Category: Plants

photos of plants

Posted on in Gardening

I’m a Master Gardener Again!

After a year’s hiatus due to some major funding gaps, the Colorado State University Extension Master Gardener program is once again up and running in El Paso County. Yup, that means I can once again pin on my Master Gardener badge.

It also means that I’ll be volunteering again, putting in countless hours writing articles, taking photographs, teaching classes, and answering questions. It means our horticultural agent will be looking over my shoulder, making sure that my advice is solidly based on scientific research.  And it means that I’ll again have access to CSU Extension’s excellent continuing education opportunities, keeping me up-to-date on the latest developments in horticulture.

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Posted on in Gardening, Humor

A Gardener’s Guide to “Quantities”

A “few” bags of compost?
A “few” bags of compost?

I was wasting time doing online research when I came across this delightful gardening blog. Clearly this post was written by a gardener, someone I can definitely relate to. The blogger identifies herself as “Carol,” an eccentric gardener, gardening geek, passionate about plants.

I thought Carol’s commentary on how gardeners count was too fun to keep to myself, so I’m sharing it here. Besides, this way I get to take a  break do more research for future articles. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! And while you’re at her site, be sure to admire her extensive hoe collection.

May Dreams Gardens: A Gardener’s Guide to “Quantities”

Posted on in Gardening, Landscaping, Public gardens

An Oasis in Monument Park

entrance_has-cospgsco_lah_0290A calm oasis in Monument Park, the Horticultural Art Society’s Demonstration Garden is the perfect summer retreat. Surrounded by mature trees that provide shade for much of the day, and full of flowers, it’s a place to linger and relax. Perennial borders encircle several planted islands, set off by a sea of green grass; the total effect is lovely.

hosta-bed_has-cospgsco_lah_0294As you enter off Mesa Road (a continuation of W. Cache la Poudre Street) or Glen Avenue in downtown Colorado Springs, the noise of the street fades, replaced by the chirping of birds and the gentle sigh of a cool breeze. Rarely are more than a few other people present.

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Posted on in Conservation, Gardening, Nature, Weeds

Tumbling Seed Spreaders

tumbleweed_commanchegrasslandsco_20100414_lah_2566

An iconic symbol of the West, tumbleweeds conjure images of cowboys, cattle drives, and barbed wire. They even have their own song—“Tumbling Tumbleweeds” was written by Bob Nolan in the 1930s, and seems to reappear as often as the weeds for which it’s named.

Yes, we’re all familiar with tumbleweeds. But, as a result of my Colorado Master Gardener training, I have insider information that will stun, shock, and astonish you. Tumbleweeds are aliens!

Yes, it’s true. Before the Europeans stumbled across the western hemisphere, there were no tumbleweeds on the plains. Of course, there were no cowboys, either—no horses, no cattle, and no chuckwagon bean dinners. Tumbleweeds arrived, not in flying saucers, but in seed shipments from Europe and Asia.

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Posted on in Gardening, Plant Profiles

California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum)

epilobium-california-fuschia_xg_090720_lah_7368Also known as Garrett’s Firechalice and Garrett’s California Fuchsia, Epilobium canum* is a spectacular plant for the fall garden, no matter what you call it. Flaming orange-red flowers from early July until frost make California Fuchsia a focal point in any xeric garden. Low-growing mounds of narrow, grey-green leaves spread two feet wide. The brilliant blossoms are a hummingbird magnet, giving them yet another common name, “Hummingbird Trumpet.” Plants look especially nice in front of contrasting companions such as dark junipers, purple asters, or silvery Artemisias.

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Posted on in Gardening, Humor, Landscaping

Heavenly Lawns

This has been making the email rounds for a while now, at least among us gardeners. But as it is one of my favorites, I wanted to share it just in case anyone has missed it so far. I wish I knew who the author was, so I could give them full credit for this masterpiece.

Heavenly Lawns
zeroscape-colospgs-2008sept18-lah-312r-1One heavenly spring morning, God got into a conversation with St. Francis about lawns. The conversation went something like this…….

