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.

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

 

Photo: Pete 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?

New Plants for 2021 from Plant Select by Nancy Shepard

Antirrhinum sempervirens ‘P020S’ — Drew’s Folly™ Hardy Snapdragon

[This article was originally published in the Jan/Feb 2021 issue of Colorado Green, a landscape professionals publication, and contributed by James E. Klett, professor and extension horticulturist, Colorado State University, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Fort Collins.] 

Plant Select, a collaborative effort between Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and horticulturists around the world, announced three new introductions being promoted for 2021 and is giving additional promotion to other plants that they have previously introduced. Now entering its 24th year, Plant Select is a leading source of plants that thrive in the High Plains and intermountain region and is a non-profit organization. These plants provide gardeners and landscape professionals with smart, stunning and successful gardens using less water and fewer resources, ultimately having a more positive environmental impact. To find out where to buy these plants, see https://plantselect.org/ 

2021 New Introductions

Helichrysum trilineatum ‘P021S’ — SteppeSuns® Hokubetsi

Hokubetsi is the native Basotho name for Helichrysum trilineatum that grows high up in the Maloti mountain range of southern Africa. SteppeSuns® Hokubetsi is a selection that forms a rounded, dense, silver shrub with clusters of bright yellow strawflowers. Hokubetsi is adaptable, tolerating extremes in temperature, water, and soil types. Fuzzy stems and foliage protect this plant from intense solar radiation and insulate it through bitterly cold winters. Small silver leaves curl up or fall off during winter, leaving a soft ever-silver statement in the garden. It grows to about 3 feet in height and 4 feet in width. During the winter the small silver leaves curl up or fall off, leaving a soft ever-silver statement in the garden. 

Antirrhinum sempervirens ‘P020S’ — Drew’s Folly™ Hardy Snapdragon

DREW’S FOLLY™ Hardy Snapdragon (Antirrhinum sempervirens ‘P020S’) flowers so heavily that when in full bloom, its foliage is almost completely masked. Drew’s Folly is a natural for the rock garden or edge of a flagstone patio. This plant will thrive in a wide range of soil types, in dry conditions with occasional irrigation, with very little maintenance required. It grows to about 12 inches in height and 16 inches in width. 

Penstemon strictus ‘PWWG06S’ — Blanca Peak® Rocky Mountain Beardtongue

Blanca Peak® Rocky Mountain Beardtongue provides a 3 to 4 week-long eye-catching display of white tubular flowers in late spring. Light green foliage forms a low growing evergreen mat. Blanca Peak® is a long-lived perennial native to the higher elevations of AZ, CO, NM, UT, and WY. Thank you to David Salman for bringing this fantastic penstemon to the Plant Select program. It was Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms staff’s favorite in 2019! It grows to about 20-24 inches in height and 15-18 inches in width.

Past Introductions that Deserve More Planting

Acer tataricum ‘GarAnn’ PP15,023 — Hot Wings® Tatarian Maple

Acer tataricum ‘GarAnn’ PP15,023 — Hot Wings® Tatarian Maple

Acer tataricum ‘GarAnn’ PP15,023 — Hot Wings® Tatarian Maple

Enjoy the contrast of the scarlet red samaras against rich green foliage in midsummer on either a single planting or multi-planting of this small tree. Hot Wings® is adaptable to alkaline soil and will grow in full sun or part shade. A rounded upright growth habit with sturdy branching makes it less prone to storm damage. It grows to about 15 to 18 feet in height and width. Perfect as a single specimen or set in a large-scale shrub border.

Viburnum burejaeticum ‘P017S’ — Mini Man™ dwarf Manchurian Viburnum

Viburnum burejaeticum ‘P017S’ — Mini Man™ dwarf Manchurian Viburnum

This compact form of Manchurian viburnum has clusters of white flowers in spring followed by persistent red to blue-black fruit. Mini Man™ is native to Russia and northern China. It grows to about 4 to 6 feet in height and width. A cold hardy, low-water shrub with velvety green leaves that is adaptable to sun or filtered shade.

Planning for Spring: What Kind of Mulch Should I Use? by Donna Duffy

 

Gravel mulch at Kendrick Lake Gardens in Lakewood

[This blog was originally posted on March 18, 2014 and has been updated with new research-based information.]

The benefits of mulch are so well known that the question no longer is “Should I mulch?” but “What mulch is best for my landscape?” For die-hard gardeners, mulching is one garden task you can do any time of year – even in the winter.

A mulch is any material that provides protection and improves the soil when applied to the soil surface. Mulches can:

• reduce surface evaporation
• improve water penetration and air movement
• control soil temperature fluctuations
• protect shallow-rooted plants from freeze damage
• improve soil structure and nutrient availability

Small wood chip mulch around roses

Your first decision will be deciding between organic and inorganic mulch. According to PlantTalk Colorado, the most common organic mulches in Colorado include wood chips, chunk bark, pole peelings, pine needles, lawn clippings and straw. Organic mulches gradually break down and add nutrients to the soil. Decomposition of fresh wood mulches can create nitrogen deficiencies, so you’ll need to be prepared to supplement the area with a fertilizer and replenish the mulch occasionally.

Gravel mulch at Kendrick Lake Gardens in Lakewood

Inorganic mulches are stone-based and include rock, cobblestone, pea gravel, lava rock and crushed rock. They store and radiate heat, so avoid putting large areas of unshaded rock next to your house.

Regardless which type of mulch you choose, resist the urge to install plastic sheeting or landscape fabric underneath the mulch. Air and moisture don't penetrate plastic or fabric, so plant roots won’t develop but weeds will still come through.  

