JeffCo Gardener

Memorial Day and Poppies by Carol King

2012-05-26T14:13:00.000-06:00

Photo by Tina NegusThe Memorial Day Organization tells us that Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No.11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. In...

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Upside Down Tomatoes by Carol King

2012-05-14T12:05:00.000-06:00

The next couple of weeks is tomato planting time along the Front Range. Day and night time temperatures are still too low to support tomato growth so "wall of waters" is a good idea until night time temps reach 50+. Planting "upside down" tomatoes appears to be a big fad right now. While the practice is nationwide, there are some Colorado-specific concerns from Planttalk Colorado. organicgardeningfarming.com"Plants know up from down! Auxins (hormones produced in the...

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Spring Planting? Add Some Natives to Your Landscape! by Donna Duffy

2012-04-29T09:24:00.001-06:00

Aquilegia caerulea (Colorado Columbine)There is a growing trend among Colorado gardeners to incorporate native plants, trees and shrubs into their landscapes. Indeed, in some areas, native plantings may be required by law, covenant or policy. There are so many good reasons to include native plants in the landscape! They attract pollinators, butterflies and birds, they are adaptable to poor soil, and they typically require less water. To get ideas about which plants to include in your...

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Spring Pruning of Roses by Donna Duffy

2012-04-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

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Online Resourses for Front Range Gardens by Carol King

2012-04-24T16:43:00.004-06:00

The garden centers are buzzing; the big box stores are starting to burst at the seams! Yes, planting season has arrived! Are you confused about what to select for your garden? So many plants, so little time. Here are some online tools that focus on plants that do well in the Front Range in our semi-arid climate. Plant Select® is a cooperative program administered by Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado State University in concert with horticulturists and nurseries...

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Dry Conditions Cause Turf Mite Damage by Mary Small

2012-04-20T11:43:00.001-06:00

Our Plant Diagnostic Clinic has been seeing a number of lawn samples with the same problem - mite damage. Mite damage is caused by the dry weather we have experienced this fall, winter, and spring. Areas of the lawn looks dead, bleached or seems to be coming out of winter slowly. Damage is most common on south exposures, west or south slopes or in lawn areas next to sidewalks or driveways. Upon close inspection, grass blades are speckled with whitish flecks. Some blades may be purplish. ...

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Foothills Garden Alert: The Hummers are coming! by Jan Boone

2012-04-17T14:31:00.000-06:00

Photo from Birdzilla.comFoothills Garden Alert: The Hummers are coming! The Hummers are coming! No, we’re not talking about those tricked out ultra expensive SUV’s, we’re talking about those mighty winged dynamos that have spent their winter along the southern borders of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and are making their way north again for the warm weather months. We all can admit to having annual love affairs with these smallest members of the avian world. Nothing tops their aerial...

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Steppe with Me & My Brother by Kim Bone

2012-04-15T12:03:00.001-06:00

Kim Bone I found out that my brother, Mike Bone's (Denver Botanic Gardens’ Curator of Steppe Collections) trip to to Great Plains/North American Steppe is very close to being cancelled; last night he told me all about the trip and all the incredible things there would be to see and I'm convinced this is a trip not to be missed. If any of you could tune into your spontaneousspirit and get this jewel of an adventure revved-up; I'd guarantee a floral-full, mind-spinning, idea-creating,...

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New Online Gardening Resource from the Denver Botanic Gardens

2012-04-09T11:12:00.000-06:00

Prunus padus 'Albertii' can be seen on the Cherry Blossom Blitz tour The Denver Botanic Gardens is bringing gardeners an exciting and valuable new online resource. Gardens Navigator allows you to search for plants growing at the York Street location by common or scientific name or by features or garden. Navigator can also help you find plants that bloom at certain times or by flower or leaf color to help you design your own garden. Explains Cindy Newlander, Associate Director of...

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Easter Lily Lore and Care by Carol King

2012-04-07T11:30:00.000-06:00

Photo Tufts UniversityIt’s Easter time and the ubiquitous Easter Lily is every where. Did you ever wonder why we purchase these flowers at Easter time? Historically speaking Easter lilies don’t have much to do with the Easter holiday. They are not native to the Holy Land. In Biblical lore, however, the lily is mentioned numerous times. One of the most famous Biblical references is in the Sermon on the Mount: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither...

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Garbage Can Roses by Judy Huckaby

2012-04-05T11:53:00.000-06:00

Ronald Regan Tea Rose One of the truly excellent experiences I had last summer was the benefit of an unintentional act of generosity. In July, I found two roses someone had put out in their trash. The soil in the containers was completely dried out, pulling away from the sides of the black plastic pots. All of the leaves, while green in color, were dry, crinkled, and crispy. One label read “Iceberg”, a floribunda (four foot or so tall bushy rose with many white blooms). The other...

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The Rock Garden – Adding Depth and Dimension to Your Yard! by Vicky Spelman-Lang

2012-04-02T11:42:00.002-06:00

Now is the time to start daydreaming for your next yard project – a rock garden. They are great for slopes, or for building levels in an otherwise flat flower garden. The nooks and crannies created with the rocks can make for unique planting areas. My motivation for building a rock garden came from seeing some aerials of the backyard. Viewing photos from a birds-eye view allowed me to start envisioning a path to the top of our property, with a cactus well and rock...

