Author: By Fredricka Bogardus Colorado Master Gardener
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Year-round gardening: Add color around your Colorado home with holiday cactus
Once gardens become dormant, Coloradans could long for flowers to brighten their homes during the holiday season. Holiday cactus (Schlumbergera sp.) is a great choice. These natives of Brazil grow in the crotches of trees but are not parasitic. Because they’re understory rain forest plants, they will get enough light near a sunny window. Holiday…
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Year-round gardening: Autumn is an ideal time to examine deciduous trees in your yard
Once leaves have dropped in autumn, there is a great opportunity to examine the deciduous trees in your garden and determine if some pruning is needed. November through March is an ideal time to get that work done. Evergreen tree pruning should be deferred until early spring. The reasons for pruning include: • Managing damage…
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Year-round gardening: Is it time to clean up your Colorado garden? Well, it depends.
The need for seasonal garden cleanup can be a controversial subject. How much to do in autumn, and how much to leave for spring, is a question best answered by, “It depends.” Questions to ask yourself include: • What are you growing? • What insect and animal pests do you want to manage? • What…
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Year-round gardening: Pruning at the proper time pays big dividends later
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 wound sealer, as this causes more harm than good. Pruning…
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Year-round gardening: What’s up with turf?
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, and not use grass where it isn’t a good choice.…
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Year-round gardening: Get garden started by sowing seeds indoors
Want lots of plants? Start some seeds! There are many flowers and vegetables that can easily be grown from seeds in our region. To get a head start, start some seeds indoors to transplant once the danger of frost has passed, which is typically mid-May in the region. Seed germination is the first step. Germination…
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Year-round gardening: Winter an ideal time to prune trees
Winter is a great time to prune deciduous trees. Once the leaves have fallen, it is easy to see the structure of the tree and determine what branches should be removed. There are easy targets for what to prune first. Broken, damaged or diseased limbs should be removed. Branches that cross each other can rub…
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Year-round gardening: Adding trees and shrubs to your Colorado garden
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” — Warren Buffett Mid to late spring is a great time to add trees and shrubs to the garden. Trees and shrubs are woody plants that do not die back to the ground in winter. They bring many benefits to…
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Year-round gardening: Colorado roses require extra care before winter
As the winter begins, roses need extra care to get them ready for winter. Hybrid tea roses are most often grafted woody shrubs. Ornamental rose varieties might be grafted on to a hardier rootstock for more winter resilience. There are also hybrid teas that are on their own roots, so it is important to determine…
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Year-round gardening: Now’s a good time to divide herbaceous perennials
Late summer to mid-September is a good time to divide perennial plants that may have overgrown. And you can get some plants to fill in your garden or share with fellow gardeners. Cooler weather in fall makes it easier for these plants to recover from being dug up and cut up. Small divisions that are…