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Nov 11
300

How to Grow Orchids Part One

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How to Grow Orchids Part One: Easy Orchids for Beginners

By Jodi Torpey

Of all the presents I’ve given my mother-in-law, the best one was an orchid plant. She had talked about wanting to start growing orchids as a hobby, and my gift to her was the first one of what would later become quite the blooming collection.

Because I had never grown orchids, I thought they were fussy plants based on their gorgeous good looks. But orchids are as easy to grow as other houseplants, and all it takes is getting a few things right to have these flowering beauties grace your home with long-lasting blooms.

The orchid I bought was a Phalaenopsis, sometimes called the “moth orchid” because of its shape. As it turns out, orchid beginners flock to moth orchids because they’re some of the easiest orchids to grow. These orchids have fairly large flowers in colors ranging from white to pink to deep purple.

Another easy-to-grow orchid for beginners is called Oncidium. These orchids have smallish flowers that grow in clusters on long stems. Some of the most common are yellow with reddish spots or stripes, but there are other colors, too.

Selecting Orchids

Orchids are tropical plants, and in their natural habitat the grow as air plants (epiphytes), hanging from trees. When they’re cultivated, the roots are grown in a special, well-draining potting mix.

When looking for an orchid to buy, consider color, flower size and even scent. Look for healthy plants with a flower color that matches or contrasts with colors in your home.

Make sure the leaves are a healthy green—not too light or too dark. Look for plants that have a few flowers in bloom and buds that are still tightly closed. Because flowers can last for weeks or months, this ensures you’ll have an extra-long initial bloom time.

Avoid plants that have any yellow or shriveled buds. Be sure to inspect plants carefully to make sure there aren’t any tiny insects or fuzzy white spots hiding on the undersides of leaves.

Light requirements

You don’t need any special equipment or knowledge to get started with orchids. If you’ve grown any kind of houseplant, you’ll be able to grow orchids, too.

Place your orchids in a room with good air circulation, but keep the plants out of drafts and away from furnace vents that dry the air. A comfortable temperature, between 70-80 degrees, is recommended.

Take a look around your house for a window that faces east or southeast. Orchids do well in our region if they get bright, filtered sunlight. The key is to keep orchids out of direct light. Our high altitude sunshine is too intense for these plants, especially during the summer months. If you have a window that faces directly south, that can work, too, as long as the window is shaded and the light is filtered, perhaps through thin window coverings.

The orchid’s foliage will also offer clues on what kind of light the plant likes best. If the foliage starts to turn pale, the plant is probably getting too much light. If the leaves start to turn a dark green, the plant most likely needs more light.

If the light situation in your home isn’t ideal for growing orchids, or for getting them to bloom, you might want to add some supplemental lighting to help encourage plants to flower.

Oct 06
0

How to Winterize An Outdoor Fountain

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Winterize Your Fountain

1. Unplug fountain pump and be sure to protect the pump cord.

2. Remove all water from your fountain. If at all possible remove the pump from the fountain and store indoors. However, if your fountain is too large or you cannot safely remove your pump you can leave in the fountain as long as your fountain is covered. Freezing accumulated water in an uncovered fountain can destroy your pump when the water expands in freezing temperatures. Some manufactures have an easy to remove drain plug in each bowl you may need to pull out or unscrew for easy water removal.  It is also recommended that once your fountain is dry, you lay dry towels or dry burlap sacks in your fountain bowls to absorb any water that may enter.

3. Once your fountain is completely dry COVER it to prevent water accumulation. You can use a tarp secured with rope or Nick’s sells fountain covers in various sizes. No matter how you cover your fountain be sure it is securely tied to prevent it from blowing off. 

If your fountain is left uncovered, snow melt can accumulate and that water freezing and thawing can cause permanent damage to your fountain.

Fountain concrete is slightly porous and allows small amounts of water to be absorb into the fountain surface. When this moisture does freeze it can cause chipping in the fountains surface. In extreme circumstances a fountain vessel left full of water can be split in half by the water freezing and expanding inside.

One last note, it is also advised to remove any small finials from the fountain before covering, as they can easily be knocked off when pulling the cover on.

