as fall quickly approaches and you are getting ready to put your garden away for the season, remember some simple rules for next year.  one thing that helps me remember what to do for next year is keeping a journal with sketches.  what worked, what didn't, what needs more water, what needs more sun...writing down and sketching things is tremendously helpful for next years harvest to be bigger and better.  another important thing that will be beneficial is removal of all dead, dying or disease plant material.  you want to start the spring with a clean slate so to speak.  you can also cover your soil with cloth, straw or another ground cover depending on what you want to use the soil for the following year.  this would also be a good time to add to your compost bin or start one from scratch.  i am not going to go into composting in this post however look for one in a future post.  as with anything in life simplifying, organizing and planning will go a long way for you and make your life easier in the spring.  there are tons of web resources, books and blogs for you to peruse.  if you are a novice or even an expert, let me suggest on of the finest resources you can have that won't cost you a penny (unless your late), a library card. 

so get out your journal and a pen, write down your ideas and experiences and as always happy gardening.

the denver public library

fall has left us here in denver and winter is now upon us, however there are still a few things you can do to get your garden ready for next year.

rake up leaves if you haven't already especially if you have a lawn.  grass still needs sunlight so it can create sugars to store in its roots throughout the winter.  allowing leaves and other debris on the lawn can smother it.  consider turning into mulch or composting the leaves for later use in your garden.

any plants left in your garden need to be tended to accordingly.  clear out any plants with black stems, plants with visible pests or fungi, foliage of annuals, fruits and vegetables to prevent the possibility of diseases, pests or other pathogens from disturbing future plants, trees or shrubs.  while pruning and clearing out dead or unwanted debris is great, it can turn unhealthy if done excessively.  make sure you do research on the plant, tree or shrub before doing your best impression of edward scissor hands.   

check pH levels before applying any chemicals or treatments.  it will help reveal any areas that need special attention so you can garden smarter not harder.

cover flower beds if you have done fall plantings to add extra protection through the extremely colder months.

a little planning goes a long way in almost all aspects of life and especially in gardening.  if you take care of your garden before some serious snow hits denver, you will be one step closer to getting a jump on things for the coming spring.

happy winterizing... 

growing native…

when most people ask me questions about landscaping it’s because they need advice on what to do with their space.  i tell them it is very similar to real estate; location is everything.  not only the location of where you live, it is also the location of where you want to put elements.  you can, in theory, grow almost anything almost anywhere.  this method however requires a lot of resources, like water and great soil to name a couple.  this does not guarantee that your garden will thrive.  and you don’t want your landscaping to merely exist… you want it to thrive!

the right plant for the right place is the mantra we are taught in landscape architecture.  so it stands to reason that different climates call for different requirements as far as resources and plant palate selection.  one common method to minimize the use of resources, such as water, is to choose a plant palate that is considered native and non-invasive.  a native plant, tree or shrub can best be described as one that is indigenous or naturalized to an area and usually refers to species that were there before colonization.  invasive species can wreak havoc on something as small as a yard to something as large as an ecological system.  so when designing a space, environmental sensitivity should be considered if you wish to conserve resources and want your landscape to thrive.

resources on native and non-invasive species in colorado:
http://www.slideshare.net/Fujita64g/a1o351
http://jeffco.us/coopext/intro.jsp
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1710.html

happy gardening…