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Get A Head Start on Yellowjacket Control by Carol King

2012-03-31T15:44:00.000-06:00

Yellowjacket photo by Whitney CranshawI noticed wasps are waking up from their winter naps, which made me think of that old meanie, the yellow jacket. Yellow jackets can be controlled to some extent if we start early, rather than waiting until they are buzzing around our barbecues. The traps will catch the queens before they can find a place to nest. Whitney Cranshaw, Entomology Professor and Extension Specialist from CSU tells us that the western yellowjacket (V. pensylvanica) is, by...

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Spring Yard and Garden Cleanup, or “Spring – Glorious Spring!” by Gardener Dave

2012-03-26T11:59:00.002-06:00

Agastache Ava by Dave Moland “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt” - Margaret Atwood This may be “one of our many springs” on the Front Range, but we will take the weather as it comes, because after all, what choice do we have? We can only hope and pray that our foolish and...

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Pasque Flower Signals that Spring is Here by Elaine Lockey

2012-03-20T10:22:00.001-06:00

Spring arrives officially today, March 20, the vernal equinox. By now you’ve probably been wandering around your garden looking for signs of spring’s arrival: buds opening on the serviceberry, bright yellow Winter Aconite flowers, Narcissus leaves emerging, or the sight of a robin. One of the signs I look for is the emergence of Pasque Flowers, Pulsatilla patens (syn. Anemone patens). A Colorado native, this blue-lavender flower will emerge through the snow in natural areas...

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A Celebration of Irish Plants by Donna Duffy

2012-03-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

You probably know that in Ireland, all shamrocks are considered lucky and are worn and given as gifts on St. Patrick's Day. However, there is some disagreement among the Irish as to the exact plant, but most Irish growers will tell you that Trifolium repens, White Clover, is the plant most commonly known as a shamrock. In Colorado, this Irish shamrock grows in our lawns, in prairies, pastures and foothills. If you enjoy clover honey, you can thank this lovely little plant.White Clover,...

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It’s Time to Prune Your Summer Flowering Shrubs by Elaine Lockey

2012-03-14T11:41:00.000-06:00

Rejuvenation pruning on an older Potentilla. The one on the left needs similar work.Get out your pruners and loppers - it's time to do some pruning. Summer-flowering shrubs bloom on new growth from this year. Some examples are Potentilla, butterflybush, blue mist spirea and Rose of Sharon. They should be thinned or rejuvenated in the late winter or early spring before growth starts. Potentilla fruticosa, also known as Shrubby Cinquefoil, is a very common shrub in many gardens. Many...

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Growing Plants From Seed

2012-03-12T13:41:00.000-06:00

Photo courtesy Carl Wilson, CSU ExtensionFinally March has arrived and it's time to begin starting plants from seeds! When to start them is determined by their growing needs. Here is a great CSU Extension Fact sheet that will set your seeds on the right track! Read about it here. And good luck with this growing season.

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Daylight Savings Time! Turn the Clocks Forward!

2012-03-11T09:01:00.000-06:00

Today's the day. You either love it or hate it but turn those clocks forward one hour. Here's an interesting article from Organic Gardening Magazine about the history of Daylight Savings Time. Much of what you believe about it is false! Read it here.

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Caring for Backyard Chickens by Elizabeth Buckingham

2012-03-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Backyard chickens have become a popular trend over the past few years, and for good reason: chickens are a great source of entertainment, fertilizer, and of course fresh eggs. Chickens are relatively low-maintenance and low-cost, and unlike many other types of livestock, chickens can be kept in a modestly-sized backyard. As with any animal, it is imperative that you first honestly evaluate your household and lifestyle to ensure that you can devote the time, energy and money necessary to keeping...

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Wicked Bugs!

2012-02-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

Join Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Bugs, in a lively video as she highlights insects, like the mosquito, that have changed the world (and killed a lot of people).

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And the 2012 Academy Award Winner is...by Elaine Lockey

2012-02-23T13:38:00.001-07:00

http://www.parasiticplants.siu.edu/Rafflesiaceae/Raff.arn.page.htmlDon’t you wish there was a category at the Academy Awards for best botanic movie? Most stunning landscape background? Best use of a plant in a scene? Me too. So since there isn’t, I went in search of a plant with star power that I think could shine in a future movie. And so my selection for the winner of this year's award for most movie-worthy plant would be the Rafflesia arnoldii. Its common name is Corpse...

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Flower Grown From Siberian Permafrost Seed

2012-02-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

Approximately 30,000 years ago, a squirrel burrowed into the ground in Siberia and stored its hoard of fruit and seeds. Russian scientists found the treasure chamber in the Siberian permafrost and managed to reproduce an entire plant. Meet Silene stenophylla, the oldest plant ever to be regenerated. Silene stenophylla It is fertile, producing white flowers and seeds. What does a gardener ask except "How soon we can order from a seed catalog? " Read more here.

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Pothole Gardening!

2012-02-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

Guerrilla Gardening at it's finest!

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2012 USDA Hardiness Zone Map by Carol King

2012-02-16T13:45:00.000-07:00

Exciting news for all you plant nerds! On Jan. 25, 2012 the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map, updating a useful tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 1990. The new map (developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service and Oregon State University's PRISM Climate Group)—is available online at www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. Long-awaited changes in the climate zone guide show northward warming trends,...

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