Save the Date!
March 12th
Mason Bee Lodge Workshop
March 30th
Garden Help Desk Opens for the season. Call 303-730-1920 to speak to a Master Gardener volunteer.

April 18th
Douglas County Spring Gardening Symposium
April 25th
Beauty and the Bees: Designing your Landscape with Native Plants and Pollinators

April 25th
Information booth at O'Toole's Garden Center starts for the season.
March 26th
Lunch & Learn: Garden Myth Busting with Betty Cahill

April 23rd
Lunch & Learn: You read the labels, don't you? with Steve Geist
Events for CMGs
Register in VMS

April 2nd
Citizen Science with Lisa

April 7th
Apprentice Orientation and Update Meeting

April 16th
Lawn and Landscape Checks with Lucinda and Lisa
A Walk Through Time
By Judy Kunz, Colorado Master Gardener
You don’t need to leave the Denver metro area to take a step back in time to the post-Civil War era when settlers traveled by covered wagon across the Great Plains to make their homes at the foot of the Rockies. The lure for many was the promise of up to 160 acres of government surveyed land in exchange for working the land and building a home on it. Those who had the grit and determination to farm for five years on the Eastern plains, despite inhospitable conditions such as inconsistent rainfall, heavy clay soils, persistent winds and killer hailstorms, were rewarded with a deed to the land.
Photo credit: Gloria Huegel
The Plains Conservation Center is located near East Hampden Avenue & E-470 and stands as a testament to the lure of life in the West for early settlers. Those hardworking pioneers with adventurous spirits wanted a piece of the American dream. Today it is a nature preserve and an educational center complete with a homestead village and a Native American tipi camp that visitors can explore. Trail maps are available for those who want to hike the area. Individuals, families and school groups are welcome. The mission of the Center is to help visitors grow in knowledge and appreciation of the prairie ecosystem and the cultural history of Colorado through a variety of educational programs.

With the intrepid spirit of those early homesteaders, Arapahoe County Master Gardeners Evelyn Alton and Gloria Huegel have taken on the adventure of duplicating the crops grown by the settlers in the mid-1860s.
Volunteer Spotlight: Donna Farley-Wade
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 Donna Farley-Wade.

When did you join the Colorado Master Gardener program? I started the program January 2014.

Why did you join the program? I joined the program to nurture my love of gardening and to develop a community focus after retirement.
What is your favorite activity? My current favorite activities in the program are two: working as one of the team leads for the Vegetable Demonstration Garden at Hudson Gardens and working at the Pea Patch Donation/Demonstration Garden in Littleton. 
Speaker's Bureau
By Martha Kirk, Colorado Master Gardener
Have you ever wondered how and when to prune your maple tree, how to combat Japanese beetles, what vegetable varieties do best in Colorado, or how to attract pollinators to your garden? These represent a small sampling of the diverse number of gardening and landscape topics that Arapahoe County Colorado Master Gardener (CMG) volunteers can present to organizations. 
CMG Ron Hogan relies on his background as an educator, science teacher and school curriculum expert to help CMGs train for their presentations. Photo credit: Ron Hogan
Behind the Scenes -
A Vision Transformed
By Martha Kirk,
Colorado Master Gardener
Photo credit: Lisa Mason
Did you get to the 2020 Colorado Garden and Home Show in February to see the spectacular CSU Extension Education Garden? The theme was “Heroes and Villains in the Garden” and featured larger than life insects that emphasized the special connection between insects and plants. This garden wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the many talented Colorado Master Gardener volunteers in Arapahoe County. 
From the Hort Desk
Emerald Ash Borer: What you need to know
Spring is in the air! Time to think about all the spring and summer yard and garden projects. Among your projects, here is one to add to the list: Make a plan for your ash tree.

As of March 2020, emerald ash borer (EAB) has NOT been confirmed in Arapahoe County.

For the current status of emerald ash borer, visit here . In 2019, EAB was discovered in Broomfield, Larimer and Adams counties, which was the first time EAB has been confirmed outside of Boulder County since its discovery in 2013. 
Lisa Mason
CSU Extension Horticulture Agent
The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) feeding on an ash leaf. Photo credit: Leah Bauer USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Bugwood.org
Why Make a Plan?

Making a plan doesn’t mean you need to take action right away, but EAB will eventually spread throughout the Denver Metro area. It is just a matter of time. How soon? We don’t know. If you have an ash tree, making a plan is critical because when the emerald ash borer arrives in Arapahoe County, you will have a financial decision to make to remove the ash tree or treat the ash tree for the life of the tree, or as long as you own the property. 
Continue reading for things to consider when making an EAB plan!
Welcoming Spring with Colorful Blooming Shrubs
By Donnetta Wilhelm, Colorado Master Gardener
A Gallup Poll found that 36% of Americans named spring as their favorite season. Lawns are greening and trees are awakening. Spring birds fill the air with their songs while rainbows of bulbs burst forth in bloom. Adding dazzling color displays to the landscape is easy with a variety of spring flowering shrubs:
Photo credit: monrovia.com, Quince ‘Double Take Orange’
Chartreuse flowers bloom mid-spring on the low growing Sumac ‘Autumn Amber’ while orange flowers amaze on both the Flowering Quince ‘Double Take Orange’ and Potentilla ‘Orange Whisper.’ 
Photo credit: arborday.org, Nanking Cherry
Pink is a favored bloom color in the spring and can be found profusely on Beauty Bush, Daphne ‘Carol Mackie,’ Flowering Almond and the Double Flowering Plum. The low growing Cranberry Cotoneaster also produces showy pink flowers. Paler pink flowers can be found on the Nanking Cherry, one of the first shrubs to bloom in the spring and on the low growing, broadleaf evergreen Panchito Manzanita.

What would spring be without purple? Lilacs galore are a spring staple with favorites such as Miss Kim Dwarf and Sensation. New varieties in a range of purple hues include Superba Littleleaf and Boomerang, a rare re-blooming lilac.  
Make Room for Native Plants
By Pam Rosendal, Colorado Master Gardener
Chances are, you’ve heard about the advantages of native plants in urban gardens and landscapes. It has been a topic of increasing interest in the media. Let’s take a quick look.

Well, you might ask, “What is a native plant?” Native plants “occur naturally in a particular region, state, ecosystem and habitat without direct or indirect human actions” (Federal Native Plant Conservation Committee, 1994). They are important to native insects, birds and other animals because they have evolved together. One depends on the other for survival.
Colorado has a wealth of native plants, grasses, shrubs and trees that are naturally suited to our variable climate. Native plants are great for landscaping because of their adaptability. Attend a Native Plant Master class to learn how to identify native plants, manage noxious weeds, and how to include native plants in your home landscape.  
Native plants are naturally adapted to our climate and soils. Some may have more specific requirements depending on where they evolved, but in general, they are easy to care for and maintain.
Photo credit: en.wikipedia.org, Amelanchier alnifolia
PHONE
(303) 730-1920

EMAIL
CSU-Extension@ArapahoeGov.com

LOCATION
6934 S. Lima St., Suite B
Centennial, CO 80112
CSU Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.