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.

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.

Dying, off-color pine needles normal in autumn by Colorado State Forest Service

Courtesy of Colorado State Forest Service

Although thousands of evergreen trees in Colorado’s high country, foothills and communities are beginning to display dying yellow or brown needles, most are simply going through a natural shedding process – they are not being damaged by bark beetles or any specific tree insect or disease. (Courtesy of Colorado State Forest Service) 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.