Thursday, December 23, 2021

Fruitcake – Will It Really Last Forever? by Vicky Spelman

Photo Credit - Pinterest

Nothing says Christmas like fruitcake!  Is fruitcake part of your holiday traditions?  Using the trifecta of sugar, low moisture ingredients with some high-proof spirits can make fruitcakes some of the longest-lasting foods.  

Monday, December 20, 2021

Fun Plant to Grow: Christmas Cactus by Ed Powers

Pink Holiday cactus courtesy Gardener's path

I have lived in many parts of this country in my lifetime and like many of you, I garden indoor and outdoor.  One of the most beautiful indoor plants I’ve run across is the Christmas Cactus.  It was given that name because it blooms around Christmas.  In a way it is misnamed because many of these plants bloom at times other than Christmas.  I have one that blooms at Thanksgiving and then turns around and blooms at Easter.  

Monday, December 13, 2021

Critters in the garden? by Ed Powers

Raised pots on our Deck.  We used sonic pulse stakes in these pots
Photo: Ed Powers

Some of the critter challenges of growing vegetables and flowers at elevation.

I have had gardens in several states and done well growing both vegetables and flowers.  Until I moved to Colorado, I grew my plants at or below sea level.  Elevation in Colorado is very different because of lower humidity, more direct sun and the mountain weather patterns. Also, the wildlife creates havoc with gardens and vegetables.  I deal with deer, elk, rabbits, voles, mice, pack rats, chipmunks, and ground squirrels to name a few that love my gardens.  My first 3 years gardening were a disaster.

Thursday, December 9, 2021

Water-saving Farm under Solar Panels by Nancy Shepard


Photo: Kirk Siegler

With so much gloomy news about climate change and the continuing drought conditions in Colorado, I saw a story on NPR that had positive news about solar power and agriculture that I wanted to share.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving! by Vicky Spelman

Jill Wellington for Pexels

The cornucopia is a symbol of Thanksgiving or the fall harvest and many of us use one to decorate our dining room tables as the centerpiece to our traditional feast.  It refers to a horn-shaped basket or a gourd that has been hollowed out and filled with fruits and vegetables gathered from a good harvest - sometimes it may contain flowers for added beauty.

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Winter Care for Houseplants by Vicky Spelman

Photo: Vicky Spelman

Houseplants make us happy – especially in the winter months but winter time can be difficult for houseplants with the drier conditions in the home.  Here are some tips to keep them healthy and looking their best.

Monday, November 1, 2021

Preparing Your Soil for Winter by Nancy Shepard

 

Photo by Lukas. Pexel.com

By November you’ve probably pulled out your dead vegetable plants, pulled out plant stakes, cleaned up your perennial areas, and mulched the leaves over your lawn. But what about your soil? We usually think of our garden soil in the spring when we get ready to plant and want to amend it. But you can do some beneficial things for your soil before winter arrives.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

This little-known fruit can be grown at different altitudes by Ed Powers

 
Courtesy:  Baker Creek Seeds

This last summer (2021) was the most amazing and most successful in my Garden to date.  I learned many new things about how to protect my Gardens and some new vegetables that grow in our area.  I would like to focus on one of those vegetables that I grew.  They are Physalis pruinose - common name Ground Cherry Tomato.  They are flowering plants in the Nightshade group and close relatives of tomatoes, Chinese Lanterns and Tomatillos.  They grow in warm temperate and subtropical regions of the world. 

Monday, October 25, 2021

Durango Botanic Gardens by Nancy Shepard

 

All pictures by Nancy Shepard

On a recent trip to southern Colorado, I stopped in to the Durango Botanic Gardens. Despite the late growing season in October, I was pleasantly surprised at what they have created. The first garden, the Library Demonstration Garden, was built in 2011 when a handful of community-minded citizens began reimagining and repurposing an unsightly, weedy area behind the library into a Plant Select® Demonstration Garden.

