Who cries when a tree is cut down? Yep it’s me. Today I say goodbye to the silver maple. It is so hard to make a decision about cutting down a 40 year old tree. Its been ailing for a very long time. Every big wind some large limb comes down. And still, I have […]
Problem Plants
Another powdery mildew victim
Powdery mildew — an ever present danger in Colorado gardens. To battle it on a peony I am trying a top coat of a mouthwash solution. Paeonia ‘Dr Alexander Fleming’ 9/4/2016 powdery mildew. 30% solution mouthwash applied to leaves. Trimmed lower leaves. 11/1/2016 Update The mouthwash treatment kept mildew at bay for a couple weeks, […]
Serious Powdery Mildew on Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle vines are vigorous plants that tolerate many growing conditions. My Lonicera Sipervens ‘Pink Lemonade‘ has been moved from house to house and landed in a very shady part of the front yard. It has done well there until 2014, an unusually wet year. Water combined with poor air flow created perfect conditions for the […]
Hybrid tea rose with yellowing leaves – UPDATE
Today I posted a question to CSU’s Plant Talk to help with my new rose I planted not long ago in the front yard. I’ve never used this service before so we’ll see what they say. The rose is a Week’s Nursery plant that was wonderfully healthy when I purchased it from Creekside Gardens in […]
First Square Garden – Lessons
This year was quite a good year for learning in my first square foot garden. Having so many lessons also means having little yield. But I would rather learn many lessons in a single year than struggle for years to come. Today is Day 70 Lesson 1. More Sun Veges other than leaf varieties really […]
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 […]
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 […]
Soil Testing
For the longest time, I was convinced that not having an automatic sprinkler was the main reason I killed plants. After many years of watching plants shrivel and die I got a new system and ‘oila’ I had plants that thrived like my neighbors. Well no that’s not true. Many of the plants that needed […]
Evergreens with winterburn
So how did the garden fare over the 2010 winter? Well not so great. From July through December, only 4.8 inches of snowfall was recorded at the official DIA weather station. This is the second lowest half season snowfall on record, and a dry winter can take its toll on non-native plants. For more […]
Dreaded Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is often associated with roses and other plants requiring a good amount of moisture to sustain growth. My vegetable gardens in the last few years have been stunted and in the case of 2010, a complete loss due to mildew. Powdery mildew is most active at temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees F. […]