The selection of a mulch depends on its intended use. If appearance is the main goal, inorganic or inert mulches may be the best choice. If the main objective is soil improvement, consider an organic mulch that gradually breaks down. If the area is used primarily for annual flowers, it often is more practical to use a temporary organic mulch, such as composted leaves or grass clippings that can be turned under each fall.

Mulches used to enhance appearance and control weeds may be applied at any time. Apply most mulches to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. Straw, dried leaves and similar materials can be applied to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Around woody plants, push the mulch away so it isn’t touching the woody bark.

Organic mulch from chipped Christmas trees

On the next visit in your garden, take a stroll through your landscape and consider where you can add mulch and take advantage of all its benefits.

Mulch can also be used for pathways

For more information about mulches see the following:

Mulches for Home Grounds:  https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/mulches-for-home-grounds-7-214/

Xeriscape mulches: https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/water-wise-xeriscape/1905-xeriscape-mulches/

Organic mulches: https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/soils-amendments-composting/1609-organic-mulches/

Garden Notes: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/245.pdf

More than Sunscreen by Nancy Shepard

Marmot Women's Annika LS Shirt

I grew up in southern California during the 50s and 60s. I’m red haired, freckled and fair-skinned, but back then I slathered myself with cocoa butter and baby oil and would lie on the beach for hours, wondering why I couldn’t achieve the gorgeous tans my girlfriends had. My father also took us deep-sea fishing and we only put zinc oxide on our noses.  Now in my 60s, I’ve had dozens of pre-cancerous actinic keratoses burned off, five surgeries for squamous cell carcinoma, and my freckles are now big age spots. Yes, I’ve worn sunscreen the latter half of my life, but in the last 10 years I’ve added in some important other sun guards: SPF clothing and hats.

Free Garden Planning by Nancy Shepard

Example of Plant Select single design

Looking for garden planning help? You don’t have to spend money hiring a garden designer. In some cases it’s as easy as color-by-number paintings when you take advantage of the many detailed designs that local cities, Plant Select, and water conservation organizations have posted for free. Here are a few that offer pre-designed plans that include sketches and plant lists.

Recording My Garden by Nancy Shepard

Photo: Nancy Shepard

I’ve been keeping various journals about my adventures in gardening for about 10 years. Before that, I just relied on memory and whatever they were selling at Home Depot. If they sold those plants at the local hardware stores, those must be right for my garden I reasoned back then. When I started writing down my mistakes and successes, gardening became a more serious endeavor.  My journals have evolved over time as I grew in my knowledge and saw more success. I can now see there are constant ingredients that have proven most helpful to me in making records about my garden. Here are some of them.

2020: My Year as an Apprentice Master Gardener by Nancy Shepard

Nancy Shepard 

Looking back on almost nine months of being in the Colorado Jefferson County Apprentice Master Gardener program, I started reflecting on what a wonderful experience it’s been. First and foremost, I was most amazed with the PEOPLE in this program. All the CMG’s, instructors, coordinators, CSU staff, mentors and other Apprentice Master Gardeners were the most wonderful set of people I have ever met. Besides the incredible knowledge everyone passed along, their helpfulness, humility, kindness and good humor were like no other group I’ve belonged to. And despite the setbacks that came with the COVID outbreak, they rallied to still make this year’s program a first-rate experience.

Staying Alive By Nancy Shepard

“Staying Alive” is a Bee Gees song most recently popular for its use in CPR training. The beat is supposed to be the frequency of chest compressions you use when trying to save someone’s life. If it only took a song to resuscitate some of what I thought were dying plants.

Hidden from View by Nancy Shepard

Photo: Nancy Shepard

Whether we are beginner gardeners or those with years of experience, the one thing we all share in common are the things we don’t want others to see. While I’ve never tried to achieve the look of Martha Stewart’s potting shed prepped for photos in her magazine, I am mortified by how my side yard looks:

Staying at Home and Still Successfully Gardening by Nancy Shepard

Pixabay - Salvia May Night

With the stay-at-home order, the nurseries were closed and I couldn’t go plant shopping. Yet my garden was fully awake and starting to give its best spring show. Last year I had re-landscaped my front yard and was still filling it in with perennials last fall.  As I toured the backyard and saw the masses of plants developing, it occurred to me that I already had new perennials for the front yard if I just used what the backyard already had.

Phenology: Planting for Late Season Now by Nancy Shepard

All Photos by Nancy Shepard

Every year in my excitement to get new plants, I am always drawn to what looks good right now in the stores and plant sales which usually means choosing spring-summer flowering specimens. 

As I start preparing for planting this year, I’m giving special attention to plant phenology or plant blooming time. I was looking through my 2019 garden photos taken in late August and saw how sad and wiped out my garden looked by that time. But I also stumbled on pictures of a mini-vacation we had taken to Steamboat Springs late last fall. We had visited their Yampa River Park botanic gardens and what a wonderful place to get late-blooming ideas. Built in 1995, the park is at 6,880 feet with an average of 158 inches of snowfall each year. The park contains over 50 small gardens donated and tended by organizations and individuals and uses no tax dollars. 

Vegetable Miracles in the Snow by Nancy Shepard

Photo: Nancy Shepard

With such nice weather last week, I cleared a space in my garden for planting some cool-season veggies:

·      Arugula (Eruca vesicaria ‘Rocket’)

·      Spinach (Sinacia oleracea ‘Lavewa’)

·      Snap Peas (Pisum sativum ‘Sugar Snap’)

·      Snow Peas (Pisum sativum ‘Oregon Sugar Pod II’)