Periods of drought are common on Colorado's Front Range. This area is naturally a semi-arid, shortgrass prairie that would have few trees without irrigation. Growing trees here is difficult in wet years let alone in drought years. Drought makes growing healthy trees in this region all the more challenging and reinforces the value of a majestic shade tree.
   
Where do I water my tree?

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With dry winds and intense sun, the soil dries out very quickly. All of your plants (including the lawn) will benefit from a slow soaking, about once a month.

When the temperature is above 40 degrees, bring out the hoses and turn them on. For each large shrub / tree water slowly for about 20 minutes; for perennials and lawn water an area for about 25-30 minutes.

This could be the factor between life and death for your plants during these dry times.

Shrubs

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Putting Your Garden to Bed

Make sure you wrap your trees. All deciduous trees should be wrapped from the soil surface to the first branch each fall (approximately November 1).  Secure wrapping with masking tape or stretch-tie.  Do not use electrical tape or string.  Deciduous trees should be wrapped for the first four to five years after planting.

Cut Back Perennials

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Your garden is either looking it’s best or it could very well look it's worst this time of the year.  August can be brutal on plants. Keep watering, deadheading, and fertilizing your annuals and they will respond with a flourish next month.

Plants that give you good color this month are Black-eyed Susans. These large-growers are about 2’ tall with bright golden yellow blooms and a dark brown, almost black eye.  They will bloom all month.  Russian Sage and Blue Mist Spireas should also be in full bloom.

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Watering

Most of us have Kentucky Bluegrass lawns, which require about two inches of water per week during the summer months.  Although, there are many factors affecting the amount of water required.  A shady lawn may not require as much, but don’t forget that if the shade comes from mature trees, then they will require some water too.  Open and windy exposures will cause the lawn to dry out faster than those in shady locations. 

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Spring flowering shrubs like Forsythia, Lilacs, and early flowering Spireas set their flower buds during the summer for blooms in the next year. Prune these shrubs in June to generate new growth which in turn creates new flower buds. On old shrubs try to remove up to 1/3 of the oldest wood, this will cause new growth while your not losing the overall height of the plant. Shrubs that bloom in the summer like Roses, Potentilla, and summer flowering Spireas bloom on new wood. Prune these plants early in the spring, but deadhead them and most will repeat bloom.

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Everybody wants to get the garden planted, get annual color going, but wait… We all want to rush the season, but the ground is still too cool for most annuals and vegetables to get established and start growing. Mother’s Day is usually the time we start planting, but the north side may still be too cool for some plants (Impatiens, Begonias), so wait till the later part of May to plant these shade lovers.

Fertilize your roses using an all purpose Rose Food (Bill’s Rose Food). Use 1/2 cup of fertilizer around each plant and lightly work into the soil.

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As we slip into March, we can start to believe that spring might make an appearance soon.  The first step in getting our perennials ready is to cut them all back so that the dead parts of the plant are removed.  You should be starting to see new green growth coming from the base of many of the plants.  By definition the tops of perennials do not survive the winter and need to be removed so that we do not see the dead stems in the middle of our fresh new growth.  Next, we need to identify plants that need to be divided.  Many perennials need to have their groupings d

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Be a Sweetheart to Your Fruit Trees

Now is a good time to prune your fruit trees.  There are no leaves in the way to hamper your view and not a lot of other garden tasks to do, so you can take your time. 

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Winter Care for Newly Planted Evergreens

Evergreens are more sensitive to Colorado’s dry, cold winters because they do not loose their needles.  Their root systems have already been compromised by the transplanting process, so they have to provide moisture collected from a very small area to keep the needles in good condition. We will still be looking at these same needles next year.

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