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Autumn Décor from Your Own Backyard by Nancy Shepard

 

With October’s cooler evenings and my garden slowly retreating, I cruised the hobby and craft stores looking for autumn decorations. My grandchildren live far away so pumpkins, ghouls and corn stalks didn’t interest me this year. “Just something that looks natural” I said to myself as I looked over all the fuax flowers and leaves with their neon bright oranges and yellows. The stores even have some made to look nearly dead to convince you it looks like real autumn. I left empty handed.

Monday, October 18, 2021

Tips for recycling Fall leaves by Vicky Spelman

Photo Credit: Jerry Downs

Leaves are starting to turn colors and beginning to fall around our landscapes. 

Leaves contain a blend of nutrients that are beneficial for your yard and shrubs.  Some of the simplest and most economical uses for leaves are: free fertilizer, mulch and nutrient rich compost.  

Monday, October 11, 2021

Getting your Poinsettia Plant ready for the upcoming holidays By Joyce D’Agostino

Photo: Kansas State University

If you have a Poinsettia plant from last year that is still in good condition, you can follow a few tips to get it ready to show its colors for the holiday season.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Intergenerational Gardening by Tasha Zoller

 

All photos: Tasha Zoller


It’s back to school and fall is a wonderful time to plant! Many communities are celebrating September with a look at our creation and it’s a perfect opportunity to teach kids about gardening, farming, and the soil that supports our world.

Monday, October 4, 2021

Developing a Firewise Garden in the Wildland Urban Interface by Matthew Solano

Lookout Mountain Nature Center
All photos: Matthew Solano

Over the last few months development has begun on a new Firewise demonstration garden at the Lookout Mountain Nature Center (LMNC.)  The areas to be developed are adjacent to the south and east sides of the LMNC building and consist of three zones: a part-sun area and two full sun areas. Hazard zone site assessment, defensible space and ignition resistance were key determinants in the design and plant selection for this garden. This project has been a team effort with Quinn Wicken and Patti O’Neal.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

Iron Chlorosis by Vicky Vahling

 

Lilac leaf
Photo by Vicky Vahling

I have lived in my house for 20 years and have never really spent any time maintaining my Lilac bush. This spring I pruned all the dead branches out and dug out all the new suckers that had started to get out of hand. The Lilac bush looked great and was really starting to flourish until the middle of summer when the leaves started turning yellow on all the new growth with the leaf veins staying green. Then the leaves started to turn brown around the edges and began dropping from the plant.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Preparing and Storing Pumpkins and Winter Squash By Joyce D’Agostino

Pumpkin, Big Max
Photo:  Joyce D'Agostino

It’s that time of year when pumpkins and winter squash are reaching their peak maturity. These vegetables are not only highly nutritious, but they make wonderful fall decoration displays.

Monday, September 20, 2021

Top Ten List for Growing Garlic by Briana Gerou

Photo:  Briana Gerou

I like to try new crops each year to keep things interesting. This year, I grew garlic and it was a huge success. In this blog, I will share the top ten reasons you should try growing garlic. 

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Making Your Own Compost by Anne Kinney

Photo: Anne Kinney

Making your own compost is fairly simple and gives you the added benefit of being able to enrich your soil. You can do that with bagged compost but by making your own you also prevent large amounts of biodegradable material from being tossed into the landfill. 

Monday, September 13, 2021

Gardening with Kids: Collecting and Storing Seeds by Carol Martin

Photo: Carol Martin

Autumn can be a challenging time for gardening with kids. The excitement of Spring planting has long faded and the start of a new school year is top of mind. However, collecting seeds from the garden is a fun, relatively easy task that can re-engage kids of almost any age. 

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Protecting Your Fruit Trees from Pests – Part 2 By Joyce D’Agostino

Photo by Joyce D'Agostino

Earlier this year, I began an experiment using heavy duty netted tree bags to try to preserve our apple harvests. Refer to the original blog dated 6/28/2021. In the past, we have had the entire crop of any tree fruit quickly wiped out by squirrels and also significant damage from birds. 

