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Connect with Us! Master Gardener volunteers are ready to answer your lawn, landscape and garden questions. Call 303-730-1920 or e-mail us today. See the great work Master Gardener volunteers are doing to support food banks in Arapahoe County! Check out the beautiful produce at Hudson Gardens, Pea Patch and Silo Park any weekday! Join us for these Lunch & Learn Zoom classes. Registration is required. Thursday July 16 11:30-12:30 MDT You Read Pesticide Labels, Don't You? with Steve Geist Register here Friday August 14 11:00-12:00 MDT Design Your Landscape Like a Pro with Carole Kastler Register here After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Follow this link for more classes from CSU Extension professionals around the state.

Enjoy a Superfoods Garden By Paula Peirce, Apprentice Master Gardener Gardening has many rewards. Among the rewards of a vegetable garden are the delicious fresh vegetables we enjoy. Many of us are thinking about eating more “superfoods.” Superfoods are foods that are high in vitamins, minerals and other healthful nutrients. Although there is no clear definition of a superfood, they are dense in one or more nutrient. The comparison of nutrients in lettuce and kale below illustrates the idea.   Illustration: https://foodstruct.com/ Take a look at the vitamin E comparison. The vitamin E content of kale is as much as 10 times higher than lettuce. The high levels of key nutrients like vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium and vitamin E win kale a place on the superfoods list. Looking at another example of pumpkin as a superfood, we see that when it is compared to a pear, the pumpkin exceeds the pear in all nutrients except fiber and sugar. The vitamin A content of the pumpkin is more than 300 times higher than a pear, making it a great superfood that is easy to grow in your garden. Keep Reading!

Volunteer Spotlight: Debbie Moody

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 Debbie Moody.

Congratulations to Master Gardener Volunteer Debbie Moody for being chosen Arapahoe County Extension’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year! Debbie received the honor because of her dedication to the Master Gardener program, her leadership and her commitment to the education of both the public and her fellow volunteers, thereby fulfilling the mission and vision of the Master Gardener program. Read more about Debbie

Is Your Evergreen Brown? No Need to Frown By Kirsten Saunders, Apprentice Master Gardener

Last winter wasn’t so hard on me. Most days were bright and we rarely had to pull out our trusty snowblower. Last winter, however, was terrible for my evergreens. First, temperatures plummeted over 50 degrees in 24 hours in mid-October, shocking the evergreens before they were hardened off for the winter. Then, came a dry, windy winter that stripped needed moisture from the needles and caused winter desiccation. Read the full article

Photo: Kirsten Saunders

From the Hort Desk

My Ash Tree Didn't Leaf Out! We have been receiving many calls this summer about trees not leafing out. Are they dead? What do I do? What if my HOA wants me to remove my “dead” tree? Will the tree bounce back?  Colorado is a tough place for trees to grow! In addition to a dry winter, last October and last April we had extreme, sudden temperature changes that impacted many trees. Trees didn’t have a chance to prepare for those weather events, and now we are now seeing the results. Ash trees were significantly impacted. You may notice damage on other trees including catalpa trees, crabapples, some maple trees, and other fruit trees. Conifer trees were also impacted. You may notice new brown needles on your pine and spruce trees or large portions of juniper trees that turned brown.

Lisa Mason CSU Extension Horticulture Agent

Ash Tree, Photo: Heidi Kunz

Recommendations Healthier trees will likely bounce back, while stressed out trees may not fare as well. However, it is too early to know how trees will do long-term. The best thing to do is wait and see what happens, and keep your tree as healthy as possible. A few tips include:  Is your tree alive? Even if your tree didn’t leaf out, it may still be alive. You can check the branches. If you scratch the branch, and see green underneath, the tree is still alive. If most of the branches on your tree appear brown underneath the bark, the tree might be dead. Read the full article

Growing Vegetables in Containers By Kathi Thistlethwaite, Colorado Master Gardener

This is the first of a six-part series focusing on container gardening in Colorado .        While most vegetables can be grown in containers, follow these steps to help your vegetables thrive. Gradually acclimate your vegetables to the outdoor conditions before you put them outside permanently. This is known as hardening off and should be done with all potted cultivars.

