Dear Gardening Friends:  Another growing season is drawing to a close and what a season it has been.  I just heard Mr. Weatherman report that July and August was the coolest since 1973.  The recent August rains were close to a record.  While our flowers and lawns (and weeds) seem to have enjoyed the cool temperatures and rains, our vegetable gardens have not produced as they have in the past.  The tomato and pepper plants, while beautiful, cannot decide if they want to ripen.  The cool summer months have made it easy for us to continue planting our flowers and shrubs during what traditionally has been too hot.  This year, we have helped some of our customers with garden design and planting.  We have enjoyed this so much, we hope to expand this side of our business next year.  We also did custom growing of containers for a few weddings and events.  We hope to continue this and offer other services next year.  As always at this time of year, I like to remind you that fall is a great time to plant perennials and shrubs.  80 percent of root growth occurs in the fall before the ground finally freezes.  This way, your plants get a head start for next year.  If you are unable to drop by in September, have a safe and happy winter season and we will see you next spring. 

 

ROSE GROWING/COLORADO STYLE

We were totally flabbergasted this summer when a young lady came in and said she lost 5 of the 7 roses she had purchased the previous year.  We have never had anyone report a loss such as this.  After she had departed, we went over the remains of her plants and discovered what when wrong. Since we have so many customers who have recently moved to Colorado from other states, we felt it was time to discuss what is different about growing roses in zone 5 states.  This information was compiled by the Denver Rose Society in their publication “Growing Roses in Colorado”.  This is a wonderful resource and if you have a chance to purchase one, do so

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PLANTING PROCEDURES for container grown roses.  Anytime after May 15.  Dig your hole 18-24” across and 14-18”deep.  They recommend a small amount of super phosphorus a the bottom of the hole.  Make sure the bud union of a grafted rose is 1-2” below the soil level.  If it is an own root rose, plant it slightly deeper than it was in the container.  Tease out the bottom and sides to encourage the roots to spread out. Water every day for 3 days, twice a week for 2 weeks, once a week thereafter. Roses do not need to be fertilized their first year if the grower added fertilizer. PRUNING In Colorado, pruning is done in the spring, no sooner than the third week of April (after the last killing frost) when the plant breaks dormancy.  Use sharp pruning shears.  Cut ¼ to 3/8”above the but eye at an angle pointing toward the bud eye.  Seal all cuts with Elmer’s Glue, colored nail polish or rose sealer to prevent cane borer damage.  Cut out the winter kill portion back to healthy wood where the pits is white or cream colored.  Remove all older or weaker canes and those that cross or rub against another.  Dead and diseased wood can be cut all the way down to the graft.  This works for hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandifloras.  Shrub and old garden roses need little pruning other than removing dead limbs.

 

The Brighter Side of Gardening in Colorado

We complain about the soil, the wind, the uncertain weather.  Sometimes we need to remember why Colorado Gardening is the best.  The following information was taken from C.S.U. Fact Sheet no. 7.220  'Up to this point, Gardeners might want to throw up their hands and say, "What's the use?" But there is a brighter side.  Colorado's many days of sunshine, while leading to some problems already mentioned, enables Gardeners to grow some of the best flowers in the nation. The high light intensity produces strong-stemmed plants and flowers with extra brilliance.  Vegetables, with some care in variety selection, grow luxuriantly in most locations. Winter sunlight melts snows at lower elevations, reducing snow mold diseases in lawns. Growers of roses, carnations and other greenhouse Crops produce some of the best cut flowers in the world.  The cool, crisp nights and warm days produce the nation's best lawns. These same climatic conditions enable the home Gardener to produce excellent potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and other cool-season vegetables. The lower humidity not only helps to make the cold days seem less cold and hot days less hot, but discourages many landscape plant diseases that are common in more humid areas. Perhaps the brightest side lies in the challenging problems in growing plants. Gardeners who are patient, know how to select plants that will do well, and manipulate the soil and microclimate, will be amply rewarded.