Tag: spring

Posted on in Gardening, Landscaping

Beyond Spring

Malus 'Branzam' Brandywine_Crabapple_DBG_LAH_5147Most landscapes look terrific in May and June. The leaves are fresh and new. From pink crabapples to purple lilacs, it seems as if everything is in bloom. The contrast with the lifeless browns and grays of winter is enough to send you cavorting across the  glowing, emerald green lawn.

It’s tempting—irresistible, really—to rush to the local garden center and buy everything with flowers on it. I’ve been subjected to Facebook photos of flowers since March (I have a lot of friends in California), and finally it’s our turn!

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Posted on in Birds

It’s Spring!

House Finch_CarsonNatureCenter-LittletonCO_20100406_LAH_1980Usually, Colorado’s seasons have little to do with the calendar. This may be the vernal equinox, but we still expect snow and it’s way too early to plant those tender flowers and veggies. After gardening in California for years, I’ve mostly adapted to the challenge here, but from March through mid-May I would drag around the house feeling frustrated that I couldn’t plant anything the least bit frost-tender.

Then I started birding—and to the birds, March means spring! As a birder, there’s plenty of activity to keep me glued to my binoculars.

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Posted on in Surviving Winter

California Sunshine

I’ve been on a road trip the past week, driving from our snow-covered yard in Colorado west to a land of broad-leafed evergreens and warm sunshine. Wyoming was cold and windy, as expected. The I-80 corridor is desolate at any season. The slopes around Alta were crowded with skiers, Salt Lake City was smogged in, and Lake Bonneville had an inch of water in it, much to my surprise. Next morning, as I crossed Nevada, I encountered fog in the intermountain lowlands that had left hoar frost on every surface of the ubiquitous sagebrush. It was a desert fairyland. I wanted to grab some photos but there are few places to stop on the interstate, and besides, the car thermometer hovered at 3 degrees!

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Posted on in Landscaping, Plant Profiles, Xeriscape

Beyond Crabapples: Another Flowering Tree for Spring

Crataegus laevigata_English Hawthorni_HudsonGardens-CO_LAH_5810-001When it comes planting a spring flowering tree, most Colorado gardeners immediately think of crabapples. Wildly popular all along the Front Range, crabs deserve their stellar reputation. However, they aren’t the only flowering tree that thrive in our harsh environment. There might even be a better choice! Consider their close relative, the Hawthorn.

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Posted on in Gardening, House Plants, Surviving Winter

Act Now for Mid-winter Flowers

Crocus_XG-CO_LAH_6312Imagine that it’s wintertime. Anything verdant and green has long turned to brown. Limbs lie leafless. A few berries may yet hang on the shrubs. We’re already eager for spring, but the growing season is still months away. Wouldn’t this be the perfect time to enjoy bright red tulips, or the sweet aroma of blooming narcissus? If you want to enjoy these and other mid-winter flowers, now is the time to start forcing bulbs.

Pretty much any spring bulb can be forced. All we have to do is fool them into thinking that spring has arrived—in the middle of January. To do that, we have to plan ahead—up to 15 weeks ahead.

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Posted on in Gardening, Plant Profiles

Pretty in Purple

LAH_2023Thank heaven for spring bulbs! Just when I can’t bear another day of bleak winter landscape, leafless branches, dried and disintegrating foliage—along come neon-bright crocuses, dancing daffodils, and my favorite, luscious purple grape hyacinths. Not true hyacinths (which are borderline hardy in my 7,000 foot high garden), grape hyacinths are also sold under their genus Muscari. They’re native to southeastern Europe, and are widely cultivated for their early spring flowers in pink, purple, white, or a two-toned combination. (more…)

Posted on in Plant Profiles

Clean-shaven Irises

Iris hyb_XG-CO_LAH_6240Colorado gardeners are so familiar with Bearded Irises (Iris germanica) that we tend to forget there are any others. It’s true that Bearded Irises do exceptionally well in our climate and soils, but they won’t bloom for several more months. Two smaller relatives—Iris reticulata and Iris danfordia—are blooming now. Why not grow them as well?

Iris reticulata and I. danfordia are collectively known as Dwarf Irises. You may also see them labeled miniature irises or rock garden irises. Iris danfordia is a sunny yellow with brown specks; I. reticulata comes in shades of blue, purple, lavender, maroon, white, and yellow. It has bright yellow and/or white markings on the petals. This species has a number of named cultivars, including ‘Harmony’ (deep  cornflower blue) and ‘J.S. Dijt’  (very deep purple). All the photos on this page are I. reticulata. (Hybrid irises typically sold as “Dutch Iris” are larger, and bloom later in the summer.)

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Posted on in Gardening, Surviving Winter

Dreaming of Spring

Dormant_DBG_LAH_6943The holidays are over, winter has settled in. The reawakening of spring is so far away, it might as well be never. In spite of our best attempts at landscaping for “winter interest,” let’s face reality. A garden full of dead grass, dried stems, and bare limbs is drab, boring, and gloomy.

Sure, winter isn’t all bad. It’s nice to have time to relax while the weeds sleep. The mower is idle, pots are empty, and not a whole lot needs doing. Still, if you’re as enthusiastic about gardening as I am, January can be a bit depressing.

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Posted on in Plant Profiles

Hardy Ice Plant

delosperma_hardy-ice-plant_xg_lah_2583Covering the ground with a solid mass of eye-searing fuchsia-purple flowers, Hardy Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi) demands a second look. The succulent green leaves glimmer in the sun, giving the plant its common name, while the flowers have glistening thin petals surrounding a yellow center.

Waves of bloom carpet the foliage from late spring until late summer. The show even continues in winter, when plants turn a deep burgundy-red. Other species of Delosperma, with yellow or salmon-pink flowers, are also now available. Some have earned PlantSelect® honors.

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