If you’re really feeling the itch to get out and garden, consider planting some cool-hardy pansies. When you go pick out your pansies: Check with garden center staff that the flowers you are purchasing are ready to plant. Pansies should be hardened off before putting them in the ground. If they have been kept outdoors at the garden center, they are probably hardened off and ready to plant. Be aware that pansies that haven’t yet been hardened off need some protected…
Gardening and landscape care can be a healthy hobby that helps us get outdoors and moving around. But proper form is important to avoid discomfort or injury. Vary activities and tasks frequently and include rest periods in between to help reduce the strain from repetitive motions. If hands start to tingle or the wrist and fingers hurt or feel numb, this is a signal to take a break and switch to a different task. Monitor positions and posture while gardening. Orienting the body incorrectly…
Springtime in the Rockies is usually a roller-coaster ride of nice days with warmer temps and colder days that bring heavy snows. And March, as we all know, tends to be the snowiest month. For many plants, this transition time into spring can be the most challenging time of year. Snowfalls from this point forward tend to pack more moisture, and that added weight is more stressful on plants. Here are some coping strategies to help your plants: Deciduous trees: Damp…
Unfortunately for all of us who want to get outdoors and start planting, it’s really too soon to plant perennials and to expect them to survive the recent snows and possible hard freezes ahead. Here’s what you need to know if you have bought plants already: Because these perennials have been in cold storage all winter, they have been kept dormant. But bringing them inside the store where it’s warm has forced them to break dormancy – and they will start…
Children who grow their own vegetables are five times more likely to eat them, according to a 2015 study. Whether it’s at school or at home, gardening can benefit their health and wellbeing in many ways. Consider involving your children in planning your garden, and garden alongside them when it’s time to plant. Let them select veggies, herbs and flowers they would like to grow. Get them involved early in the process to increase their investment and help them learn. Planning a garden…
Whether it is in your landscape or an indoor pot, soil is the medium for your plants to thrive. High quality soil performs five functions at the same time: Soil… Acts like a sponge, soaking up rainwater and limiting runoff. It also helps with groundwater recharge and controlling rainwater runoff in urban environments. Acts like a faucet, storing and releasing water and air for plants and animals to use. Acts like a supermarket, providing valuable nutrients, air and water to plants.…
Why winter composting is important. Compost needs time to mellow or break down. That’s why it works to put it down during the winter, even if it isn’t tilled into the soil. As it breaks down, compost creates a homogeneous soil mixture ripe with microbial activity. This process does not add nutrients to the soil, but it does improve the soil’s capacity to hold onto both nutrients and water. That is why compost is so good for the garden and of…
Yes, there’s plenty of snow on the ground, but it’s not too early to think about this year’s garden. Seed catalogs were mailed long ago, and the online business is already booming. If you haven’t started planning this year’s garden, grab something warm to drink and cozy up to the fire with your laptop and order for spring! How much and when to order? For most home gardeners, one or two seed packets per variety are all you’ll need. To have the…
This winter has been full of more snow than in past years. Being stuck inside can wear on our health and attitude. Your yard and garden can be part or your “winter blues,” recovery. Get moving. Exercise is a great way to get rid of those “winter blues”. Why not get out in the yard to check off some outdoor tasks? Heavy yard work (landscaping, moving rocks, hauling dirt) can burn 400-600 calories per hour, according to WebMD. So can…
Your lawn does not actually die each winter; it goes dormant. Dormant grass needs care too, especially in periods where there is lack of precipitation. Turf needs water in the winter, though not as much as it does in the heat of the summer. Simply turning off the water until spring leaves your lawn at risk of drought stress. Drought stress creates favorable conditions for problems like turf-mites. The damage (brown, straw-like patches) can show up early and can devastate…