As always if you have any questions give Nick’s a call, we are here to help.  303-696-6657

This is a great video from Garden Answer on how to winterize your fountain
https://youtu.be/ZD6LOVdMQp4

Sep 01
300

Planting Fall Vegetables

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Fall Vegetable Garden

It’s Time to Start Fall Vegetable Gardening

By Jodi Torpey

If you’ve never grown a fall garden, now’s the time to start. A fall garden is a great way to extend your gardening season.

Cool-season vegetables, like peas, spinach and lettuce, typically take around 60 days from planting to harvest. Planting in July means enjoying a season of these delicious vegetables and greens in September.

If you like carrots, beets, turnips, kale and Swiss chard, mid-summer is also the time to start sowing these seeds in the garden. To get started, select the vegetables you and your family like best. You can start from seeds or look for transplants of fall crops that are cold-hardy and fast-maturing.

One of the keys to fall planting is to know the average first fall frost date for your area. For example, the average first frost date for Denver is the second week in October, although in some years it can happen in September. CSU Extension has a list of dates to help gardeners throughout Colorado. (link to website: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/740.html )

Growing Carrots | Cool Season Crops | Nick's Garden Center | Denver CO

The other key to fall planting is knowing the days to maturity of each vegetable you’re planting. Check the back of seed packets for the number of days to harvest or the plant tag that comes with your transplants.

Use these two pieces of information to time your fall vegetable planting. Count back from the frost date and use the number of days to maturity for each vegetable.

Clear the planting area of weeds and any spring or early summer crops that are past their prime. Keep in mind that some crops, like beans, can be harvested until the first killing frost.

Till the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches and plant the seeds according to the instructions on the seed packet.

If the weather is hot when it’s time to plant, here are some tricks to help seeds get a good start:

  • Reduce the soil temperature by watering the garden just before planting.
  • Plant the seeds just a bit deeper than you would for spring planting. Planting deeper helps seeds stay cool and moist.
  • Shade the soil with a light mulch, like straw, to help regulate the soil temperature.
  • Plant seeds behind taller plants that can offer shade.

Water as needed to keep the seeds moist. If you seeds aren’t sprouting, keep planting.

If your summer garden was well fertilized, the fall garden may do well without adding additional fertilizer. However, fall vegetables may benefit from side dressing with a balanced fertilizer to give them a good start.

Many cool-season vegetables will grow through the fall season, and some vegetables will grow into winter. Even if there’s an early frost, root vegetables like beets, carrots and parsnips can survive frosty temperatures that brings out their flavor and sweetness. Other vegetables, like kale, can even stand a freeze.

Jul 23
300

Night Gardening – How to Plant a Moon Garden

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Plant a Moon Garden

By Jodi Torpey

Summer is so fleeting, it makes sense to get as much enjoyment as you can from your garden. One way to do that is to expand visiting hours by planting a moon garden you can enjoy after the sun goes down. Nighttime pollinators just might join you.

All you have to do is fill your planting space with flowers that seem to glow in the dark. These are the plants that either remain open past sunset or those that bloom only at night.

When plant shopping, look for flowers that are white or nearly white. For example white petunias take on a lovely glow after dark. Place containers filled with white Supertunias around the patio and keep them watered and fertilized for a season of spectacular blooms. These large white flowers don’t need deadheading and their trailing habit lets them cascade over the sides of containers or hanging baskets.

Plant alyssum near the seating area for twice the impact in the evening garden. Not only do the small white flowers show up, they’re more fragrant in the cool night air.

Dusty miller is another good annual for the moon garden. Be sure to plant masses of these close to where you’ll be able to enjoy them the most.

White daisies, especially the annual African daisies, have long-lasting blooms that sit high above the dark green foliage so the flowers look like they’re floating in air. Make sure to plant these in sets of 3 or 5 for continuous blooming.

Other flowers that bloom past sunset also create special effects in the moon garden. The key is to make sure the plants receive adequate sun during the day so they can shine at night.

Flowering Tobacco was a National Gardening Bureau flower of the year because it’s perfect for the evening garden. Tall plants can grow to 5 feet and are noted for their fragrant tubular flowers that open at dusk. Flowering tobacco grows best in full sun and planted in well-drained soil.

Another must-have for the moon garden is moonflower,  a morning glory relative with white flowers that open only at night. Its large blooms grow on long vines that have heart-shaped leaves. Moonflower is a fragrant addition to the late night garden so plant this annual close to where people like to congregate.

