We are starting a new series of articles called "Master Gardener Travels". Of course, when we travel we always look at plants. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to Hearst Castle can came home with pictures of plants. Crazy, right?
The Ozarks
For most of my life I have visited the Ozarks but for the last 38 years I have been visiting on a regular basis. You see my family moved there from California. I've been there in all 4 seasons and what a difference each season presents.
In California we are very spoiled. Our winters are grey but not harsh. Winter in the Ozarks is cold, grey and not snowy. The trees are dormant, the grass has gone away and it's dry. Sometimes an ice storm comes through and breaks limbs from the trees.
One spring I visited about two weeks after a severe ice storm. Everywhere you looked the tops of the trees had been snapped off. It was quite an eerie sight. Now in California, March is a buzzing time. Many plants are blooming and greening up. In the Ozarks, the redbuds are blooming. They are blooming against a background of leafless trees which makes their color stand out.
Summer is full of many shades of green because of summer rains. The Ozarks are home to the largest hardwood forest in the US. As we drive the hilly, twisty roads the horizon is full of trees and patches of grass. The patches of grass are really pastures for dairy cows. One of my most memorable plants is seeing the beautiful peonies. Right in the middle of my Mom's lawn is a patch of beautiful soft pink peonies. Another landscape plant I don't see here often is coleus. Lots of landscapes had coleus in them.
Fall is my favorite time of the year in the Ozarks. The weather is mild with chilly mornings and warm afternoons. Remember the largest hardwood forest in the US? Well, fall is it's time to put on a colorful show. It is said that the fall color in the Ozarks are just as good as the New England color. It's also time for pumpkins. This is no different than California but my Aunt and Uncle have a pumpkin patch and corn maze! It has been voted one of the 10 best pumpkin patches in Missouri! They have a greenhouse and grow plants year round but fall is best for them with the pumpkins and huge mums. Plus there is a bonus; my Aunt is a Master Gardener.