Monday, September 6, 2021

Choosing the best sunflowers for your garden By Joyce D’Agostino

Sunflower, Pastiche
Photo by Joyce D'Agostino

Most of us are familiar with the bright and cheerful sunflower. These North American native flowers are easy to grow and provide not only beautiful flowers but a wealth of pollen and nectar for beneficial insects. 

Thursday, August 26, 2021

The Garden's Last Hurrah by Nancy Shepard

 

Supertunia Bordeaux - always outstanding in my yard
Photo: Nancy Shepard

I am determined to squeeze out the last possible beauty from my perennials, annuals and vegetables this season. I’ve watched all the big attractions bloom and retreat like peonies, bleeding heart, Chinese poppies, and Delphiniums.  My green beans and tomatoes are barely producing so I know those are ready to say goodbye. With only some hibiscus, roses, bee balm and hostas, I’m concentrating on just maintaining good foliage, raking and applying mulch to the beds. All of my Plant Select specimens still have noble endurance especially my Sunset hyssop (Agastache rupestris.)  My annuals, despite the heat, always seem to persevere with trimming, watering and fertilizing.

Monday, August 16, 2021

A Biological Control for Purslane Weeds? by Vicky Spelman

Photo Courtesy University of Maryland Extension

Photo Courtesy BugGuide

Suppose there was a biological control for Purslane Weeds.... how wonderful would that be?  Well, there is one – it is called a Purslane Moth.  It has been found in Elbert and Pueblo Counties in Colorado but not a lot of information is currently available on this moth in the Denver Metro area.   

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Grasshoppers Attract Beetles?

 

Dark gray form of the clematis blister beetle.
Photograph courtesy of Ginny Sawyer.


I thought last year would be the end of the carnage in my yard, never to happen again. Overnight, blister beetles stripped an entire clematis vine. They also ate up an Anemone Hupehensis ‘September Charm” in the middle of a shade garden and didn't touch any other specimens. Tried diatomaceous earth which didn’t work very well so I reluctantly resorted to some chemical insect spray. I thought I had eliminated them and the plants started to recover, but the beetles came back two weeks later chewing on both the same plants. Little did I know that this attack was related to the number of grasshoppers I had the year before!

Monday, August 9, 2021

Ready to 'Share' some Zucchini? by Vicky Spelman

University of Maryland Extension


The saying goes... Give a person a fish, he eats for a day.  Teach a person to garden, and the whole neighborhood gets zucchini!  

Thursday, August 5, 2021

Plants for Your Pond by Nancy Shepard

Nymphaea 'Colorado' Hardy Water Lily
Photo: Gardenia.net
If water gardening hasn't been in your landscape routine, don't be intimidated by the challenge of a new learning curve. It's not as difficult as you might expect. I have a small pond I got when I bought my house and over the years I've experimented with putting plants in it. (Fish will be my next year's experiment.)

Monday, August 2, 2021

Just what we need... a new weed! by Nancy Steinke

Photo:  Nancy Steinke

I found a new weed growing in the kohlrabi patch. It is a parasitic vine called Dodder (Cuscuta cephalanthi). 

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Heatwave in the Garden: how to identify and prevent heat stress in plants

 (Reposted from Oregon State University Extension June 2021)

When a heatwave hits, plants may show the impact.

  • Most plants grow best in temperature ranges 59-86F.
  • When temperatures above 90F are sustained for long periods, plant growth is slowed, and some plants begin to show signs of stress.
  • Above 104F, many plants will survive but will show different signs of heat stress dependent on plant type, maturity of the plant, and factors that often come with high temperatures, such as drought or wind.
  • Extreme air and soil temperatures slow down chemical activity and growth in plants.

What are signs of heat stress in plants?

