Master Gardener volunteers are standing by to answer your lawn, landscape and garden questions. Call 303-730-1920 or e-mail us today.
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Grab your lunch and join us virtually for these great classes.
Friday, September 18
12:00pm MDT
Fall Lawn Care Tips with
Dr. Tony Koski
Friday, September 25
12:00pm MDT
Ornamental Grasses with
Amy Lentz
Friday, October 2
12:00pm MDT
Season Extension with
Eric Hammond
Friday, October 9
12:00pm MDT
Where do Insects go in the Winter? with Lisa Mason
Friday, October 16
12:00pm MDT
Seed Saving with Sarah Schweig
Friday, October 23
12:00pm MDT
Basic Landscape Design and Planning for 2021 with
Deryn Davidson
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A Colorado Autumn
By Betsy Dickson, Colorado Master Gardener
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“Every leaf speaks bliss to me
fluttering from the autumn tree.”
- Emily Bronte
In this beautiful state, the colors of autumn are found in the forest, on a mountainside, in a meadow, on the edge of a valley and tucked below a cliff. The Colorado variety of topography gives us dramatic ways to celebrate autumn. Those who truly love the state, love the outdoors.
While Aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) are associated with the entire state of Colorado, they do their best in elevations of 5,500 to 12,000 feet. In an urban setting Aspen prefer native mountain soils that are acidic and drain well. The average life expectancy in a home setting is up to 25 years, yet Aspen may be prone to several diseases.
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Photo of Peak Highway, CO - Betsy Dickson |
In the home garden, in lieu of Aspen, consider a smaller tree with beautiful autumn color. The Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) is a member of the rose family and can be grown as a tall shrub or small tree. Serviceberry leaves turn shades of red, yellow, or orange. It is hardy in cold climates and will tolerate drought and alkaline soils, making it perfect for Colorado’s Front Range landscapes.
Autumn garden time focuses on layers being pulled back and the soft colors and textures of this season being enhanced. Grasses, flowering plants, and ornamental vegetables are ideal with cooler autumn nights. Consider two autumn favorites. Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum') is an annual which offers special texture and color. The drama of this grass can be appreciated when planted around mound-forming fall-blooming plants like mums. Flowering Kale (Brassica oleracea) will hold up to frosty temperatures and will add an interesting accent to autumn and winter gardens. Flowering Kale is grown for appearance, not taste.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Gloria Huegel |
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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 Gloria Huegel. |
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I joined the CMG program in 2014 and was fortunate to have amazing instructors and mentors. I’ve been interested in gardening for many years, and learned how through books, specifically The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. I promised myself that when I retired, I would pursue becoming a Colorado Master Gardener. I retired in September of 2014 and immediately applied to the program. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made! I encourage anyone who is thinking of becoming a Colorado Master Gardener to give it serious consideration. It will enrich your life in unexpected ways.
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2020 Native Bee Watch Citizen Science Program
By Sarah Viders, CSU Extension Intern
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“They won’t sting you,” my friend said. There were so many bees flying all around me while we hiked through the woods. I screamed and ran back to the car, but two weeks later, I mistakenly sat on a bee, revisiting my fear.
Everyone has a fear, right? Well I found a unique way to overcome it. I was fortunate to be part of The Native Bee Watch Citizen Science Program at CSU Extension during the summer of 2020. The program delved into the biodiversity and abundance of bees affected by urbanization. As an intern working closely with Lisa Mason, Horticulture Agent in Arapahoe County, we helped volunteers with bee and plant identification, data entry, and created a pollinator community while providing education online.
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Garlic and...Baseball?
By Donnetta Wilhelm, Colorado Master Gardener
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Gardeners always like easy reminders for gardening chores. Here’s a simple one: plant garlic during the Major League Baseball World Series (October) and harvest garlic during the Major League All-Star Game (July).
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a relative of onions, scallions, leeks, shallots, and chives. Native to central Asia and known as the “stinking rose”, garlic is one of the most used ingredients in cooking. It is one of the easiest to grow, useful, and rewarding crops—and Colorado gardeners can find hundreds of varieties to plant. Garlic falls into two types: hardneck and softneck, with the “neck” being the stalk that extends from the bulb to the leaves.
