Monday, January 28, 2019

Giddy with Snow!

No case of the "Mondays" this morning in Denver unless you're driving in the snow storm. Be careful out there. 


Video of our raised beds and the backyard. Much needed Snow-Snow-SNOW!



Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Eight Mondays Until Spring of 2019

Are you noticing just about every social media garden site is thinking spring and posting accordingly? If you're not on these outlets (good on ya), trust me, they are just enabling what you're already thinking about which will happen in eight short weeks. Are you ready?

What is your readiness plan? Is it too early to start seeds indoors? What can be planted? Are there any downsides to early seeding? How do I seed, I'm just getting started? Any tips? Do I need expensive lighting and equipment? "My you ask a lot of questions. Glad you asked, I enjoy answering them."

FIRST - order your seeds or purchase from local garden centers now, no more delays. If ordered immediately they'll probably arrive the Monday after the Super Bowl or before - perfect. 
 
SECOND - yes, some seeds can be started this early in late January. The list includes plants that take longer to grow indoors (~10 -12 weeks) before they are ready to be transplanted outside. Here's a sampling. 
  • Cool-season vegetable and herb seeds includes: artichokes, celery, celeriac, onion and leek, parsley. 
  • Ornamental annuals includes: pennisetum grass, lisianthus (seeding tips), snapdragons, stock, verbena, pansies/viola, geranium, wax begonia, dusty miller, heliotrope, petunia, lobelia, ornamental peppers.
  • Perennials include: delphinium, foxglove, dianthus, echinacea (coneflower), eryngium (sea holly), tanacetum (feverfew), rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan), viola, yarrow, carnation (tender perennial) bee balm (tender perennial), sweet william (biennial).
THIRD - the downsides to seeding plants too early. Not the ones listed above, they need the extra weeks to grow:
Seed Starting Light System - a good investment for indoor seeding
  • Light - if you're depending on using a sunny window for your seed trays, in late January we only have about nine to ten hours of sunlight. Lack of enough light results in spindly, weak seedlings. And if they are too close to the window they won't like the chill. For the plants listed above it is advisable to use grow lights and not windows for the light source
  • Light under Lights: if you're growing seedlings three inches from the light bulbs and they are doing well, then that's good. But what happens to the plants when they're transplant size and ready to go outside and it's still mid-March and too cold for them? You can continue potting them up, watering and fertilizing regularly (don't take any long trips). Plants like tomatoes will get very leggy if growing under lights too long indoors. Play it safe with warm-season crops like peppers, tomatoes and eggplant, start them by seed (mid to late March) which is 4-6 weeks before transplanting them outdoors. Peppers can use a couple extra weeks of indoor growth so they can be started earlier in March. 
FOURTH - seed starting for newbies - these reputable links are short, easy primers on seed starting. 

Capillary mat, fan, seed containers and mat

Starting Seeds Indoors  

Planting Seeds Indoors Video Tagawa Nursery and Luan Akin 

Seed Starting Video Part I, Carol O'Meara
Colorado State University Extension Agent - Horticulture Entomology, Boulder County, Colorado

