Late March 2019 Punch List

As I write this, we're having a tease of spring with warm temperatures. The quickly melting snow on the north side of our homes and garages means we're so close. Spring in Colorado is grand if you're okay with switching between your puffy down jacket and tank top. The weather people are predicting cold and possibly snow this weekend. We never complain about spring rain. I say that now when we're still in the catch up mode on moisture for the year.

Really good news dear reader - the wonderful and helpful garden pull out section GROW from The Denver Post will resume this Friday, March 29 and run through June. Yours truly will be part of the weekly GROW and I will link them here on the blog each week. This week and next week I'll finish the primer on garden terminology. Click HERE for Part I that ran a couple of weeks ago in the Saturday Life & Culture section. In the meantime, below is a late March Punch List for you to get started on another action packed gardening season in our great state. 

Let's hope for sunshine, no hail, no late freezes and the best tomato crop ever!

Garden Conditioning for You –

• Gardening is not only good for your mind and soul, it’s good for your body too.
• According to the online WebMD on average gardeners burn between 200 to 300 calories per hour outdoors.  And if you’re digging or doing heavy raking for an hour you’ll burn 500 or more calories.   
• Careful not to start out the season with marathon hours in the garden only to wake up with a sore back, muscles and a sunburn to boot.  Warm your body first, stretch, then work for short segments with a breaks in between (set a timer).  Stretch again at the end of your garden time.
• The first few times out in the garden work for an hour to ninety minutes and stop for the day, especially if you’re not in ski condition or fit enough to enter the next weekend 10K run. 
• For a warm-up – walk around your yard or up and down the block for five to ten minutes. This increases blood flow to your body so stretching is much easier on your muscles and joints. When stretching breathe normally, do not move quickly or jerk, just feel slight resistance and no pain.
• After this short warmup do some simple stretches starting with the large muscle groups first. Extend your arms straight up and reach and hold for ten seconds. Then move your arms out to each side and move them up and down like a jumping jack, but no need to jump. Rotate your wrists while moving your arms.
• Next bend forward at the waist and let your arms hang down toward your toes, as you straighten up roll your shoulders back and around a couple of times. 
• Sit on a chair and stand up using just your legs for support, this will strengthen your thigh muscles and help with balance too.
• Remember these rules when outside – try not to hunch when squatting or kneeling, keep your back straight. Move as you weed, don’t reach.
• When lifting, bend from your knees, never from your back or waist. Let your stronger thigh muscles do the work. Move closer to the object you’re moving and keep your eyes on it. Maintain a wide stance for more stability and strength. Never twist and lift at the same time. So when shoveling soil… dig, lift the shovel and then move your feet and shovel at the same time to dump the soil in another spot.   
• Use a knee pad or kneeler devices with handles when kneeling or placing pressure on your knees. Tractor type scooters can be knee and back savers.
• Many ergonomic garden tools have become available, look for ones with comfortable handles and change your hand often. 
• Stay hydrated by carrying a water bottle in the garden or enjoying a glass during each hourly break. Wear sunscreen and a wide brimmed hat.
• Get a tetanus shot every ten years.   
  

General Landscape –

• Consider doing a soil test now (or if it’s been several years since your last one) to analyze what’s going on in your soil.  Without knowing your soil could have too much or be lacking in nutrients or need some help with the structure. A soil test measures pH, texture estimate, fertility levels, amount of organic matter and salt levels.  The recommendations from the soil test will help you garden wisely this year. Instructions for taking samples, and pricing -  http://www.soiltestinglab.colostate.edu/ 
• “Hardening off” is an often used phrase as the outdoor gardening season begins. It’s good advice and means that any plant (vegetable, fruit, ornamental) that has been growing indoors at a garden center, green house or in a house needs to be acclimated to being outdoors before being planted in the ground or a container. Set your plant out in the shade for a few hours each day, then to a sunny area for additional hours each day. Do this for five to seven days. If it’s a shade plant, no need to put it in full sun. Keep this in mind as you purchase early pansies and broccoli, then later with warm-season geraniums and tomatoes. 
• Clean up the garden by cutting back spent foliage on perennials. Cut down to where new growth is just beginning. Dig and toss last year’s annuals, vegetables or container plantings. Toss in the compost if they were disease-free.
• Rake remaining leaves and any unsightly debris, but use care not to damage new growth on plants or bulbs. Pull or dig weeds as you go. 
• If you’re not a DIY schedule sprinkler turn on for late April and core lawn aeration for anytime in April or May.  
• No need to fertilize the lawn just yet if a fall (September-November) fertilization from the previous year was done and green up is to your liking. If the lawn is looking good in March and April, wait until May or June for the first spring fertilization. Read more here. 
• Use pre-emergent products if grassy weeds have been a problem. The application window is now until the first signs of forsythia blooms. Remember to read all package instructions for application rates and cautions. Many products need to be watered in, so apply right before rain or snow is predicted.
• Wait until late April or early May to prune back roses, even if you see many green canes. Pruning them too early generates growth which can get nipped by cold temperatures and set them back starting a growing season. 
• Clean and sharpen garden tools, check local independent garden centers if you're not a DIY, many offer this service, as do hardware stores and lawnmower service centers.

