A few years back, the Wall Street Journal had a piece on gardening attire influencing men’s fashion.

“Fall’s most improbably sought-after outfit is the ‘Garden Gi,’ a pair of trousers and a kimono-style jacket. The $330 set — made by Cactus Store, a succulent shop in Los Angeles — looks like a modified martial arts uniform with extra pockets for packing seeds and toting trowels,” WSJ reported.

Oh, we had a good laugh at that.

Not at the fashion inspiration (even though it wasn’t all that, IMO) but that gardeners actually wear specially designed attire. (And was the shop actually succulent, or did it sell cacti?)

Search for “gardening clothes” online and you’ll find companies like Dovetail Workwear, Gardener’s Edge, Terrain and many others selling adorable outfits. Duluth Trading sells Heirloom Gardening Bib Overalls. For me, it’s just too hot in Denver most spring and summer days to think of wearing long pants and a bib to boot. The company’s “gardening skort” would work, but it’s just too cute, if you know what I mean.

For only $138 plus shipping, April Cornell’s online store takes it even further with an adorable pair of floral overalls in pastels just for gardeners. Bogs sells a sturdy gardening clog for just $90; Sloggers has a darling pair of Flower Power Rain & Garden Boots for just $42.99.

Who are they kidding? (If you are a homeowner who wears those things, I am not making fun of you. Well, I guess I am.)

Of course, I do see the need for actual farmers to wear clothes from Carhartt or Farmers Defense. And any employee of a nursery or botanic garden likely has a special wardrobe dedicated to the hard work of planting and growing and reaping. I also recognize the necessity of wearing protection — i.e., sunscreen, long pants, long-sleeved shirt and a hat — from Colorado’s damaging sun when you’re out for an extended period of time.

My “gardening outfit”: old capri pants, beat-up tennis shoes, a worn T-shirt and a not-very-chic sun visor.

One day I might be persuaded to wear one of those aprons that holds a shovel and dandelion picker. Or I’ll just keep on walking to the garage and getting what I need when I need it.

Is it Colorado’s laid-back style? Our (mostly) lack of bougie affectations while outdoors? Being over 50?

Really, there are days I don’t even wear a bra under those “gardening T-shirts.”

And no one cares.

What passersby will see are the lilacs that pop up every spring in my front yard, and the lavender that scents the air along the sidewalk as they pass. If invited around back, they’ll rave about my glorious zinnias, the seeds of which I save year after year and plant in the ground where my spring bleeding hearts have died off.

They will enjoy the bounty of my grape vines, when I share the jelly I’ve made. Or the tiny hand pies using blackberries from my two bushes. Or, should the squirrels leave me any fruit, applesauce made from my own apples.

And the tomatoes — oh, the tomatoes! I can’t give those super sweet cherry tomatoes away fast enough. I’m very proud of the fact that I grew them — some nurtured from seed — in my own raised garden boxes. While dressed very unfashionably.

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Focus on cool-season vegetables that will sprout quickly in warm soil. They like to grow in cooler temperatures and can be harvested starting in a few weeks. Once they are up and growing well, it is fairly easy to cover them with frost blankets or sheets on cooler autumn days and nights so the harvest can continue well into fall.

Use seeds on hand or visit your local garden center to buy what looks good to you and the family. The seed packet will list the window of days in which seeds emerge and when they mature; look for short, 30-day growers, give or take.

The easiest, quick-maturing cool crops include lettuce, spinach, arugula, kohlrabi, green onions, kale, broccoli raab, Swiss chard, carrots and radishes. Also consider mustard greens, mizuna, collard greens, beets and salad turnips, which can be harvested when small (radish size) in about 40 days.

There are so many crops to choose from and only so much space, so remember that you can use empty containers; they are wonderful for fall crops and can easily be moved inside when nights are frigid.

For a warm crop, try seeding basil even though a plant may not grow up to six sets of leaves before frost. Because soils are warm, they should grow beyond the tiny microgreen stage if seeded immediately. Use the tasty young leaves in salads, on tomatoes and in sauces. (Do you know what food goes well with basil? Almost anything but oatmeal!)

Tuck in seeds wherever there is room in the landscape or vegetable area. Try the shady side of taller crops like tomatoes and pole beans as long as they receive at least four or more hours of sun a day. This location keeps the plants cooler late in the day.

As always, make sure the soil is loose and crumbly with no large clods so the roots can grow and get established. Leafy crops are high nitrogen feeders, so add a handful or two of compost or a light sprinkle of fertilizer into the soil if the area hasn’t been used in a while or recently grew crops.

My favorite way to seed leafy greens is to create planting areas by pushing aside about a half inch or less of soil, like creating a very shallow crater. Sprinkle seeds of your choice (lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, etc.) in the space. Do not worry about seed spacing; they can be thinned later or not. The goal is getting the greens up and growing. Then take the moved-away soil and gently cover the seeds. They don’t need a thick layer to sprout.

Water with a light hose spray so the seeds are not displaced. Use this same planting method in containers.

Other non-leafy crops — including green onions, kohlrabi, radish and broccoli raab — can be planted in rows or squares as usual.

Since hot temperatures continue in September, it is important to keep seeded areas moist, not soggy, so they may need watering twice or more a day. The best-tasting leafy green plants are harvested when they are small (baby greens) and not fully mature. Use scissors and cut a few of the outer leaves first, not all, because you want the plant to continue growing.

Season extenders allow for extra fall growing days and extended harvesting. Consider putting in place tunnels or cold frames where sheets or row covers can quickly be attached. Most of the cool-season crops can easily tolerate nights in the 40s but will need to be covered when nights are in 30s and near freezing.

Check out my handy tunnel videos (below) from a few years back; they are still applicable.

Resources

Easy Hoop Houses, Part I youtube.com/watch?v=aFN9ldnwsNw

Easy Hoop Houses, Part II youtube.com/watch?v=B4YtOpXdgiQ

Time to Seed Fall Vegetables https://planttalk.colostate.edu

Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

In all, the facility has three indoor galleries, with a considerable 4,000 square feet of exhibition space between them, and the rooms are loaded with rotating displays by a global lineup of artists that add layers of both entertainment and understanding to a garden trip.

The artwork incorporates a human touch into a place dedicated mainly to the superpowers of nature, and invites visitors to see the surrounding flora on a more emotional and spiritual level. The art builds bridges between people and plants.

It would be easy to see similar efforts at the city’s other major institutions accomplishing the same feat — shaking up the routines for repeat customers and offering them richer ways to think about science or animals or history. Surely, they have the resources, if not the wisdom.

