Tag: gardening
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Year-round gardening: September always an interesting time in the garden
By Kerry PeetzColorado Master Gardener Welcome to September in Colorado, the only place where you can get sunburned while covering your tomatoes to save them from a blizzard. With the blistering, extreme heat of this past summer, old-timers are already whispering the forsaken four-letter word “s-n-o-w,” and we all know a sudden September dump isn’t…
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Year-round gardening: Milkweed is a big plus for butterflies and your garden
By Fredricka BogardusColorado Master Gardener Milkweed is not just for monarchs! Native milkweed plants are a great addition to Colorado gardens. They are attractive flowering plants that, contrary to their name, are not at all weedy. There are 19 milkweed species native to our state. Two native species — butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and showy…
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Year-round gardening: Kicking off the homestretch of Colorado’s gardening season
By Kerry PeetzColorado Master Gardener August has officially pitched its tent in Colorado. While the alignment of the corn stalks — and the impending return of school buses — suggests summer is winding down, our gardens clearly missed the memo. Under our signature high-altitude sunshine, paired with the hot temperatures and lack of rain, the…
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Year-round gardening: Preventing and managing hail damage in Colorado
By Kim SnowdonColorado Master Gardener “Storms make trees take deeper roots.” — legendary singer Dolly Parton This has been a challenging year for Colorado gardeners. A warm dry winter was followed by a hot dry summer. Most years, hail is also a serious threat to Colorado gardeners. Though perhaps we haven’t seen as much this…
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Year-round gardening: This native plant is sure to boost the look of your landscape
By Pat ShepperdsonColorado Master Gardener Clematis, a reliable garden favorite, is known as the “queen of climbers.” It adds height and color to fences, trellises and arbors without taking up valuable ground space, and its abundant, vibrant blooms attract beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies. Nearly 380 species of Clematis have been identified. Most…
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City Greenhouses pay-what-you-can surplus plant sale returns
Some plant sales ask for a credit card or cash. This one simply asks for you to pay what you can. When the City Greenhouses open their gates July 23-25, thousands of greenhouse-grown native plants destined for Colorado Springs parks will instead find new homes through a donation-based surplus sale. After the city’s horticulture crews…
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Year-round gardening: Lavender is lovely in your Colorado garden
By Fredricka BogardusColorado Master Gardener Lavender can be a great addition to your garden. It is well adapted to this climate, tolerates slightly alkaline soil, and is drought tolerant. There are few pest problems, and it is deer and rabbit resistant. In addition to beautiful summer flowers, lavender is a sub-shrub, meaning it has somewhat…
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Year-round gardening: Tips to maintaining a thriving garden during the summer
By Kerry PeetzColorado Master Gardener Beneath the Colorado sun, July is shining bright. By now, gardens have been planted and it’s time to celebrate and busy ourselves with helping them thrive and survive. Early July Last call for zinnia seeds! Plant in a sunny soil bed. While other annuals begin looking sad and spent these…
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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…
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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…