Memorial Day and Poppies by Carol King

Photo by Tina Negus

The Memorial Day Organization tells us that Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service.  Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No.11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1915, inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields", Moina Michael conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Thus a tradition was born.

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

Do you Hori Hori? by Vicky Spelman

Courtesy: Garrett Wade Tools

Do you Hori Hori?  Sounds like a dance doesn't it, but it is a great garden tool.  

The Hori Hori (literal Japanese translation 'dig dig') is a versatile tool that does the work of several tools.  The pointed blade and beveled shape work as a garden spade while the serrated edge can be used as a garden knife for sod cutting, edging, dividing perennials, slashing, pruning, harvesting and sawing.  Perfect for weeding, transplanting, and cutting open fertilizer bags.  

Courtesy: GardenBeast

The blade is usually 7-8 inches long, small enough to carry around for a number of garden chores.  Some have a sheath to protect the edges and making them easy to attach to your gardening clothes.  Some of the Hori Hori have a ruler on one side, which would make it handy for planting bulbs.  

Got your Hori Hori ready?

Plants for Hummingbirds by Nancy Shepard

Red Birds in a Tree Scrophularia macrantha
Photo: High Country Gardens

I had more hummingbirds visiting my garden last year than ever and I can’t help but think it was the two new perennials I put in: Red Birds in a Tree (Scrophularia macrantha) and Sunset hyssop (Agastache rupestris.)  The hummingbirds came in the spring and in the fall and rarely touched my bright red hummingbird feeder but instead went for these plants. Both of these plants have tubular flowers that hummingbirds love!

Clever Spring Gardening Ideas by Vicky Spelman

Muffin Tin used for Spacing

What about using a muffin tin for spacing your garden plants?  Might be a helpful idea for young gardeners.   

Photo via Two Women and a Hoe

Do you have any ornamental grasses to cut back for this year?  Here’s a clever idea... try bundling it with tape, bungee cords or something similar before shearing it.

Courtesy: The Spruce

Do you have an old wheel barrow around?  Upcycle it!  Try planting it for an unusual and fun container in the garden or yard.

Courtesy: ThriftyFun

What about upcycling your old garden boots or those old galoshes?  Could make a fun accent in the garden or yard.

As you're getting your Spring gardens and yard planted, keep a look-out for items in your garage or storage shed that would be useful or an accent in your planting.  

If you need some guidance on planting your Spring garden, CSU's Vegetable Planting Guide will help:  https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/720.pdf

Spring Drought 2021 by Nancy Shepard

 

With all the excess snow and rain we’ve had this spring, I was surprised to see this drought map recently released by the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. Only the upper right quadrant shows favorable conditions from all this spring precipitation. The Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) is a relatively new drought index based only on precipitation. It's an index based on the probability of precipitation for any time scale.

After seeing this I realized that my business-as-usual approach to planting spring annuals needed some tweaking. What are some of the alternatives for annuals that can take the heat?

Cleome ‘Senorita Rosalita’

Known as the Spider Flower, Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita' is easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun but tolerates light shade. It does better with consistent watering during the growing season. Once established, it tolerates heat and drought. This cleome is a sterile plant that will not reseed in the garden. It is winter hardy to USDA Zones 9-10 and is grown as an annual in Zones 3-8.

PINK CRYSTALS® ruby grass Melinis nerviglumis
Photo: Plant Select

Melinis nerviglumis is an annual here and many gardeners consider the shimmering heads of bright ruby and silver flowers the most beautiful new contribution to bedding or the border. It sparkles like champagne bubbles. Tips from the pros: Plant larger plants as they will bloom earlier and provide longer bloom.

Silver Dollar Plant Plectranthus argentatus
Photo: Plant Select

The plush, silver, heavily textured leaves of Plectranthus argentatus make a trim mound through the summer months. Very easy and adaptable in a variety of sites and soils, it is considered a xeriscape plant. Excellent as an accent or massed, in containers, in annual plantings or borders. 

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Autumn Colors’

Gloriosa Daisy hybrids are short-lived perennials, sometimes treated as annuals. Often these will survive a few winters or at least self seed. This mid-sized strain produces large brown-eyed daisy flowers for months on end, in a range of bicolor shades from yellow through gold, orange and bronzy-red. An outstanding cut flower. Removing faded blossoms regularly will greatly increase the flowering time.