The three shows at DBG right now show what this setup can accomplish when programmed thoughtfully. They are all impressive and each makes that special connection between nature and the human experience. They just do it differently.

The latest exhibition is just a single piece of art, Patrick Marold’s show-stopping installation titled “Shadow and Light.” It takes up the entire space in the garden’s smallest gallery, an oval-shaped room in the Freyer Newman Center.

The site-specific piece conforms to the gallery — it’s kind of an oval too, though a fat one, more in the shape of a whale’s body, minus the head and fins. Marold has fashioned it out of dozens of steel rings, maybe an inch wide, lined up in a row. Each dangles from a rod that is itself suspended from the ceiling.  Viewers can walk around the work, getting a 3-D view.

The outer sides of the rings have a matte finish and the interiors — lined with copper foil — are polished and shiny. Because of that, the two sides absorb and reflect light differently, and the piece gives off different “light and shadows” as viewers circle it.

The piece is also very sensitive to the amount of light in the room. As sunshine comes and goes through the surrounding windows, the work appears to change shape, and it casts off different — and exquisite — shadow patterns that fall below it on the gallery floor.

“Shadow and Light” appears complicated but it is actually quite simple, just like Marold’s better-known public art project, “Shadow Array,” the massive work made from 236, full-size, beetle kill timbers that is installed along either side of the tracks at the Denver international Airport station of RTD’s A-line train.  Both projects aim to help viewers think about how physical perspective changes the way we see things.

There is no direct correlation between the artwork and the plants at the garden, but it indirectly helps us appreciate the way trees, leaves and flower petals take on different personalities depending on the time of day. The piece will be on display through Jan. 5.

The second exhibit has a more straightforward relationship. “Geography of Hope” is a collection of images taken by photographer Elliot Ross in Utah’s Glen Canyon. Large areas of this canyon were long submerged in water but have recently been exposed due to the endless drought impacting the American West.

The photos show two interesting things. First, they give us a view of what was under all that water. Second, we see how nature has adjusted and now uses the area as a place for new plant life to grow. Climate change has taken away one thing — an aquatic ecosystem that thrived for ages — but it has given us another. The exposed terrain is teeming with fresh life that shoots up from the dirt and rocks and breathes the same air that humans do.

Ross’s shots are spectacular in the way they capture the natural shapes and colors of this land. He takes humble viewpoints — in some ways, the images look like snapshots an adventurous tourist might take while walking about the canyon.

But they are most impressive in the way they offer a new perspective on the fact that our planet is in a state of flux, and that is not always a bad thing.  Climate change is devastating … and yet, our world finds a way to survive and adapt. Environmental scientists call it rewilding, and these photos document it in action. The show runs through Feb. 2.

The third exhibit, “River’s Voice: Textiles by Alexandra Kehayoglou,” has actually been on the walls at DBG since April and many garden visitors have already seen it. If not, it is worth a special trip before it closes on Dec. 8.

Kehayoglou makes rugs of various shapes and sizes, some for wall hanging, others for walking upon. She clips and sews and tufts her materials so that they resemble topographic maps of various parts of the world. They are abstract, but there is a clear representation of forests, rivers and hills.

The works are as much functional furniture as they are fine art. They feel like technical renderings of actual places but they also have a warm, hand-made aura.

The exhibit’s centerpiece is the largest work, which occupies the back half of the garden’s main gallery, running up one wall and spilling down onto the floor in front of it. It is sprawling and meant to capture a portion of a river valley in the artist’s native Argentina. One side shows virgin land and the other depicts how farming and industrialization have reduced large parts of the region to battered, over-developed terrain. It’s a soft piece with a hard edge.

The most interesting aspect is that visitors are allowed to walk right on top of it — shoes off, of course. It’s an effective gimmick that transforms an artwork that might feel distant and intimidating into a place to lounge, and reflect on both the good and bad things happening on our planet.

For more info on the exhibitions at DBG, go to botanicgardens.org.

Ray Mark Rinaldi is a Denver-based freelance writer specializing in fine arts.

The cicadas are unmistakable with their daily continuous choir of crooning. There are also insects, bugs and spiders afoot, and depending on your barometer for squeamishness, it is not a bad idea to consider whether the crawler or flyer is worth a swat, the spray of death or a free pass to carry on. Walk with me in my garden clogs to see some of the live action and learn how to manage your visitors.

A metallic green bee stands out in any buzzing crowd. I first noticed its iridescent qualities in June and most of the summer. A quick lookup in the book “Garden Insects of North America” by Colorado State University Emeritus entomologist Dr. Whitney Cranshaw confirmed it is an Agapostemon spp. bee. Its common name is sweat bee, although these particular green bees are more focused on gathering pollen and nectar from many garden plants in bloom than from perspiring gardeners.

Fortunately, this good-looking bee slowed down a bit on a coreopsis flower for me to snap a photo. They are ground nesting bees and dig deep nests in areas with flat or sloping soil, and can be solitary or nest in underground communities with other Agapostemons. No swatting or spraying is needed, because this is a good bee, a welcome insect in any garden.

On first glance, I thought this next bug seemed like it might be a good bug — perhaps a predator of an insect that was chewing a plant that shouldn’t be chewed. I was hoping he liked grasshoppers. He wasn’t camera shy while resting on the side of a patio container.

A photo text to a couple of garden friends led to the correct identification. He wasn’t a good guy assassin bug, but rather a bad guy leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus clypealis) that was probably nibbling on some nearby developing tomatoes. If you check out this fact sheet from The University of California, ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74168.html, you will see photos of this nuisance bug in all life stages. I know without a doubt I’ve seen leaf-footed bug eggs and nymphs in our garden. I’m not too worried about ongoing fruit damage, but I’ll keep an eye out for group feeding and be ready to squish them on sight.

Joining in the musical insect summer chorus are impressive, broad-winged, bright green katydids (Microcentrum rhombifolium). Males use their forewings as instruments to make low, raspy trilling and clicking sounds nightly to attract a mate or stake out its territory. The traditional katy-did-katy-didn’t hum is more common to East Coast katydids. When found in Colorado gardens, usually on foliage that blends so well with the katydid, a second look is needed to confirm these two-inch, tall-bodied distinguished insects. Their camouflage helps them hide from predator birds, bats, other insects and rodents. If you find one, just admire it and consider katydids another insect of nature’s fine creation that just wants to chew on plant leaves (without causing too much damage) and live for a while. Read more about Colorado katydids at webdoc.agsci.colostate.edu/bspm/Hexapoda%20(Insects)/Broadwinged%20Katydid.pdf.

