People are discovering clever ways to garden anywhere and everywhere. In a tiny yard, or no yard at all. Whether it is a container garden, a raised bed or a traditional in-ground bed, all gardens provide significant benefits, helping you discover health and community right in your own backyard. Vegetable Gardens What do you want to grow? Herb and vegetable gardens are more popular than... Read More
Winter watering is advisable with late planted perennials, bare root plants, and perennials located in windy or southwest exposures. Newly planted trees, shrubs, lawns , woody plants, and plants with shallow root systems (i.e. groundcovers). The result of long, dry periods during fall and winter is injury or death to parts of plant root systems. Affected plants may appear perfectly normal and resume growth in... Read More
Vegetable gardening is one of the most popular pastimes in the home garden. If you have never grown a tomato plant or sown some lettuce seeds in the spring, you are missing out on one of the most gratifying aspects of gardening. Grow it yourself, harvest the fruits of your labors and serve the bounty to your family. How satisfying! Vegetables can be demanding plants.... Read More
Most people miss the abundance of color that we have 9 months out of the year here in Colorado during the winter months. Winter has its own charm and if you look close enough you might be surprised what you see. Grab a camera and take a field trip along the riverbed, greenbelt or along the foothills and see the beauty of winter. Listed below... Read More
Site Selection – choose your garden location before designing it. Site selection is the first step in planning a successful perennial garden. Evaluate the location for sun and shade, wind, soil type and irrigation options. Also consider ease of access, proximity to outdoor living areas, and visibility. Locate the perennial garden so that if possible, it can be accessed from two sides. This makes it... Read More
One of the most distinctive aspects of celebrating the holiday season is the look, feel and fragrance of holiday greens used in decorating our homes. There is nothing like the smell of fresh evergreen boughs to remind us that the holiday season is fast approaching. Christmas Trees & Evergreens The most familiar use of holiday greens is of course the Christmas tree. Setting up a... Read More
Noble Fir These needles turn upward, exposing the lower branches. Known for its beauty, the noble fir has a long keep ability, and its stiff branches make it a good tree for heavy ornaments, as well as providing excellent greenery for wreaths and garland. Long considered an excellent Christmas tree because of its beauty, stiff branches and long keepability, the species is growing in popularity... Read More
Poinsettia Select plants with colorful bracts covering the top of the plant. Leaves should be uniformly green with no lower leaves missing. Place plants anywhere in your home, will tolerate various light levels throughout the holidays. Keep soil moderately moist with a chance to dry out between applications. Water thoroughly whenever the soil feels dry to the touch and never allow the plant to stand... Read More
Selection Poinsettias do well in the home and keep their color sometimes until mid-March. The showy red, pink, white, yellow, bicolored or speckled modified “leaves” are called bracts. With proper light and temperature, they accumulate the anthocyanin pigments that give them their color. The flowers (cyathia) of the poinsettia are in the center of the bracts. Male and female parts are present, along with a... Read More
Preparing our gardens for the winter is important. Most of the greenhouses at Creek Side have been ‘winterized’ for the season. A few of the houses have potted plants in them whether it is heated or not. Our perennials are tucked away in the ‘cold’ house. This greenhouse offers protection to the plants from the wind and very severe cold winter temperatures. Once these plants... Read More
