The storm arrived as predicted. It’s not supposed to get super cold tonight, but the forecast is saying we’ll get up to a foot of snow. Yikes! With so much snow a real possibility, you might want to read a post I wrote on protecting trees and shrubs during heavy spring snow storms. Spring snow […]
Author Archive | Catherine
How to Finger Rake for Spring Cleanup
In the world of fancy tools, it’s weird to recommend using your hand as a rake. However, I find that it’s actually my favorite way to clean up matted groundcovers. I made a short video where I cleaned up orange carpet hummingbird trumpet by finger raking. In this case, a garden tool would have been less useful. […]
When Spring Reverts to Winter
When Spring Turns to Winter I was in Tucson for spring break last week. Imagine my surprise to hear reports of two feet of snow along Colorado’s Front Range! It was hard to believe until we hit the blizzard coming over Raton pass. Old Man Winter wasn’t ready to leave just yet. Late spring snowstorms […]
Time for Spring Cleanup!
March is the time to get busy in your yard! When you can go outside without a jacket for a few days, it’s the perfect signal to dust off the gardening gloves and pruners. Here’s my advice on what to do sooner than later. Prune your shrubs, if needed. It’s important to do any pruning […]
Prepare for Winter Weather
With much of the Front Range facing the possibility of snow tonight and sub-freezing temperatures mid-week, here are a few considerations to care for your landscape: If you haven’t yet fertilized your lawn for the last time this year, it’s still worth doing before the snow hits. Fertilizing in late fall keeps your lawn slightly green […]
What? No Fall Frost Yet?
If you ignore Grand Junction and La Junta, most of Colorado normally experiences the first frost of fall sometime in late September or October. And yet, it’s October 27 and there hasn’t been a fall frost. Weird. Colorado is definitely unpredictable. So what does this extended fall mean to our landscape plants? Here’s a short […]
How to Care for Floppy Russian Sage
Now that it’s October, some plants have lost their luster. Some look tired and ragged. Add in the extra moisture from the spring rains, and some plants simply flop. Russian sage can be the poster child for floppy plants in rainy years. If you’ve got floppy Russian sage, you may want to watch this video […]
Yard Care Tasks for October
October is here! It’s a great time to take care of a few tasks in your yard so your yard will be in great shape come spring. Here are my suggestions. Continue to water It’s important for your plants to go into dormancy well-hydrated. This gives them a better chance to survive Colorado’s dry winters […]
Does Fall Planting Work in Colorado?
Most Coloradoans plant in spring. But fall can be a great time to tuck a few extra plants in your landscape. Here are a few reasons why. First, you can see bare spots in your yard easily since most plants have reached their full size for the year. Second, the soil is warm, which encourages […]
Yard Care Tasks for September
Now that the kids are back in school, it’s a great time to take care of a few yard care tasks. Here are my recommendations for the month of September: Core Aerate Your Lawn if Necessary With three kids, my lawn withstands a ton of traffic over the summer. By late summer, the upper soil […]
Weed to the Finish Line
I am so tired of weeding. I swear I pull them and when I return, there’s even more. Talk about feeling like gerbil on a wheel. If you feel like you’ve been bombarded by weeds this year, you’re not alone. The regular rainfall we’ve received this summer has caused a lot of weed seeds to […]