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News Briefs
.National
Arbor Day
Join the annual celebration of National
Arbor Day by planting a tree in your yard or community! Each state
determines its own date for Arbor Day. In Colorado it is the third Friday
in April. Many places in Colorado have a special Arbor Day Celebration.
For a list of these please see
www.arborday.org/arborday/colorado/index.cfm.
Feeding the Needy
As you prepare to plant your vegetable
garden this year, you are encouraged to plant a bit extra and then donate the
vegetables to local food banks.
Answers for Gardeners
You can receive answers to your gardening questions by
calling Master Gardeners at your county's office of CSU Cooperative Extension
Service. For a list of these offices and contact information please click
on CSU Extension in our menu.
Master Gardeners are also available to answer questions
at Denver Botanic Gardens' new Gardening Help program. Call 720-865-3575
or send e-mail to
gardeninghelp@botanicgardens.org.
CSU Extension Service also answers e-mail questions.
Go to
www.ext.colostate.edu and scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Click on AnswerLink.
Planttalk Colorado en
Espaņol
Spanish speaking
gardeners can now listen to or read more articles in Spanish at Planttalk
Colorado. The menu of articles in Spanish is greatly expanded. Call
1-888-666-3063 or visit
www.planttalk.org
and follow the prompts for Spanish.
Radio Gardening Program
Susan Rose and
Curtis Swift are hosting a radio program, "From the Ground Up," on KAFM,
88.1 FM, Grand Junction, the last Thursday of each month from Noon - 1 p.m.
Each show includes guests, gardening tips, announcements of upcoming
programs and takes calls on gardening. If you cannot receive this
station you can listen to it online at
http://kafmradio.org.
Colorado State Forest Service
Tree Planting Program
Every year the
CSFS grows more than 2 million tree and shrub seedlings. Over 50 different
species are available to people who own two acres or more of land and need trees
and shrubs for conservation purposes, such as windbreaks or reforestation.
The seedlings cannot be resold as a living tree or used for landscaping.
Seedlings are available in minimums of 30 to 50 plants. For more
information about this program or to get an order form for 2006 please see www.colostate.edu/Depts/CSFS.
Scroll down and click on "Obtain conservation seedlings for windbreaks,
habitat and reforestation."
Winter/Spring Course Catalog
Available
Denver Botanic
Gardens publishes a Continuing Education catalog that lists classes being
offered. You can view the
catalog online at www.botanicgardens.org.
Or, you may call the Continuing Education office at 720-865-3610 and request a
catalog be mailed to you.
Hudson Gardens Offers Classes
Hudson Gardens
in Littleton has partnered with the Community Education Department of Arapahoe
Community College to offer a series of classes on gardening, painting,
photograpy and more. See www.hudsongardens.org
for details.
FireWise Colorado
Homeowners are reminded of the need to
take special caution with landscapes in areas that are likely to be threatened
by fire. FireWise Colorado is a highly informative website with lots of helpful
information for people who live in fire-prone areas. You will find
articles on fire-resistant landscaping, FireWise plant materials, vegetative
recovery after wildfire, grass seed mixes to reduce wildfire hazard, and much
more. Visit the FireWise Colorado website at
www.firewise.org/co.
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Books for Gardeners
Colorado
Gardening's bookstore offers many books dealing with gardening in Colorado and
the Rocky Mountain region. This is a great time of year to do some
reading on gardening topics. Click on the photos for more information or to purchase these
books. See our Bookstore pages for additional selections.
2006 Plant Select Winners
The latest
perennials and shrubs to earn the Plant Select designation will be available
soon at garden centers in Colorado. Plant Select is a cooperative program
administered by Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens, and landscape
and nursery professionals throughout the region. It annually recommends
plants that have been tested and found to be especially suited to gardens in the
Rocky Mountain and Plains states. These are the 2006
selections.
Panchito Manzanita (Arctostaphylos x
coloradoensis) -- a broadleaf evergreen that grows 10 - 15" high and
24 - 36" high.
Fernbush (Chamaebatiaria millefolium) -- a
shrub that grows 3 - 5' tall and 3 - 5' wide. It features fragrant foliage
and white flowers that bloom in mid-summer.
Kintzley's Ghost Honeysuckle (Lonicera
reticulata) -- a perennial vine that grows 8 - 12' high and 3
- 6' wide. It features yellow flowers in June.
Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean (Dolichos lablab
'Ruby Moon') -- a vine that grows 6 - 10' high and 3 - 5' wide. It is an
annual vine in USDA zones 6 and below and features dark burgundy foliage and
amethyst flowers.
Snowmass Phlox (Phlox bifida)
-- a perennial that grows 4 - 8" high and 18 - 24" wide. It features white
flowers in spring.
Bridges Penstemon (Penstemon rostiflorus) -- a native perennial that grows 24 - 36" high and 24 - 36" wide.
It features scarlet flowers midsummer to fall.
Platinum Sage (Salvia daghestanica) -- a perennial that grows 8 - 10" high and 12 - 18" wide. It
features dark blue flowers in spring and early summer.
Giant Sacaton (Sporobolus wrightii) -- a
native perennial ornamental grass that grows 5 - 7' high and 3 - 5' wide.
Noxious Weeds
Several popular plants are on
Colorado's noxious weeds list: Bouncingbet, Common
St. John's Wort, Dame's Rocket, Oxeye Daisy, Purple Loosestrife, Dalmatian
Toadflax, Russian Olive and others. Do not plant these plants and begin eradicating them
if they are currently in your garden. If you buy wildflower mixes, check
the label to be sure these plants are not included.
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