The Little Richard



Abeila Little Richard



                Spring is soon to come and the best part about spring is all the pretty flowers blooming trees turning bright green again. But did you ever know that Oklahoma has a selected group of plants horticulturists recommend. “Each year, a tree, shrubs, perennial and annual are chosen for Oklahoma Proven status,” (New plant, Tracy Payton). The things which makes these plants Oklahoma Proven they are able to survive the craziness of Oklahoma weather, hot or cold, pollution, drought, the bad things we put in our ground and the wide range of soil pH. The best part about these Oklahoma proven plants are the names.

                Would you like to meet the New Harmony, Valley Forge, and Princeton? These are the Oklahoma Proven trees for 2011. These elms are known to have resistance to Dutch elm disease, which is good; no one wants to be sick and we do not want our trees that we plant to look sick either. The American elm is known to have a “broad vase shape with dense canopies,”(New plant, Tracy Payton). Next is the 2011 selected shrub which is varieties of Abelia Collection: Kaleidoscope, Little Richard, and Rose Creek. These shrubs are known to have a wide range of color from deep orange to white. These shrubs are unique because they can withstand the scorching sun that we have during the summer time. I love that I came across this article to know about these plants when it come springs and summer time it will be nice to see if anyone has put these new plants in their gardens.

                Along with the tree and shrub there is the perennial plant, annual plant and the collectors choice, these include the Giant coneflower, pink crystal ruby grass, and the silver linden. All three are well know to withstand the blazing heat and the dry soil we get during those Oklahoma hot times. I never really thought there were plants like this horticulturists pick out the winner for Oklahoma’s crazy weather. It really makes me happy that we have people trying to think about how we can make our state more beautiful. The colors they describe in the article makes me want spring to come now, with the new blossoms and bright colors. No more brown and cold, spring is near.

                Thinking about spring made me realize that birds are starting to chirp loud in the morning and the sun is shining even brighter. I feel this is how nature/ our environment really affected me this week. I have been feeling so miserable with a sinus infection and Monday morning as I laid there debating if I should rise out of bed and battle my headache to go to class, I soon started to hear the birds chirping so loudly. I could see the sun was shining through my windows so brightly. That noise made me feel ten times better just hearing the small chirps and tweets. In all the birds really were the medicine I needed for that morning. When I finally got around to go to class and step out time I could feel the warm sun on my skin and what is better than warm sun when we have been dealing with seven degree weather.

                All the pretty flowers, green grass, animals starting to come out of their hibernation and the bright big yellow sun, who could ask for more; I cannot wait till spring to wake up and step outside and see vibrant colors that sound us. I hope to see some Little Richards popping up around places, Silver Linden, Giant coneflower, big American elms, and Pink Crystal Ruby grass and to see them survive the craziness of Oklahoma. I really do love flowers so so much but I think that I really do not like is the allergies that I have which come with pretty flowers. But this week I found a new medicine of just listening to the environment around me, that alone should heal my pain.

http://www.newsok.com/new-plants-trees-recommended-for-oklahoma-gardeners/article/3533291#