Without a doubt, the fast-moving quarter-inch spotted cucumber beetle pest caused distress to my summer yellow squash plants and me a couple of years ago. They just appeared one day in mid-summer and decided not to leave, multiplying faster than adult Japanese beetles on grapevine leaves. I had difficulty controlling them with organic sprays. Following that, my hair pulling led to pulling the plants entirely because they were feeding everywhere on the plant leaves, petals, fruit and pollen. Spotted cucumber beetles can feed on several different crops including cucumber, muskmelon, watermelon, pumpkins, squash and gourds.

It is important to clean up garden plant debris every fall so there aren’t places for pest insects to overwinter. Also, rotate crops and use floating row covers to keep pests out early in the season. However, remove the cloth when flowers are in bloom to allow them to be pollinated. There are cucumber beetle and other cucurbit-resistant varieties to plant, so do your homework when purchasing seeds — pest resistance should be listed in the description or on the package.

Every gardener eventually learns that ladybugs, also called lady beetles, are wonderful insect friends to have and protect in the garden. Their black spots vary in number depending on variety and their wing covers vary from bright orange to red. More than 80 species of lady beetles are found in Colorado, of which 70 are native. A single lady beetle can consume thousands of pest aphids, scale insects, mites and pest eggs in its brief lifetime. With their chewing mouth parts, both the adult and larva (or grub) life stages are beneficial as predator insects.

For lady beetles to find your garden, there needs to be pests for them to consume, so naturally there can be a lag time from when pest outbreaks occur to when they show up and start devouring the pests. The best advice is to live with the brief period of aphid outbreaks until they show up. Use a heavy spray of water on the aphids until the beetles arrive. Learn to identify lady beetle life stages too. In their larva or grub stage they can eat scores of aphids in an hour. Larvae resemble miniature black-red or black-orange alligators. They look rather mean, but they are do-gooders for pest control so keep them around all summer. Lady beetles also feed on pollen and nectar, especially before their winter hibernation, so grow plants with small flowers like dill, yarrow and butterfly weed for them to easily access. Learn more at extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/lady-beetles-5-594/.

As with most pest and disease concerns in gardens, the first step is to identify the problem and thoroughly work out the best solution. Many issues can be resolved without any intervention. Sprays, even organic ones, often have unintended consequences and can harm beneficial insects and pollinators along with the pests. There is generally a natural balance between pest and beneficial insects. Unfortunately, pest insects that normally do not live in Colorado, but somehow make their way here, thrive without natural predator insects to keep them in check, often resulting in serious plant damage and losses. The emerald ash borer and Japanese beetles are prime examples — but that’s a topic for another article.

Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

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They look good for a reason. They are either happy in their growing conditions (good on ya for choosing the right plant for the right place), or the plant is what I term a workhorse — a garden plant star that thrives in our high altitude, dry, alkaline soil, and low yearly moisture.

If you’re new to Colorado, think of Denver metro and the Front Range this way: Boston gets on average of 44 inches of precipitation a year while Denver receives 14 — truly a mere pittance.

Let’s look at six workhorse plants that are well-matched to grow in Colorado.

Annuals

Even though annuals need to be replaced each season and come with a cost, they bring bloom and foliage staying power for season-long interest.

• Affectionately called Million Bells, calibrachoa (cousin to petunia) easily meets the high standards of being low maintenance and incredibly showy as long-blooming annuals. The best part is that, except for regular watering and fertilizer (as required with most annual plants), there’s no dead-heading needed for spent flowers. Give them sun to part sun exposure and have fun choosing among the rainbow of colors and energy they bring to your garden all outdoor season long.
• Variety is almost a prerequisite in a landscape, and when your eye finds a healthy, plush-looking, silver mound of foliage, then stop the tour bus and grab the camera. Plant Select’s Silver Dollar Plant (Plectranthus argentatus) is one annual worth using every summer because it looks great every summer in containers, beds and borders. Give it room to grow (up to 36 inches tall and 40 inches wide), and once it is established after a few weeks it can handle drier conditions.

Perennials and shrubs

These perennial and shrub assets return and reliably reward us every summer by keeping us in the long-term gardening game.

• Epilobium canum, also known as Zauschneria, or Orange Carpet hummingbird trumpet, is a Western U.S. native, quick-growing and spreading orange groundcover of light green foliage that radiates with masses of orange-red, trumpet-shaped flowers from mid- to late summer. This long-lived perennial will make your time spent outdoors more pleasurable as you watch the hummingbirds dip and dive for their daily treat. Give it room to spread, water regularly the first year to get it well established, and trim in spring as needed. It tolerates all types of sunlight conditions except dense shade.
• Autumn Sapphire Sage (Salvia reptans), is another valued plant in the Plant Select collection. When a plant looks good from the minute it emerges in the spring after its winter haircut and then steadily grows all summer in full sun, with willow-like attractive foliage, and grandly finishes the late summer garden with subtle, sapphire blue pollinator magnet flowers, then plant one or 10, as I did in my garden many seasons ago. There aren’t enough positive adjectives for this plant. Once established, it is drought tolerant, deer resistant and pest free. Seeing this plant in bloom with butterflies and bees galore offsets the eventual sadness of saying goodbye to summer.

• 

  “Fernbush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium) is one of the best shrubs you don’t know you needed or loved until you grow it,” said Plant Select director Ross Shrigley. That got my attention, so it is on my must-have list for fall planting. Fondly referred to by some who grow it as the hydrangea of the West, fernbush is in bloom right now. It is a very drought tolerant, dense shrub growing to 5 to 6 feet tall and wide with ornamental fern-like looking aromatic leaves and abundant long blooming small white flowers.  Fernbush retains its leaves late into the fall and later in winter the pretty bronze seed heads are enjoyed by birds. The key to getting the best-rounded shape for fernbush is to prune it each spring which will encourage heavy, tight branching. Expect some internal leaf drop in summer, which is normal for fernbush as it prepares its new growth for next spring.

• Gardeners love to grow lavender plants. In two words: They work. As herbs, they provide aromatic fragrance and are used in lotions, sachets and in the kitchen for making lavender shortbread cookies and more. They always look good through the summer in borders, containers and rock gardens. Newer lavender introductions include smaller varieties perfectly suited for the front of the border and smaller gardens. Give Plant Select’s Wee One Dwarf English Lavender a try. Like all lavenders, sharp drainage when planted is a must, along with a mostly sunny location. Wee One grows 8 to 10 inches tall by 12 to 15 inches wide.