Planting Beds - Vegetables

• Get a jump on your planting season by warming up your beds with 4 to 6-mil clear or black plastic. It’s sold in roll from garden centers or hardware stores. Anchor the plastic with boards, brick or soil.  Leave it in place for a couple of weeks. 
• When soil temperatures are 40 degrees or warmer it’s safe to plant hardy cool-season transplants including broccoli, cabbage, or direct seeded kohlrabi, peas, lettuce, onions, radish, spinach, turnips and potatoes (planted below in #15 Smart Pots).  

Soil Thermometer - sold at area garden centers

Front Range Plant Sales 2019 - Not to be Missed!

Unlike the last two winters that really didn't seem or act like winter, this year we're ready for spring, more than ready. The sun feels warm on our faces and is hard at work melting snow and frozen soil. Hurry up!

Until it's go time a reminder probably isn't necessary to stroll your landscape and look for opportunities, that's planting opportunities with open real estate. While strolling, discover a shady spot to tuck in a new chaise lounger with a comfy pad. 

Denver Rose Society Volunteers at the DBG Plant Sale

First on your list should include saving the dates for local plant societies, clubs and organization's plant sales along the Front Range. Many are non-profit and have been hosting for several years with a strong following. Dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to make these sales a success. They often sell out of plants which is good for everyone (and the plants).

Remember that your local garden independent retailers will be stocked to the brim with plants, supplies and accessories all through the growing season.
 
There are plenty of plants out there that need good homes.

Here's the 2019 plant sale list so far. Please check back often for additions to the list.

Order now online, pick up in May and June. Garden In A Box - low water, professionally designed plant kits.  

Through June 9 Desert Canyon Farm Day & Farm Stand Plant Sale, Canon City

May 27 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Annual Memorial Day Plant Sale, Colorado Springs 

June 1, 2 Fairmount Heritage Foundation Annual Rose Sale, Denver

June 2 Colorado Water Garden Society Annual Plant Sale, Littleton

What to Cut or Not

Downed Tree in Washington Park 3-13-19, Photo from The Denver Post

The mid-March "Bomb Cyclone," aka bombogenesis in Colorado has come and gone. The moisture in the form of rain, then wet snow was appreciated, the felled trees - not so much.

What's next? Probably more moisture, no worries, soon we'll be walking in the Easter Parade of colorful hats, bloom and green. First, we need to tackle the final late winter pruning chores. What needs to be cut or not?

So many questions ...

Should perennials be cut back in the fall right after they bloom or now in late winter? What about plants that have perennial personalities, but are also shrubby like lavender and sage, when do they need to be cut back ... should they be cut back at all? And what about summer-blooming shrubs? Not sure what to do with some of these commonly grown summer blooming shrubs - Rose of Sharon, hydrangea, butterfly bush, Russian sage and blue mist spirea?

Let's tackle these questions together ...

The late winter pruning and cutting back window is in full swing for trees, including fruit trees and many woody shrubs, if you haven't scheduled with a professional - get going. If you're a DIY - get going. Deciduous trees and many shrubs prefer being pruned while still dormant with no leaf or buds bursting forth in growth. It's much easier to see branching and areas that need be be pruned when these plants are naked. I covered trees and spring blooming shrubs in earlier blogs, so here are the links -

Winter Pruning Punch List

Just Say No to Beheading - Tree and Shrub Beheading

Perennial Cut Back ... yes .... to invigorate new growth and bloom for the season!

