April is just about here and with it comes Easter (April 20), Earth Day (April 22), Colorado Arbor Day (April 26) and National Parks Week (April 19-27). Every gardener is itching to get outside and dig in the soil. Sometimes we forget that gardening can be tricky in April living in the foothills of Pikes…
My garden sure wood be nothing without mulch! Like choosing the right plant for the right place, mulch should match the conditions and plants growing in your garden. Mulch can be plant-based: compost, shredded bark, wood chips, and dried leaves or grass clippings. Mulch can even be living. Or it can be inorganic (pea gravel)….
âIn March winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something pulls inside of us too.â â Jean Hersey, American author What a deliciously cold winter weâve had. Hopefully, March will bring us an equally delightful spring that provides rain, sunshine and perennials that have survived the winter temperatures. Here are…
A watercolor painting of Charlotte Tragos’s home in Los Angeles, which burned to the ground amid the Palisades Fire. Los Angeles artist Jordan Heber put out a call on social media, offering to paint homes that were destroyed free of charge. Courtesy of Jordan Heber The Palisades Fire burned Charlotte Tragos’s home to the ground….
Once leaves have dropped in autumn, there is a great opportunity to examine the deciduous trees in your garden and determine if some pruning is needed. November through March is an ideal time to get that work done. Evergreen tree pruning should be deferred until early spring. The reasons for pruning include: ⢠Managing damage…
The need for seasonal garden cleanup can be a controversial subject. How much to do in autumn, and how much to leave for spring, is a question best answered by, âIt depends.â Questions to ask yourself include: ⢠What are you growing? ⢠What insect and animal pests do you want to manage? ⢠What…
As you might be aware, El Paso County and much of Colorado is seeing an uptick in mountain pine beetle (MPB) activity. MPB is a native insect that usually attacks weaker trees as part of a natural cycle of forest renewal. However, MPB can switch from endemic levels to outbreak levels. Parts of the county,…
âNow, let me see … Thereâs the large carpet in the main hall. Clean it! And the windows, upstairs and down. Wash them! Oh yes. And the tapestries and the draperies. Do them again! And donât forget the garden. And scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys, and of course…
