Author: By Debra Stinton Othitis Colorado Master Gardener
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Year-round gardening: Annual tour to highlight Old Farm, Briargate gardens in Colorado Springs
Back for its 14th year, the highly acclaimed Colorado Springs Garden Tour will highlight nine gardens in the Old Farm and Briargate neighborhoods. Mark your calendars now and plan to attend this popular event where there is something of interest for everyone. The nine gardens on the tour tell stories about differing garden “genres.” For…
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Year-round gardening: Zinnias are the flower of choice for abundant blooms
“The Language of Flowers is indeed as old as the hills; yet it can never become old, for every Spring reproduces its characters anew.” — Robert Tyas, Floral Emblems of Thoughts, Feelings, and Sentiments (1875) The Victorian language of flowers assigned feelings and emotions to various flowers. Most commonly, red roses represent love. Less well-known…
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Year-round gardening: Plan now to attract pollinators to your Colorado garden next spring
There is no time like spring, when life’s alive in everything. — Christina Rossetti Fall bulb planting is an easy way to bring early blooms into our gardens. At most elevations, the best time to plant bulbs is mid-September to late October, so bulbs can establish roots before the soil freezes. There are many varieties…
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Year-round gardening: These Colorado herbs play key roles in summertime beverages
When one thinks of using herbs, it is usually for medicinal or culinary purposes. However, whether you have a large garden area or only a few planter boxes and a hodge-podge of pots, you also can enjoy the bounty of your gardening efforts in refreshing, flavorsome summertime beverages. • Basil: Part of the mint family,…
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Year-round gardening: Annual garden tour returns to historic Colorado Springs neighborhoods
Mark your calendars now and plan to attend this year’s highly acclaimed Colorado Springs Garden Tour. By popular demand, this year’s tour returns to the Patty Jewett neighborhood (last toured in 2017) and includes the nearby Bonnyville neighborhood. Both have easy proximity to downtown Colorado Springs. In fact, most of the garden tour can be…
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Year-round gardening: A guide to geraniums and pelargoniums
Geraniums and pelargoniums are easy-to-grow perennials familiar to most gardeners but often confused with one another. While both are in the geranium family, the most common plants sold as geraniums are actually pelargoniums. True geraniums are the “cranesbills,” hardy North American and European herbaceous perennials. The cranesbill name comes from the seedhead that develops after…
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Year-round gardening: This flower gives maximum blooms for minimum work
Garden trivia: What do tomatoes and dahlias have in common? Dahlias are easy plants to grow and they yield beautiful blooms from midsummer through fall. In many respects, “dahlia culture” is similar to “tomato culture.” If you can grow tomatoes in your garden, you can successfully grow dahlias. Another similarity is that most gardeners can’t…
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Year-round gardening: Build a pollinator ‘hotel’ to help Colorado bees
Pollinators need food, water, shelter and nesting space, collectively known as habitat. Due to urbanization, our pollinators are experiencing a loss of habitat, especially in urban areas dominated by hard surfaces. Bees are abundant and effective pollinators, with more than 900 species of solitary bees native to Colorado. We can help support that population by…
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Year-round gardening: Colorado Springs Garden Tour to offer tips, history
Since its inception in 2011, the Colorado Springs Garden Tour has showcased private gardens in neighborhoods such as Patty Jewett, Village Seven, University Park, The Broadmoor and more. Every year, the tour receives high acclaim from attendees and garden owners alike. In conjunction with the city’s sesquicentennial celebration, this year’s tour, July 17-18, incorporates beautiful…
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Year Round Gardening
As you reap the fall bounty from your vegetable garden, don’t forget that next year’s garlic crop should be planted before October 15 for a July 2017 harvest. Garlic is one of the easiest vegetables to grow and has a multitude of health benefits. It requires little space and can be planted in the fall…