24/7 Colorado Gardening Info
For more Colorado gardening information, please visit the following sites:
Need Help?
We recommend Mike Landers, Horticulturist and Certified Arborist for tree planting services. See our Customer Service Dept for info or call Mike directly at (303) 956-1823.
Check out MIke's great new tree planting informational website: www.MikeLandersTreeService.com!
We recommend Landscape Designer Carole Kastler of Camelot Design! Carole teaches classes at Tagawa Gardens, has a special landscape design consultation available at Tagawa Gardens (see green box on right side of our Events page) or you may conact Carole directly for landscape design services, 303-734-1126 or her website, CamelotDesign.net.
Garden Tips from Rob Proctor
Many products that Rob features on his 9News Garden spots are provided by Tagawa Gardens.
For a complete list of this season’s garden tips and streamed video of 9News Garden Expert segments with Rob Proctor and Cheryl Preheim (Sundays at 8:15 AM on 9News) /Kyle Dyer (Thursdays at 7:30 AM on My20), click here.
We are honored by the opporunity to help Rob make gardening fun and easy for everyone!
We are very honored to have Rob Proctor teach classes at Tagawa Gardens. Please visit our Class & Events page to see when he is here next.
Frequently Asked Questions in our Garden Information Dept
- 1. What kind of soil should I use in my garden?
- We recommend Nature's Yield™ Compost. It is made of specially aged and composted poultry wastes, and has some peat moss mixed in. It is high in organic content and can be used with clay or sandy soils. Use about 1/3 compost to 2/3 of your native soil.
- 2. How do I plant my tree (or shrub or perennial)?
- Dig the hole 2-3 times as wide as the pot the plant came in, but only as deep. Loosen the roots so as to promote growth. Place the rootball in the hole and back fill with the original soil that has been mixed 1/3:2/3 with compost or other organic matter. Be sure to keep the new soil level the same as it was in the pot. Water thoroughly.
- 3. Do I use potting soil for outdoor planters?
- Potting soil is a specially blended soil mix that is for indoor pots or outdoor planters. A bit heavier mix with good drainage is best for outdoor planters. We like Sunshine™ Planter Box Mix or All Purpose Soil mixed with EKO Potting soil for a good, economical mix for outdoor planters.
- 4. I received a beautiful pot as a gift and want to put a plant in it - but the pot does not have drainage holes! Can I plant in it?
- A. Pots without drainage can cause the roots to rot in wet soil, which will damage the roots so they can no longer take up water and the plant will look like it is "thirsty" when in fact it has plenty of water but cannot absorb it. It is best to simply use the beautiful pot without holes as "pot cover" - put the plant in a plastic pot that just fits inside the desirable one. Put the plastic pot into the nice one and it will look like the plant is potted in the pretty pot, yet the plant can easily be removed with its plastic pot and be watered over the sink, allowed to drain, then replaced into the beautiful pot.
- 5. With what should I fill my rose collars?
- Shredded bark or small bark chips, hay, straw, leaves or grass clippings (as long as none of the above have been treated with pesticides).
- 6. I have black spot on my Aspen. What do I do and will it kill the tree?
- In spring at leaf-break, spray with Daconil™ (a fungicide). Spraying at other times of the year will not be effective. During your fall raking, get rid of all the leaves that have black spot - do not compost them. This maintenance precaution will not cure the problem but it will keep it from spreading.
- 7. How do I plant fall-planted, spring-flowering bulbs?
- Tulips, daffodils , hyacinth, crocus, etc. are planted, as a rule of thumb, four times as deep as the widest part of the bulb. Ex.-if the bulb is 2" wide, plant it 8" deep. Sprinkle bulb food or superphosphate on the bottom of the hole. Plant the bulb upright (usually pointy-die up) Mix the soil from the hole 1/3 compost to 2/3 native soil and back fill over the bulb.
- 8. We have had a really mild winter and my bulb flowers are starting to sprout and come up through the ground too early! What can I do?
- Hopefully nature knows best and a cold snap will slow down the growth, however you can recreate a cold snap by watering the bulbs, which will cool them, then mulch the area.
- 9. Do Paperwhite Narcissus grow outside?
- No, they are an indoor bulb that, once forced into bloom, is extremely difficult to get to re-bloom. Discard the spent
