Downtown Flowers Signal Summertime for Puebloans

 By Sherie Shaffer, Horticulture Agent, CSU Extension-Pueblo County

My favorite part of the flower display, in front of Pueblo Union Depot

These two are Craig's favorite containers

Every year, Puebloans are signaled to the beginning of summer when the huge, beautiful containers of petunias and geraniums appear downtown.

These beauties are in front of local boutique, Razmataz

Everyone loves the smell of fresh petunias in the morning

The Pueblo Union Depot, along with B Street and a good portion of Union Avenue get decked out with these blossoms every year in May, thanks to local business owners the Koncilja’s. The flowers are purchased from a local nursery, but you may be wondering, who cares for them and keeps them looking stunning all summer long?

Looking down B Street from the Union Depot

Patrons of the cafes on B Street get to look at these containers while they dine

Some of the containers are hanging, while some are on the ground

The answer is two guys, Craig and Brandon. We got an opportunity for an insider tour of the daily care of these flowers, thanks to the fact that Craig is my brother. Turns out it’s no small feat to keep these blooms looking brilliant during the heat of a Southern Colorado summer.

Craig with his trusty hose reel 

Turns out it doubles as a fun ride

A close up of the reel

Unless it rains, which is not something that happens often around here, the flowers need to be watered daily. Craig and Brandon have portable hose reels, that they wheel around downtown and hook to multiple different spigots around where the flowers are located. They must start early, not only to beat the heat but also to beat the morning downtown buzz. Turns out it’s a lot easier to stretch the hose out when the foot traffic is low.

Luckily he's tall to reach the hanging containers

The hose spigots have keys to turn them on

As they water each container individually, by hand, they also do whatever deadheading needs to be done on each plant. This keeps the plants looking nice and encourages them to keep blooming all summer long. Sometimes, when a plant gets a little leggy, they will trim them up to keep the shape looking nice and compact.

Right in front of the doors to the Union Depot

These containers are in Tandoori's courtyard

More beautiful flowers

Of course, water and TLC aren’t quite enough to keep the flowers looking their best. They also get fertilized weekly. The Petunias get fed with a 20-3-19 water-soluble Petunia Feed that includes Magnesium. The geraniums get a 20-10-20 general-purpose water-soluble fertilizer. To deliver the fertilizer, they use a Dosatron nutrient injector. First, they mix about 10 cups of the dry fertilizer in a bucket, and fill it with water, this is the concentrate. They then set the injector to the appropriate level and insert the hose of the injector into the concentrate bucket. The water supply is then hooked to the injector and it delivers the desired concentration of fertilizer into the irrigation water.

The fertilizer they use to keep the blooms looking beautiful

The Dosatron fertilizer injector

Pest and disease issues haven’t been too bad in the past. During really hot spells some of the petunia leaves will become sunburnt from the reflected heat of the sidewalk, and they have dealt with some small aphid infestations. Nothing a call to the local Extension Agent/sister and a strong stream of water couldn't handle!

Another view of Tandoori's courtyard

These lucky flowers get some morning shade

So, although it’s no small task to keep these flowers looking great all summer long, the people of Pueblo are so glad that they are purchased and cared for to keep our downtown looking bright and beautiful!

The Orchid: a delicate impossibility or a manageable houseplant?

By Amy Lentz, Weld County Extension

Contrary to what you may have heard, orchids are not difficult to grow and in most cases, they will grow in the same conditions as your other houseplants and require a similar amount of care. With the proper amount of light, water, humidity, temperature and fertilizer, orchids can thrive! Some types of orchids such as Phalaenopsis or Cattleya types can be easier to care for than others and make great options for beginners. 

Healthy roots are essential to the growth and health of your orchid so the choice of growing medium plays an important role. Many orchids naturally grow in trees in the wild and these types of growing mixes mimic that natural setting.  These types of orchids prefer a very porous growing medium made of materials such as bark, husks, perlite, or clay pebbles, all of which are ideal for the roots to establish themselves and receive adequate air movement.  

Due to the very porous nature of orchid growing mixes, water will readily flow through. You will want to water your plants thoroughly to soak the roots and growing medium. Never let your orchids sit in standing water because their roots need oxygen, too. One way to accomplish a good watering is to place the plant in a sink or tub, water it,enough to wet the medium, wait a few minutes, water it again, and repeat this until the medium is well soaked. Make sure to drain off any excess. 

Orchids like to dry between watering so don’t water too frequently. If you are unsure whether you should water again, wait a day. You can also get a feel for how heavy the container is after watering and if it is lighter than usual then give it a good drink!  While your orchids are actively growing, fertilize them with a houseplant or orchid formulation at a diluted rate (50%) once a month.

Orchids prefer some humidity and one way to increase the humidity level is to grow your plants in groups or place a dish of water nearby to produce humidity as the water evaporates. You can also mist them but be careful not to keep them moist for prolonged periods of time. I’ve managed to cheat by growing mine near the kitchen sink and dishwasher.

Sunburn symptoms on orchid leaves can be light to dark brown and
will dry up the plant's leaf tissue. It will not spread once the plant is
removed from direct light. Avoid placing orchids in direct sunlight.

Colorado gets over 300 days of sunshine per year which is great for our window-bound houseplants and especially orchids. However, with the high intensity of the sun you will need to place your orchid in indirect sunlight to make sure they do not get sunburned. A south or west facing window may be too intense, so placing your orchid about 2 feet away from an east facing window is ideal. If your orchid is hesitating to flower, then you can encourage it by relocating it to an area with higher light levels. 

Room temperature is ideal so you won’t need to make any adjustments for your orchids. They prefer temperatures between 55 and 75 °F, so 65 to 70 °F is perfect. Phalaenopsis types can do well in temperatures up to 80 °F.

Orchid blooms are interesting, delicate and stunning! They can last for several weeks or even months if the plant is happy and are a great addition to you houseplant collection.

Learn more about Phalaenopsis and Cattleya orchids here:

Orchid: Phalaenopsis - PlantTalk Colorado - Colorado State University

Orchid: Cattleya - PlantTalk Colorado - Colorado State University