Author: Fredricka Bogardus Colorado Master Gardener
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Year-round gardening: Take time to divide perennial plants
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Starting in mid-July and through the fall is a time of the year when even the most inexperienced gardener can practice vegetative propagation of new plants from existing plants. For most gardeners, it is sheer…
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Year-round gardening: Common mullein getting way too common in Colorado
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Recently, common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) seems to be ubiquitous: on roadsides, abandoned lots and even popping up in manicured landscapes. I get why gardeners might find it attractive; with fuzzy leaves and a tall spike…
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Year-round gardening: Pruning at the proper time pays big dividends later
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Shrubs and trees can be pruned to improve structure, maximize blooms and/or fruit production, or to remove damaged or diseased branches. Such branches should be removed as soon as possible. They provide portals for pathogens to infect or infest the tree. Do not use a…
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Year-round gardening: What’s up with turf?
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save If you love your bluegrass lawn, you might feel a bit pressured these days. Water shortages are leading many to replace turf with less thirsty options. It might be helpful to rethink why and how we use turf to maximize the benefit provided by lawns,…
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Year-round gardening: Ants in the garden
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save When I noticed some unsightly mounds in my pink chintz thyme groundcover, I found they were swarming with ants. Yuck. I don’t ordinarily try to suppress ants, but I didn’t want my perennial garden littered with ant hills. I was determined to rid that part…
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Year-round gardening: Fire blight showing up in spring blooming trees
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fire blight is a bacterial infection of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Apple, crabapple (including ornamentals) and pear trees, as well as serviceberries, cotoneasters, hawthorns, pyracantha and even blackberry and raspberry bushes can be affected. The infection is very destructive and can…
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Year-round gardening: Cut fire risk with your Colorado Springs landscapes
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Fire danger is high. Our hot, windy, dry weather creates optimal conditions for wildfire to spread. You cannot fireproof your landscape, but your plantings can reduce the risk of spreading a fire and make it…
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Year-round gardening: Creating succulent gardens in containers
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save I love pots filled with annuals that bloom all summer, but these plantings need constant watering, deadheading and frequent fertilization. If you’re looking for a less-demanding, eye-catching planter, consider a container garden of succulents. Succulents’…