Plant Sale in Denver this Weekend!

By Alexis Alvey, Horticulture Agent, CSU Denver Extension

The Denver Master Gardener 9th Annual Spring Plant Sale will take place this weekend, May 17th and 18th!  On Saturday, doors will open early at 8:00am and stay open till 3:00pm.  On Sunday, the sale begins at 10:00am and ends at 3:00pm.   The sale is located in front of the CSU Denver Extension office at 888 E Iliff Ave, Denver 80210, in the northeast corner of Harvard Gulch Park, with the cross-street being Emerson.

The Spring Plant Sale offers a unique variety of heirloom and modern tomatoes, sweet and hot chili peppers, select vegetables and herbs, and annual and perennial flowers.  Denver Master Gardeners have been working hard all spring in the City Greenhouses in Denver City Park, operated by Denver Parks & Recreation, growing almost all of the veggies and herbs available at the plant sale.  It has been a great opportunity and hands-on learning experience for the Master Gardeners.  Working alongside Parks & Rec staff, they began seeding in March and have provided the tender loving care that each plant deserves.  The plants are now super healthy and ready to be taken to your home!  Below is a list of all the varieties being grown by the Master Gardeners.  The remainder of the plants are obtained from Colorado nurseries and helps support the local horticulture industry.

At the Spring Plant Sale, Denver Master Gardeners will help answer any of your gardening questions and will help you choose the best plant varieties for your particular needs.  All proceeds from the sale support the CSU Denver Extension Horticulture Program.


The Spring Plant Sale is a great community event, so make sure to stop by the other booths including Plant-A-Row for the Hungry where you can get free seeds!, the gently-used gardening items for sale booth, the Rosedale-Harvard Gulch Neighborhood Association, and the 4H Kids-Grown booth!  For more information, call 720-913-5270.  The event is rain or shine (or snow!).  Cash only, please.  See you there!

Knock it Off: Preventing Snow Damage to Trees

Posted by: Alison O'Connor, Larimer County

Mark your calendars, folks! It's Mother's Day, May 11, and the snow is coming down fast and furious. By the time it's all said and done, up to 9-12" of wet, heavy snow (yea moisture!) is expected, but for our woody plants that have leafed out, this means bad news and possible damage.

So take precaution now and go and gently knock the snow off the trees and shrubs (and perennials) that have been coated. The leaves capture a lot more snow per surface area than branches, and this is what makes branches droop and break. Evergreens also need attention.

Shaking off the snow is one of the best things you can do to prevent damage...and you may have to repeat this a few times until the snow stops. But be gentle--don't vigorously shake, just do some light taps or brushing.

The mighty broom handle!

The "weepy" star magnolia outside the hort building.

Tap, tap, tap.

Free from snow and ice (the blue spruce is another project).

By the way, the turf specialist said your lawn is fine.

Sixty Second Secrets for Gardening Success: Master Gardener Plant Clinics

Today on Sixty-Second Secrets for Gardening Success: Master Gardener Plant Clinics.

Have you ever seen a flower and wanted to know what it is, or ever had your lawn or favorite plant suddenly start looking sick and wanted to know why?

You may not realize it, but expert help may be right around the corner!

Colorado Master Gardener volunteers are trained to help you in plant ID as well aiding in diagnosing what is wrong with a sick plant or lawn.

Plant clinics take place at many locations around the area. Many are held at the County Extension Office while others may be at the local nursery or garden center, your favorite big box store, or at your community farmers market.

For more information on plant clinics, contact your local CSU Extension Office  or visit http://sixtysecondgardeningsecrets.podbean.com/

Sixty-Second Secrets for Gardening Success is a production of Colorado State University Extension.
CSU Extension: Extending knowledge, changing lives.

2014 Cool Season Plant Trials at CSU

Posted by: James E. Klett, Professor and Extension Specialist, Landscape Horticulture

Growers, landscape contractors and homeowners will want to plant some of these winners in their gardens in the fall of 2014 from our 2013-2014 Cool Season Trials.  These trials included 66 different varieties of cool season plants.  These plants were planted on October 8, 2013 and grown through the fall, winter and early spring of 2014.  Additional water was added to these trials a total of nine times from October 8, 2013 to April 21, 2014.  Watering was done when temperatures were above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and soil was dry.  Our lowest temperature recorded during the period was -15 F.  We did have fairly constant snow cover in January and February 2014.  We recorded frost damage, flowering data and overall appearance on a weekly basis when not covered in snow.

The Annual Trial Garden Committee evaluated these Cool Season Trials in April 2014 and picked six top performers which are described below. The six winners include:

Best of Show Pansy:  Pansy Inspire ^R Purple and White from Benary

Nothing says “best of” like 100%  survival through the winter season.  This pansy has very bright and high contrasting purple/blue white flowers.  The flowers seem to have a blue top and a white bottom that make them very visible from quite the distance.  

