Waterwise plants are more than cacti. There are many beautiful, low-water plants for Colorado (and similar western states). They just may not be the flowers, shrubs and trees you know from other regions of the country. If you’d like to learn about waterwise plants in Colorado, here are 7 of my fave websites + books. […] The post Where to Learn About Waterwise Plants in Colorado (and Similar States) appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

Have you noticed… … that some of your plants are overachievers in the spring—eager to emerge from the ground in all their leafy glory? Meanwhile, other plants don’t seem to be doing much AT ALL. As plant lovers, it’s natural for us to look at the latter and wonder: Hey, are you even alive? Did […] The post “Why Aren’t My Ornamental Grasses Growing?” appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

We’ve entered that time of the year in Colorado and the intermountain west when we tend to bounce between seasons, like animated 5-year-olds springing around wildly in an inflatable bounce house. Winter! Spring! Winter! Summer! Spring! Ack, winter! Given that we don’t always follow a linear path into the growing season, it feels like a […] The post 3 Popular Spring Gardening Questions (for Colorado & the West) appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

Our perma-piles of snow are finally melting in Colorado. The sun is shining its warm rays. Birds are singing. And Costco has started assembling its spring pergola displays. Spring is starting to feel like it’s within reach, even if it’s still a ways off. It’s enough to make you want to skip through the aisles […] The post What NOT to Do in Your Western Garden in February appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

-50 degrees below zero… -70 degrees below zero … Yikes. We’ve seen some big wind chill numbers across parts of the Rocky Mountain region and high plains this winter, including in Colorado and Wyoming. It’s natural to wonder: “Will wind chill kill the plants in my garden?” The short answer is no. Wind chill affects […] The post Will Wind Chill Kill My Plants? appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

No one wants to end up with extra garden chores and sad-looking plants But that’s what can happen if you accidentally pick plants that are known to struggle in Colorado landscapes — particularly during winter. So, in this tip, you’ll get the scoop on 3 popular plants to AVOID planting in Colorado and similar western […] The post 3 Plants That Struggle in Western Winters <br>(What NOT to Plant in Your Colorado Landscape) appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

I recently got the following question from a gardener who moved here from New England, and I thought, ooooh, that’s a good one! “What plants struggle in Colorado?” Here are some popular plants from other parts of the country that are best to skip if: You don’t want extra work. You’d like to keep money […] The post What Plants Struggle in Colorado? appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

What can you do with the dirt in your pots after your flowers have died? Good news! You have a few options for what to do with old potting soil. Let’s assume, for a sec, that your plants were healthy at the end of the season. If yes… Here are 4 things to do with […] The post What to Do With Old Potting Soil (the Dirt From Your Pots) appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

It’s tempting to want to get out early in the fall and tidy up your western garden for winter, especially when we’re having mild temps. But is it too early to cut back perennials (the plants that come back each year) for winter? No need to rush it. Put your feet up. Enjoy the color. […] The post When’s the Best Time to Cut Back Perennials in Colorado and Similar States? appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more

It would be awesome to be named “The Perfect Gardener” after a summer of growing flowers — complete with dancing squirrels and a pitch-perfect choir of cicadas. But alas, most of us weren’t born with a spade in one hand and a geranium in the other. So, the next best thing is to find ways […] The post What to Do BEFORE You Empty Your Flowerpots appeared first on Go West Gardener ..read more