Andrea’s Garden Blog

Dahlias are among the most beautiful and most exotic residents of any garden.  The large blooms of the dahlia are impossible to ignore, and they stand out in any garden in which they are planted.  The sturdy, large blooms of the dahlia are available in a variety of colors, and in sizes ranging from as small as an inch to as large as a foot.  In addition, the flowers themselves come in a variety of shapes.  Some dahlia blooms are shaped like baseballs, while others curve back on themselves to where they nearly touch their stems.

Dahlias are known as sun loving plants, and they definitely do better with sufficient sunlight.  Gardeners recommend providing dahlias with at least a half day of sunlight every day.  In addition, dahlias need enough water… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: dahlia, gardening, planting, sunlight

Mid to Late May 2009

Tags: denver garden, flowers, may, spring, tulips

Early to Mid May 2009

Tags: denver garden, may, spring flowers, tulips

Organic gardening is steadily gaining popularity, and the good news is that virtually every kind of plant and flower can be grown organically.  It is important, however, to choose the plants and flowers that are best suited to your own environment.  Choosing plants that are suited to the environment in which they grow is one of the best ways to reduce the use of fungicides, pesticides and other chemicals in the garden.

For example, it may be difficult to use organic gardening methods to grow tropical variety of plants and flowers in a cold climate, just as it would be difficult to grow cold climate plants in the tropics.  That is why it is best to use the flowers and plants that are best suited for your own environment.

One great way… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: gardening, organic, planting, selecting flowers, transferring

Annuals are among the most varied, most beautiful and most colorful flowers on the market.  The sheer variety of annuals, the many colors, shapes and textures they come in, has made them a favorite among gardeners for many years.

With so many different annuals on the market, their ability to resist common plant diseases and insect infestations can vary quite a bit.  While some types of annuals are virtually impervious to disease and insects, others require much more care to remain trouble free.  When choosing varieties of annuals, it is always best to choose disease and insect resistant varieties when ever you can.  Doing so will allow you to use less pesticides, and they will generally be less trouble in the long run as well.

It is also a good idea to… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: annuals, fungicide, gardening, healthy plants, pesticides, pests

I have a stockpile going on. The last week I made the mistake of meandering through Lowes and Home Depot garden departments and purchasing annuals. I admit it…I’m drawn to bright colors. Red. Purple. Gold. Hot Pink. I love them. When these stores began displaying their flowers, well, I just couldn’t resist buying.

What I have resisted is the urge to plant them. It’s still too early for the Metro Denver area. Danger of frost, freeze, and even snow is still there. If you don’t have a greenhouse, that’s OK. For short-term cold protection of plants between now and planting time in a few weeks, I’ve set up a makeshift pseudo coldframe (a protected plant bed), using bags of mulch located in… Continue reading the rest of this article...

Tags: coldframe, freezing, mulch, planting annuals, planting dates, protection, winter