Gardening & Horticulture in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Horticultural Society encourages interest in horticulture in Oklahoma by sharing our knowledge of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees and shrubs.  We aquaint ourselves with the best plants and practices for our region by touring inspiring private and public gardens, hosting knowledgeable speakers and welcoming the public to these events.

OHS supports the future of horticulture by providing scholarships to students of the horticultural science degree programs in Oklahoma.

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The Oklahoma Horticultural Society.

The Society was formed in 1970 to further the appreciation of gardening and horticulture throughout Oklahoma.  This nonprofit organization recognizes and promotes excellence in gardening and horticulture across Oklahoma and the United States.

The OHS-supported gardening show airs weekly

January Lecture Series & Meeting

January 28

The speaker for the January Lecture Series and Meeting will be Lance Swearengin, Director of Horticulture and Grounds for the new Scissortail Park in downtown Oklahoma City.  Lance will present a program on "Scissortail Park:  The Urban Greening of a Hybrid Public Garden".  

Urban green spaces are important havens in the midst of our bustling cities. They provide economic benefits to our community, and well-being to our physical bodies and spirits. Public gardens also provide these same benefits, but with the added focus on horticultural-geared educational pursuits and plant/natural resource conservation values.

Scissortail Park was developed as an urban park that acts as a green corridor linking the heart of the downtown core to the Oklahoma River shore. The park is a 70 acre living classroom and has been developed as a hybrid between a city park setting and a public garden space. This new hybrid park will bring the community in to recreate and simultaneously capture their attention - with horticultural offerings that inspire, and conservation values that motivate.

Lance Swearengin has a passion for the native flora of Oklahoma, and his enthusiasm for progressive trends in public gardening landed him a starring role with the Scissortail Park Foundation in June of 2019. As the Director of Horticulture and Grounds for Scissortail Park, Lance is focused on "cultivating" an advanced horticultural program that "grows" a collective curiosity for the conservation and education of all things green. Lance is an Oklahoma State University graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Public Garden Management and a Masters Degree in Horticulture Science. Some highlights of his early career in the green industry are time spent working for The Walt Disney Company in the gardens of the Magic Kingdom theme park, and his time curating the botanical collection at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

The meeting will begin at 7 pm at the Agricultural Resource Center on the OSU/OKC Campus, 400 N. Portland, Oklahoma City.  OHS Meetings are open to the public, so please invite your friends and family. 

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

SAVE THE DATE SEMI ANNUAL MEETING 

Tulsa - February 22

Oklahoma City - February  23

The semi-annual Oklahoma Horticultural  Society SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING will be held in Tulsa on February 22nd at the  Tulsa Botanical Gardens at 6 pm and in Oklahoma City on February 23rd at the Oklahoma City Zoo Auditorium 

at 2 pm. 
 

Bill Quade, Senior Manager of Horticulture at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC will be the keynote speaker.   The meetings will be held in Tulsa on February 22 and in Oklahoma City on February 23. 

His topic in Tulsa will be MAINTAINING OLMSTED'S VISION.    Frederick Law Olmsted was one of the greatest creative figures in  America, and  his masterpieces are not  to be found on  the walls of museums but  in the open air.  Two of the public spaces he  designed to provide "a specimen of God's handiwork" are  the Biltmore Estate and New York's Central Park.   

In Oklahoma City the topic will be GARDENING AT BILTMORE ... AND YOUR HOME TOO.

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Lectures are free and open to the public.  

January and February Gardening Tips 

by David Hillock, Department of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture 

Oklahoma State University

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Here's a checklist for gardeners, new and experienced, to use as a guide  as they work to get their  yards and gardens  ready for Spring.    These suggestions are great for helping you stay focused on what is important to take care of during these specific times - January and February.

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JANUARY 

Lawn and Turf

• Continue mowing cool-season lawns on a regular basis (HLA-6420)

• Continue to control broadleaf weeds in well-established warm or cool-season lawns with a post-emergent broadleaf weed killer.