Resources

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies: https://extension.purdue.edu/foodlink/recipe.php?recipe=Lemon%20Lavender%20Shortbread%20Cookies

Plant Select: https://plantselect.org/

All the plants above can be found at your favorite Colorado independent garden center. Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region. 

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A simple definition of herbs are plants that are grown for their fresh and dried leaves for use in the culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic worlds, that also can be used to make crafts, dyes and home care products. Herbs encompass a broad group of plants, including woody perennial plants (lavender, rosemary), nonwoody perennials (chives, lemon balm), annuals (dill, basil), and biennials (parsley, angelica). There are many more in each category. Herbs grow well together in garden landscapes but can have subtle differences when it comes to pruning back in spring, timing of harvests, uses and preservation (drying, freezing, etc).

Spices, on the other hand, are the bark, roots, leaves and seeds from mostly tropical plants. One common plant we know as an herb also produces a spice: Cilantro leaves are used in dozens of dishes while the seeds of its plant are the spice coriander.

Many gardeners include herbs in their landscapes for their foliage and flowers, and to draw in pollinators and other beneficial insects. But they might be missing out on using those herbs in traditional ways. Get beyond the pretty and start using them in food and for feeling and looking good!

Mark Angelos knows herbs well; he has been growing them for decades at his Denver metro home. He started out growing perennials at a young age, but had a mid-life plant crisis to the point where he was losing interest until he discovered herbs and their many benefits. Mark started out reading about herbs, then joined The Rocky Mountain Unit of The Herb Society of America to learn more and meet other herb enthusiasts.

Mark became smitten with herbs and remains so today.

“Every herb is magical — take a tomato and add oregano or basil or thyme and it makes culinary magic,” he says. He describes herbs as magical medicine, too. “They aren’t an illusion, herbs can have positive effects on our bodies.”

The first herb he grew was basil, but now he grows scores of herbs and at one point had an entire front and back yard full of herbs.

Members of the local herb society and Mark have maintained the herb garden at The Hudson Gardens and Event Center for twenty years. The herbs, which include over one hundred species, are well labeled and organized under culinary, medicinal, local native and Mediterranean origin categories. Be sure to visit this beautiful free-admission garden in Littleton off South Santa Fe Drive, which is open from sunrise to sunset daily.

Mark’s herbal tips include drying tulsi basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) and nettle (Urtica dioica) leaves to make a calming, restorative tea. “Lemon grass also makes wonderful-tasting tea combined with chamomile leaves.”

His go-to herbs for Mediterranean, Italian and Greek cooking include dill, mint, basil and cayenne. Mark makes fresh ice cream and cookies combining coriander seeds and cinnamon for unexpected, tasty treats. He calls coriander seeds his secret ingredient. He uses tarragon leaves, as many people do, for chicken, fish and sauce dishes. However, one of his favorite uses for the leaves is in floral arrangements, especially combined with aster and daisy plants. Tarragon adds attractive color contrast and phenomenal filler texture.

A handful of Mark’s favorite herbs

Spanish Sage, also called lavender sage (Salvia lavandulifolia), is a perennial. A wonderful alternative to traditional garden sage, Spanish sage doesn’t have the strong camphor taste, so it is pleasing for tea and any recipe calling for culinary sage. It is suitable for Zone 5 and needs a compact growth habit. It is very aromatic with beautiful blue booms and grows to 2’ x 2’. It is very drought tolerant when established and works in any garden style. Purchase established plants in spring.

Dill (Anethum graveolens) is an annual. No potato salad is complete without dill. Use it fresh on fish, vegetables, eggs, cucumbers, cottage cheese, or in dips. Try baking the leaves into bread for a savory taste. Sprinkle seeds anywhere in the landscape for a pop of yellow in mid-summer. Dill grows to 4 feet and re-seeds easily. It attracts honeybees and beneficial parasitic wasps and is a host for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars (Let them eat the plant, they won’t do much damage!). Hot weather causes dill to flower. Collect seeds for pickles as soon as flowers open and freeze leaves in airtight containers where it will hold its flavor. Dill also can be grown indoors for winter use.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), also known as cilantro in its leaf form, is an annual. Resembling flat-leaf parsley, the flavor is often said to be an acquired taste. The plant produces lacy clusters of tiny white, pink or purple flowers two to three months after sowing. The seeds follow flowering and have a sweet, peppery overtone with a hint of orange. The seeds, leaves and roots are all edible. Pick fresh leaves starting when the plant is about six or more inches tall. Cilantro keeps in the refrigerator for ten days or so if wrapped in a damp towel and enclosed in a plastic bag. It does not dry well. Use the leaves in salsa, tomato sauce, guacamole, and on beans, poultry, salads and vegetables.

French tarragon (Artemesia dracunculus) is a perennial. Plants are large, shrubby, dark, shiny gray-green leaves with smooth edges. It might look similar to rosemary, but it has a more open growth habit and is much hardier than rosemary in zone 5 growing areas. It produces loose clusters of small yellow flowers in mid-summer. Like dill, it can be grown indoors. Its flavor is described as anise-like. Tarragon is essential in making bearnaise and hollandaise sauces, and also is commonly used in salad dressings and vinaigrettes. Use it to flavor fish, meat, veal, omelets, quiche, and mushroom and spinach dishes. Try adding it to grilled or steamed vegetables. Tarragon is best picked just prior to use. To dry, cut whole branches and hang them in an airy, dark location or strip the leaves off the branches and place on a cookie sheet to dry. Freezing preserves the flavor better than drying. Freeze leaves in ice cubes, oil or butter.

For additional herb use ideas and preservation tips, check on the links. Happy herb gardening!

Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

Learn more

Dietary Supplements: Herbals and Botanicals https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/dietary-supplements-herbals-and-botanicals-9-370/

Herbs: Preserving and Using https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/herbs-preserving-and-using-9-335/

“Homegrown Herbs” by Tammi Hartung, a Colorado author

Making Favored Vinegars: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/flavored-vinegars-and-oils-9-340/

The Hudson Gardens and Event Center: hudsongardens.org

The Rocky Mountain Unit of the Herb Society of America: herbsociety.org/about/hsa-units-and-districts/hsa-units/hsa-rocky-mountain.html

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The Hudson Gardens & Event Center

Hours: Gardens open daily from sunrise to sunset; welcome center open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: 6115 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton; hudsongardens.org

No need to travel far for this first garden, which is a short ride from Denver via the South Platte River and Mary Carter Greenway trails. If you bike in – highly recommended – start with something caffeinated at Nixon’s Coffee House, situated at Hudson Gardens’ northeast entrance. The main garden entrance is off Santa Fe Drive, and as long as an event isn’t happening, you’ll find ample free parking in one of several lots preceding a welcome center and gift shop.

