Tag: gardening
-
Year-round gardening: Tour of seven gardens in Colorado Springs promises something for everyone
By Debra Stinton OthitisColorado Master Gardener This year’s highly acclaimed Colorado Springs Garden Tour will be the 15th of its kind. The tour, which started in 2011 and skipped only the COVID-plagued year of 2020, will highlight seven gardens by the Colorado Springs Country Club and nearby neighborhoods that display a wide variety of styles…
-
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…
-
Colorado Springs Garden Tour celebrates its 100th featured garden
For one weekend, the lawns, flower beds and hidden backyard gems that are typically reserved for a household’s usual members become a horticultural sight for locals to explore. For years, winding garden paths and pollinator-friendly landscapes have been carefully curated in homeowners’ outdoor spaces across the city. Now, with their gardens in full bloom, homes…
-
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…
-
Year-round gardening: June should be a busy month for Colorado gardeners
By Kerry PeetzColorado Master Gardener What a wild ride the weather has delivered over the past several weeks. Hard freezes and record-breaking days of unusually warm temperatures, even our plants were confused! Assuming we are now headed in the right direction (cross your fingers), it’s time to get down to business in June. General maintenance…
-
Year-round gardening: Compost is ‘black gold’ for gardeners. Here are tips for starting your Colorado mine.
By Debra Stinton OthitisColorado Master Gardener Composting is the natural, accelerated decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) into nutrient-rich soil conditioner. It is a relatively simple and rewarding procedure. Compost-amended soil improves soil structure, enhances moisture retention, and promotes healthy microbial activity, fostering robust plant growth and reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.…
-
Year-round gardening: Tips for saving water in dry year
By Kim SnowdonColorado Master Gardener “When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water.” — Benjamin Franklin Colorado set lots of precipitation records last winter, and most were bad from a gardening standpoint. Record-low snowpack and record-high temperatures mean the region is likely facing strict water restrictions this summer. Many communities have already implemented…
-
Phelan Gardens continues to blossom as a Springs business
4955 Austin Bluffs Parkwayphelangardens.com From a small greenhouse in Knob Hill neighborhood sprouted a gardening business that’s been in operation for more than 40 years. Phelan Gardens, a locally owned plant and gardening center, has been supplying Colorado Springs customers with an array of greens since 1981. The center is open year-round and offers everything…
-
Gigantic Plant Sale returns to Colorado Springs: What to know before you go
Follow the scent of fresh soil and blooming roses, and you’ll find yourself in the heart of one of Colorado Springs’ most beloved garden traditions. For more than 60 years, the Horticultural Art Society of Colorado Springs has been cultivating not just plants, but a community. While maintaining multiple public gardens, the society transforms Monument…
-
Year-round gardening: Grow your own salad
By Kim SnowdonColorado Master Gardener “Lettuce celebrate the goodness of greens!” — author unknown Cool-season salad greens are an easy garden crop for your raised bed or a container on your patio. A vegetable is considered a cool-season crop if it thrives in temperatures between 50 degrees and 70 degrees. And there’s nothing more satisfying…