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Photo: www.territorialseed.com |
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It is September and you can feel the hint of autumn weather in the air. Autumn brings many joys like cool mornings, leaves changing colors, and garden harvests. One aspect you may not appreciate: Those pesky yellow jackets.
You may notice that yellow jackets start to become more aggressive in the fall. They are always defensive of their nesting site, but when fall arrives, they feel the cooler temperatures. Yellow jackets are scavengers. Food will become harder to find, and they may gravitate toward human sources of food such as your lunch or soda drink. They become defensive and aggressive near the food sources they find.
If yellow jacket wasps are a nuisance in your yard, hang in there! Yellow jacket and paper wasp colonies can’t survive the winter, so once the temperatures start getting colder, they will die off.
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Lisa Mason
CSU Extension Horticulture Agent
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Yellow Jacket Wasp, Photo: Lisa Mason |
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What is the purpose of wasps?
I am asked this question quite often. Why do we have wasps? What is their purpose? Even though several species of wasps can be a nuisance to people, they play a critical role in our ecosystem. Here are some important facts to know:
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Two species of wasps in Colorado are considered a nuisance: The Western yellow jacket (Vespula pensylvanica) and the European paper wasps (Polistes dominula).
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Fall Containers: Fun, Fresh and Fabulous
By Kathi Thistlethwaite, Colorado Master Gardener
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This is the second of a six-part series focusing on container gardening in Colorado.
FALL…nature's breathtaking display. Transitioning containers from summer to fall is easy, fun, and can be done with minimal expense. Begin by discarding spent annuals. Leave spikes, tall grasses, and spillers like vinca vine or sweet potato vine. Replace the annuals with any of the fall blooms suggested below and add a little fresh potting soil. Give the container a good watering. Use pumpkins and gourds to build on the fall theme and add color.
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Photo: Fine Gardening Magazine |
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Fall Flowers that Work Well in Containers:
- Asters
- Celosia
- Croton
- Dianthus
- Mums
- Ornamental Kale or Cabbage
- Ornamental Peppers
- Pansies
- Rudbeckia
- Viola
Now that annual containers are dressed in their fall glory, it's time to consider overwintering containers with perennials. Large wooden or concrete planters can usually be left in place. It's best not to leave clay, ceramic or glazed pottery exposed to the elements to avoid cracking.
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It's Autumn and Gardening Ain't Over Yet
By Donnetta Wilhelm, Colorado Master Gardener
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I loved helping in my ‘Grandmother’s garden’, and she was an authority at growing dahlia, gladiolus, and begonia—all the old-fashioned, summer-blooming bulbs. Summer blooming bulbs burst forth in beauty after many of her annuals succumbed to the hot summer days. ‘Grandmother’s gardens’ were actually the informal, mixed flower gardens that arose in the late 1800s as a reaction against the Victorian ‘carpet bedding’ style. Today, says Leonard Perry of the University of Vermont, most people are so busy they “strive for simpler gardens,” but as some gardeners “add more flowers for pollinators, or combine flowers with edible herbs and vegetables, they are beginning to recreate gardens that hearken back to this old-fashioned garden style.” |
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Gladiolus, Photo: www.michiganbulb.com |
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Autumn Yard and Garden Tips
By Judy Kunz, Colorado Master Gardener
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The first day of autumn is just around the corner. With cooler weather coming, this is an ideal time to get ahead of the chores or simply enhance the overall appearance of your outdoor space. A little time invested in the yard now will pay off when the snow melts and the robins return. |
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To eliminate overwintering unwelcome pests in the garden and exclude opportunistic disease pathogens, fall is the time to clean up any dead plant residue. Read more here.
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Consider planting cover crops in the vegetable garden to build organic matter and replenish soil nutrients that were depleted over the growing season, to control erosion, suppress weeds, and feed microorganisms. See CSU’s guide to soil nutrients and also read more here about cover crops.
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Photo: outdoorlivingtoday.com |
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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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