Seed Starting Video Part II, Carol O'Meara

Seed Starting Video Part III, Carol O'Meara






FIFTH Seed starting Tips: 
  • Test your seed viability if the packet is a few years old. Scatter about ten of the seeds on a damp paper towel. Fold and put in a plastic bag (tie) near a sunny window. If less than half the seeds have sprouted after ten days, buy new seeds. 
  • In addition to store bought seed trays and kits, don't overlook items from home - yogurt cups, butter tubs, egg cartons, plastic lettuce packages, even wooden boxes that clementines are sold in. Just be sure to sterilize them well - which means after cleaning with soap and water, wipe them with hydrogen peroxide or a 10% bleach solution. 
  • Poke or drill drainage holes in all containers.
  • Use deep - at least 6-inch pots for Spanish onions seeds.
  • Use a label system for each plant or tray. You think you'll remember, but things happen. Buy a permanent marker and use store bought sticks or cut up some of the plastic tub or lids. Sterilize the markers too.
  • ALWAYS use sterile seed starting mix. Moisten it before filling the trays or containers.
  • Lighting - yep, regular shop lighting works fine - low cost cool-white bulbs. But you'll like the growing results with the newer florescent grow lights or LED. T-5 skinny bulbs won't fit in the fixture with your T-8s or T-12s. Use a timer and keep the lights on for 12-16 hours each day. 
  • Place a fan near the seedling trays, not too close. Keep it on 24/7 - low setting. Air circulation is the best defense to damping off disease where the seedlings seem to die or suddenly collapse.
  • Seedlings prefer to be watered with room temperature water so fill a clean garbage can with water and leave it close to the seeds. Cold water may slow seedling growth and lead to damping off. 
  • Other ways to ward off damping off is to not overcrowd seeds, avoid over watering and never let the trays or containers stand in water for any length of time. Remove plastic or cover domes immediately after germination to lower the humidity levels. 
  • My backup for water lapses is using a capillary mat under the seed tray. They feel like felt and are very absorbent, usually sold in rolls or sheets at garden centers or online. I've seen them in black or white. Cut to the size of your tray, they are re-usable from year to year and machine washable on the gentle cycle (air dry). Simply pour some room temperature water over the mat about every other day or as needed and leave it to the seeds to soak up what they need right to the plant roots.  
  • Use a heat mat for quicker germination and growth on warm loving seeds like basil and tomatoes. Don't plug the heat mat into the light timer, the heat needs to be on all the time.  
In the next blog I'll re-post the seeding and transplanting charts I've done for ornamental annuals, vegetables (cool and warm season) and herbs.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Dahlia - a Must Have Geophyte in 2019

Decorative Dahlia at Hudson Gardens
If you could choose four different types of plants in your garden every year and promote them far and wide on how wonderful they are to grow, what plants would they be? That's not so difficult to do these days. Anyone viewing garden related social media sites often post plant photos and stories, I'm guilty of that myself! The more difficult decision would be choosing the plants to brag about.

Hold onto your trowel, the decision to promote different plants each year is also being done by the National Garden Bureau, a non-profit organization that encourages home gardening. Their promotional efforts began in 1920. Each year they select and announce a specific annual, perennial, vegetable and bulb to learn more about and try growing. Plus they sell stuff. Other organizations promote plants too, one of my favorites is Plant Select®, which I write about often in this blog.

The National Garden Bureau's four 2019 plants include annual snapdragon, perennial salvia numerosa, the vegetable pumpkin and to round out the fourth - dahlias. 

Internet photo from vienboraglass
What most gardeners collectively call bulbs also includes other categories – corms, tubers, rhizomes, and tuberous roots.

Here's a closer definition of bulbs. Some are grown as annuals or lifted each fall and stored over the winter. Others are perennial plants like lily of the valley. Many can be grown as houseplants. There are also fall planted bulbs that bloom in spring to summer, don't forget fall crocus that are planted in late summer. And summer bloomers that are planted in the spring after the final frost.

Bulbs are technically called geophytes which are herbaceous underground storage units for their seasonal growth cycle. All the nutrients the flowers require are stored neat and tidy in these small plant organs. Sort of like the small travel trailers being made today that have everything you need to live and sleep in twenty feet or less. Of course these lodging units move around above ground while bulbs are below terra firma spreading or stay put plant gems!

True bulbs like lilies, tulips, daffodils, garlic and onion consist of fleshy layers of leaves (called scales) with a small base of roots at the bottom (basal plate) that anchors the plant in the soil.

Corms like gladiolus, crocus, freesia, crocosmia and bananas (not grown here, but now you know they are corms) contain a solid mass of stem tissue and grow new (baby) bulbs from the main bulb (mother). They look similar to bulbs but are usually round in shape and slightly flattened, not pointed like a true bulb.