Be sure to add some ornamental grasses to the moon garden. There are a number of Japanese variegated ornamental grasses that have long delicate green and white foliage that show off in the dark, especially when lit by low-level landscape lighting. For the most dramatic effect, plant in groups so when breezes blow the grasses practically glimmer.

Jul 14
300

Ice Plants for Groundcover

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Ice Plants are Hardy Garden Groundcovers

By Jodi Torpey

There are gardeners who keep trying the same plants in different spots in their garden, to see where they’ll grow the best. Some give the same plant at least three chances before giving up on them.

Not me. I give plants one chance and if they don’t make it, I’m on to something else. I can’t imagine the number of perennial plants I’ve tried that haven’t survived a winter of intense sunlight, drying winds, insignificant precipitation and no snow cover. Any plant that can thrive in conditions like those deserves additional plantings.

That’s why the ice plants from the Plant Select program are so successful in our climate. So far, Plant Select has introduced area gardeners to six different ice plants because they work so well here. These low-growing, succulent ground covers originated in South Africa, so you know they’re extra tough.

Ice plants like a sharp-draining soil and work well in rock gardens or on slopes where snow will melt quickly to keep the plant’s crown dry in winter.

One of the newer releases from Plant Select (2012) is called Fire Spinner and it has to be seen to be believed. This hardy, two-tone ice plant features purple and tangerine orange flowers that sparkle in the sunlight. It’s almost as if the flowers have something other-worldly in their genes, almost like metal.

While the plants are in bloom for just a few weeks, the ice plant’s succulent green foliage serves as a nice groundcover and backdrop for other plants in the garden. Plant Select experts say it takes a winter of cold weather before the plants start to shine. The first season, expect nice orangey-red flowers that are more typical of ice plants. Then wait for the fireworks next season.

The first ice plant from the Plant Select program was Starburst in 1998. This ice plant grows to about four inches tall and spreads to about 10 inches wide. The daisy-like flowers on Starburst are purple with white centers that start to appear in June and offer a long season of blooming. Starburst is heat and drought-tolerant once its established in the garden.

Another great ice plant is Red Mountain, introduced by Plant Select in 2007. Just like its name suggests, Red Mountain grows mats of dark orange-red flowers during summer. This ice plant grows close to the ground (one to two inches), but spreads quite wide, so space these about 15 inches apart. If the planting area is especially hot during the middle of summer, Red Mountain can tolerate a bit of shade.

With so many ice plants on the market today, why not try them all to see what does best in the most hard-to-plant spots in your landscape?

Jul 07
300

Growing Hot Peppers – Heat Up the Summer

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Growing Hot Peppers

By Jodi Torpey

I’ve never met a pepper I didn’t like. Hot, sweet, fried or dried, I’m crazy about them all. That’s why I plant at least a dozen different pepper varieties in my garden every season. There will always be several jalapeno plants, but each year I enjoy adding new-to-me varieties. I’ve been known to pick a pepper plant just so I could grow enough chiles to prepare a single recipe. Holy Mole!

I’m drawn to peppers because they’re versatile in the kitchen and grow in so many different sizes, shapes and colors. There are baby bell peppers, slender green Thai chiles, long red paprika peppers and even black edible ornamentals.

Then, of course, there’s the thrill of the unknown when taking that first tantalizing bite.

A Bit about Peppers

It’s believed all peppers originated in Central and South America, and that Spanish explorers introduced them to South Asia. Peppers are known around the globe for their benefits in recipes, as well as their medical superpowers.

For example, cayenne peppers are valued for their use as a spice, but also for their health properties. Cayenne can improve circulation, reduce arthritis pain and serve as a decongestant.

The secret ingredient is the same one that causes intense pepper pain when taking a bite of a hot chile pepper. Capsaicin can stimulate the pain receptors in your mouth, but it can also relieve discomfort by suppressing the intensity of pain signals from the affected nerves to the brain.

Because capsaicin is manufactured in the pepper’s ribs, you can put out some of the fire by removing the pepper’s seeds and veins before eating.

Growing Peppers

Peppers are one of the easiest plants to grow, even for beginning gardeners. Chile peppers grow best in full sun and a rich, well-drained soil. All it takes to grow a good crop is hot weather, moist soil and keeping plants fed every few weeks through the season.

