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…

squirrels and tomatoes…

so the question on everybody’s mind is how do i keep them from eating my ripened tomato (or any other fruit or veggie in your garden)?  while there are many methods to choose from we will cover just a few natural and mostly non violent methods in this blog.  first and foremost you might need to camp out a while in your garden to determine if it is in fact a squirrel.  this will help you determine which route to take to help maximize your success.

 
distract them
some say the reason why they pick the ripest tomatoes is that they are looking for moisture and these ones are the most plump and juicy.   a simple solution would be to place a bird bath or bowls of water about your garden to encourage them to drink the water instead of eating your fruit(s) or veggie(s).

another non violent method is to use a pepper mixture and apply to plants and around the border of your garden or yard.  this method is said to deter them from entering the space and therefore keeping the fruits of your labor safe and sound.  if you choose this method please wear safety gear and avoid skin and eye contact.  recipes can be found online and you can use whatever one that is easiest for you to acquire the ingredients.  

predator urine is a little more expensive, however is said to be a very effective deterrent.  you can order online or get at a local gardening store. 

get cagey and creative
they are resourceful little critters and can be tricky.  one of the most common and relatively inexpensive methods is building a cage around your plants.  chicken wire is easy to use and manipulate around plants and planter beds.

natural surveillance
get a cat or a dog.  most (not all) cats and dogs are not interested in capturing and killing squirrels.  just their mere presence is a natural deterrent to most animals in their space, be it squirrel or otherwise.

give in but don’t give up
some gardeners forego all of these methods and go with the give in method.  that is to say they don’t give up growing their garden but they do give in to nature.  in this case you would plant more than you hope to get and let the animals take their share and you get yours.  the only pitfall to this one is that space may be a limiting factor for your garden.

happy gardening…