Category: Plants and Flowers

Turf serves an important purpose: it provides recreation areas for adults, kids, and pets alike. But native grasses bring a character all their own, with the added bonus of being low-water and low-maintenance once established. Ornamental grasses can also provide height, varying texture, movement, and year-round interest. Consider adding them to your landscape this year. A few examples of Colorado native grasses for your consideration: Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis). Did you know that Colorado has an official state grass? It…

How to cycle and soak to save water and get best watering results As temperatures rise, you may be tempted to run your sprinkler longer. But resist that temptation, and instead practice cycle-and-soak watering. It’s an efficient way to keep your landscape healthy and be sure that none of your watering goes to waste. Here’s how to cycle and soak: Break up your watering into shorter intervals. For example, if you usually water an area of lawn for about 15…

It’s getting warmer across Colorado, and our plants will need more water. But just because the drought is waning on the Front Range—for now—doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still try to conserve water. The Western Slope, which provides much of our water supply, is still in drought. And our own next drought could be just around the corner. We should give the plants the water they need but not waste a drop. One way to save water and dress up the…

There’s still time to plant some sunflowers in your landscape. The National Garden Bureau named 2021 the Year of the Sunflower, and with good reason. This cheerful plant is always a popular cut flower, and it’s easy to grow. Some facts about sunflowers: They are native to North America, so they are well-suited to grow here. They provide both nectar and seeds, making them a great plant for pollinators. The flowers move to face the sun, a process called heliotropism.…

What is a weed? It’s any plant that grows where we don’t want it. Often they are non-native, potentially invasive plants that can outgrow and crowd out the plants we put in our landscape on purpose. To avoid a big problem in the height of the growing season, take some time to stop weeds as soon as they appear. The key is to get rid of them before they flower or go to seed. There are two basic methods of…

After recent snows gave them a dose of moisture, and with temperatures heating up along the Front Range, early spring bulbs are popping up in landscapes and giving us a hint of the color to come. Crocuses, hyacinths, even some daffodils and tulips can be spotted in gardens and flower beds. The warm days might inspire you to add some color to your landscape. Keep in mind that April in Colorado could still bring us heavy snowfall or even a…

November is a good time to think about wrapping your vulnerable trees for the winter. If you planted a new tree this fall or have a young tree in your landscape, wrapping it can protect your trees from winter damage. Why wrap Changes in temperature—especially those days when the temperature drops 20 degrees in two hours—can cause the frost cracks or split bark. The tree bark can also suffer sunscald, which are burns caused by sun exposure once the leaves…

This fall’s mild temperatures give us an opportunity to plant now for a beautiful landscape next year. Fall is the best time to get bulbs into the ground for spring color. Choose your location and buy your bulbs now if you haven’t already. It’s hard to go wrong with tulips, daffodils, hyacinth and crocus. Add edibles to the mix by planting garlic and saffron crocus. Note the bloom times of each type of flower so you can group and plant…

As the growing season winds down and you prepare your landscape for winter, you may find yourself with a lot of yard waste. Instead of bagging it and tossing it into the garbage, why not make that yard waste continue to benefit your plants by composting? What to put in your compost bin: Leaves Grass clippings Straw Plant debris While you’re at it, you can also add food waste from indoors, like coffee grounds, fruit peels and cores, and vegetables.…