Gardening gives us a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of tranquility and can be a truly rewarding hobby. Gardening has long-lasting effects for your own well-being just as it does on the environment. There are many reasons we choose to garden. For me personally, I love to feel as one with nature. I feel at peace as I sit in my gardens listening to the trees rustle in the wind, the birds chirping at their friends and foe, the bees buzzing around the sweet nectar of the gardens, and all the other welcome visitors that find the same excitement as they venture into my gardens.
My grandmother, Viola Ernst, taught me to garden as soon as I could play in dirt. She created the most enchanting gardens in her yard which gave us both an escape from normality and respect for all things nature. As I grew up, I lost the time to enjoy that nature and I forgot how peaceful her gardens were. It was about 13 years ago when I decided to recreate my grandmother’s passion and build a garden in her memory.
I started my first flower garden in the middle of my front yard, encased by a perimeter of rocks and boulders that came from grandmother’s enchanted gardens. By the end of that first year, my husband and I planted an array of trees, perennial shrubs, and flowers from Sunshine Nursery in Clinton. Steve Bieberich, a brilliant gardener, nursery owner, and friend of my grandmother shared valuable information on how to successfully plant and maintain all our new additions. I can still remember the spring after that first summer of planting. We were amazed that all our plants had survived. There was an over whelming gratification we felt, and it was then decided that we needed more.
During that second year of planting out our gardens we realized we had a huge area we wanted to plant. To stay within our budget, we began growing plants from seeds. We also found cheaper bare-root stock on the internet and we purchased the sad, wilted, and mistreated plants that set on the clearance shelves in those big box stores. By purchasing such a wide variety, we found several plants that did not fare well in Western Oklahoma’s summer heat; however, we found many that did. Again, by the end of that year our gardens were growing, and that over whelming gratifi cation was stronger than ever.
Fast forward 11 years and just as Steve taught us successful planting, care, and propagation methods, we love to teach new gardeners what we have been successful with and the methods that we use for healthy development. Most of what we have accomplished in our gardens has been through trials and experiments. Each year we build new garden beds to house a variety of plants that we have grown to love; some native to Oklahoma and some from all around the world. We amend each garden bed with compost and soil additives so that the variety of plants we are designing it for can thrive as if they are in their natural environment. This year we are expanding our tropical garden and hope to complete a succulent garden, a desert garden, and a chicken garden for our new pets.
We also love learning from other gardeners that enjoy sharing their favorite plants, experiences, and techniques. I invite you to share your garden photos with me and our readers at the Cordell Beacon to be featured in our future issues. Email photos to me, Charla Ingram, at ads@cordellbeacon.com.
Charla Ingram is a plant, nature, and golfing enthusiast who, along with her husband Chris, owns and operates C&C Gardens in the small town of Bessie, Oklahoma.