Tubers, the most well-known example in the culinary world – the potato forms roots and foliage from growth buds, known as eyes. Tubers are usually short, rounded and fat with no covering. Caladiums, poppy and Greek anemone, cyclamen, gloxinias and gloriosa lilies all grow from tubers.    

Rhizomes are thickened, branching underground stems that grow horizontally. Most grow along or slightly below the surface of the soil, sending stems above the ground. This group includes cannas, calla lilies, lilies of the valley, corydalis, wood anemone and iris.
 
Dug Up Iris Rhizome

Tuberous roots look like swollen tubers. New growth buds or eyes appear at the base of the stem during the growing season. These include daylilies, begonias, dahlias, clivia (houseplant too) and foxtail lilies.  

Bulbs truly have a wonderful life. They store up all their energy during a brief period of good weather then remain mostly dormant during harsh weather conditions. When the weather is favorable again they grow and bloom, we smile.

Read more about growing dahlias on these links:

The Colorado Dahlia Society They have two judged shows a year in the Denver area - August and September, check this site for locations and times.



Planting Dahlia Tubers

If you lifted your dahlia tuberous roots last fall and are storing them over the winter, be sure to inspect them and any other stored bulbs for health. If any are moldy or too soft toss them in the compost bin and replace with new purchases this spring. 


Friday, January 11, 2019

Just Say No to Beheading - Tree and Shrub Beheading

With our dry winter landscape and soils, it's hard not to notice the dormant, mostly lifeless landscape plants. It's like they're just calmly sitting in a mound, lying down, or standing tall - patiently waiting out the calendar. They are ready to burst forth with spring growth only to once again remind us not to worry - the short days of winter are only temporary 😊.

Are you doing more than noticing your woody plants in particular? Are you scheduling late winter pruning for the improved health of your trees and shrubs, which, by the way, is a great time to prune many of these landscape must haves? If so, please heed the caution not to let anyone (hired or yourself) engage in plant beheading.

Beheading you say, "oh dear, that doesn't sound good, what does beheading a plant mean and please, I'll join the group that says "no" to beheading.

Thank you for not beheading and more than me, your plants thank you. Let me show you what beheading looks like and explain why it's terrible for your plants. Hopefully you can prevent this from ever happening. Please tell your friends.

I covered in depth correct winter pruning in a blog a few years ago, click HERE to read. Also check out The Denver Post for my Punch List on tree and shrub pruning, click HERE.
Additional resources will be linked at the bottom, plus how to find a great arborist.

TREES:

There are other specific pruning methods like pollarding, a common practice for controlling street tree size - often done in Europe. Then there's espalier, a training technique which is common to fruit trees to keep them a certain size or for more fruit production. Pleaching is another form of pruning to an architectural style where plants weave together to form archways, hedges or tunnels - another style hip European gardeners started centuries ago.

For this blog writing - I'm referring to deciduous trees and shrubs where they are pruned to their preferred and natural form of growth.

Tree Topped Willow in MT, March 2013
Beheading or topping a woody plant is whacking off the main, vertical stem or leader and other scaffolding or surrounding tree canopy branches to a uniform height. What's left are such sorrowful stubs that any person in the know automatically reaches for a box of tissues and cries with pain and empathy for the tree and ill informed homeowner.

I say this because I've done this once too often - cried after the carnage has taken place (not on my trees). To borrow from Dr. Linda Chalker Scott at the University of Washington, the people who engage in tree topping are not certified arborists, they are tree cutters. I also call them anyone not formally trained or certified but own a ladder, a chainsaw and have a few spare hours on the weekend.

Tree topping damages trees, a lot. First, they are unattractive, they look sad. A disfigured tree isn't going to blend in nicely with neighboring trees or conifers or add value to the landscaped property, the opposite may result. 

