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Home&Garden
feature article spring 07
33 great gardening tips, continued
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| plant care |
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“Here’s a low-tech way to water new plants: Poke a few small holes on one side of an empty plastic gallon milk jug, just above the base. Fill it with water, park it next to the plant and let it slowly drip throughout the day. Loosen the cap to keep the water flowing.”
—Anne Clark, master gardener, Loveland
Photo by Carlos Caetano
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“We brought a bird of paradise plant from California that, after its first season in Colorado, would not bloom again. Master gardener Charla Mauldin suggested giving it African violet food with each weekly watering, and within six months the ‘bird’ bloomed for the first time in eight years.”
—Kathy and George Messman, amateur gardeners, Lafayette
Photo by Ramon Grosso Dolarea
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“Springtime in the Rockies can mean snow, cold, warmth and sunshine, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail—sometimes all in the same afternoon. Experienced gardeners have learned to ignore the temptation of a warm day in April or early May. DO NOT plant that garden. Wait until after Mother’s Day. Even if weekends in April seem mild, we can get freezing nights well into mid-May.”
—Mike Nelson, chief meteorologist, 7News, Denver
Photo by Jozef Sedmak
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“Use shade cloth to save a salad bed from going to seed in the summer heat. If the soil is good enough, plant the lettuce plants close together and they’ll provide shade for each other.”
—David Wann, organic gardener, author, Golden
Photo by David Wann
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“Bungee cords are good for staking up shrubs, perennials or any large plant to a fence or trellis. They’re flexible, easy to use and don’t break the branches.”
—Marcia Tatroe, Denver Post garden columnist, designer and author, Denver
Photo by Graca Victoria
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“Don’t over weed. Weeds actually provide much needed shade from the blistering Colorado sun.”
—Bill Giebler and Jocelyn Rice, amateur gardeners, Boulder
Photo by Michelle Marsan
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| soil care |
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“When gardening with native and locally adapted plants, curb your instinct to fertilize. These plants are good at getting what they need from our lean soils. Fertilizer causes them to get large and ‘leggy,’ makes them susceptible to disease and insect pests, and inhibits their flowering.”
—Liz Slokar, owner, Ladybugs Inc., Longmont |
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“Our local soil is alkaline, but some plants, like tomatoes and strawberries, prefer acidic soil. Acidify your soil a bit by adding coffee grounds or powdery sulfur (available at nurseries) instead of using aluminum sulfate.”
—David Wann, organic gardener, author, Golden
Photo by Zavodskov Anatoliy Nikolaevich
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“When preparing to lay sod, rototill premium compost in the ground 4 to 6 inches deep for bluegrass and 8 to 10 inches deep for drought-tolerant fescue. Add an inch of topsoil to smooth the soil and jump-start the sod’s root growth.”
—Jordan Oliver, president, Garden Art Landscaping, Boulder
Photo by Samuel Acosta
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“Add soil amendments before winter and they’ll slowly sink into the soil with each melting snow.”
—Debbie Belote and Darryl Hobson, amateur gardeners, Niwot
Photo by Marco Regalia
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“We mix used coffee grounds and finely ground eggshells together to put around plants. It provides calcium for the plants and helps break up the clay soil.”
—Nancy Arndt, amateur gardener, Loveland
Photo by Scott Bolster
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“Chemical fertilizers may show fast results but ruin the soil in the long run. Use organic fertilizer to improve the soil and grow stronger, less needy plants.”
—Connie Smith, manager, Sturtz & Copeland Florists & Greenhouses, Boulder
Photo by Donald Barger
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Read insightful articles, find helpful home and garden tips and links to resources in every issue of Boulder County Home & Garden Magazine. Subscribe today!
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