Monday, July 26, 2021

My First Attempt at Winter Sowing by Dawn Savage

Photo:  Dawn Savage


I’m not a big social media person, but I do follow a few gardeners on Instagram and You Tube.  I noticed a topic, Winter Sowing, which kept coming up.  It touted the ability to start seeds without needing indoor space, grow lights, or other specialty equipment.  The upfront costs are empty opaque gallon milk jugs, potting soil, seeds, scissors, duct tape, and some outdoor space.  Why not, I thought.   It will keep my hands busy and my mind dreaming of springtime.

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Name that Houseplant! by Amy Norwood

Photo:  Amy Norwood

Last fall I bought a houseplant at a big box store.  It was attractive, healthy and priced well.  The tag on the plant said “tropical plant.”  That told me I couldn’t leave the plant outside over the winter because it would freeze and die in Colorado’s climate.  The plant grew nicely in my house over the winter and it didn’t seem important for me to know exactly what plant it was.  As spring approached, however, I wanted to identify it so I’d know whether and where I could put it outside in the summer.  I also wanted to know the watering and fertilizing regimen it needed for the upcoming more active growing season.

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Some Plants Do Best with Neglect by Nancy Shepard

Caring and nurturing our plants is an instinctive feeling we have as gardeners. Watering, weeding, trimming, and fertilizing are front and center in our minds throughout the growing season. But that caring can sometimes go wrong, especially as we start to use more water-wise and native plants. 

Digitalis thapsis (Spanish Peaks Foxglove)  planted in hot and dry area
Photo: Nancy Shepard

Digitalis thapsii, or Spanish Peaks Foxglove is planted in two different parts of my yard. One in a south-facing, parched area near a hot brick pathway and the other in part shade within a retaining wall that gets some moisture. The plants were put in at the same time. The hot baked location is showing incredible results, while the other is struggling to survive. While it has the name Foxglove, Spanish Peaks is nothing like its cousins which need shade when the summers get hot. 

Digitalis thapsii Spanish Peaks Foxglove in part shade with moisture
Photo: Nancy Shepard

Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon x mexicali Pikes Peak Purple)
Photo: High Country Gardens
I also planted Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon x mexicali Pikes Peak Purple) in several locations around my yard and these suffered because I watered them. They grew leggy, limp and fell over. I stopped watering them and they look great now.

Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low' Catmint
Photo: Nancy Shepard

One of my Nepeta catmints (Walker's Low) developed a big hole in the center and spread out flat because of too much water and the shade of a tree. The one out in the relentless sun didn't have that problem. Described as thriving in harsh conditions, this durable, rabbit and deer resistant perennial plant is an indispensable for use in xeriscapes. 

Linum perenne Blue Flax
Photo: Wikipedia

Same with Linum perenne Blue Flax. I planted both seeds and seedlings. As long as I leave these alone and skip watering them, they have continued to bloom straight and tall all spring.

I’ve had to relearn how and when to water if at all with these xeric specimens. It's been a little tricky because they are planted among perennials that need some water, but I'm getting better at it. As our summers in Colorado continue to get warmer, I'm seeing my garden with a different perspective. And hopefully my water bills will show it!

 

 

Monday, July 5, 2021

How to Recycle Your Plant Pots by Nancy Shepard

 

By now you’ve probably planted all your annuals and added more perennials to your garden. What to do with all those plastic pots you brought home?  In researching this topic, I had hoped to find a conclusive answer, but the recycling industry is much more complex than I thought. I used to think I could throw them in with my regular recycling routine but I found out that many recyclers don’t want these pots.

Since most flower pots are dark green or black and are made from a variety of plastic resins, they say to put them in the trash. The reason it is hard to recycle dark colored plastic is because recycling facilities sort plastics by bouncing a beam of light off them. Since black plastic absorbs light, it can't be sorted and goes straight through the system and off to the landfill or incineration. The same is true for really dark colors in general (dark grays and sometimes navy.)  It's best to either reuse them or see if any nearby nurseries or home improvement stores will take them back for reuse.

