Call 303-730-1920 or email Master Gardener volunteers with your lawn, landscape and garden questions.
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Expand Your Knowledge and Skills
Attend CSU Extension events and programs here.
Attend online classes. Registration is required.
Mar 18 @ 12:00 PM
Convert Your Turf!
Mar 25 @ 12:00 PM
Pruning Shrubs: Stop the Senseless Shearing
April 1 @ 12:00 PM
April 8 @ 12:00 PM
Vegetable Varieties
April 13 @ 12:00 PM
Landscape Irrigation
April 15 @ 12:00 PM
April 22 @ 12:00 PM
April 29 @ 12:00 PM
May 6 @ 12:00 PM
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Registration is required.
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Lower Water-Use Trees for
Colorado Climates
By Martha Kirk, Colorado Master Gardener
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Are you thinking of planting a tree this year? Perhaps you need a taller shade tree, or a smaller tree to fit the scale of your property or one that can be a focal point in the landscape.
In your search, consider adding drought tolerance to the list of attributes. Recent research indicates the southwest is in a 22-year drought, the longest period on record dating back 1200 years. Researchers determined this by looking at tree ring data and correlating it to soil moisture. With this in mind, here are some lower water-use trees you might consider.
American Hophornbeam – Ostrya virginiana
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Hop-like fruits adorn American Hophornbeam, Photo: wikipedia.org |
Commonly called Ironwood, this graceful small tree fits urban settings. It is an understory tree can be planted in part shade. American Hophornbeam tolerates alkaline soils and drought and has no serious disease or pest issues. It grows across the eastern United States as well as a few states west of the Mississippi, including Colorado.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Musetta Dean |
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Colorado Master Gardener℠ (CMG) volunteers are a dedicated group of individuals who are knowledgeable and passionate about sharing gardening, landscape and horticulture education. This month we are highlighting Musetta Dean. |
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When did you join the Colorado Master Gardener program and why did you join?
I became a CMG in 2020. Having gardened for years and having been a volunteer in many different capacities and venues, I knew the time was right to combine my two loves.
What is your favorite Master Gardener activity and why?
It's hard to choose one because I have two. First are the demonstration gardens. When I volunteer in the demonstration gardens with the other Master Gardeners, it is so much fun to learn, sweat and laugh, watching the fruits of our collective labor grow. Educating the public and getting them excited about gardening is a great feeling. Second, the phone shifts. You will know just how much you don't know.
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Pea Patch: Community Gardening at its Best
By Dawn Fradkin, Assistant Horticulturist & Horticulture Programs Coordinator
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Arapahoe County CSU Extension has several demonstration gardens where Colorado Master Gardener volunteers educate citizens about gardening and horticulture topics by giving classes and presentations and being on-site to answer questions. Pea Patch in Littleton is just one example where volunteers have created a special community for gardeners. |
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Pea Patch in full swing in the summer, Photo: Rana Van Leeuwen |
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Perennials: Why, When and How to Divide Them
By Judy Kunz, Colorado Master Gardener
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Perennials are a great addition to any garden, but some may need to be divided after a few years. Make note if they are no longer blooming, have developed bare spots in the center, are floppy, or they have outgrown their space. However, not all perennials should be divided at the same time. Spring is the ideal time to divide summer and fall blooming perennials while spring blooming perennials should be divided in late summer or early fall.
Dividing summer and fall blooming perennials in spring is preferred because the plants are not expending their energy to produce blooms at that time, and they tend to be smaller and easier to handle. Spring division also gives plants the upcoming growing season to direct their energy toward producing a healthy root system before blooming later.
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Photo: forsyth.ces.ncsu.edu |
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We are pleased to have guest author, Dr. Alison O'Connor, Horticulture Agent at Larimer County Extension, contribute a timely article on tomatoes. Thank you Alison! |
It’s official. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and there’s more winter ahead. For those who’ve lived in Colorado for a few years, you know our snowiest months are usually February and March, but gardeners can use these days to dream of spring. Since 2019, the Larimer County Master Gardeners, under the supervision of fellow CMG Jon Weiss, have conducted tomato trials, trying to determine some of the most fruitful (and tasty) tomatoes for northern Colorado.
Jon and his cadre of volunteer cohorts designed and managed two trials: The first was an in-ground study conducted in 2019 and 2021 at the ARDEC-South Experiment Station in Fort Collins. The other was a container study at the CSU Annual Trial Gardens on Remington Street.
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Dr. Alison O'Connor
Horticulture Agent,
Larimer County Extension
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What's in Your Garden?
By Kathi Thistlethwaite, Colorado Master Gardener
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Plant It and They Will Come
Millions of specialized relationships exist between plants, insects, and animals. These evolved specializations are dwindling or disappearing completely, partially due to industrialization and partially due to the plants that are typically included in urban landscapes. Planting to support wildlife starts at the grassroots level. Selecting plants that support the food web and restoring natural habitats are ideas to incorporate in the home garden to support these intricate relationships.
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Monarch butterfly, Photo: wci.colostate.edu |
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Growing Fruit Trees
By Lucinda Greene, Colorado Master Gardener
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Interest in backyard gardening has increased significantly since the pandemic. In addition to adding or updating outdoor recreational and entertaining spaces, families are adding spaces for growing both fruits and vegetables. If you are thinking about adding some fruit trees to your home landscape, here are some factors to consider and tips for success. |
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Apple tree in bloom, Photo: extension.umn.edu |
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Select a good site. Like selecting any tree for the landscape, be sure to plan for the mature size of the tree. For best production, fruit trees need adequate spacing for good air circulation. Colorado is often subject to late spring frosts which can damage blossoms. The northeast corner of the home is the slowest to warm up in the spring. A tree sited here will come out of dormancy later in the season. Cold air drains downward. Plant fruit trees high on a slope, if available. Fruit trees are prone to root rot. They like well-drained, loamy soil. For best success, do not plant trees in heavily irrigated lawns, especially with clay soils. Avoid highly alkaline soils with pH above 7.5.
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Spring Lawn Care - Replace or Repair?
By Mae Lenoir Rauen, Emeritus Master Gardener
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With ongoing drought conditions and the rising cost of water, it becomes tempting to replace the lawn with a low-care or “no-care” landscape. There are some important factors to consider before undertaking this type of renovation. In many cases the long-term solution is to repair the existing lawn. Bringing an older lawn up to date can be accomplished with some simple steps this spring. |
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I Didn't Know That!
By Judy Kunz, Colorado Master Gardener
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Why not celebrate National Spinach Day on March 26 by planting a row of spinach. Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and flavor, this easy-to-grow, leafy green will reward you with several consecutive crops into mid- to late June. Spinach is a cool weather lover that is quick to germinate and grow. Baby greens can be harvested about one month after seeding. Plant in full to part sun in well-draining, loamy soil with adequate organic matter. Prepare the soil by spading in a balanced all-purpose fertilizer up to about 10” deep and seed according to packet directions. Snip or pinch off leaves and the plants will continue to provide tasty greens. As warmer weather moves in by mid-June, spinach will bolt (sprout tall stalks that produce flowers). Bolting negatively affects the taste of most crops but a second crop can be planted in mid-August for fall harvest.
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PHONE
(303) 730-1920
EMAIL
mastergardener@arapahoegov.com
LOCATION
6934 S. Lima St., Suite B
Centennial, CO 80112
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CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. |
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