Cool Garden Apps by Sheilia Canada

Spring is settling in here in the Denver-Metro area. I know that I am encountering a lot of clients that are trying a vegetable garden for the very first time. This can be challenging for us as Master Gardeners because we generally have so much information we can share that the clients eyes will begin to glaze over after about 10 minutes into the conversation. I think some of the first and best advice we can give a newbie-gardener client is reference material!

There is a plethora of gardening books we could suggest. I know my personal library is huge and I am always adding new books that I get a great deal of from Amazon. (As I think about what is currently on my way-too-long “Wish List”) Again, we could list off an intimidating list of gardening for dummies books for the intrepid wanna-be gardener.

Technology to the rescue...

There are several wonderful apps that are great & easy to use reference tools for the new or practiced gardener right on their i-phone, I-pad or android enabled devices. These programs are especially easy to share with the influx of young urban dwellers that are craving that locavore essence to include their own food or gardening resource.

Aphids by Bernadette Costa

Aphids on Leaf

Aphids are very common.  Sometimes called plant lice, they are small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects, generally less than 1/8” long.  Most are green or black but they can also be found in a variety of other colors as well.  A characteristic common to all aphids is the presence of cornicles, or tubes, on the back ends of their bodies, sort of like “tailpipes”.  These cornicles secrete substances that help protect the aphids from predators.  Over winter, aphids exist as eggs on perennial plants and hatch in the spring.

Aphids are found on almost all types of plants and a few species can cause plant injury. Some aphid species can curl the new leaves of some types of plant. Feeding aphids excrete honeydew, a sticky fluid that can cause nuisance problems. Natural enemies of aphids include lady beetles, flower fly larvae, lacewing larvae, and parasitic wasps.

Cottonwood Cotton by Carol King

The cottonwood cotton is flying in my North Lakewood neighborhood.  There are irrigation ditches in this part of town and the trees seem to follow the ditches. It looks like a snow storm in summer!

Here's some interesting facts about the cottonwood:

The cottonwood can grow to be one of the continent’s largest trees – up to 80 feet tall, with trunks that can reach five feet in diameter.
Cottonwoods consume a large amount of water in their growth cycle.  There are estimates that a mature cottonwood tree will use 200 gallons of water a day.

Cottonwoods live up to 100 years old.  Their roughly furrowed, thick bark makes them fire resistant, which helped them survive the regular grass fires on the Great Plains in years past.

Smart Shopping at a Farmers' Market by D'Ann McElhinney

Farmers' markets are one of the oldest forms of direct marketing by small farmers.  From the traditional “mercados” in the Peruvian Andes to the unique street markets in Asia, growers all over the world gather weekly to sell their produce directly to the public.  In the last decade they have become a favorite marketing method for many farmers throughout the United States, and a weekly ritual for many shoppers.

Spider Mites - Unwelcome Visitors! by Ron Dearwater

 Two Spotted Spider Mite, photo courtesy Clemson.edu

Got spider mites?
Spider mites are not insects, but are arachnids which include spiders, ticks and scorpions. They are a common pest problems on many plants, evergreens and trees in yards and gardens in Colorado. The most prevalent is the two-spotted spider mite and they are no bigger than the end of a sentence!

Juniper-Hawthorn Rust by Andrew Vogt

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Cedar apple or Juniper Hawthorn rust

It is late May or early June and, after some much-needed spring showers, your juniper and cedar trees look as if they were used as a backdrop for a contest in which paint ball guns were used to shoot globs of gelatin.  Globs of a tan or orange gelatinous substance of various sizes cling stubbornly to many of the smaller branches and twigs of your plants, often surrounding them and encasing some of the needles, especially on the upper and inner foliage surfaces.  Some of the globs, especially the larger ones, have noticeable protrusions that look like horns.  Within a few days, the globs of gelatin will turn the color of chocolate and begin to harden into unsightly galls that will range in size from 1/16 inch to more than 2 inches.  What happened?

Why Didn't my Lilacs Bloom? by Rebecca Anderson

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) blossoms are classic signs of spring. However, not all lilac shrubs bloom to their expected potential.  Some factors that influence blooming are out of our control.  A late frost is often the culprit along the Colorado Front Range, freezing delicate buds before they have a chance to open.  All we can do in those years is cross our fingers and hope next spring is better.  Changes in the environment around the lilac can affect blooming. 