Owned and operated by South Suburban Parks and Recreation, Hudson Gardens houses thirty acres of display gardens, along with gentle trails, open spaces, water features, and plenty of peaceful nooks. There’s lots to see and discover, including a water lily pond, rose garden, the native Colorado Garden, vegetable and herb plots, and Bob’s Pond Water Garden, showcasing the diversity of the planet’s aquatic plants. All of these spaces can be accessed via the sole paved trail looping through the property. If you’re visiting with kids, don’t miss an adorable “Hobbit Hole” play area preceding Turtle Pond. Near the big red barn, look for an apiary with twenty beehives owned by community beekeepers. Several times a season – check online for details – guests can drop by the apiary for a free beekeeping class. Other onsite activities include public art exhibits, painting sessions, and guided meditation.

Betty Ford Alpine Gardens

Hours: Open daily from dawn until dusk; education center open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: 522 S. Frontage Road E, Vail; bettyfordalpinegardens.org

From the Vail Village parking structure, it’s an easy 10-minute walk east to North America’s highest botanical gardens, which, yes, were named for the former first lady. (She loved to garden!) Inside Ford Park, 8,200 feet above sea level, visitors can view 3,000 species of high-altitude plants growing in four distinct zones: the Mountain Perennial Garden, Alpine Rock Garden, Mountain Meditation Garden, and an enchanting children’s garden, with edible plants and a market playhouse. During a late summer visit, keep an eye out for succulents, colorful poppies, edelweiss, Colorado’s state flower, the blue columbine, and a special hybrid Betty Ford daylily, among many additional blooms.

Don’t miss the permanent informational panels and rotating exhibits at the Education Center on the far end of the gardens, adjacent to Ford Park’s playground. After learning more about hardy plants that grow in alpine environments, check out a state-of-the-art cold greenhouse – the “Alpine House” – mimicking a cool mountain environment, containing over 200 species of rare bulbs and greenery from around the world. Refreshments and ice cream are available seasonally at the Schoolhouse Museum & Gift Shop, across from the main garden entrance. There’s no admission fee, but a $20 donation is suggested for those who are able to pay.

John Denver Sanctuary

Hours: Open daily from dawn to dusk

Location: 470 Rio Grande Place, Aspen; aspenchamber.org

Past Aspen’s downtown shopping district, behind Rio Grande Park, walkers discover a charming riverside memorial commemorating the popular 1970s singer-songwriter. It’s hard to believe this manmade wetland habitat was once an industrial site. In the years following John Denver’s death, landscape architects placed hundreds of boulders throughout the sanctuary and planted groves of native trees, too, along with shrubs, creating a hardworking landscape that provides a refuge for nature lovers while simultaneously cleaning about 30 percent of the city’s stormwater runoff.

Within the sanctuary, enjoy one of the area’s largest perennial flower gardens, planted near the Song Garden, where John Denver’s lyrics are carved into rocks. The flowers are usually blooming by early June, and will continue coloring the landscape all summer.

Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens

Hours: Open daily from dawn until dusk, except in extremely snowy conditions

Location: Near the intersection of 4th Avenue and Prospect Street, Lyons; rmbg.org

Boulder County’s first botanical garden has quite the origin story. In 2013, the St. Vrain River’s normal flow reached “biblical” proportions, as the National Weather Service put it, when water levels rose over 20 times the volume of a typical flood. The catastrophic event stranded residents for days, damaging roads, sewer lines, and a significant number of homes. Out of the devastation, something positive grew when the town of Lyons purchased the floodplain nand then permitted volunteers to plant a modestly sized demonstration garden dreamed up by resident Garima Fairfax.

Rocky Mountain Botanic Gardens is a peaceful space to learn about drought-tolerant gardening as well as plants that grow in local riparian areas, bogs, and peaks. From the main garden entrance, follow a winding, looping, crushed-gravel path through a series of enchanting “demonstration gardens” divided into Colorado’s five key ecosystems. While wandering about, enjoy the colors and smells of dwarf wild indigo, prairie verbena, golden smoke, firewheel, and purple aster, to name just a few of the site’s flora. The garden is also a fantastic place to spot butterflies, native birds, and other wildlife. Public classes are offered throughout the year; check online for details.

Yampa River Botanic Park

Hours: Open seasonally from dawn until dusk, between early May and the first heavy snow

Location: 1000 Pamela Lane, Steamboat Springs; yampariverbotanicpark.org

It’s possible to walk or bike into this 6-acre former horse pasture via the paved Yampa River Core Trail. Or enter through the big iron gates just past the sports fields at Emerald Park. Follow the site’s main path past a series of sixty individual gardens with different themes, many accessed via side trails jutting off from the central loop.

Most guests spend 45 minutes to an hour walking under a canopy of mature aspen and spruce trees, enjoying colorful flowers that really pop in the summer. Foxtail lilies are currently in peak bloom: These eye-catching perennials tend to delight visitors who aren’t familiar with the Asian plant. Look, too, for Himalayan blue poppies and the state flower, blue columbine, growing amid colorful peonies. The native garden is a little wild, but that’s the whole point: It was planted as an education feature showcasing the region’s essential vegetation.

Other highlights include the medicinal herb, spring bulb, and rock gardens; with its enchanting fairy village, the children’s garden is a big hit with young naturalists. Pop in for free concerts on Wednesday mornings, through Aug. 21. On Fridays and Sundays, free guided walking tours take off from the main entrance at 10 a.m. Only ADA service animals are permitted inside Yampa River Botanic Park.

Three more gardens worth the drive:

Red Hills Desert Garden

Hours: Open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Location: 375 E. Red Hills Pkwy., St. George, Utah; redhillsdesertgarden.comredhillsdesertgarden.com

With panoramic views of Utah’s rocky red formations as its backdrop, Red Hills Desert Garden is a scenic place to learn about native plants that not only survive but thrive in the country’s most arid landscapes. The Washington County Water Conservancy District owns and operates this vibrant desert conservation garden – Utah’s first – with the goal of demonstrating to visitors just how gorgeous water-efficient landscapes can be.