The rule of thumb for perennial blooming plants is to cut back all the dead, brown stems and foliage not cut in the fall to the ground where new growth will emerge soon - some are already showing their green.This can be done when the ground dries out between now and before plants are really putting on new growth (April-May). Get rid of all that dead foliage and any new weeds popping up in the vicinity. Toss it all in the compost pile or bin if the foliage is disease free from last year's growth.

At this time there's no need to cut back iris or any other spring emerging bulb or tuber type perennials.

After cutting back, feel free to add some nice compost (homemade is best) around perennials to give them a little nutrient bump for the season as it breaks down more. Fertilizing blooming perennials is fine too, just don't add too much which may end up causing lots of foliage growth and less blooms. Excess fertilizer run off is not good either for our soils and waterways.

Wait a little longer for the woody type of perennial herbs like lavender and culinary sage.These plants don't like being cut when they are still dormant and it takes them a little bit of time to push new growth in the spring that begins on the older, lower woody stems. I wait until I see the new, tiny leaves on the culinary sage plants to cut off the clearly dead upper stems. This may be in April or early May. For lavender, that means cutting only a couple of inches down into new growth, obviously including any spent bloom wands from last year.

Summer Blooming Shrubs ... they need some attention too to look their best or not!

Russian Sage (Perovskia artiplicifolia) - a favorite of many who plant it, however if you're looking for mid to late season bloom and low water use (once established), consider these other great choices too - blue mist spirea, catmint, leadplant, Mohave sage or lavender.

Just whack it down hard to the ground this spring (leave a few inches up to a foot or so) to make room for another season of Russian sage.

Cut Blue Mist down to new leaf growth, photo from coloradoyardcare.com

Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris) - many people cut it hard to the ground every year, similar to Russian sage. Okay to do, but it's also fine to prune it every two to three years each spring. Just cut down to where you see new, healthy leaves forming at the base of the stems. They are easy to see. Basically, that's cutting off the spent top flower growth, totaling about half or a third of the entire plant.

Butterfly Bush - just like blue mist spirea, Buddleia davidii (butterfly bush) can be cut every couple of years each spring or every year. Cut down to about twelve inches above a set of new buds. For spring blooming butterfly bush - Buddleia alternafolia, wait and prune spent blooms to new growth right after blooming.

Rose of Sharon bloom

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) - there's nothing quite so lovely as seeing late summer blooms on Rose of Sharon. I had three of them, but they were sorely damaged in the November 2014 Polar Vortex so they've since been removed. Plus Japanese beetles love them, so I decided against re-planting.

Try to ask yourself why a shrub needs to be pruned. With the three mentioned directly above, the simple answer is to get rid of last season's growth to allow it to bloom this summer. Another question to ask is when and how to prune. We answered those questions too. With Rose of Sharon, pruning isn't entirely necessary at all. It blooms on new wood each year so if the shape is a bit unruly or gotten a bit too tall for the space, or too close to a structure, by all means prune it now or by early May.

Hydrangeas ... so many species, sizes, bloom times and colors ... do they need pruning? 

Hydrangea macrophylla - these are the very popular big leaf or mophead of pink, violet, blue and red flowers ('Grateful Red'). This group is considered the classic hydrangea in looks and growth. The buds are set on the previous year's growth, but some varieties also set secondary buds that flower later in the summer. Pruning now should be limited to removing dead wood, wait until right after flowering to tackle shaping or just leave alone if they are perfect.

Hydrangea arborescens - another popular group known as the Annabelle or smooth leaf types. Colors are mostly white or creamy white. There's a relatively new pink called 'Invincibelle.'  This group blooms on new spring growth so a good thorough prune will bring rich rewards in summer blooms. Cut old stems back about a third of its total height.

Hydrangea paniculata - these easy to grow hydrangeas have mostly, lime green, white or white with pink tinged blooms rounded to pointed in shape. They bloom on new growth, flowering generally begins in August and lasts several weeks. Cut back now - hard, to right above a bud, leaving about two feet from the ground. Cut out the thin, pencil size wood which can't hold up the large flowers.

