Sunny and Warm in January by Janet Shangraw

Today is a spectacular day; one of the rare pleasures of January.  The temperature is in the upper 60’s, the sky is blue and I heard birds singing outside the window.  Welcome to Colorado!  Next week the temperature will plummet to the 20’s or below for most of the week. 

So today, I’m going to sit in the sun and contemplate how to make my front porch inviting when spring is here to stay.  For the past several years I have been experimenting with a white flower and foliage theme for potted plants that frame my entryway. 

Prime Beetle-Kill in Front Range Forests in 2010

 

 

 

 

 

An aerial survey shows beetles ravaged 550,000 more acres in Colorado and Wyoming this past year!  Read the whole story here.

Winter Garden in the Snow by Jerry Peterson

Jerry Peterson's garden is very beautiful after a snow fall. Enjoy!

A Gaggle of Gourds by Elaine Lockey

I recently visited a friend in Fruita who showed me the amazing collection of Birdhouse Gourds that he grew in 2010.  What is even more amazing is that he planted one seed and got almost 50 gourds from the single plant.  He was thrilled and overwhelmed to say the least.  Where will this gourd gaggle end up?  They are being donated to an elementary school to be painted, loved and made into bird houses by the students.  This is a great time of year to begin planning your next vegetable garden and ordering seeds. Consider adding Birdhouse Gourds to your seed order. Not only are they fun to look at while they are growing but will provide hours of fun for children and adults alike when they are ready to decorate, not to mention providing homes for birds. 

Plant Survival in Winter by Elaine Lockey

Winter is a true test for the hardiness of the plants in your garden. If you’ve nurtured your plants during the other seasons, chances are your plants will provide you with another glorious year of, well, doing what plants do best! An ideal season for plants would be a cool fall slowly growing colder with a constant freezing cold winter and gradual warming into spring. Since this is not reality of life in the Rockies, plants must adapt to rapid and giant temperature swings, drought and sometimes even too much snow.

Fruit Flies and Fungus Gnats by Carol King

Have you noticed  little black bugs flying around your house this winter? You probably have either have fungus gnats or fruit flies.  You need to look at your particular situation.  Did you get a new plant for Christmas?  Probably fungus gnats; check the plant soil. Did you just start to compost your garbage or receive a fruit basket?  Probably fruit flies; check the compost collector. Neither one of these are harmful so if you don’t mind gnats buzzing your head (a la B.O. Plenty) just ignore them.

Riding Mowers Hot Sellers

While most of us gardeners are trying to rid ourselves of lawns, a little noticed trend in the garden
business is an increase  in the sales of riding lawn mowers! Baby Boomers are driving the trend: seeking comfort while mowing the lawn. Here's the complete article in the Denver Post.

Perennial of the Year: Arkansas Blue Star!

The Perennial Plant Association has announced the "Perennial of the Year", which is surely the Miss America contest for perennials!  The winner is Amosonia hubrichitii or Arkansas Blue Star.  It's a North American native, thrives in full sun to part shade, is drought resistant once established, disliked by deer and loved by bees and butterflies and can probably bring about world peace!!  What's not to love.  Can't wait to plant several in my garden.  Read about it here.

Best Gardening Blogs, Periodicals, and Forums

The Washington Post published this list of their top gardening periodicals, forums and blogs.  Interesting list!


They only list two blogs however. I am sure we were number three!

My Winter Garden by Jerry Peterson

Jerry Peterson shared these photos of his garden in winter. He says "Who says a garden isn't attractive in the winter! It might look nicer if we had some snow!"

Enjoy!

Christmas Tree Recycling by Donna Duffy

That lovely, fragrant cut tree you bought weeks ago has probably seen better days by now. It’s time to get it out of the house! Following are some options for recycling the tree once you’ve removed all of the decorations and tinsel. One caution: don’t burn the tree in your fireplace – the pitch content in the bark and needles can cause them to burst into flames from the intense heat.

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!