I found that Lowe’s has a recycling program for these pots, although I can’t say exactly what they do with them. They usually have a shelf inside the garden center where you can drop yours off.

Lowes pot recycling shelf in garden center


Lowes plant pot recycling

Home Depot advertises that they do plant pot recycling and use this picture on their website:

Home Depot plant container recycling program

If you do not have a Lowe’s or Home Depot nearby, ask your local garden center whether they will take back trays and pots.

Some good news I found: companies are making pots out of recyclable resins now. For example Terracast uses Linear Low Density Polyethylene to create new pots from recycled ones. Let's hope this trend continues!

https://www.terracastproducts.com/planters-from-recycled-materials-all-about-recycled-plant-pots/



Thursday, July 1, 2021

Bombus, the Humble Bee by Kimberly Sheahan

Photo by Kimberly Sheahan
Bombus nevadensis #1

The bumble bee’s scientific name is Bombus and prior to the 1920’s they were more often called “humble bees” due to the soft droning noise they emit. Unfortunately, a few articles in the 1920’s referred to them as bumble bees and the new name took. (I personally vote that the internet reclaim the common name humble bee to refer to these fuzzy pollinators.)

Monday, June 28, 2021

Protecting Your Fruit Trees from Pests By Joyce D’Agostino

Photo:  Joyce D'Agostino

Many of us who have fruit trees on our property have planted them in order to enjoy the harvests. In the front range of Colorado, choosing the right variety will ensure that your tree is best suited for the climate and will produce harvests. 

Once your trees have bloomed and the pollinators have done their work you will begin to see developing fruit. The next step may be how to protect that fruit from weather, pests and animals so that the fruit matures and harvests are possible. In addition to storm damage such as high winds and hail, birds and squirrels are known to do a lot of damage to fruit crops. Often they will remove the fruit even before it is ripe or eat some of the fruit leaving the rest to spoil.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Xerces Blue Butterfly by Vicky Spelman

Photo Courtesy Xerces Society


The Xerces Society is an international environmental organization dedicated to the conservation of invertebrates considered to be essential to biological diversity and ecosystem health. Their name is in honor of the extinct California butterfly, the Xerces Blue.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Kannah Creek Sulphur Buckwheat - A Favorite Native by Nicole McCrorie

 E. umbellatum v. aureum ‘Psdowns’ Kannah Creek buckwheat

E. umbellatum v. aureun 'Psdowns' Kannah Creek buckwheat
                                                                            Photo:  Nicole McCrorie

Photo:  The pollinator garden at the Hills of Standley Lake Park, Arvada, Colorado. Kannah Creek Sulphur Buckwheat pictured at the bottom of photo with its bright showy yellow blooms. 

Monday, June 21, 2021

Watering trees and shrubs by Denver Water

Courtesy: Denver Water

Trees and shrubs need a little extra water to get through prolonged dry periods.

Tree roots are not like carrots. 

- Tree root systems can spread two to four times wider than the height of the tree. Most of the tree's absorbing roots are in the top 12 inches of soil.

Water deeply and slowly.

- Apply water so it moistens the soil in the critical root zone to a depth of 12 inches. Water with a deep root fork, soaker hose, five-gallon bucket or soft spray wand. Apply water to many locations under the drip line. If you use a deep root fork or needle, insert the device no deeper than eight inches into the soil.

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Perennials for Shade by Nancy Shepard

 Mahonia repens Creeping Grape Mahonia
Photo: Monrovia

Last year with a new three foot high brick retaining wall facing north, we were faced with a planting bed that got very little sun. What would grow in this shady and somewhat dry space? Here are the plants I chose and the outcome one year later.

Monday, June 14, 2021

Bat Alert by Vicky Spelman

Courtesy: Pixabay

Bat Alert...

