Author: Fredricka Bogardus
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Year-round gardening: It’s not too late for zinnias
By Fredricka BogardusColorado Master Gardener Zinnias might be at the end of the alphabet, but if you are looking to fill some bare spots in the garden, they should be at the top of your list. Annual zinnias (Zinnia elegans) are widely available, both as seed and plants. They come in a rainbow of colors…
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Year-round gardening: Coping with deer in the garden
By Fredricka BogardusColorado Master Gardener El Paso County is blessed, or perhaps cursed, with very healthy deer herds. While the deer can be fun to see, especially the babies in spring, they can frustrate gardeners by treating the garden like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Physical barriers such as fences are very effective as long as they…
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Year-round gardening: Get your soil ready for growing season
Fredricka BogardusColorado Master Gardener As gardeners, we really don’t grow plants; that is the soil’s job. Tilth, the soil’s ability to support plant growth, can be improved over time by amending soil wisely. A soil test provides data-based insight into what steps gardeners can take to help the garden thrive. Three important metrics for characterizing…
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Year-round gardening: Forcing spring bulbs indoors
By Fredricka Bogardus, Colorado Master Gardener Maybe you bought some spring bulbs this fall and never got them in the ground, or maybe you found some on clearance and made an impulse purchase. Don’t despair; it isn’t too late to use those bulbs even if there is a foot of snow on the ground. Spring…
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Autumn cleanup in the Wildland Urban Interface
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” — Benjamin Franklin Colorado Springs includes geographic areas that are designated Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas. These are transitional areas where undeveloped wildlands meet areas of human development and infrastructure. Neighborhoods in the WUI are deemed to be at higher risk of wildfires due to…
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Autumn cleanup in the Wildland Urban Interface
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” — Benjamin Franklin Colorado Springs includes geographic areas that are designated Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas. These are transitional areas where undeveloped wildlands meet areas of human development and infrastructure. Neighborhoods in the WUI are deemed to be at higher risk of wildfires due to…
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Year-round gardening: Take steps now to enjoy perhaps the easiest food crop
Fall-planted garlic (Allium sativum) might just be the easiest food crop. Imagine harvesting in early summer with no weeding, no bug damage and really almost no work. Wow your friends and family with beautiful garlic just in time for the Fourth of July. With proper storage, it will stay fresh for months. Garlic requires a…
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Year-round gardening: Take time to divide perennial plants
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 joy to turn a thriving plant that you love into several new plants to thrive and love! Plant division can…
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Year-round gardening: Common mullein getting way too common in Colorado
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 of yellow flowers, it almost appears regal. But there is another side to this plant that can wreak havoc on…
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Year-round gardening: These flowering plants will lure hummingbirds to your Colorado garden
“Hover like a hummingbird, always able to fly backwards when needed.” — Amelia Earhart Every spring the hummingbirds come from Mexico and Central America. Some come to spend the summer here, especially the broad-tailed hummingbird. Others may just pass through on their way to breeding grounds farther west. They will return south in late summer.…