Secondly, and most important, their ability to produce food for growth and health is greatly compromised. There's less food making with less leaves and limbs. This doesn't help the tree store up its energy reserves for down the road. The normal buds that would have been produced on properly pruned trees with new lateral growth aren't there.

Same Willow April 2015, in 2016 it was removed
What grows instead, just below the pruning cuts are dense, thin, upright branches called water sprouts or suckers. These quick growing sprouts often reach the original height of the tree prior to being topped. Water sprouts can become a hazard because they are easily damaged or broken by wind and storms.

Topped branches are slow to heal so the wounds often attract pest insects which can lead to fungal decay and if it spreads throughout the tree can be deadly. Sun can damage the more exposed trunk and remaining limbs. Heard enough of the bad? 

The good news is that I'm not seeing tree topping that often in Denver. Maybe other parts of the city or state have issues, I hope not. This tells me there must be some good oversight with the City Forester's office and other organizations that require tree pruning certification, continuing education, classes and workshops. Denver homeowners may be aware of correct tree care and know how important it is to mind them. That reminds me ... please don't forget to winter water your trees and landscape, read here if you haven't gotten the memo.

SHRUBS:
Close up of water sprouts one year after being topped

Unlike tree topping, there is quite a bit of shrub beheading going on that I've noticed. It's a shame this is happening when it can easily be avoided with just a little direction and education.

My hunch is that homeowners and property managers may be hiring experienced, certified arborists for tree pruning only. My recommendation would be to include shrub pruning if needed on the property and to make sure it's done correctly and at the right time of the year.

First, for a full primer on when and how to prune the different types of shrubs like hedges, evergreens and flowering shrubs, refer to the same link I mentioned above or click here. I go into great detail on shrub growth habits and when to prune.

The take away for this writing is to please vet your pruning professional or if you're a do-it-your selfer realize that whacking off the top branches of shrubs anytime of the year is incorrect. The lilac photos below were taken recently, they were beheaded late last fall. I walk by them often so will update with photos on their regrowth.






RESOURCES: 

From the website - ISA Trees are Good

What is a Certified Arborist?

"An arborist by definition is an individual who is trained in the art and science of planting, caring for, and maintaining individual trees. ISA arborist certification is a nongovernmental, voluntary process by which individuals can document their base of knowledge. Certified Arborists are individuals who have achieved a level of knowledge in the art and science of tree care through experience and by passing a comprehensive examination developed by some of the nation’s leading experts on tree care." 

Click HERE to search in your area for an arborist.

Colorado State University Pruning Links

Purdue Extension Tree Pruning Essentials - excellent information too and photos

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Front Range Garden Class Resources 2019

Plant Society House at Denver Botanic Gardens
A new garden year means a fresh start, a clean palette to dream, design and do. 

Sign up for classes or workshops to get the brain energized and filled with the right stuff.

Denver and the Front Range is very fortunate in having many free or low cost outlets for garden classes and seminars.

Below is a list with links for ones that I know of right now. PLEASE check back often, there will be many more events added to this list.

The first group - seminars, workshops and conferences charge fees unless otherwise noted. Be sure to click on each title for more sign up information and deadlines, even the free events generally require signing up.

Public and botanic gardens charge fees for classes and workshops

Garden center classes are often free so check their websites for more information. 

This year consider attending or joining a plant society, group or club. You will meet other friendly people. Most meet monthly, have low cost dues and offer educational seminars, garden tours and trips, plant sales and judged shows through the year. 

Check out what's offered in your community if you're not in Colorado.  