Have you been seeing any bats flying around in your area?  They are incredibly quick and you may have only the feeling of seeing something in the air.  Bats have started migrating to their summer roots in northern Colorado making sightings more common.

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Should We Stop Using Peat in Our Gardens? by Nancy Shepard

 

PhotoPete Stuart (Shutterstock)


[Extracted from Washington Post article May 11, 2017 and LifeHacker June 7, 2021.] 

Virtually all of the peat moss sold in the United States comes from the vast sphagnum moss bogs of Canada. Often mixed with a mineral named perlite, it is highly valued by horticulturists for its ability to retain moisture and oxygen without becoming waterlogged or heavy. It is generally sterile and naturally suppresses a fungal disease that can afflict seedlings, making it a natural choice for seed starting. So why should we avoid using it?

Monday, June 7, 2021

Reasons Why Peonies Fail to Bloom by Cindy Haynes - Iowa State University

Courtesy Iowa State University

Peonies are staples in landscapes. They are easy-to-grow, long-lived, and reliable performers in the garden. However, when they do not bloom well, those of us in extension are often inundated with calls, emails, etc. There are several possible causes for failure to bloom.

If the buds do not appear (which is normally the case) some possible causes are:

1. Planted in too much shade. Peonies need at least 4-6 hours of direct sun to bloom well.

2. Recently divided or transplanted. Peonies that are moved or divided in late summer rarely bloom well, if at all, the following spring. Sometimes it will take 2 to 3 years for plants to re-establish well enough in their new location to bloom well again.

3. Planted too deeply. When planting, position peony buds 1 to 2 inches below the surface of the soil. Nobody knows how they know if it is 2 inches versus 4 inches, but they do! When a peony is planted too deeply, it may have beautiful foliage, but few (if any) flowers.

4. Fertilized too much. Peonies that receive excessive amounts of nitrogen rarely flower well regardless of site. Nitrogen promotes foliar growth at the expense of flowers.

5. Clumps too large? Some references state that large, old clumps may not bloom well. However, I have seen several large plants in the Midwest that seem to bloom beautifully year after year. I would imagine that a clump would have to be several decades old before it would fail to bloom. If a clump is considered too large or possibly too old, this is easily remedied by dividing the plant in late summer as a means of rejuvenation.

6. Plants are too young. If a clump can be too old - then the possibility exists that it can be too young as well. While most peonies that are sold are not typically grown from seed, there are some avid gardeners that successfully attempt this process. Plants grown from seed take about 4 to 5 years to mature and ultimately bloom.

7. Premature removal of foliage. Removal of the plant foliage in July or August will weaken the plant resulting in fewer flowers.

Courtesy Utah State Extension

If buds appear - but fail to open, some other possible causes include:

1. Late freeze. A hard freeze in May (much like the one we had last year) may damage or destroy the flower buds. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often.

2. Other extreme weather conditions. Extremely dry conditions in summer may weaken plants and result in fewer flowers the following season.

3. Fungal diseases. Botrytis blight or other fungal pathogens infrequently attack the flower buds, primarily when conditions are cool and wet. For prevention, the best practices are removing the dead buds in late spring and removing any diseased foliage at the end of the growing season.

4. Insect pests. Also on rare occasions, thrips or other insect pests can damage and distort flower buds and thus reduce flowering. Insecticides are usually ineffective since the damage is often done early in the season.

5. Undernourished. This is another rarity in most Iowa soils. Plants that are growing poorly (weak, spindly, yellowish or "off-color") are not vigorous enough to bloom (but may set buds.) Transplanting into a more favorable location and fertilizing lightly after establishment would be beneficial.

That's it. The most common reasons peonies fail to bloom are cultural (planting in too much shade and planting too deeply). Remember that peonies are tough and often survive for many years in "not so ideal" sites. However, if they fail to bloom one year - watch out - everyone notices!