Plant & Gardening Trends

Timely August Garden Tips

Number one August tip is to sit back, relax and enjoy your summer garden in all its glory!  Invite friends and neighbors over to show off and celebrate all your hard work!  You deserve it! If you can’t sit back and relax…there is plenty to do…. Consider seeding a fall crop of lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, beets, peas etc. Basil and cilantro may also be... Read More

First Year Flowering Perennials

New this year, our Grown Fresh production includes a series of “first year” flowering perennials.  No vernalization required.  These perennials were just planted a couple of montths ago and are already blooming like CRAZY!  Stop by the store to check them out. Perennial plant breeders are working on developing new varieties that will bloom their first season.  In addition to perennials being seasonal bloomers, most... Read More

Tomatoes & Hot Weather Tips

How are your tomatoes growing? Problems with Blossom End Rot?  The dark grey, black-sunken area on the blossom end of tomatoes. Though many people think blossom end rot is a disease, it isn’t. Blossom end rot is not caused by a bacteria or fungus, nor is it something that is caused by an insect pest. It is a physiological disorder thought to be caused by... Read More

Welcome to the Dark Side – Gardening for Shade

Successful gardening always begins with choosing the right plant for the right location. Of course, gardening involves trying new things, trial and error, a willingness to be creative but in the end, we can’t force mother nature to respond in a manner that is inconsistent with evolution. No matter how much we would like our favorite sun-loving geranium, petunia, rose, salvia or sedum to grow... Read More

Mid-Summer Plant Maintenance Tips

Pruning Annual Baskets and Container Gardens Cut back petunias, callies, verbena, scaevola, sweet potato vine and others to refresh your pots. Follow the straggly stems half-way up the side of the pot or basket. Then use a sharp pair of shears to trim the stems all around the container like a bowl cut. Prune off dead foliage or undergrowth that looks bad. Dead head flowers to keep... Read More

Hot Weather Watering & Budworm Control

Hot Weather Water Tips When the temperature goes over 90 degrees; an extra dose of love and care will help keep your flowers flourishing throughout the summer. Check flowers twice daily for water, once in the morning and again in the evening.  Some pots/beds may require additional water applications to fight the heat. In the landscape, any newly planted roses, perennials, shrubs, or trees will require additional irrigation... Read More

June is National Rose Month

If you love roses, Colorado provides a great growing climate so be sure to include them on your garden list.  Because there are so many different types, there are roses to fill nearly every gardeners growing needs. Types of Roses Don’t be confused about all the types available.  The main thing is to find a color you like.  Then check the general height for that... Read More

The Fruits of Your Labor

Growing small fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, grapes, blackberries, gooseberries or even patio citrus trees are often overlooked as a sustainable addition to your garden.  Most varieties do well here in Colorado but often require certain growing conditions for each different fruit. Raspberries, Blackberries and Boysenberries Ever-bearing or Fall-bearing raspberries seem best-suited for the Front Range, according to tests conducted by Colorado State University. Creek... Read More

More Longest Flowering Perennials

A well-designed garden provides interest from early spring through late autumn, and beyond if you also select plants for winter structure. But, for the main growing season, much of that interest comes from flowering and foliage plants.  Most perennial plants flower for two to four weeks, but the longest flowering perennials, like coneflowers and catmint, measure their flowering period in months, not weeks. The Longest... Read More

Summer Plant Care Tips

Aphids Commonly found on trees, shrubs, and garden ornamentals. Aphids feed by sucking sap from a plants new leaf growth. When populations are severe the damage can cause wilting, leaf curling, and dieback of shoots and buds. The sticky honeydew (aphids waste material) is an attractant for ants, yellow jacket wasps, flies, and bees which can be as much a nuisance as damage done to... Read More