Author: Kerry Peetz
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Year-round gardening: August tasks for Colorado gardeners to consider
August has arrived in Colorado. And while it might feel like summer is winding down, gardens still have plenty of life, beauty and even a few surprises left to offer. With bright blue skies, sudden storms and that high-altitude sunshine, Front Range landscapes are buzzing — literally and figuratively. Here are a few garden tasks…
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Year-round gardening: A hefty menu of tasks for June, with a side of crab grass
Summer is quickly approaching, which means Colorado gardeners can expect a growing checklist of tasks to complete. • Water like you mean it (but not too much, Drama Mama): June is when your plants start getting thirsty — like they live in the Atacama Desert. Resist going full monsoon mode. El Paso County soil is…
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Year-round gardening: 10 things for your gardening checklist during May in Colorado
May is here, and with it comes longer days, unpredictable weather and the countdown to summer. It’s a month of surprises. So, you’re contemplating wearing shorts in the garden? Bold move. You might want to bring your down coat just in case. Sun or snow, May is a busy month for gardeners. 1. Plant warm-season…
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Year-round gardening: A spring checklist for Colorado gardeners
April is just about here and with it comes Easter (April 20), Earth Day (April 22), Colorado Arbor Day (April 26) and National Parks Week (April 19-27). Every gardener is itching to get outside and dig in the soil. Sometimes we forget that gardening can be tricky in April living in the foothills of Pikes…
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Year-round gardening: It’s time to start working in the garden
“In March winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something pulls inside of us too.” – Jean Hersey, American author What a deliciously cold winter we’ve had. Hopefully, March will bring us an equally delightful spring that provides rain, sunshine and perennials that have survived the winter temperatures. Here are…
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Year-Round Gardening: Work to be done as gardens come back to life
Typically, March is our snowiest month. But if you’ve lived here for awhile you will have heard our ever-popular cliche, “If you don’t like the weather now, stick around for an hour, it will change.” Local meteorologists do a pretty great job of predicting our weather about 97% of the time, that “3% curve ball…
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Year-round gardening: Indoor plants still benefit from outdoor conditions
For gardeners, this is a melancholy time. We miss the splash of color from flowers, the scent of fresh soil and the magic of slicing garden-grown vegetables. Alas, another growing season has passed. Let’s turn to houseplants. For hundreds of years, we have been brightening up our homes and offices by adding plants. Even though…
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Year-round gardening: Steps to prep your Colorado garden for a new year
Much of what Colorado gardeners do from now through February is getting the garden ready for next year. Here are some things to consider. Cleanup • Discard fallen, spoiled or mummified fruits to reduce insect and disease carryover. • Prune and remove dead, diseased or damaged branches from shrubs and trees. Winter is an excellent…
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Year-round gardening: October checklist for Colorado gardeners
“October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace!” — author Rainbow Rowell By now, we have all experienced cool, crisp night air. Gardens are wowing…
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Year-round gardening: A September checklist for Colorado gardeners
“By all these lovely tokens, September days are here. With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.” — Helen Hunt Jackson In 1875, Helen Hunt married William Jackson of Colorado Springs and made Colorado her home. Surely, they had our shared experiences of September days being noticeably shorter, with cooler nights and pleasant…