I love Indian summer! Now that we’ve had our first big taste of winter along the Front Range, the forecast is for several days of warm, dry weather ahead. As the snow melts, it’s a great time to go for walks… play in the park… and give our gardens some very simple TLC that will pay off down the road in the form of watering! Some Indian Summer do’s and don’ts In most places outside the mountains, our Indian summer temperatures have melted most of the snow from last weekend’s storm. But for the sake of discussion, guess how much moisture that storm left behind. Take my backyard east of Parker, f ..read more

For those of us who love flowers, I think it’s hard to look at bright-faced pansies and not smile. Maybe that’s because these cheerful blossoms already appear to be smiling at us! But the happy faces are just part of the reason these cool weather plants so richly deserve to be in our late-season gardens. Autumn may be my favorite season I love the warmth of the rich golds and reds and russets that mark the arrival of fall. These earth tones make a perfect backdrop for a bold and unapologetic burst of color that a basket or bed of pansies can create. Planting pansies and violas this time of ye ..read more

Preview in new tab I know people are passionate about their home-grown tomatoes. I am, too! But if you’re 100% convinced that the only way to have a perfectly delicious tomato is to let it fully ripen in place on the vine, this blog might touch a nerve. Long-standing beliefs and assumptions can be hard to change, but in the words of one Texas A&M professor, “It’s time to re-imagine what ‘vine-ripened’ means.” My own tomato plants have lots of full-sized fruit that is green and firm and just hanging there… day after day… no change. I’m guessing some of you might be seeing the same thing. I ..read more

We’re all seeing it: Many of our flowers and veggies took a “time out” and slowed their growth during our rainy, cool weather in June. So did many of the pests that target them. But these plants and their insect followers are now making up for lost time. That’s my cue to touch base with our helpful Garden Advisors to see what problems they’re hearing from our guests – and what gardeners can do about them! With Tagawa’s emphasis on products that are least harmful to pollinators and other beneficial insects in the garden, I’ll generally be offering the least toxic options first. I’ll begin with ..read more

If you love the idea of bringing the beauty of outdoor gardens indoors, then you may already grow some of the most popular plants that will make great cut flower arrangements. These truly “perennial” favorites might include peonies, coneflowers, iris, lavender, or different types of daisies. But your fondness for cut flowers doesn’t have to stop with the tried and true varieties. I asked some of the team in Tagawa’s Perennial department to name a few less obvious flowers that would play well in arrangements. Here are their thoughts. Salvia Salvia (a.k.a. sage) is a huge family of plants. Peopl ..read more

If you don’t just enjoy having a variety of pollinators in your garden, but actually plant with those pollinators in mind, you’re my kind of people! Creating gardens that nurture all sorts of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds is easier than you might think, especially with the help of pollinator-friendly perennials. And there’s never been a better time than now during National Pollinator Week! I asked Richard, Tagawa’s Perennials Department Co-Supervisor, what plants he’d recommend for a pollinator garden. Let’s check out his fun and colorful list. Yarrow This first one might surprise you, b ..read more

One of the buzz phrases these days (with which I heartily agree!) is “paying it forward,” making some sort of investment now for rewards in the future. I’m here to talk about “planting it forward,” as in planting for a lovely harvest, not this year but in seasons to come. Fruit trees are a perfect example. When I was a kid growing up in Boulder, my dear Swedish grandmother had a dozen or so apple trees in her very large “back yard”. She nurtured all three of her children and a variety of apples and berries for her roadside stand. In my opinion, the apple pies that came out of her kitchen have ..read more

Ok, so maybe you don’t want an entire old-timey bathtub full of basil, as shown above. Then again, if you’re a basil fanatic, and many people are, maybe you do! Either way, it’s a gardening fact: many of the most popular herbs are right at home in containers, even bathtub-sized ones! Let’s take a look at the basics of growing eight of the most in-demand herbs in containers and see if you might want to try creating an herb garden of your own. Before we begin, one important note: any container used for growing herbs (and most any plant, really) needs to have good drainage. Different types of pot ..read more

I love perennials because they’re all about “planting it forward,” putting plants in the ground that will pay back bigger and better in seasons to come. Perennials aren’t generally about instant color and gratification. That’s the job of annuals. But next to trees and shrubs, perennials of all colors and sizes help create the “bones” of any beautiful landscape. With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to check with Richard and Teague, the masterminds of Tagawa’s Perennials Department, to see if there are plants they admire that are under-appreciated by home gardeners. They had plenty of no ..read more

Have you noticed that as our lives evolve, the spaces where we can garden are often getting smaller? At the same time, other would-be gardeners who’ve never grown anything but houseplants may find their circumstances changing, letting them expand their options and plant in containers or raised beds. Either way, with a bit of thought, gardening small can still be gardening big in terms of productivity and beauty. Let’s take a look at some things you should consider if you’d like to transform your small space into a mini-farm or a tiny flower-filled oasis. First, the basics While it’s fun to re ..read more