Onion Decision Tree by Rebecca Anderson

Photo courtesy PlantTalk Colorado

Onions are a good crop to plant when the weather is still cool and the garden is calling for some sort of action. Take a tour of any garden center or seed catalog and you will find a plethora of onion selections. How does a gardener decide which is best for a Front Range garden?

Plant a Perennial for Mom by Audrey Stokes

Coral Baby Penstemon photo Plant Select©

Mother’s Day is May 10 this year -- just around the corner!  All moms like to be given flowers on their special day. This year why not give a gift that “keeps on giving” and plant a perennial for Mom? Perennials may not have as great a visual impact in the container or immediately after planting as traditional horticultural species. Over time, however, they will reward Mom with their natural beauty.

A few of the many reasons native perennials are the ideal choice for a home landscape are:

• they are naturally adapted to Colorado’s climates, soils and environmental conditions. 
• they require less external inputs such as watering, fertilizing and other cultural factors when the planting site mimics the plant’s native habitat. 
• they create habitat and attract a variety of wildlife including mammals, birds, butterflies and other native pollinators.

Spring Pruning of Roses by Donna Duffy

Hybrid Tea Peace Rose before pruning

Sharpen your pruners and grab your gloves – it’s finally time to prune the roses! In Colorado, the best time to prune roses is around the end of April, after the danger of frost. By now, the roses have broken dormancy, and have lots of green growth.

Help for Lawn and Garden Problems by Donna Duffy

It’s starting to be that time of year – our yards can be a delight or a headache. Does your lawn look lousy? Are you bugged by bugs? Are your perennials puny? The good news is that help is just a phone call or click away. Here are five great resources to help you solve your home yard and gardening challenges.

Gardening Power to the People: Container Gardening

Would you like to grow vegetables but are short on space? In this short video, Molly Niven, Jefferson County Colorado Master Gardener, gives you specific steps to grow herbs and vegetables successfully in containers.

Tetanus: An Important Reminder for Gardeners by Sally Berriman

Cartoon by Microbiology2009

Last spring my girlfriend and I were constructing large tomato cages by bending metal fencing into a circle then securing it with wire and snipping off the excess fencing.  The fencing wasn’t cooperating and both of us sustained a number of scratches from the rusty metal.  Jokingly we started talking with our jaws clenched as if we had lockjaw.  After we had made a few cages and called it a day, I was washing my wounds and wondering when I last had a tetanus booster.  Not knowing how current I was, I “googled” tetanus to see if I was actually in imminent danger of having to eat everything through a straw.  This is what I discovered.

Tetanus is a serious infection.  It is caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani which can be found almost everywhere in the natural environment.    If the bacteria gets into the body it can produce a toxin that can spread systematically throughout the body and interfere with the central nervous system, producing muscle stiffness, spasms, or rigidity and the infamous locked jaw.  Tetanus is potentially fatal.  Without treatment, one out of four infected people die.  Yikes!  Tetanus has a mortality rate of 25% in the U.S. and 50% worldwide. There are currently no blood tests that can be used to diagnose tetanus.  The diagnosis is based on the presence of tetanus symptoms. If you are infected, it can take a while for the symptoms to present themselves; anywhere from eight days to a few months.  It basically depends on how far from the central nervous system the toxin entered the body.

Small Moths in the Home by Carol King

Have you noticed small moths flying around your home?  You probably have an infestation of Indian Meal Moth.  This is a very common moth problem in Colorado and is caused by an infestation on grain, grain products, dried fruits, dried vegetables, seeds, nuts, graham crackers, powdered milk and dog food. Control of Indian meal moths requires a thorough search of all dried food, including things like bird seed that can be overlooked. My infestation was from sunflower seeds stored in the garage.

Gardening Power to the People: Attracting Pollinators to Your Garden

It's that time of year to think about flowering plants to add to your landscape this year. In this short video, Rebecca Anderson, Jefferson County Colorado Master Gardener, gives you tips for attracting bees and other pollinators to your garden.

Planting Warm Season Vegetables by Donna Duffy

Photo courtesy CSU Extension

Yes, it's officially Spring! On those warm 60+ degree days, it's tempting to get your warm season vegetables into the ground. Before you take that leap, here's advice from PlantTalk Colorado that may save you time and disappointment.

Lumps and Bumps on Aspen by Joyce D'Agostino

Photo Utah State University Extension

Recently as I was doing some spring garden cleanup, I noticed a bare sapling in the corner of my yard that had lumps and bumps on most of the trunk and branches.

I was curious what could cause this and if it was harmful to that tree or possibly other plants in my garden. In doing some research I learned that these swellings on the wood are cause by the “Poplar Twiggall Fly” (Hexomyza shineri). This insect burrows into the wood and as it feeds, which produces a swelling on the limbs and trunk which are called galls. Often the plant has these galls for several seasons and the gardener does not immediately notice them because they can be obscured by leaves. This insect prefers to invade cottonwoods, poplars and especially aspens.

Spring Lawn Care by Donna Duffy

Spring has finally arrived and it’s time to start thinking about spring lawn care again. Here are some basics to get your lawn off to a good start.

JeffCo Master Gardeners Announce Flower Gardening Class

Photo by Carol King

Jefferson County CSU Extension Colorado Master Gardeners announce a spring gardening class  “Flowers: the Where, What and How of Growing Flowers in Colorado”.  Wednesday April 22, 2015,  6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Class begins promptly at 6:00 p.m. $40.  Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Register now at http://sprflowers.eventbrite.com

One of our instructors is Jennifer Verprauskus, Landscape Architect, Permaculture Design Certificate holder, Denver Master Composter, Colorado Master Gardener, and owner of  UpBeet Landscapes, an edible landscape design firm. She is passionate about landscape design and teaching people how to live off the land.  http://upbeetlandscapes.com/

Jennifer states: “Often times we can appreciate something without fully understanding it, but as we learn the intricacies of what makes it stand out; sometimes we can appreciate it on a deeper level. A built environment surrounds most of us on a daily basis but do we realize it as such? The majorities of the landscapes we find ourselves in have been created and don’t just appear.  From more urban landscapes such as city parks and backyards to recreational trails in the mountains- they have all been designed intentionally. 

An understanding of the principles of landscape design, which include the elements of unity, scale, balance, simplicity, variety, emphasis, and sequence as they apply to line, form, texture, and color, create the perfect landscape.  These elements are interconnected. Scale, line, balance and form are some of the things that dictate our perception and comfort in a space. Through the use of design principals as well as an understanding of the site we can choose the right plant for the right place, and almost more importantly we can design a space that feels complete. As we design a landscape, one of the most compelling skills we can embrace is the ability to design with all of our senses. 

Without the deliberations of design, our efforts of hard work, time and money are often fruitless. We are tempted to choose plants by color and not suitability, create spaces that look nice but fail to function and to use materials that distract from the space we’ve worked so hard to create. Our senses can identify a space as successful or unsuccessful; therefore, it is through education we are able to create landscapes in the built environment that are exciting and beautiful yet comfortable and useful.

Come join Jennifer and the rest of the team for an evening of the basics of designing or re-designing a flower garden, site selection and how to create fabulous flowering containers. Register now at http://sprflowers.eventbrite.com. For further information call Jefferson County CSU Extension at 303-271-6620.