Inspire Purple and White pansy

Blue/Violet Pansy: Pansy Inspire ^R True Blue from Benary

This variety had the largest flower out of any of the Pansies; these large blue flowers made this plant a standout.  In addition to the large flowers it was also noted that it had the truest blue flower.

Inspire True Blue pansy

Best Yellow Pansy:   Pansy Cool Wave ^TM Golden Yellow from PanAmerican Seed

This pansy had a profusion of large, attractive bright golden yellow flowers.  The flowers are a bright golden yellow that is sure to catch the garden visitor’s eye due to abundance of flowers.

Cool Wave Golden Yellow pansy

Best of Show Viola:  Viola Sorbet EX Morpho from Pan American Seed

This viola was described as a sturdy, small, uniform plant.  The flower color is a very rich combination of deep blue and canary yellow.  This color combination gave the plant a great contrast, allowing it to become a garden favorite.  This Viola also had a 100% survival rate during the winter.

Sorbet EX Morpho viola

Best Blue/Violet Viola:  Viola Penny Deep Marina from Goldsmith Seeds

This viola had a unique flower color combination of deep purple, purple and white.  These plants were very uniform in growth habit and each plant was just blanketed in flowers.

Penny Deepy Marina viola

Best Yellow Viola:  Viola Popsicles Yellow from Burpee Home Garden

This viola seemed to have the most intense yellow flower color.  The yellow flowers had a golden yellow throat that made it standout even more.  All of the flowers were displayed perfectly on top of the foliage of the plant.  It was also noted that this Viola was a great, sturdy plant.

Popsicles Yellow viola

Assessing Ash risk

Posted by: Carol O'Meara, Boulder County Extension

In the months following the detection of Emerald Ash Borer in Boulder, people have been holding their breath, waiting for word on where the pest would show its presence next. They’re gazing at their ashes, appreciating what they have that might, in a short time, be gone.

Advertisements by mail or on the radio make the situation seem dire (one announcer sounds as though he’s shaking with rage that the insect dared come to Colorado). If you’re wracked with indecision on what to do to protect your ash or when to do it, take a deep breath and relax before making your decision.

Distance from the detected pest is the first question to answer; in Colorado CSU Entomologists recommend that only those ashes within five miles of the bug need protection. If you live further away than five miles from the pest, you have time to plan before booking tree treatments.

Check how close you are to the five mile zone by clicking on the Ash Tree Management Zone Map. There, you can type in your address and the map will zoom in to your location and identify the risk zone you live within.

Then build a plan, starting with an assessment of your trees and whether they’re healthy. Not all ashes are healthy enough for treatment; should they have greater than 40-percent dieback of their canopy they won’t translocate treatments effectively through the tree. Small trees could be protected, but ask yourself if it would be better to remove and replace them with another tree type. Often, costs of treatment far outweigh the costs of replacement.

Next, assess the type of treatment you would like for the tree. Small trees of less than 15-inch diameter can be helped with products you can purchase and apply yourself. But be careful – these products contain pesticides harmful to bees, so make sure there are no blooming plants, wanted or unwanted, in the ground under the tree (especially dandelions).

If your tree is larger than 15-inches or you’d like options that are more bee-friendly, ask your tree care company to help you in your decision. Don’t be alarmed by radio ads – heavy with reverb – announcing the presence of the pest. Arm yourself with the facts by going to eabcolorado.com and scroll down to How to Manage EAB and click on control options for information on the available treatments.

The Fourth Ginkgo

Posted by: Alison O’Connor, Larimer County Extension

Sometimes I feel like my green thumb has turned brown. Especially when I spend another weekend working in the yard, witnessing the death and destruction of my garden. In my defense, we did have a devastating hail storm that occurred last August, but it also seemed like winter took a deadly toll on my plants.

Including my ginkgo. That was the third one I had planted since we moved to our house in 2007. The first two had really poor root balls (they were a “deal” at a tree sale) and only lived for one season each, and the third was in bad shape when it came to my yard. I will say, however, #3 lived for two whole growing seasons!

As I was sighing in my yard, I inspected all my trees. All my trees are pretty small. Besides the hail storm last summer, we also were in the throes of the tornado that struck Windsor in May 2008. Except for a mature honeylocust and silver maple, all my trees are just juveniles. Here’s a look:

The mature honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos inermis)

The mature sliver maple (Acer saccharinum)

'Guinevere' crabapple. She's my favorite tree in the yard.
Small, cute and blooms pink! What more could you want in a tree?

'Greenspire' linden. You saw me plant this one just a few weeks ago.

