Next Thursday, November 20, Russell Studebaker will be the speaker at Muskogee Garden Club's monthly meeting. The public is invited to attend.

Studebaker retired as senior horticulturist from Tulsa Parks and Recreation Department several years ago. A well-known garden writer and speaker, “In Our Gardens” is the Tulsa World garden column Studebaker has written for 28-years.

The topic of his slide presentation and talk for the garden club will be, “Beyond Hostas: Other Socially Acceptable Perennials for Shade Gardens”.

“I have a small garden at home with more shade than sun,” Studebaker said. “I grow lots of native perennials. Spring flowers in my garden begin with ephemerals such as, Blood Root, Trilliums, Virginia Bluebells and Gold Heart Bleeding Heart.”

Studebaker knows plants. During his tenure at Tulsa Parks and Recreation, over 75,000 bedding plants were grown and planted yearly, an azalea garden of 15,000 plants was established in Woodward Park, and Woodward Park's Municipal Rose Garden was increased to 9,000 rose plants.

“I love cannas and have 8 or 10 varieties in my garden,” Studebaker said. “I have terrific perennial, narrow-leaf sunflowers in my garden, Helianthus angustifolus that becomes a 5-foot tall blaze of yellow in the fall.”

Studebaker will be autographing and selling his books for $20 after the Garden Club meeting.

“Jackson & Perkins Beautiful Roses Made Easy - Great Plains Edition” is 224-pages of useful information and photographs for beginning and experienced gardeners. Topics include everything a gardener needs to know to grow all types of roses in our area.

“I have a few roses in my garden,” Studebaker said. “The ones that require no spraying are the only ones that make the cut because I do not seem to have the time for weekly disease and insect spraying.”

Studebaker's other book, “Jackson & Perkins Selecting, Growing, and Combining Outstanding Perennials - Great Plains Edition” will help gardeners select, plant, grow and maintain perennials. It includes a directory of plant profiles and perennial garden designs.

Other reliable perennials in Studebaker's Tulsa cottage garden include: Grasses such as Muhly Grass, Porcupine Grass, Hellebores, Senecios, heirloom and species Iris, Lilies, Hardy Begonias, Celadine Poppies, several kinds of fall Asters and the Oklahoma native Palm, Sabal minor.