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Jun 18

Pollinator Week

We are in the middle of pollinator week and want to share the importance of pollinators with you!

Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Moths and Bats, even Beetles and Flies are all examples of pollinators. They do the important job of carrying pollen from one plant to another so they can be fertilized. This is how plants form fruits and seeds, vital to our food sources and continued life cycle of the plant.

As you have probably heard many pollinator species are in decline due to habitat loss among other reasons.

You can directly affect the loss of habitat by planting certain species of plants. These plants can provide food and habitat for the pollinators.

Here in Colorado some of the best species to plant include: Black-eyed Susan, Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Beebalm, Silvery Lupine, Blue Flax, Gaillardia, Yarrow, Rocky Mountain Columbine, Butterfly Weed and Hyssop. There are many more, but these are relatively easy to find and keep alive. Next time you choose a plant for you yard consider one of these!

Jun 7

Freeze damage from November

Like many homeowners I hate to get rid of plants, shrubs or trees unless they are really dead. I play the “wait and see” game whenever possible, but the game is over.

The deep freeze in November wreaked havoc on many types of vegetation. The cooling of the weather in fall signals the plants to start their preparation for winter: drop leaves, stop growing and save energy. According to Swingle, on November 10th 2014, the high was 64 degrees, and then rapidly dropped to a record low of minus 13 on November 12th – a 77 degree drop in temperature.

There are a few types of shrubs that were hardest hit by the freeze, including euonymus, privet, cotoneaster, juniper, spirea, boxwood, weigela and hibiscus.

Depending on the severity, you may be able to prune off the dead and save the plant, albeit much smaller. You may just have to start over as some of these types of shrubs do not respond very well to pruning.

By now, if it is not showing signs of life, it is a safe bet it will not come back.