With 6,400 feet of looping walking trails, Red Hills Desert Garden also flaunts rare and endangered fish species in a 1,150-foot stocked stream preceding a replica slot canyon where guests can experience the thrill of walking through one of nature’s unique geological features. Because the site’s native flora has different blooming seasons, there’s really no bad time to explore a whopping 5,000 plant species that range from colorful succulents and wildflowers to hardy shrubs and desert-adapted trees. Interpretive signs provide fodder for home gardeners, and prehistoric dinosaur tracks and real fossils dating back 200 million years, unearthed during site excavation, will wow paleontology enthusiasts of all ages. The garden hosts a variety of seasonal celebrations, including an autumn scarecrow walk and holiday lights. Leashed dogs are allowed to visit with their owners.

Ward-Meade Historic Site

Hours: Open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk

Location: 124 NW Fillmore St., Topeka; parks.snco.us

The 7-hour drive from Denver to Topeka isn’t exactly known for its beautiful vistas, but there’s plenty to gawk at once you reach Kansas’s capital city. Park in the lot off NW Clay Street, and stroll through history at Old Prairie Town. The 1800s village is part of a 6-acre historic site that includes the Ward-Meade mansion, a national historic landmark, and Ward-Meade Botanical Garden.

After grabbing a milkshake at the Potwin Drug Store, open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from noon until 4 p.m., continue through the village to reach a 2.5-acre botanic garden. Shaded, paved trails take guests through several distinct sections, including national display gardens for hostas and daylilies plus a national conifer reference garden. Interpretive signs make it easy to learn as you browse. Beyond the arbors, gazebo, bridges, and sculptures, other lovely touches include a monarch butterfly way station and tulips galore in April. During “Tulip Time” an impressive 100,000 tulips bloom across Topeka; 20,000 of them grow inside Ward-Meade Park.

The Midwest is known for delivering value, and Topeka furnishes two free botanic gardens. Don’t miss the Ted Ensley Gardens, 3650 SE W. Edge Road, with over 37 acres of flowers flourishing on the west side of Lake Shawnee.

Bajada Nature Trail

Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset

Location: 18333 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy., Scottsdale; mcdowellsonoran.org

For an up-close look at desert life, head to the Bajada Nature Trail, located at the Gateway Trailhead in the Southern Region of Scottsdale’s massive McDowell Sonoran Preserve, which grants hikers access to more than 225 miles of scenic trails winding through the rugged Sonoran Desert. A bajada, in case you’re curious, is the area between steep mountain slopes and the flat valley floor. This special geological zone is known for containing deep, loose soil that can sustain a varied community of plant life – and when it comes to rich biodiversity, the Bajada Nature Trail definitely delivers.

This site isn’t a cultivated garden like the others, but it’s earned its spot on this list. City planners constructed the nature trail within the existing desert, routing a wide, figure-eight path through naturally occurring native plants so guests who aren’t able to hike difficult desert terrain can still experience the area’s natural beauty. A series of interactive interpretive panels gives insight into Arizona plants. There’s no shortage of cacti: chollas, saguaro, and barrel, to name just a few. Native trees such as palo verde are plentiful, too, along with shrubs such as creosote bush and bursage.

Jamie Siebrase freelances for The Denver Post. She is an author, mom, and outdoors enthusiast based in Littleton.

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In this, Part II of tomato care through the summer (read Part I here), let’s explore what can go wrong despite our good garden practices as we cruise into the harvest period.

The number one uncontrollable possibility in mid-summer is continuous high outdoor temperatures, which can affect flowering and fruiting. When days are consistently in the 90s, the yellow-colored flowers can dry up and fall off, which means no flower pollination and no tomatoes from the spent blossoms. One way to help reduce intense sun and high temperatures is to shade the plants.

Depending on the shade cloth material and weave, sunlight penetration under shaded plants can be reduced as much as 20% or more. Less intense direct sun can help cool plants and prevent flower drop, sunburnt fruit and foliage.

Check out available shade cloth options at your local independent garden retailer and online. Other materials, such as floating row cover, lightweight bed sheets, towels and burlap, also can work. In my book, shade cloth is worth the small investment. They also work very well for hail protection and can last ten or more years if stored out of the elements in the off-season.

Be sure to place the cloth on a frame of some type or attach it to stakes over the plants. Otherwise, the cover can weigh down the foliage. Although it is time-consuming to cover and uncover plants each day, doing so during the hottest part of the day can relieve stress on the flowers and reduce the possibility of flowers drying. The good news is that any fruit that is already on the vine should continue to grow and ripen, and new flowers will grow again.

Maintain a close eye on tomato plants and all vegetables during high-heat days, as they may need additional watering to keep up with their higher transpiration rates. Consider increasing the water frequency to once or twice a day, without increasing the amount of water which can lead to overwatering.

Other heat-related tomato issues can appear like rolled leaves, blossom-end rot, cat-faced fruit and sun-scalded fruit.

Rolled leaves from heat won’t unroll once temperatures cool a bit and generally don’t cause problems with the plant. Blossom-end rot shows up as brown or black lesions at the ends of the earliest fruit promoted by inconsistent watering and nutrient movement in plants; simply pluck the bad ones. Same for the unattractive cat-faced or contorted-looking fruits, most likely the result of cold weather early in the season that deformed them from that time. Sun-scalded fruit has pale white to yellow spots on areas that face the sun. Just remove the affected fruit since they won’t recover.

Two tomato diseases and a tourist pest insect that arrive from the south in summer are fairly common along the Front Range. The diseases are early blight and tomato spotted wilt virus, while the pests are psyllids. The best defense for gardeners is to be on the lookout for early signs of trouble on the plant leaves and take action if it’s not too late.

Tomato early blight (Alternaria solani) is a fungus that is around on old plant debris, the soil surface or in the soil. It gets started when conditions favor its development–warm temperatures in the 80s, plus moisture, humidity or heavy dew on plants. Discourage possible spread of the fungus by not watering overhead and always rotating crops from season to season, along with using a mulch under plants that helps prevent water splashing on lower leaves since the fungus can remain in the soil and winter over. Removing all vegetable matter that may harbor fungal and other pathogens after the outdoor growing season is always good bed planting hygiene.