GOD: St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle, and the other stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. I created plants that grow in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply like crazy. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers weeds, and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

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Posted on in Gardening

Why I (am trying to) Like Garden Spiders

spider-on-daylily_cottonwoodxg_lah_2524I admit to being an arachnophobe. Even though intellectually I know how helpful spiders are in the garden, I still get the shakes and run screaming when I see them. Still, we can change, right? I’m doing better. In fact, I’ve struck up an arachnid pact (well, it’s one-sided, but still…)—any spider in the garden is welcome to stay and make itself at home. Any spider that dares infiltrate my home? Let’s just hope my husband is around to rescue it.

spider-on-thermopsis-montana_golden-banner_blkforest-co_lah_8459In return for my beneficence, I expect some payback. That garden spider is tasked with taking care of any harmful pest infestations. Happily, I can have my garden and the spiders can have their lunches. All spiders are predators, and never feed on plants. That’s a pretty sweet combination.

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Posted on in Gardening, Landscaping, Public gardens, Xeriscape

Cottonwood Creek’s Xeriscape Garden

cottonwoodxg_lah_2470Successful gardening in Colorado means choosing plants well suited for our arid climate. Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) maintains two demonstration gardens, featuring beautiful perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees that are adapted to limited irrigation. Many people are aware of the large garden at the CSU headquarters on Mesa Road, overlooking Garden of the Gods. I wrote about it in April. But very few people are aware that there’s a second, smaller garden in front of the Cottonwood Creek Recreation Center at 3920  Dublin Blvd., just west of Rangewood Drive.

iris_cottonwoodxg_lah_2504While much more limited in scope, this garden provides plenty of inspiration for a homeowner seeking to conserve water and still enjoy a beautiful landscape. When I visited in mid-June, a large swath of Stella ’d Oro daylilies were in full bloom, their bright golden yellow accented by the soft lavender of the surrounding Walker’s Low Catmint. The colors were repeated in lovely deep blue irises, purple Jerusalem Sage, and pastel yellow Moonshine Yarrows and Pineleaf Penstemon.

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Posted on in Gardening, Green Gardening Tips, Landscaping, Seed Starting, Soils, Veggies, Weeds, Xeriscape

Colorado Gardeners Need Colorado Garden Advice

Photograph by Michael David Hill.
Photograph by Michael David Hill.

The ad promised that this new gardening book would show me how to “chase those darned moles out from under my prize tomatoes … make … azaleas bloom like crazy … and [use] eggshells [to] barricade slugs from the hostas, cabbage, and lettuce.”

Sounds wonderful, right? The problem is, while those “garden cheats” (as the ad called them) may work in much of the country, particularly in the east, not one of those will work here in Colorado.

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Posted on in Gardening, Plant Profiles

Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus)

Appearance
platycodon-grandiflorus-albus-balloon-flower-dbg-lah-321r-1We may not be able to grow real balloons in our gardens, but Balloon Flower comes pretty close. Large buds shaped like inflated balls give Platycodon its common name, Balloon Flower. These buds open into showy blue, pink or white blossoms shaped like plump, five-pointed stars. The flowers adorn one- to two-foot tall vase-shaped clumps of oval green leaves.

Cultivation
platycodon-grandiflorus-balloonflower-dbg-lah-002rGrow Balloon Flower in well-drained garden soil amended with several inches of compost. Mark the spot so you remember where the plants will reappear in late spring. These perennials take several years to look their best, but your patience is rewarded with plants that live for twenty years or more. Because they stay neat and well-behaved, dividing is unnecessary; in fact, the roots hate to be disturbed. Established plants survive some dry periods, but prefer regular watering.

Landscape Use
Growing happily in sun or partial shade, the informal flowers are especially appropriate for a cottage garden or woodland. Bloom starts in mid-summer, often continuing until frost. Suggested companion plants include Sweet William, columbine, and daylilies in complementary colors.