Springing into a new year of gardening
By Erika Strote
Colorado State University Extension Master Gardener in Larimer County
As the days get longer and those winter sun rays starts to feel downright warm at times, it is easy to daydream about sprucing up our outdoor spaces. With more of us s en n s n fic n o n s of e o e e s couple of years has seen an increase in people focusing on home and yard improvements. While it is easy to lust after the yards and gardens splashed across Pinterest and Instagram, it is important to be realistic about the amount of time you want to spend working in your yard versus relaxing in your space and making changes with that balance in mind. Landscape — The key to a beautiful, low-maintenance landsc e s o fin er plant for your conditions. Sunny and dry? There is a plant for that. Shady most of the day? A perfect plant for that. As you build your landscape, rather than buying every plant that catches your eye at the nursery, take time to research and plan. Blonde Ambition blue grama. Think about bloom time and include a variety of o n en nce erenn s e n o er n each season. In addition to perennials, consider including small-scale evergreens and deciduous shrubs with colorful branches for year-round visual interest, grasses for movement, and plants with interesting seed heads (including rose hips) or berries that will help draw birds into your yard. Ask yourself how much turf you want to maintain and consider minimizing the grassy areas to conserve water and cut down on labor. As our summers trend hotter and drier, it is imperative to consider how much water is required to support your landscape. Seek out beautiful plants that can succeed with minimal to moderate irrigation. A great resource for gardeners to learn more about xeric and low-water plants is the Plant Select® website (plantselect.org). Plant Seec s non rofi co or on e een o or o e University, the Denver Botanical Gardens, and professional horticulturists designed to get hardy plants that thrive in our conditions out into the marketplace. Many local nurseries carry plants tagged with the Plant Select® label. The staff at these local nurseries also have great plant suggestions, so don’t hesitate to ask for advice as you plan.
The Garden Spot
Turf — Now is a great time to take your mower blade into your local hardware store to have it sharpened. Lawnmowers should be set high, leaving the grass at least three inches tall. Mowing the lawn frequently, generally once per week during active growth, and not removing more than 1/3 the height of the grass in a single mowing will help to keep it stay lush and healthy. In addition to mowing habits, your watering schedule impacts how drought-tolerant your lawn will be in the hottest days of summer. When watering your lawn, you want to water deeply and infrequently to encourage the grass to develop a robust root system. In the cooler days and nights of spring, this means watering once per week, shifting to two and then capping at three times per week as the day and nighttime temperatures rise. Vegetable gardens — If you have a sunny spot (6-8 o rs er of s n r ve e e or c o er r en ne o on s o fin n re of o r r s relatively level and build simple, inexpensive raised beds. Parts for these can be found at garden centers or hardre s ores n fi o e er e n er o s rc se r en so o fi o r beds, rather than using native soil from your yard, and mulch around your plants with compost or grass clippings to help regulate moisture. Garden centers and hardware stores also sell easy-to-assemble irrigation kits that will keep your plants happy with minimal fuss on your part. In smaller spaces, you will be amazed at the range of fruits and vegetables that grow well in pots. Use a high-quality potting Photo by Alison Stover mix, fertilize once the n ’s o er n drip system to keep your plants going strong. Start in the spring by direct seeding early season crops like lettuces, radishes, or snap peas. Once we are beyond our last frost date (generally mid-to-late May) direct seed other warm-season crops like beans and zucchini. Plant tender tomatoes, peppers, and basil once the nights reliably stay above 60 degrees and the soils warm up. Flowers like cosmos, marigolds, and zinnias are easy to start from seed and look lovely displayed in a small vase in your home. Most importantly, grow plants in your garden you will actually eat and enjoy. Once the weather warms up, plan on spending a few minutes in your garden daily — not only does this help you stay on top of weeds and harvesting, it has also been shown to improve mental health and mood, and that is a boost we can all use these days! If you have questions or want more information, there s e of er on e o or o e ens on website under Yard and Garden (extension.colostate.edu). Need more hands-on help? The Larimer County Master Gardeners can be reached year-round at LarimerMG@ gmail.com and we love to answer tricky landscape, garden and turf questions. Berthoud Weekly Surveyor February 17, 2022 Page 15