Tomato early blight starts showing up after the first fruits get growing and begins on the older, lower leaves first. Look for small, round or angular dark, brownish spots that enlarge to over a half-inch in diameter. The larger spots resemble target-like rings with the tissue around the spot turning yellow. Severe infection causes the leaves to turn brown, wither and die. Stems are also infected, turning dry, brown, and sunken-looking. The fruit is okay to eat.

When caught early, start by cutting off infected lower leaves and branches and discard them, do not compost them. A tomato plant should be fine to continue growing and producing when up to a third of its lower foliage is removed, but no more. Use care when watering not to splash any water up on the plant. If overhead watering is the only option, apply at a time when leaves will dry quickly. Fungicide use may be helpful, discuss options with your master gardener volunteers and reputable independent garden center help desks.

Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) is the result of very small pest insects called thrips that get the virus from infected nearby host weeds and certain ornamental plants, then infect tomato leaves when feeding. Tomato leaves with TSWV initially look bronzed and dark-spotted. Look for purple-colored veins in the leaves as the virus advances. Upper leaves become cupped and twisted and the overall plant may appear stunted. Tomato fruit will have small to large yellow spots and patches. Fruit is edible; however, the plant is not salvageable and needs to be completely removed as soon as possible. Do not compost it. Look for and purchase TSWV-tolerant or -resistant seeds when seeding at home or buying transplants at garden centers. Remove weeds around the landscape and vegetable growing area.

Uninvited pest psyllids (pronounced sill-ids) hitchhike in the wind to the Front Range during the summer. Infestations can be irregular in gardens, some years psyllids may find your plants, other years there’s no occurrence. Psyllids inject toxic saliva into tomato and potato plants causing unmistakable visual damage — color changes and leaf curling.

Early scouting of leaf undersides is advised when looking for them. Small, yellow eggs that grow into green, oval, yet flat nymphs can be seen. As the nymphs feed on leaf undersides, their excretions or droppings (technically named lerps) look like salt or sugar crystals. Adult psyllids, about the size of aphids, are dark in color and can jump when disturbed on plants.

A highly infected tomato looks like a saltshaker was emptied over the plant. The leaves also will look yellow to purple in color and appear to stand on end with a feathered, twirled look. Insecticidal soaps can help when infection is detected early. Be sure to cover both upper and lower parts of the leaves and entire plants. Other control options can be found on the fact sheet under resources.

Later in the summer with Tomato Growing Part III we’ll look at harvest, late-season growing tips, recipes and preservation.

Resources

Recognizing Tomato Problems — extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/recognizing-tomato-problems-2-949/

Potato or Tomato Psyllids — agsci.colostate.edu/agbio/ipm-pests/potato-psyllid/

Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

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Related: Colorado wildflowers are blooming early, with some areas peaking now

Meadows, lakeshores, riverbanks, and forest floors take on a multi-colored lining and large swaths of vibrant purple, red, orange, and yellow. The Centennial state is home to countless varieties of wildflowers, but here are some of the most striking.

Columbine

You can find Colorado’s state flower in at least three color varieties–rich shades of red, yellow, and purple—but white and lavender are the classics.

It sits either alone or in bushy clusters, mostly in forested areas and meadows without intense direct sun. It begins to bloom in lower elevations in June but hits its peak in July and August.

Columbines grow rampantly at Trappers Lake near Steamboat Springs. In Rocky Mountain National Park near Cony Lake and on the way up Cony Pass, They can be found in profuse quantities even in late June and above treeline near snowfields.

Paintbrush

These also come in various colors and can be found in the foothills, high desert, and alpine slopes throughout the state as early as April and as late as September.

The scarlet variety is the most common color around Colorado. Still, you’ll also find paintbrushes running to the warm side of the color wheel — in several shades of orange, yellow, and even off-white.

If you look closely, the flowers are the green tubes poking out of the colorful bunches.

Green Mountain on the west side of Denver is awash in paintbrush blooms in April, May, and June.

You can find entire slopes and alpine meadows covered in them in Colorado’s high country in June and July, particularly in the San Juan Mountains.

You might even spot a few lingering paintbrushes in shaded areas near Grand Junction and the Western Slope in September.

Fireweed

Named because it is one of the first plants to spring from the ground after the earth is destroyed by wildfire, these gorgeous, tall stalks feature flowers ranging from orange to magenta and can cover entire swaths of land with their vibrant colors.

A truly thriving organism, fireweed can grow in just about any landscape – grassland, pine forests, high desert, you name it.

There are small seas of them in various areas.

Vail Mountain comes to mind, where you’ll find them on not one but two short (about 1.5 miles each) trails at the top of the Eagles Nest gondola aptly named Upper and Lower Fireweed.

In Crested Butte, you’ll also see the statuesque plants brimming along the 401 Trail.

Prairie crocus

Also called Pasqueflower or Pulsatilla patens, you probably didn’t know these beautiful bulbs could grow in the wild.

However, the sweet white/pink/lavender blooms with their yellow faces sprout in numerous high alpine areas almost immediately after the snow melts.

Although they look delicate, their hairy, wooly stems are a testament to their hardiness.

They typically disappear by about mid-June, but in late spring and early summer, you’ll find them along the Frisco shores of Lake Dillon and as early as April in Colorado Springs’ Palmer Park.

Bluebell

Look for these clusters of shy, blue and purplish blooms tucked into high grassy areas along the Front Range as well as in small clumps amid pine forests.

Growing low to the ground, their hues can also come in whites and pinks.

For a surefire glimpse of them or even (in June and early July) massive swaths, head to Bluebell Mesa in Boulder.

Wild Iris

See these beauties through August in marshy areas (they prefer wetlands) or surrounding ponds and lakes.

They’re also not afraid of high elevation. Entire fields of them can be found at 10,000 feet or higher in South Park.

Also, the short (0.7-mile Wild Iris Loop) near Three Sisters Park in Evergreen is so named for good reason.

Silvery Lupine

Silvery Lupine, more accurately a bluish purple (but they can also be white), lines the landscape — forests, meadows, roadsides, and mountaintops — through August.

They grow in cylindrical, sometimes cone-shaped stalks, rising cheerily above surrounding high grass.

They are abundant across the state, but for a magical viewing experience, grab your mountain bike and head to the Lupine Trails in Crested Butte.

Heartleaf Arnica

Flaming up from the forest floor in vibrant yellow clusters, Arnica prefers darker, moist areas such as shaded mountain trails.

While the yellow petals are elongated with three prongs at the end, the leaves of these delicate, ground-sprouting plants are indeed heart-shaped.