Hydrangea quercifolia - another classic - the oakleaf hydrangea - native to the southeast, deeply lobed, oak-like leaves with showy, white summer flowers. This group produces flowers on old wood like the macrophylla group so simply prune any dead wood in the spring, but wait and do any pruning (if any) after it finishes putting on its show. Bonus is its red, orange to purple fall foliage!

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris- if you're familiar with Michael Dirr, you know this climbing hydrangea is one of his favorite vines. Its aerial rootlets will cling to anything, but it prefers a north or east facing location (not hot south or west). With exfoliating bark and fragrant white flower clusters, what's not to love. This vine can climb, so give it room. Blooms on old wood, just prune out unwanted stray stems after bloom.

For additional information on pruning hydrangeas and photos of each species, click here.

Climbing Hydrangea from plantstore.co.uk

 

We'll Never Forget Sue Grafton

Many people engage in gardening while everyone reads, hey, you're reading this blog right now. Thank you so much!

One of my joys in life besides gardening is reading. But I'm not your typical reader of what all the book clubs are studying. Eventually I get around to reading one or two of the must read best sellers. I would describe my reading as fits and spurts (or starts - both work). My "fits" reading material always consists of gardening related journals, magazines or out of print Sunset magazine how to garden manuals. My "spurts" reading genres jump around from historical fiction to Marie Kondo. Of late, I'm revisiting an old friend and re-reading the entire series - I'm half way through.

I give kudos to my sister-in-law Carla for recommending Sue Grafton when she started her alphabet detective series back in the 80s, starring the famed (my words) Ms. Kinsey Millhone. If you're not familiar with Sue's books, they are easy to remember and find on any library shelf or Kindle - "A" is for Alibi, "B" is for Burglar," "C" is for Corpse, and so on up to "Y is for Yesterday. She's not just popular in America, she's been published in over 28 countries and 26 languages.

Sadly, very sadly, Sue passed away a little over a year ago (aged 77) so there won't be a "Z." Ever.  Don't look for private investigator Kinsey Millhone to be in a Netflix series either. Ms. Grafton made it very clear to her family that she didn't want her books to be made into screenplays or blockbuster trilogies times eight. 

Kinsey has personality traits we possess, wish we had or know someone who has them. She's an independent thinker, self starter (runs up to five miles every day even with a cold) and knows how to get to the truth of any case she's working on. Maybe I should say most cases, in "J" is for Judgment, which I just finished, she didn't actually find out "who dun it," but she surmised the truth, unfortunately they got away.   

Mentioning that you're reading Sue Grafton's novels probably won't impress haughty, cerebral type people you encounter. Like Kinsey, I don't much care what other folks think of my doings, including my reading proclivities. 

Finishing each day writing and working in my office can't go by quickly enough for the evening to arrive to spend another hour or two with Kinsey as she pieces together on note cards who did what to whom, when and why.

Kinsey says she's not a gardener, but one gets the sense that Sue Grafton was an avid and knowledgeable gardener. She describes through Kinsey specific flora and gardening styles seen in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, CA - where most of the stories take place. Here's how she ended "I" is for Innocent -

Early March 2019 Punch List

Get After the Weeds!

Snow is falling outdoors (depending on when you're reading this), so what's the plan after all the shoveling and snow melt?                                                                     
General Outdoor – 

• Walk around the landscape taking in the welcome signs of spring– bulbs of snowdrops, crocus and winter aconite. Plan on protecting blooming bulbs with a weighted plastic bucket, heavy box or container prior to heavy snows to prevent the flowers from damage. If stems get broken, cut remaining flowers and enjoy indoors in a vase.

• Less commonly planted perennials such as Hellebores known as “winter roses,” or the Lenten rose (known for blooming around Easter), provide long awaited colors of pink purple and white.
• Stay out of perennial or vegetable beds if the ground is frozen or still wet. There’s time to cut back foliage and rake leaves when things dry out. Fall planted perennials and shrubs like roses benefit with added protection from freeze/thaw cycles when foliage and leaves are left in place from the fall. Wait until late April to May to do any pruning. 
• Cut back ornamental grasses to a few inches above the crown in late winter. Use twine or rope to keep them intact while cutting. Use either sharp shears or pruners, or hedge/electric shears and wear long sleeves and gloves for protection. If areas have died out, remove the entire plant (if doable) and cut out healthy sections to replant or share. If the root ball is too large, just dig out healthy sections and replant. You can plant where it has died out, just be sure to dig out the dead section, again, if doable.  