Peppers are ready to eat whenever they reach their preferred size, although if left on the plant they’ll ripen to brilliant—and delicious—little gems

Jul 01
300

How To Care for Annual Plants

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Caring for Annual Plants in the Summer

By Jodi Torpey

As the gardening season progresses, garden chores transition from preparing and planting to a regular schedule of maintaining a healthy landscape. Our annual flowers especially need extra attention this month.

As the season moves along, plants use up the nutrients gardeners added at planting time. Annuals that are planted in hanging baskets and containers need additional nutrients because some are washed away each time we water. That’s why July’s the perfect time to give your annuals a boost.

Most annuals benefit from a feeding of an all-purpose plant food that’s slightly higher in phosphorus to help them reach their blooming potential. The two main types of fertilizers for annuals include slow-release (or time release) and water soluble.

Slow-Release Fertilizers

Slow-release fertilizers, like Osmocote or some organic plant foods, are granular and they give out small quantities of nutrients over a set amount of time, like 3 or 6 months. These fertilizers work well when lightly sprinkled around annuals planted in beds and borders and then dug in around the plants. The nutrients will be made available slowly and will probably take the annuals through the rest of the season.

Water Soluble Fertilizers

Because water and nutrients wash away with every watering, containers of annuals and hanging baskets may need fertilizing more often. Water soluble fertilizers, like MiracleGro or fish emulsion, make it easy to feed annual ornamentals planted in containers.

When diluted with water, these fertilizers make nutrients available to plants more quickly than the slow-release plant foods. Even if you added a slow-release fertilizer at planting, by mid-summer flowers can use a quick boost to keep them blooming. It’s a good idea to keep fertilizing container annuals every few weeks through the rest of the season.

Deadheading Spent Blooms

Another way to keep annuals healthy is to remove spent flowers by pinching off the dead ones. Deadheading keeps the plant from producing seed, so it keeps on blooming.

Fortunately for gardeners, many of the new annuals sold today are bred to be self-cleaning and don’t need deadheading; however, it’s easy to remove old flowers from plants that need it by pinching or snipping off the stem just below the base of the flower.

Jun 27
300

How To Make Compost Tea

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How to Make Compost Tea

By Jodi Torpey

 

The beginning of summer is a perfect time for a tea party—a tea party for your plants. Instead of serving Earl Grey or an herbal tea, how about treating your garden by brewing up a batch of compost tea?

What is Compost Tea?

The same rich, crumbly compost that’s used as a soil conditioner can be turned into a tea that plants adore. Compost tea, also called an extract, can be used as both a foliar spray and a soil drench.

When sprayed on a plant’s leaves, compost tea’s soluble nutrients give the plant a healthy boost and also help control diseases like black spot on roses or early blight on tomatoes. As a soil drench, compost tea builds healthy soil by increasing microbial activity and providing soluble nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.

If you’ve been conscientiously composting your kitchen waste and digging it into your garden, you probably have enough compost on hand. If not, you can buy a bag of good quality compost.

By mixing compost with water and allowing it to steep, you can create a beneficial tea loaded with plant nutrients and billions of beneficial bacteria. The process of turning compost into an extract makes the organic matter more effective and improves its usefulness, too.

One of the easiest ways to make compost tea is simply steeping it in water, just like you would an ordinary tea bag. This passive method for brewing compost tea is the same one farmers and organic gardeners have used for hundreds of years.

How To Make Compost Tea

Here’s what you need to get started:

Materials

  • Good quality compost
  • Old nylon stocking, burlap sack, mesh bag, nylon window screen, old white socks or other loosely woven cloth material.
  • Rubber bands or string to tie the bag closed
  • 5 gallon bucket

Compost Tea Instructions

1. Fill the tea “bag” with compost using a recipe of 1 part compost to 5 parts water.

2. Fill the bucket with water. If the water is chlorinated, allow the water to sit for 24 hours before adding the compost tea bag.

3. Suspend the compost bag in the bucket of water.

4. Allow the compost to steep in the water for several hours up to several days. Stir the bag in the water daily to aerate the tea. It should have a fresh, earthy smell; if it starts to give off a bad odor, you’ll need to stop and start over. (Don’t use the smelly tea on your plants.)

5. Use the fresh compost tea right away to fill a sprayer or watering can. Strain the liquid through a sieve if you need a finer liquid for the sprayer.

6. Spray plant leaves or water plants (and the lawn) with the tea.

Be sure to keep the used compost from the bag, because it still has some use. Dig it into the garden or add to the compost pile.