FRONT RANGE SEMINARS, CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS AND VOLUNTEER TRAINING:

Flexible year round online training CSU Extension Certified Gardener Program

Winter - September Beekeeping Classes at Hudson Gardens, Littleton

March - September Cottage Food Safety Training Front Range dates, locations and online vary, see link

City of Greeley Landscape Lecture Series FREE, must register
March through fall Denver Urban Gardens garden classes, Denver

Master Composter Training Through Denver Urban Gardens, Denver

Community Forester Program, Denver

April 27, June 11, August 10, Battling the Japanese Beetle Denver

April through September Native Plant Master Program, Various Locations
  
April 12 Sustainability Skills Workshop: Basics of Colorado Gardening, Boulder

April 13 FREE Battling the Japanese Beetle, Centennial

April 13 Lawn Care, Broomfield

April 13 Vegetable Varieties and Tips for the Front Range, Brighton

April 14 Sustainable Lifestyle Expo, Broomfield

April 17 Fruit Trees in Colorado, Greeley

April 17 Growing Vegetables in Low Water Conditions, Ft. Collins

April 24 Mountain Gardening Workshop, Georgetown

April 25 FREE Backyard Compost Workshop, Louisville 

April 27 Ask a Master Gardener, Broomfield 

April 27 Spring Gardening Workshop, Littleton

April 27 Native Species/Noxious Weeds in Colorado, Broomfield

April 27 Getting Down in the Dirt with Larimer County Master Gardeners, Ft. Collins

April 28 FREE Rose Pruning Workshop and Demonstration, Golden 

April 29 FREE Backyard Compost Workshop, Lyons

May 5 beginning Denver Urban Gardens Learn to Compost Workshops, Denver

May 6 FREE Spring Backyard Compost Workshop, Erie
 
May 8 Meet the Invasives, Windsor 

May 11 Growing Small Fruits on the Front Range, Brighton

June 12 Pollinators, Windsor

June 14 Native Plants for Birds, Littleton

July 10 Fall Vegetables, Windsor

July 17 Turf Grass, Greeley
  
August 14 Cut Flowers, Windsor

September 8 Discover! Grasses of South Platte, Littleton

September 11 Food Preservation, Windsor

October 9 Pumpkin Succulents, Windsor

November 13 Tough Plants, Windsor
  
December 11 Seed Starting, Windsor


GARDEN TOURS
Tour the "Heritage Rose Garden" at Fairmount Cemetery, June 2, Denver 

 
AREA GARDEN CENTERS: too numerous to mention, please call area stores or check their websites or Facebook for their 2019 classes. 


PUBLIC GARDEN INSTITUTIONS AND BOTANIC GARDENS - Many Offer Classes, Seminars and Special Gardening Events:
 
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens Vail
Butterfly Pavilion Westminster
Chester M. Alter Arboretum University of Denver
Cheyenne Botanic Gardens Cheyenne, WY
Denver Botanic Gardens
Durango Botanical Society 
Growing Gardens Boulder 
Montrose Botanic Gardens
Plains Conservation Center Aurora 
Pikes Peak Urban Gardens Colorado Springs
The Arboretum at Regis University Denver
The Gardens on Spring Creek Ft. Collins   
The Hudson Gardens Littleton
Western Colorado Botanical Gardens Grand Junction
Yampa River Botanic Gardens Steamboat Springs


PLANT SOCIETIES AND GARDEN RELATED GROUPS:

 
American Conifer Society Western Region

Colorado Cactus and Succulent Society
Colorado Beekeepers
Colorado Dahlia Society
Colorado Federation of Garden Clubs
Colorado Mycological Society
Colorado Native Plant Society
Colorado Water Garden Society

Community Forester Program Denver
Denver Field Ornithologists
Denver Orchid Society
Denver Rose Society
Front Range Organic Gardeners

Gloxinia Gesneriad Growers
Greater Denver Urban Homesteading Group
Ikebana Denver Chapter

Mile High Bee Club
Mile High Daylily Society
Rocky Mountain Bonsai Society
Rocky Mountain Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society 
Rocky Mountain Koi Club
Rocky Mountain Unit of The Herb Society of America

The American Iris Society
Tropical Plant Society of Denver