• Finish up dormant shrub and tree pruning in March. Pruning damaged, diseased or dead wood in the winter is recommended, along with reducing tree canopy size if trees are touching houses or interfering with pedestrian or automobile traffic. Pruning thin wooded trees like silver maples may prevent limbs from splitting or being damage from late spring snow storms. Careful to not remove more than one third of the tree canopy in one year.
• Trees that leak sap after pruning including maple, elm, aspen, and birch should be pruned in early winter. Sap flow or bleeding will not harm the tree. Read more here.
• Prune fruit trees in late winter before bud break. Read more about training young fruit trees here. Read more about training mature fruit trees here.
• What not to prune in late winter–roses, wait until late April or into May. Any early pruning will stimulate growth and often times that new growth gets zapped by cold weather.  Spring flowering shrubs like lilac, quince and forsythia should be pruned right after bloom.
• If annual weedy grasses like crabgrass are yearly problems, apply pre-emergent herbicides for control in March or early April. More here.

Vegetables/Herbs  

Turned over cover crop on 3-4-2016

• If the soil isn't too wet or frozen, turn over fall planted cover crops to allow plenty of time for it to break down for spring planting.
• The cool season vegetable planting month has arrived, that is if snow isn’t on the ground and the soil can be worked (not too wet, crumbly is best).  Get a jump on early planting by warming the soil with plastic then using row covers, cloches or tunnels to protect the seeds and plants.
• Hardy cool season crops such as spinach, peas, arugula and kale will germinate in soils that are 45 degrees. A soil thermometer is an inexpensive investment and tells you when it’s go time.  
• The planting bed should be ready to plant, no clods or left over plants or roots from last fall. Warm up the soil with black plastic for a couple of weeks. Remove the plastic, then plant seeds of leafy greens, peas or transplants which is just another term for young plants that are 4-6 weeks old of "hardened off" broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower.
• Water the bed or transplants and cover each night when frost or snow is expected with the thickest floating row covers or plastic tunnels or cloches.  Be sure to remove plant coverings the next day when temperatures reach 40.  
• No worries if Mother Nature doesn’t allow for early March planting of cool season veggies - plant when the soil can be worked - hopefully before mid-May!

Perennial/Annual Seed Starting –

• Perennial seeds can easily be started indoors for transplanting outdoors later in the spring. Since perennial plants come back year after year, purchasing seeds versus a container grown plants is money well spent (less money that is). Many seed started perennial plants bloom the first year they are planted.   
• Check the garden centers for perennial seeds, read the packet for best times to start indoors for transplanting later in the spring or summer. Look for – agastache, alyssum basket of gold, bee balm, columbine, coreopsis, rudbeckia, little bluestem grass and many more. 

Houseplants –

• As the days get longer with more light, houseplants are responding happily with new growth.
• It’s a good time to re-pot root bound plants, take cuttings and start new plants for yourself or to share with others. 
• Signs of root bound plants include roots coming out of the bottom of the container, dried out soil or little soil left and need for frequent watering.
  Some plants prefer to be in tight quarters including African violets, peace lily, spider plants, ficus, jade plants, aloe, asparagus ferns and Christmas cactus. They like being root bound so the plant focuses on growing more side shoots or bloom versus leaf growth. 
• When re-potting use a slightly larger clean container with sterile potting soil. Place a piece of nylon or a coffee filter over the bottom hole instead of pebbles or broken clay pieces. This gives more space for roots. Carefully turn over the pot and tamp out the root ball.
• If the roots are circling the inside of the pot, use a sharp knife and make cuts on each side and bottom of the plant to force the roots to grow into the new soil.
• Place some new soil on the bottom of the container and around the sides once the plant is in the container. Water well, no need to fertilize for at least a month.

Additional Resources –

Seeding and Planting Charts for Ornamental Annuals, Herbs, Cool-Season Vegetables and Warm Season Vegetables

Warming Up Outdoor Planting Bed Video

Making Inexpensive Hoop Houses for Early Planting Video