Jun 20
300

How to Grow Grapes in Colorado

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Growing Colorado Grapes

By Jodi Torpey

Colorado may not be as well-known as grape-growing regions in other parts of the country, but gardeners along the Front Range can still grow great grapes. It takes a little extra planning, preparation and patience, but it’s worth it. Grapes are a versatile fruit for making juice, jam, jelly and eating fresh off the vine

The key to growing grapes in Colorado is to plan ahead for our frustrating weather extremes with smart site selection and the grape varieties that do well in our region.

A great new grape that’s gaining in popularity is a Plant Select recommendation for the Rocky Mountain region. Saint Theresa Seedless Grape is a sweet table grape, similar to a Concord, that produces large clusters of grapes in September. Gardeners up to  elevations of 8,000 feet can grow this hardy grape.

Other table grape varieties to grow in Colorado include:

  • Canadice
  • Himrod
  • Catawba
  • Concord
  • Reliance
  • Swenson Red
  • Swenson White

Grapes like sun, so select a sunny site for planting, preferably a warm, protected area, like a south-facing slope or the south side of the house. Make sure the site has a convenient water source, and keep grapes away from the lawn so you can control the amount of water they get.

Look for short-season grape varieties, about 150 days or less, but plan on providing frost protection so plants have enough time in fall to maximize fruit production.

Grape plants like deep, well-drained, salt-free soil. Dig the planting hole at least three feet deep and large enough to spread the plant’s roots without bending them.

Developing a healthy root system is the primary focus the first two growing years. Grapes will be produced in the third year and by the fourth or fifth year the vines should be at full production.

One of the mistakes backyard Colorado grape growers make is not pruning the vines or pruning them incorrectly, once they’re established. Pruning begins in the third year and helps ensure the vines receive enough sunlight for the grapes to ripen. Expect grape harvests in August or September, depending on the variety.

Mulch heavily in winter to protect against fluctuating temperatures and drying winds. Remove the mulch in summer.

Start now and with some care, you’ll be able to enjoy the beauty of leafy green grape vines in summer, delicious grapes for your table in fall and attractive bare vines as a backdrop for your garden through winter.

Jun 13
300

Planting Under Trees

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Planting Under Trees

How to Plant Shade Plants Under Evergreens

By Jodi Torpey

One of the most difficult spots for planting is underneath dense evergreens. Gardeners often leave this planting spot bare or cover it in mulch because they think nothing will grow there.

Most gardeners believe it’s impossible to grow anything under evergreens because the soil is acidic there, but that’s not the reason. The reason it’s challenging is that evergreens have such fibrous and dense root systems, they compete with other plants for nutrients and water. And evergreens usually win.

Instead of avoiding this shady planting space, embrace it. You can create your own welcoming woodland retreat by taking a page from Mother Nature’s landscape design book. Just look for the plants that naturally grow under evergreens in forests. For example, one of the most surprising flowering plants that grows well under the dense shade of evergreens is golden columbine.

Another great plant for shade is Oregon grape also called Creeping Mahonia. This low-grower spreads nicely under evergreens and does well in our region’s alkaline soil. The yellow flowers that bloom in summer are an added bonus.

Other good plants for growing under trees include manzanitas, like Chieftain, that are low-growing evergreen groundcovers. Chieftain has oval leaves that turn an attractive dark green. There are even flowers that appear in late spring on plants that can grow to 2 feet tall and spread to 6 feet wide.

Another shade plant choice is the Mock bearberry manzanita. This evergreen groundcover that can thrive in well-drained soil. Mock bearberry grows about 12 inches tall and 48 inches wide.

If you’d prefer groundcovers that offer more color, you might want to plant…

…Periwinkle, also called vinca, is one of the most popular plants for the shade. Its glossy leaves, blue flowers and ability to spread quickly make it a nice choice for growing under trees.

…Deadnettle (Lamium) is another good perennial groundcover for the shade of your evergreens. Grow Deadnettle for its nice foliage that can range from silvery to blue-green.

…Ajuga (bugleweed) forms a dense mat of glossy leaves that always seem to look fresh, even in the heat. Purple is one of the most common colors for the Ajuga leaves; flower spikes show up in summer.

When shopping for shade plants, match those with similar light needs, as well as similar moisture needs. Many shade gardens planted under trees will have dry soil, but others are naturally moist because they’re located in low spots where water tends to collect.