Redbud (Cercis canadensis). It lived! I'll admit that I'm a bit surprised.

And it's starting to leaf out!

Thornless cockspur hawthorn (Crataegus crusgalli inermis).
Dark green, glossy leaves and red fruit that spills on the ground in fall.

'Honeycrisp' apple. Yep, it's teensy tiny. Maybe I'll get fruit in a few years.

Some type of plum I don't care about. It bears prolific fruit, which the beagles enjoy.

And my newest edition: ginkgo #4. Yes, I bought another ginkgo.  

My beloved ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)!

Prior to tree shopping, my husband and I had this conversation...

Me: Gil, I’m going to look for a new tree for our yard. Do you have any suggestions?

Gil: Maybe something that will live? How about a buckeye?

Me: That’s not a bad idea! I like buckeyes. They are tough as nails.

Gil: Plus, maybe it will help them win the National Championship?

(We are both Ohio State grads.)

Me: Hmmmmm.

But then I got to the nursery and I immediately asked the first employee I saw where their ginkgoes were located. She showed me. I wooed. I fell in love and I brought #4 home.

The leaves! The fan-shaped leaves are emerging! Love love love.

Gil: What!? Another gingko? Are you crazy?

Yes. Yes, I am. Because the ginkgo is my favorite tree in the world—it’s a living fossil! And I have.to.have.one. The fourth time is the charm. Right? I know that they are difficult to establish. I know they grow slower than molasses. I know all of this…but I still have to have one. I need to have one. My yard needs a ginkgo.

So tell me, what plant did you have to have and purchased over and over again? Did it finally work out, or did you give up and plant your version of a buckeye? 

Grassology

Posted by: Tony Koski, Extension Turf Specialist

I guess I don't watch enough late night TV? Or maybe I have to pay more attention to the commercials? I had never heard of Grassology...until I received this email from Penni A. a few days ago.

Greetings Dr. Koski,

I was wondering if CSU has written anything on the product called Grassology? I’m embarrassed to say “As Seen on TV” but it does sound so good I thought I would ask the experts at my alma mater CSU.  I ruined my grass by purchasing years ago what they called drought grass.  Now I battle weeds and aggressive clover type plants regularly.  I don’t want to waste your time but if you could direct me to information on a better grass for Denver I would appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Penni A

Coincidentally,  that very afternoon I was in a Bed, Bath and Beyond (I still have yet to find the "Beyond" section of BB&B), where a display of - you guessed it - Grassology was located just inside the front door. I didn't even have to do a Google search. There it was...with Bob Vila's smiling face staring at me. That just about sold me. I mean, if Bob endorses it, it must be good? But my Extension senses returned to me...and healthy skepticism took over. Grassology: the Science of Grass. Breakthrough. Patent pending. As seen on TV. I can hear Bob's friendly, convincing voice now.... "no more high water bills...or weekly mowing... or ongoing fertilizing...or constant weeding." Only $19.99. For 3 pounds. So worth it! I can see the attraction Penni. But being a super smart CSU alum, you wanted to know more. And now so did I. If you go to the Grassology website you find little real product information - like what kind of grass it is!? Ahh, but you can listen as Bob V. makes those irresistible, sound-too-good-to-be-true claims.

While the website provides little useful information about Grassology, the seed label on the bag (required by law) is much more revealing. Grassology is a mix of fine fescues, tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass - with a few weed seeds thrown in. In many ways, this is a horrible product. First, this mixture of grass species will grow into a patchwork of different textures and colors. Second, this is all "Variety not stated" (VNS) seed. There are no variety names listed for any of the species - a dead give-away that this is a low-quality product that no reputable seed company would sell to anyone (except to people who either don't read the seed label... or who don't understand what "VNS" means - which is most everyone who is not a professional turf manager). Third, the amount of Weed Seed (0.05%) is a large amount of weed seed for a turf product; with a little effort, the homeowner can find good quality turf seed that is 0.00% weed seed. Finally, the cost of this product borders on the outrageous. Three pounds of seed for $19.99 - which works out to $6.66 per pound (a devilishly scary number!). And even more: this is coated seed (to theoretically aid in germination), so there is really only a little more than 1 1/2 pounds of seed in the bag! Readers of this blog in Colorado can purchase premium quality seed (named varieties - the same stuff that sod producers and golf course superintendents buy) from a number of Colorado seed companies - and at a much lower cost per pound than this stuff. 

There is nothing revolutionary or new in Grassology. The grasses in this mix have been around for years and are used in lawns today. The smart CSU alumnus she is, Penni was wise to question this product's claims. And so should any of you thinking about purchasing Grassology. I know that Bob Vila sounds so smooth and convincing, but if it sounds to good to be true...