Observation

Oklahoma’s springtime flowers are spectacular

There’s this house on East Federal in Shawnee I pass on a regular basis. They have the most spectacular display of spirea I’ve ever seen. A couple years ago I pulled in their driveway to snap this picture!

Spirea (sometimes spelled spiraea) was a favorite of my parents. Our mother was on the music faculty of OBU for many years, and we had the good fortune to live in faculty housing on Frank Buck Drive. I remember seeing these bushes around the neighborhood and on campus. They seem to become more beautiful the more out of hand they get—like cascading waterfalls.

Another flowering favorite is also the State Tree of Oklahoma: the redbud. I remember seeing them grow wild on my grandfather’s farm, but we never had one of our own. About 15 years ago we planted one in our front yard, and it’s one of the signs of spring I always look forward to seeing.

Happy spring, y’all!