Sometimes these are gradual changes, such as a neighboring tree getting larger over the years and shading the lilac. Other changes are sudden, like disrupting the roots of the lilac with construction in a nearby area. Lilacs can also be infested with pests, namely oystershell scale (Lepidosaphes ulmi Linnaeus)) and lilac borers (Podosesia syringae (Harris)). These pests gradually build up over time, decreasing the vigor of the bush. The numbers of pests are greatest on the oldest stems of the lilac shrub. The best way to manage these pests is through pruning. Without routine pruning, even if no pests are present, quantities of blossoms on a mature lilac will decrease naturally. 

Help for Lawn Problems by Donna Duffy

It’s that time of year – our lawn can be a delight or a headache. How’s the health of your lawn? Do you have problem areas that you just can’t remedy? Do you have sections of the lawn that look different from the rest? Is your new sod languishing in the heat? Are brown spots popping up unexpectedly?

You aren’t alone - most of us experience lawn problems at some point during the growing season. In fact, lawn problems are the number one concern brought to Colorado State University Extension offices in many urban and suburban counties. The good news is that help is just a phone call or click away.

 

Curtis Utley conducts a Lawn Check with Golden resident Jack Brennan

Colorado State University's Annual Flower Trial Garden's List of Winning Flowers for 2013

Dahlia "Hildago"

The garden, which spans nearly three acres on the east side of the Fort Collins campus, is a Northern Colorado showpiece with a focused research purpose:  Each year, the Annual Flower Trial Garden tests and analyzes the performance of more than 1,000 varieties of annual bedding plants in Colorado’s harsh growing conditions.

Helping gardeners: Dozens of expert evaluators rate the plants for vigor, growth pattern, bloom and other characteristics. The trial results help home gardeners identify annual bedding plants that are most likely to succeed.  Here is a list of what flowers to plant during the 2013 growing season, a list of great possibilities.
Enjoy!

What to Harvest Now (or soon!): Spinach - by Barbara LaRowe

This time of year makes everyone yearn for fresh veggies, homegrown goodies from the garden.  Since we live in Colorado we are still getting vestiges of winter, so the idea of having your garden in full growth is still around the corner. 

For those people who are anxious for the taste of fresh vegetables, spinach is a great early crop that can be started in a container, and protected when necessary. 

Pruning Roses by Stan Ames

Photo CSU Extension

Just yesterday I was asked when to prune rose bushes by a friend of mine.  I quickly realized I had no idea, there is not a rose bush anywhere near my garden, so I went on line to www.ext.colostate.edu and typed “pruning roses” in the search window and several articles came up! Wow, I can trick my friend into thinking I know what I’m doing!  Planttalk Colorado provides this information:

“Winter takes its toll on Colorado roses. The canes die back, leaving dead growth to prune in the spring. Untimely pruning can leave roses vulnerable to killing frosts. Wait until two weeks before the last average hard frost to prune.
Pruning varies with different rose types, but plan on cutting back hybrid teas and grandifloras every year.
Remove dead or diseased canes first, and then focus on shape. Always make a 30 to 45-degree cut one-quarter-inch above a live bud.
Prune the cane back one-half-inch into green live wood. In severe winters, there may be only a few inches of green on the canes.
Live wood on older canes or roses with bronze stems may look brown instead of green. Clip from the top down, checking for live growth with each small portion removed. Where possible, prune to an outward facing bud to direct growth away from the center of the plant. This allows light and air penetration, minimizing disease.
Miniatures, floribundas, and polyanthas are hardier plants that don't always suffer winter damage but check yearly.
Climbing roses have intertwined canes, making them more difficult to prune.”

Check out these other articles on “Roses Basics”, “Roses – Winter Care” and “Selecting and Planting Roses”! 

Noxious Weeds Problems in Jefferson County Colorado by Gina Kokinda

Myrtle Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) photo courtesy CSU

Do you have a noxious weed problem? I do. The snow is melting, and so again begins my battle with the dreaded knapweed (and thistle -- among others) that persistently aim to diminish our little slice of homestead heaven. When we purchased the place in Evergreen years ago, I didn't even know what knapweed was. These days, it is the bane of my summer gardening fun. I have disposed of countless bags of it (at the local landfill), yet it persists with vigor each passing year. In fact, I'm realizing that if we want home grown vegetables this season, we'll definitely need the help of a contractor to control the weeds.

It is important to be aware of the weeds on  your county's noxious weed list. Noxious weeds threaten biodiversity and ecosystem stability with their aggressive behavior, stealing precious moisture, sunlight and nutrients from the surrounding native species, upon which our pollinators depend! If left unmanaged, they will literally take over a property and invade others in the neighborhood.