Choose containers that please you and give you the look you seek in your landscape. The larger the container, the more soil and moisture it holds. Material and shape are mostly a matter of preference, as long as there is good drainage and the container is made from a food-safe material. When choosing your containers, remember that those made of metal get too hot and treated wood can leach chemicals into the plants. Containers should be 12 inches in diameter or larger.

Photo: no-dig-vegetablegarden.com

Read the full article

Use Indicator Weeds for a Healthy Lawn By Pam Rosendal, Colorado Master Gardener

Summer is here. Trees are green and flowers are blooming, and so are those darn weeds! Every year homeowners fight weeds in their lawns and every year they come back. With a little detective work and some changes to your lawn care program, weeds can be kept at bay. Of course, the best defense against weeds in the lawn is good maintenance.  A thick healthy lawn will choke out most weeds over time. That means proper watering, fertilizing and mowing. Refer to CSU’s fact sheet on recommended lawn care practices.

Black Medic, Photo: Utahpests.usu.edu Read the full article

Extending Excellence Regional Award By Tim Aston, CSU Extension Arapahoe County Director and Judy Kunz, Colorado Master Gardener

And the winner is . . . Arapahoe County's Master Gardener Coordinator and Native Plant Master Lucinda Greene! Lucinda conceived and spearheaded the planning and installation of the Native Plant Pollinator Garden located at the Arapahoe County Extension Office in Centennial. The turf was completely removed and the garden was installed to replace it. With the assistance of County Horticulture Agent Lisa Mason, the support of individual contributors, a grant from the Colorado Garden Foundation, corporations and vendors within the community, Master Gardener program revenue and the help of many volunteers, the vision of the garden took shape and became a reality. The garden serves as a community engagement opportunity for Arapahoe County, focusing on native plants and pollinator education. Its purpose is twofold--sustainability education and research that mutually benefits county residents, county employees and CSU Extension. This initiative, the first of its kind in the county, will be used as a teaching tool and sounding board enabling community members to be empowered in making landscaping choices that are ecologically conscious.

Read the full article

Botanic Road Trips By Martha Kirk, Colorado Master Gardener In need of some garden therapy? How about a road trip? Summer is the time to get outside and smell the flowers. Literally. We put together a list of recommended places where you can enjoy the beautiful outdoors and colorful gardens. So, gather the family and get going.

CSU Annual Trial Garden 1401 Remington St. Fort Collins, CO 80523 If you’ve never been to the CSU Annual Trial Garden, it is worth the visit. This public garden features a stunning display of colorful annuals from late May through October. Roughly 25 plant companies from around the world send 1000 new cultivars each year to CSU to be tested. Dr. James Klett and his team of research students at CSU monitor and evaluate the performance of these plants in Colorado’s unique environment of high altitude, intense solar radiation, drying winds, severe hailstorms, large fluctuations between day and night temperatures and a season-long need for irrigation. Also check out new perennials that are tested and evaluated. The perennial garden is located across the street in front of the Center for the Arts. Read the full article

Sarah's Science Based Sustainability Videos By Lisa Mason, CSU Extension Horticulture Agent, Arapahoe County

Check Facebook Live videos of CSU Extension Intern, Sarah Viders sharing tips and tricks on leading a more sustainable life. She covers topics such as native plants, water conservation, recycling and more. You can catch her videos live on Fridays at noon through July 31 on the Arapahoe County Master Gardener Facebook page or watch the videos afterwards on the Arapahoe County Extension Website .

PHONE (303) 730-1920 EMAIL Mastergardener@ArapahoeGov.com LOCATION 6934 S. Lima St., Suite B Centennial, CO 80112 Subscribe to The Garden Buzz

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