Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent garden article that ran in The Denver Post about cranberries. I added an online photo of some blooms from a cranberry shrub that wasn't in the paper. Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below.   Here’s why cranberries are more than just a Thanksgiving side dish   By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post Canned or cooked cranberries? That’s a good opening question on Thanksgiving when seated next to your cousin twice removed. Go ahead and ask while the dish is being passed. Hopefully y ..read more

Ah, the weather seers (NOAA) are checking models and making predictions. I predict November will be seasonable, some rain, some snow, some cold. And Thanksgiving will taste great this year.  Internet Photos from NOAA.    ..read more

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my garden article that ran in The Denver Post about fall leaf color changes. Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below.   Yellow, gold and orange leaves are fairly consistent from year to year due to other pigments (specifically carotenoid) that hang around in leaves despite the weather. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post) By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post October 17, 2023 Winter will be here soon enough, but enjoy those gorgeous fall leaf colors along the Front Range before any snowfl ..read more

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my garden article that ran in The Denver Post about planting a tulip cutting garden this fall for spring bloom.  Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below.   By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post October 10, 2023 Once the tulips and other bulbs have bloomed and been cut for indoor vases and sharing, they will be dug out and composted. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post) Seeing spring flowering bulbs nudge through the snow means that winter’s hold is on its way out. It also signals that t ..read more

It's not like El Niño or La Niña are everyday weather patterns that roll off the old brain cells like it's going to be a dry fall and winter season or bring out the raincoats.  If you're like me, you have to be reminded or have the two explained each time they are mentioned. I'll summarize the El Niño and La Niña definitions below, I need the primer too.  Keep in mind that both patterns generally last nine to twelve months or possibly years. They occur every two to seven years, but not on a regular basis. Ah, such is life being part of nature's big weather and climate picture. El Ni ..read more

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent garden article that ran in The Denver Post on preserving the summer harvest. Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE. The full article is below. Gardening: How to preserve your late-summer harvest in Colorado Shop for deals on trees and shrubs but get them in the ground yesterday, without delay Planning a well-stocked freezer and pantry of home-grown fruits and vegetables means some work now, but oh how happy you’ll be enjoying home-preserved peaches, herbs or tomatoes later when a foot of snow arrives and you don’t have to dri ..read more

Internet Photo from Jim Baker, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org Killing adult Japanese beetles all summer is time consuming and monotonous. Thank goodness the adults are dying off as we head into the fall months. What about their egg laying offspring? Where did they go and what are they doing all fall, winter and next spring? Easy answer. If adult beetles were in your garden chewing your plants this past summer, then females have laid eggs in your turf grass or turf grass next door, up and down and street and pretty much everywhere grass is growing.  Then their eggs grow quick ..read more

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent Denver Post article on Japanese beetle biocontrol releases which is very good news. Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE or read below.    There is hope in the battle against Japanese beetles in Colorado    Other states have paved the way for successfully introducing biocontrols to reduce the numbers of this problem pest Biocontrol Winsome Fly lays eggs on adult Japanese beetles and uses the beetle to develop which kills the pest beetle. Provided by Whitney Cranshaw By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denve ..read more

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my recent Denver Post article on harvesting fall planted garlic plus other important planting and care tips. Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE or read below How to grow your own garlic — and why it matters The only way to guarantee a broader range of flavor characteristics Cut off the garlic scapes on hardneck garlic cultivars a couple of weeks before harvest to promote larger bulb growth. (Betty Cahill, Special to The Denver Post) By Betty Cahill | Special to The Denver Post July 14, 2023 “Stop and smell the garlic! That’s all ..read more

Garden Friend - I thought you might like to read my spring article on choosing the correct lawn type for your landscape. This is Part II. This article appeared in The Denver Post in May. Enjoy!   Link to The Denver Post article, click HERE or read below.    How to replace your Colorado lawn with native or water-saving grass The expression “there’s no time like the present” is more than applicable to get started on a turf-replacement project Tahoma 31 is a new warm-season Bermuda grass that is soft, dense, takes traffic and is shade tolerant. (Joe Wilkins III, Green Valle ..read more