Any seed packet that says to start your plants indoors 8 weeks before last frost should be started in March in Colorado. Sowing vegetables in Colorado usually requires you be ready come March to get your grow on. If you want to know a less expensive way to start seeds indoors, check out, 3 essentials… Continue reading March Propagation
Category: Garden Use
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A focal point tree for the patio
I need a tree that has star quality. It must also be happy in my Colorado garden. This tree will keep watch over the pond and be a focal point from the new patio. It will have a backdrop of prairie flowers from the patio view. That is not the only direction the tree will… Continue reading A focal point tree for the patio
Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea Eastern purple coneflower (Su,M,A,N) 2 – 3 ft H x 1 – 2ft W. Pinkish purple daisy-like blooms in mid summer on single flowering stocks. Flower center is burnt orange spikes that become dark seed heads in fall. Dark green leaves and stems have course hair. Stems remain upright throughout winter and seed… Continue reading Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower
2021 A Colorado fall to remember
September 2021 As fall begins to settle in I have time to reflect on the highlights of the year’s garden. Side-oats grama is blooming with little red blossoms and big bluestem’s turkey feet soar above the darkening seedheads of Echinacea purpurea. Every year is different in Tidy Chaos. This year so much changed as I… Continue reading 2021 A Colorado fall to remember
Actaea rubra – baneberry
Actaea rubra – Baneberry (Sp,M,CL,N) Blooms Spring (Sp) Soil moisture is medium to wet (M) Grows in loamy soils (CL) Native – feeds birds and mammals Poisonous to humans A nice plant for the woodland garden it has white flowers in late spring and fruits in red or white. Actaea rubra is an understory herbaceous… Continue reading Actaea rubra – baneberry
Cotinus coggyria – European Smoke Bush
Purple Smoke bush or Purple smoke tree – This is a variety from Europe that is from the Anacardiaceae (Sumac) family. This large bush / small tree can be pollarded to produce a multi-trunked specimen.
Nicotiana sylvestris – Annual
Nicotiana sylvestris (Su,M,LC,XA) Night-scented tobacco 24″ tall x 12 – 36″ spread, mounded with bright leaves and white summer blooms from June to October. An annual in Colorado, it’s native to the Andes region in Argentina and Bolivia, in South America. Blooms: Summer (Su) Moisture: Medium (M) Soil Type: Loam and Clay (LC) Range: Non-Native… Continue reading Nicotiana sylvestris – Annual
Hummingbird visits the Monarda
I have a love-hate relationship with hummingbirds. They are brilliant and quick, tiny and bold. They are also territorial, dive-bombing murderers. Yes they have chased birds into windows. So it was with this new that I told my neighbor the cheery demons were all hers. Sho she great plants and feeders. But today I happened… Continue reading Hummingbird visits the Monarda
Monarch nursery in my garden
A few years ago I received milkweed seed from a plant nursery giving it away for free. I spread some of the seed in various areas of my yard with no luck. But a year later – up pops one where none were spread in a place outside any garden bed. Nature is funny that… Continue reading Monarch nursery in my garden
Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot, Beebalm (Sf,DM,A,N) 2 – 4 ft H x 2 – 3 ft W. Spider-like lavender blooms in late summer on single flowering stocks. Great plant to bring in wildlife. Blooms: Late Summer to early fall (Sf) Moisture: Dry to Medium (DM) Soil Type: All soil types when local ecotype is available… Continue reading Monarda fistulosa – Wild Bergamot