For a larger list of xeriscape perennials and annuals see:

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/xeriscaping-perennials-and-annual-flowers-7-231/ 

Protecting your plants from wild weather this spring by CSU

Courtesy HGTV

Spring weather in Colorado can be temperamental, it can sometimes feel like we experience all of the seasons in a single day. Frosts and cold snaps of spring are one thing, but hail can be one of the greatest risks to our gardens. Hoop houses or high tunnels can both extend the growing season and offer protection from hail. Hoops can also provide structures to which tightly woven ‘hail cloth’ can be fastened for added protection; hail cloth can also be placed over tomato cages or other structures available in your garden. 

How about a butterfly garden? by Vicky Spelman

Painted Lady
Photo Credit: Wieland Teixeira (iStock)
via OutThere Colorado

As springtime days warm up and the snow starts to melt, Colorado blossoms with colors from the wildflowers, garden flowers, and the wings of butterflies.

Prune lilacs soon after they bloom by Vicky Spelman

Courtesy Pixabay

The fragrance of lilacs is one of the most wonderful of springtime flowering shrubs. Lilacs are versatile flowering shrubs and can have a wide range of uses in the home garden from border plants, and windscreens to flowering hedges.

Grow a Tree for Arbor Day by Vicky Spelman

Courtesy Good Housekeeping

Arbor Day is observed in the United States on Friday, April 30, 2021

“Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future.”  ~Sterling Morton 19th Century American journalist and politician

Arbor Day is a special day that is set aside throughout the world to raise awareness of trees and the important role that they play in our environment.

As important as it is to be planting a tree or two, it is equally as important to plant one correctly.  Arbor Day should be about growing trees, not just planting them.  Here is a guide for planting and growing your tree:

CSU - Planting Tips

1. Plant top of root ball slightly above ground level so the root collar (or flare) is visible one inch above final grade.

2. Set root ball on solid ground – not loose backfill to eliminate settling.

3. Backfill the hole with the original soil.

4. Fertilizing at planting time is not necessary.

5. Best planting times are from March 15th to June 15th and from September 1st to October 15th.

6. Use mulch after planting to protect roots, hold soil moisture, reduce weeds, and provide a protective barrier from the lawn mower and weed whackers.  Mulch should be 3 to 4 inches deep and pulled back 6 inches from the tree trunk and extend it one foot beyond the root ball.  

Ready to buy, plant and grow a tree soon?  

Additional Information:  

CSU-Care & Planting Tips

CSU Recommended Trees for Colorado

CSU Guide to Tree Selection

Bagworms by Vicky Spelman

Photo: Vicky Spelman

Walking the Yard: Have you walked around your yard just to see how your trees, shrubs and perennials are doing?  Make it a habit to really look and observe the rest of your yard: how the trees, shrubs, and the smaller plants are growing.

So often when we buy trees, shrubs, and plants, they are not grown locally, but rather imported from another state or area. They could arrive with an insect or disease that was prevalent in that state or area.

My Crimson Spire Oak trees came from another area. How did I know that?  I noticed unusual cocoons hanging off one of them. A diagnosis from our Diagnostic Clinic solved the mystery - they were bagworms. 

Bagworm caterpillars make distinctive 1.5 to 2 inch long spindle-shaped bags that can be seen hanging from twigs of a variety of trees and shrubs. Sometimes the bags are mistaken for pine cones or other plant structures. 

Bagworms prefer juniper, arborvitae, spruce, pine, and cedar but also attack deciduous trees.

Courtesy University of Nebraska

“This is an insect that gets brought into the state fairly often on infested plants.  However, so far I have not heard of an instance where it became established in Colorado”.  Whitney Cranshaw, CSU

In my case, I cut the bags off by hand and disposed of them by cutting them in pieces and as a final technique... I squished them.  

The Giving Tree by Vicky Spelman

 

Photo by Phoebe Calef of her real-life Giving Tree in Oakland, California.

Happy Earth Day!

This Stump Has Been Turned into a Perfect Tribute to 'The Giving Tree'.

It depicts a tree that had been cut into a chair-like stump. On the “chair” are written the words featured on the last page of the children’s book.

The words read:

'I don't need very much now,' said the boy, 'just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired.' 'Well,' said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, 'well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.'

And the boy did.

The Giving Tree follows a little boy throughout his life as his favorite tree continues providing for him and gives him gifts as he grows. Finally, it can only provide the aging man with a place to sit his brittle bones – and the dying tree is very happy to help as a bench.

The stump with its beloved words is now a local landmark, being visited by dozens of Shel Silverstein fans. Some are just stopping by for a photo, while others are eager for a special place just to sit.

"I had to have the tree cut down by a local arborist because its roots were buckling the sidewalk. They carved us a bench just for fun,” says Phoebe. “We then decided to write something from The Giving Tree or the Lorax".