Trees and Shrubs

• Continue controlling over wintering insects on deciduous trees or shrubs with dormant oil sprays applies when the temperature is above 40 degrees in late fall or winter. Do not use dormant oils on evergreens.

General

• Keep all plants watered during dry conditions even though some may be dormant. Especially broadleaf and narrow leaf evergreens and plants under eves or in raised beds and planters.

• Irrigate all plantings at least 24 hours before hard-freezing weather if soil it dry. (HLA-6404)

• Till garden plots without a cover crop to further expose garden pests to harsh winter conditions.

• Now is a great time to design and make structural improvements in your garden or landscape.

• Send in mail-order catalogs if you are not already on their mailing lists.

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FEBRUARY  

General

• Base any plant fertilization on a soil test. For directions, contact your county Extension Educator.

• Provide feed and unfrozen water for your feathered friends.

• Clean up birdhouses before spring tenants arrive during the middle of this month.

• Avoid salting sidewalks for damage can occur to plant material. Use alternative commercial products, sand or kitty litter for traction.

• Join Oklahoma Gardening on your OETA station for the start of its 39th season beginning in February. Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m.

Trees & Shrubs

• Fertilize trees, including fruit and nut trees and shrubs, annually. (HLA-6412)

• Most bare-rooted trees and shrubs should be planted in February or March. (HLA-6414)

• Finish pruning shade trees, summer flowering shrubs and hedges. Spring blooming shrubs such as forsythia may be pruned immediately after flowering. Do not top trees or prune just for the sake of pruning. (HLA-6409)

• Look for arborvitae aphids on many evergreen shrubs during the warmer days of early spring.

• Gall-producing insects on oaks, pecans, hackberries, etc. need to be sprayed prior to bud break of foliage.

• Dormant oil can still be applied to control mites, galls, overwintering aphids, etc. (EPP-7306)

Fruit & Nuts

• Spray peaches and nectarines with a fungicide for prevention of peach leaf curl before bud swell. (EPP-7319)

• Mid-February is a good time to begin pruning and fertilizing trees and small fruits.

• Collect and store graft wood for grafting pecans later this spring.

• Begin planting blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, asparagus and other perennial garden crops later this month.

• Choose fruit varieties that have a proven track record for Oklahoma's conditions. Fact Sheet HLA-6222 has a recommended list.

Turf

• A product containing glyphosate plus a broadleaf herbicide can be used on dormant bermuda in January or February when temperatures are above 50o F for winter weed control. (HLA-6421)

Vegetables

• Cool season vegetable transplants can still be started for late spring garden planting.

• By February 15 many cool season vegetables like cabbage, carrots, lettuce, peas and potatoes can be planted. (HLA-6004)

Flowers

• Force spring flowering branches like forsythia, quince, peach, apple, and weigela for early bloom indoors.

• Forced spring bulbs should begin to bloom indoors. Many need 10-12 weeks of cold, dark conditions prior to blooming.

• Feed tulips in early February.

• Wait to prune roses in March.

 Oklahoma Gardening is produced by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service through the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Agricultural Communications Services. Our studio garden is located at The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University.

 Oklahoma Gardening is produced by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service through the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and Agricultural Communications Services. Our studio garden is located at The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University.

Current OHS Board of Directors

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President:  Susan Satterlee

Vice President:  Kathleen Hardwick

Secretary:  Marianna Sikkar

Treasurer:  Karen Filley

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Past President:  Lou Anella

Program Director:  Dave Edwards

Office Manager:  Cathy Hersom

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Board Members through 2019

Jamie Brown

Joe Howell

Julia Laughlin

Wanda White

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Board Members through 2020

Sharon Beasley

Jennie Brooks

Dave Edwards

Casey Sharber Hentges

Johnny Satterlee

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Board Members through 2021

Sandy Casteel

Haldor Howard

Janet Latham

Allan Storjohann