The phone lines are open!
Have a question about your lawn, garden or landscape? Colorado Master Gardener volunteers are available to help with information about:
-Diseases
-Flowers
-Fruits & Vegetables
-Gardening Basics
-Insects
-Lawn
-Native Plants
-Soil
-Trees and Shrubs
Contact an Arapahoe County Master Gardener volunteer:
PHONE: 303-730-1920
Connect daily with our volunteers and horticulture staff to obtain prompt answers to your garden questions.
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The Lima Plaza Pollinator Garden Story
By Lucinda Greene, Arapahoe County Assistant Horticulturist & Colorado Master Gardener Program Coordinator
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The Lima Plaza Pollinator Garden was conceived in 2018 as a way to educate the community about the important role of pollinators in our ecosystem. The garden provides information about the use of native, low-water plants in the landscape and the beneficial relationship between these plants and pollinators.
Did you know that 75% of over 240,000 plant species worldwide depend on pollinators for reproduction? This includes approximately one-third of the world’s food crops. Over 900 species of bees exist in Colorado. Non-bee pollinators include many species of birds, wasps, flies, butterflies, beetles, moths and bats. However, these pollinators are facing many significant challenges including the loss of habitat, especially in urban areas.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Valerie Seale
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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 Valerie Seale.
“I started horticulture and design classes at Front Range Community College in 1999. The course material was great but lacked information on home gardening. So, I joined the Colorado Master Gardener program in 2003 with an interest in general gardening practices and stayed because of the wonderful people in the program.
I always enjoy volunteering at the Garden & Home Show. There are so many great opportunities to come up with landscape solutions face-to-face. The O’Toole’s Information Booth is also a fun way to help people with their gardening questions.
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The Buzz on Building a Pollinator Bed & Breakfast
By Judy Kunz, Colorado Master Gardener
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Many of us are concerned about the plight of the pollinators and want to know if there is anything we can do in addition to providing native plants to attract them and provide food. The answer is that there are many simple ways to create spaces that will encourage pollinators to nest, reproduce and even hibernate in your yard. Pollinators include bats, bees, beetles, birds, butterflies, flies, hummingbirds, moths and wasps.
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B&B original artwork design by Kristin Kunz
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Appreciation & Acknowledgement - Volunteers and Donors
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We wish to acknowledge and sincerely thank the following donors:
Alameda Wholesale Nursery, Inc.
Colorado Garden Foundation
Keesen Landscape Management, Inc.
Pioneer Landscape Center
Tagawa Gardens
O’Toole’s Garden Center
Wilmore Nursery
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Plant It and They Will Come
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Spring is a wonderful time to be outside. When you are outside, I encourage you to observe your surroundings, and notice not only the pollinators but other insect and animal visitors to our yards. No matter how small the space, an entire ecosystem is right before our eyes.
Pollinator gardens offer a variety of benefits for pollinating insects and animals and for people. Pollinator-friendly plants provide food sources including nectar (energy) and pollen (protein). Gardens should provide nesting places and water, making them even more attractive to pollinators. Providing these resources can benefit local pollinator populations, no matter how large or small the space.
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Lisa Mason
CSU Extension Horticulture Agent
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Bee fly on sunflower at Plains Conservation Center
Photo: Lisa Mason
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So, who are the pollinators visiting our gardens?
After planting the Lima Plaza Pollinator Garden last September, we immediately saw a couple of pollinators, including bee flies and honey bees. This spring when the plants begin blooming, we anticipate seeing many other pollinators visiting the garden.
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Sustainability Practices
By Donnetta Wilhelm, Colorado Master Gardener
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Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines sustainability as a method of using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. Sustainable landscapes strive to combine the natural with the man-made to create a healthy balance between people and the environment
for the benefit of both
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The number of sustainability practices varies depending on the education resource used, however, below are the most common and were given priority in the creation of the Lima Plaza Pollinator Garden:
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WATER CONSERVATION is here to stay and should be practiced in every landscape. Conserving water is achieved in a variety of ways. Eliminating 2,300 square feet of turf, using xeriscape and native plants, mulching and using drip irrigation were all water conservation practices implemented in the garden.
NATIVE PLANTS
are adapted to the drought-challenged climate and require less water because they fit the conditions of the soil and the environment. Native plants often require no fertilization and are more resistant to disease and pests. They are also appropriate to the cultural landscape and require less maintenance.
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Favorite Pollinator Plants
By Martha Kirk, Colorado Master Gardener
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Over 50 species of plants were installed at the Lima Plaza Pollinator Garden. All are important, but I have a few favorites. The perennials featured below are easy to tuck into a garden as you transition to a more native or native-adapted landscape. Plant them in groups of three or more for visual impact and to allow pollinators to work the area more efficiently.
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Purple Prairie Clover (
Dalea purpurea
) makes a wonderful addition to any sunny garden. This native summer blooming perennial is not particular about soil, it grows in average to dry conditions and is a survivor because it is tap-rooted. Best of all, it blooms in the most unusual way – bottom to top. It is a delight to watch pollinators as they move around and around circling the attractive flowers to gather pollen.
Purple Prairie Clover is in the legume family, so it takes nitrogen from the air within the soil and stores it in the plant. It is often used in seed mixes for prairie restoration because of its nitrogen fixation properties.
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Purple Prairie Clover
Photo: minnesotawildflowers.info
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Recommended Reference Books for a
Successful Pollinator and Native Habitat
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The Xerces Society, 100 Plants to Save the Bees,
Storey Publishing, LLC, Paperback, November 29, 2016
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The Xerces Society, Attracting Native Pollinators,
Storey Publishing, LLC, Paperback, February 26, 2011
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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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