In July and August, you’ll see little communities of this flower growing along the shores of Lawn Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Wild Rose

Like all roses, they grow on thorny shrubs, but their stems bear small prickles rather than thick thorns. These delicate pink treasures range in color from pale to rich magenta.

They prefer dryer areas and can be found in shrubs and thickets in Colorado’s lowest and highest growing elevations, from forests and meadows.

Regardless of color, wild roses always feature five petals, and while they start blooming in spring, they can last well into September in the high country.

Brainard Lake is a great area to spot them in late summer.

Scentless Chamomile

(Editor’s note: A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Agriculture warns that scentless chamomile, is considered a noxious weed and should be eliminated, adding that “Many of our most destructive noxious weeds are introduced due to their visual appeal. The state’s designation of the flower is based on scientific evidence and data and is considered the standard on which weed management plans are based.”)

It’s probably not the best idea to make tea out of this daisy-like flower with white petals and a yellow center. Emanating no or very little fragrance and growing profusely in bushes to heights up to three feet, Scentless Chamomile is not native to Colorado.

A European plant, it is considered an invasive species by the state of Colorado’s agriculture department — but nobody can argue that it isn’t pretty.

You’ll see these cheerful beauties in forested areas, drainage ditches and lining roadways and train tracks from May to October.

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Lawn areas may need a quick RX for bare spots.

And why do plants fail shortly after planting?

The squirrels are driving us squirrely, is it possible to better coexist with them?

Lawns

Dead lawn patches and areas are easy to detect during the outdoor growing season. If the water conservation bug hits you or if lawn management has become more than a burden, consider a partial or full lawn replacement. Work with a competent, experienced landscape contractor who is familiar with all phases of lawn replacement and can help plan and match a landscape tweak or redo with your current growing conditions.

Parched lawn is different than dead lawn. A good way to distinguish the cause is to physically watch automatic sprinkler heads water all the zones. Repair the obvious: Broken and tilted sprinkler heads, below-grade heads, water pressure issues and plugged heads are easy to spot and repair. Lawn areas not getting enough water usually recover nicely once sprinkler issues are resolved.

Dead lawn causes may not be easy to determine. Consider previous year drought stress, winter de-icing chemicals, pest insect feeding, pet urine and critter damage as possible reasons. If watering is consistent, re-seeding or sodding dead spots is doable even during the hot summer months. Try re-seeding smaller areas. This easy chore can be done in an hour or two when fixing just a few spots here and there. Here’s how:

1. Prepare the dead grass surface area by raking and loosening up compacted soil and grass. Work some compost into the soil, then smooth it down. Sprinkle or use a spreader to broadcast grass seed that is close to the type of grass already growing. Independent garden centers have local grass seed blends that are best suited to growing in Colorado.
2.  Spread a very thin layer of loose soil over the seeds, then cover with a light layer of weed-free straw (if available) and water with a fine mist. Keep the area moist until the new grass seed is established and growing well. Prevent foot traffic from the seeded spots. Watering twice a day might be needed when temperatures are in the 80s and 90s. Pull any weeds that emerge. In 5 to 6 weeks, the bare patches will blend in nicely and be ready for regular mowing and fertilization.

Plantings

Why do some beloved perennial plants and shrubs die suddenly or within a few weeks after being initially planted? If we all knew the exact answer(s), perhaps we’d be able to prevent future losses or at least build our planting confidence.

Choosing the right plant for the right location in a landscape is rule No 1. A close second is making sure the soil, sun and planting zone conditions are correct. Newbies to Colorado learn quickly that rhododendrons and azaleas simply don’t grow well here — their needs for wind protection, afternoon shade, milder (less extreme winter weather), continuous moist and acid soil conditions make them incompatible for our high plains and dry, alkaline-soil Colorado landscapes.

Hydrangeas certainly offer the wow factor when in bloom and fortunately for those who love them, they have adapted to growing here; many varieties are sold locally. To ensure growing and blooming success, choose the most cold-hardy hydrangeas that bloom on new growth (wood) each spring or blooms on both old wood from the previous season and new spring growth. These include hydrangeas like Limelight, Pee Gee, Endless Summer, Little Lime, Invincibelle and Tardiva.

The absolute key to planting hydrangeas and other shrubs and trees correctly is to not overly amend the planting hole with compost, topsoil and potting soil, which creates what is known as the “bathtub effect” where water absorbs quickly in the planting hole. Once the water hits the surrounding native soil it stops and holds the water in around the roots which leads to rot or death by drowning.

For the best bloom, hydrangeas prefer six or more hours of sun each day. They’ll be happiest with wind protection and shade during the hottest parts of the day. Hydrangeas are not drought-tolerant like so many other native and recommended adapted blooming shrubs for our climate. They need regular watering, but not to the point of being waterlogged. Pruning hydrangeas correctly and at the right time matters (check the resources below).

Pests

Some gardeners consider squirrels as a natural, welcome part of their year-round outdoor wildlife enjoyment, just like a nibble here and there from deer won’t hurt the roses (they’ll grow back quickly). If that’s not your sentiment, however, you’re not alone. Talk about wildlife management can go down many emotional rabbit holes.

Squirrels are difficult to control since they are so mobile on our power lines and tree canopies and have fewer natural predators in dense urban settings. Repellents (homemade and commercial) around landscapes may only have temporary results. Some gardeners claim that hanging and placing several scented dryer sheets on fences and near bird feeders keeps them away.

Make your landscapes less friendly to them by using available resources. Two-foot-wide metal collars attached 6 feet from the ground around the base of trees can prevent them from climbing individual trees (they can still jump from close tree canopies). Close openings to attics and other buildings. Diluted hot sauce can be sprayed on tomatoes and later on fall pumpkins.

One taste and squirrels generally get the message.

Resources

How to replace your lawn: denverpost.com/2023/05/23/gardening-how-to-replace-colorado-lawn-native-species/

Inspecting and correcting turf irrigation system problems: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/irrigation-inspecting-and-correcting-turf-irrigation-system-problems-4-722/

Native shrubs for Colorado landscapes: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/native-shrubs-for-colorado-landscapes-7-422/

Pruning hydrangeas and other summer blooming shrubs: https://www.denverpost.com/2024/04/07/tips-spring-pruning-shurbs-perennials-vegetables/

Right lawn for where you live: https://www.denverpost.com/2023/05/16/colorado-lawn-trends-saving-water/

Wildlife Management in Colorado: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/gardening-resources/online-garden-publications/wildlife/

Betty Cahill speaks and writes about gardening in the Rocky Mountain Region.

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