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About Me:
I began gardening in Colorado (zone 5) in 1998. Each year I learn more with the help of a journal to note my successes and the inevitable failures. Find your Garden Treasure
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Growing Onions
My husband wants onions in our garden this year. I’ve never tried onions so have found the following guide help me. In Colorado we would plant intermediate day onion bulbs, meaning bulbs will form when you have 12 -14 hours of daylight during growing season. Growing Onions | Horticulture – The Art & Science of Smart Gardening. They say you…
Journal
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Over watering indoor plants
Why is my first inclination when seeing a yellowing plant is to water it more? This is especially true for indoor plants. In an earlier post I wrote about propagating geraniums through cuttings. My main reason for trying to propagate the plant was the fact that the main plant was ailing quite a bit. Today its in even worse shape,…
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Spring in January?
There is nothing like a warm day in January to awake the gardening bug. Colorado has had another one of those strange winters where the cold snap in January is non-existent and our mountain snow pack is ensuring water restrictions come summer. But what a lovely 60+ degree day to head out and do some of the spring to-do list…
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Propagating Geraniums
Taking Cuttings Annuals can add such striking color in our gardens. But like everyone else I am looking for ways to stretch my gardening budget. One way is propagation. Normally I purchase a couple hanging planters each year to give my patio some color. Our local nursery grows wonderful geraniums that just burst with flowers. Each basket contains…
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Becoming a Master Gardener in Colorado
Ten years ago I had grand plans to boost my gardening knowledge. So off the to the Denver Botanic gardens I went, signing up for a number of classes to become a MASTER! But life got in the way and some classes went unused, and then the years rolled into another. Today my wonderful husband said I should take that…
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Pesticides implicated in bee colony collapse
As part of my series on 2012 Garden Resolutions, I hope to improve my yard for my natural neighbors. One of the best parts of any garden are the animals found delighting in what the garden has to offer. I find nothing so happy as a bee flitting from one pollen rich flower to another. I have planted many…
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What’s in a Name – Buchner in Botany
Today I come across flowers containing the Buchner family name. Could I grow these in a Colorado garden? Genus Buchnera – a plant genus inthe Orobanchaceae family also known as broomrape. This genus was recently moved from the Scrophulariaceae family, also known as the figwort family. The Orobanchaceae family are predominantly parasitic plants using the roots of other plants for…
Front Yard
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Front Yard Plant List
Posted on December 29, 2011 | No CommentsThe plants I grow in my Colorado garden. Zone: 5 Area: Front Yard Light: The front yard faces southeast and is shaded by a large silver maple on the Northeast corner. Along a strip next to the driveway I get 6+ hours of sun, but the majority of the yard would be considered partial shade to full shade. The shady areas... -
Gathering seeds for a more formal cottage look.
Posted on October 25, 2011 | No CommentsCosmos bipinnatus loves a Colorado summer. This summer my front yard’s main flower bed took on the appearance of an untended cottage garden, mainly due to the cosmos I let take over all along the driveway. Cosmos (cosmos bipinnatus), a native to Mexico and the southern states, are a happy annual that readily reseed here in Colorado. From just a few... -
Unexpected fall color
Posted on October 19, 2011 | No CommentsThis fall in Colorado has been as long an Indian summer as I can remember. It is just now that some of my plants are showing their fall foliage. With the amount of shade I receive in even the sunniest spots of my garden, the plants tend to lag a week or two behind the neighbor’s who have the... -
Hollyhock from seed 2010 gorgeous in 2011
Posted on July 8, 2011 | No CommentsWho knew Alcea Rosa would be such a wonderment in my Colorado garden. Last year I grew hollyhock plants from seed named, Alcea Rosea ’Nigra’. The “death hollyhock,” as my husband calls it, is a wonderfully dark maroon that can appear almost black on an overcast day. While looking up this plant I found that this is not... -
Tomato in a pot
Posted on May 31, 2011 | No CommentsEach year I want at least one tomato and some Jalapeños and most often without the hassle of a full on garden. Even with a soil test completed for my vegetable garden, I don’t think I will be planting in that area again until I can put in some raised beds. Last year I spent a lot of time planting and... -
Red Rocket Snapdragons
Posted on May 26, 2011 | No CommentsI bought 2 4 packs of Red rocket snapdragons from our favorite little nursery down the street. The leaves are a gorgeous dark green with burgundy mixed in…. The tag says these will get up to 36″ tall, but I’m betting in CO they will be a little shorter. But I’m going to plant them off to the side just...
Backyard
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Gardening in Black and White Continued.
Posted on November 21, 2011 | No CommentsDesigning for a Colorado garden. Continuation from The Garden in Black and White So the black and white photo of the main flower bed in my backyard has shown room for improvement in terms of defining shapes, plant placement, interesting foliage, and being plainly overcrowded. Many of my plants are now at their mature size or at least they... -
Finally planted!
Posted on October 22, 2011 | No CommentsFall planting in Colorado, a weigela’s story. Okay so I’m a lazy gardener come August. My beds look like a frat house after homecoming, and the last of my summer grand plans sit in pots waiting their permanent homes. Though the yard needs tending, I daydream that its really not my lack of care come August that makes my beds... -
The garden in black and white
Posted on August 21, 2011 | No CommentsDesigning a Colorado Garden. Recently, I read an RSS feed from Horticulture magazine suggesting gardeners should design in black and white. Instantly my mind went to white flowers next to dark luxurious leaves and my new favorite flower the ‘Nigra’ hollyhock with its dark hues. I was quite excited to see just what would appear in the weekly tips section of... -
Lovely Peonies
Posted on June 20, 2011 | No CommentsColorado is a great place to grow peonies. They are hardy as long as you give them some winter watering. This double pink ‘Nick Shaylor’ (as I have decided it is). I know summer is about to arrive when my peonies make their yearly appearance. In my yard most blooms run about a week to two weeks behind due to... -
McKana’s Giant Columbine
Posted on May 31, 2011 | No CommentsAn impressive columbine mix from seed. Who says growing plants from seed can only be veges? Today I’m reaping the reward of growing 6 or 7 columbines from seed last year. The mix, called McKana’s Giant Columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) , are quite gorgeous. I’ve seen three different kinds of varieties so far. As a native to Colorado, Columbines are perennials... -
Back Yard Plant List
Posted on May 29, 2011 | No CommentsThe plants I track in my Colorado garden. Zone: 5 Light: Looking out my patio I face northwest and the majority of the yard is shaded by numerous trees throughout the day. The most sunny spot is it the Northwest tip of the yard where I have my flower and vegetable garden. The majority of the yard would be considered...