Winter Watering Reminder

Unfortunately, Colorado’s winters are too cold to leave the automatic sprinkler system on, but too dry for lawns and many trees and shrubs. Without sufficient water, plants will die or be damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to continue watering after your sprinkler system has been winterized in the fall. If there is no rain or snow cover for four to six weeks you should water. Water in the morning on days when the temperature is above freezing and when the ground isn’t frozen so the water will be absorbed. Use a lawn sprinkler to water lawns and established trees. A soil-needle attachment on the hose works well for watering shrubs.

Japanese Anemone: Fall Color in the Garden

If you think your choice of fall blooming flowers is limited to mums, asters and dahlias, think again. Japanese anemone, Anemone hybrida, adds a tall, late blooming accent of pink, rose or white to the late garden. Fall blooming Japanese anemone has proved to be very adaptable to Colorado's Front Range, doing well in partial shade to nearly full sun in tests at Colorado State University. The key is a consistently moist and preferably mulched soil. The ones that I have seen blooming at the Denver Botanic Garden are amazing.  The low foliage clumps look nice from the moment they emerge in spring until frost enforces their dormancy. Graceful, branching stems grow 2-4 feet high.  Plantings can survive considerable neglect.  Companion plants of Aconitum (Monkshood), Bergenia, or Hosta do well with Japanese Anemone. If you want to extend the flowering season of your autumn garden long after summer flowers have expended their energies, choose Japanese Anemone.

Mulch for Winter Protection of Roses

Have you noticed in the past that your roses have stayed green through Thanksgiving? Sometimes we have prolonged warm weather in the fall that provided an extended growing time for many plants. It also delayed cooling of soils and altered the timing for applying winter mulch. Winter mulch is applied after soils have cooled. The purpose is to delay early spring growth that typically is killed by further cold weather. Winter mulches also help to retain moisture essential to winter root survival. When night temperatures consistently drop to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, mound soil over the rose crown. Always make sure the graft is covered.  The soil should be eight to 10 inches deep. Other mulches that can be used include pine needles, boughs, leaves or sawdust. Leave the mulch on until all danger of a hard frost has passed in spring.