Enriching Your Life

Container Gardening is Fun and Easy

Container gardening is very popular, especially for gardeners with no yards or limited growing area in the ground.  All types of plants may be grown in containers.  Annual flowers, herbs and vegetables work very well because their growing will be over at the end of the summer season.  Your containers can then be replanted the following season with a fresh planting. Perennials, shrubs and trees... Read More

Creek Side Vegetable Variety Suggestions

Vegetable varieties – what is tried and true and what is something new to explore.  Get outside your comfort zone and branch into varieties you may not have tried. Tomatoes What is an heirloom? An heirloom tomato is an old variety that has not been hybridized. What does determinate and indeterminate mean? A determinate variety means that it will grow to it’s ‘determined’ height.  Indeterminate... Read More

More Than Milkweed

It’s always exciting to see pollinators in our gardens, but the monarch butterfly seems to hold a special place in our hearts. The Colorado Front Range is the eastern boundary for the adult monarch’s migratory path from southern Canada to central Mexico. Monarchs can be seen along the Front Range between June (heading north) and September (heading back south). How can we attract those boundary... Read More

February Blah to March Ahhhh

As the cold days and nights of winter begin to thaw, so do the doldrums in our bodies and mind.  Thinking about the pending spring lifts our spirits and gives us hope for the upcoming warmer days.  Plants and flowers, beautiful landscapes, community parks and natural environments make us feel good, improve our moods and increase our energy levels. Soothing our mind, body and soul.... Read More

Important Seed Packet Information

Creek Side Gardens proudly features Botanical Interests Seeds, a Colorado company.  Every seed packet is designed to help gardeners succeed. Featuring gorgeous botanical artists’ renderings of each variety, each packet is like a mini-encyclopedia, full of information inside and out, to inspire and assist every type of gardener.  Whether you are planting flowers, herbs or vegetables, following the information on the seed packet is your... Read More

A Winter Walk – Do You See What I See?

Winter in Colorado may seem dull and lack luster of any color.  The days are short and we long for the first signs of spring.  But winter has its own charm and if you look close enough you might be surprised what you see.  Grab a camera and take a stroll along the river side or greenbelt or foothills and see the beauty of winter.... Read More

Create a Holiday Porch Pot

What is a Holiday Porch Pot?  Just as we decorate our porches and patios with pots of colorful flowers during the spring, summer and fall seasons, Holiday Porch Pots offer us an opportunity to make use of our flowerpots during the winter months. Evergreen Boughs First, consider an arrangement of a variety of freshly cut evergreen boughs placed into the soil of a pot from... Read More

Prevent and Get Rid of Fungus Gnats

Houseplants bring a wonderful, lovely dose of nature indoors where you need it most, further helping us by purifying the air in our homes. At some point, you might notice some unwelcome visitors making your houseplants their home. Fungus gnats, also known as soil gnats, are small dark insects that look like fruit flies and live in the soil of houseplants. You might notice them... Read More

How to Grow Amaryllis Indoors

To grow amaryllis successfully indoors, follow these steps. It is worth it to have a showy display of gorgeous blooms greeting you on an otherwise dreary day. Choosing Your Bulbs There are many different varieties of amaryllis in different colors, fragrances, and flower types. One bulb will grow two stems, which in turn will produce four flowers each. If you want really big flowers,  choose... Read More

Composting Guide for Colorado

With all the leaf raking going on, now may be a good time to consider building a compost pile.  Use all those dry leaves and turn them into black gold for your garden beds.  This process requires the right ingredients, blended together in the proper balance for this natural process to take place.  It will require some of your time and attention to make sure... Read More