam
What a fun day this must have been! Dee’s garden looks amazing – the colours are incredible. Lucky you to have met Dee and enjoyed spending time in her garden and visiting.
It was a very pleasant day spent in good company, Kate. —Pam
The photos are so lively. You enjoyed your time in the garden. Thanks for sharing it here.
Thanks for stopping by, Ethanpaul. —Pam