The CSU garden is complete with signage, and ready to help educate consumers! One garden, devoted to new, and smart plant choices highlights the Plant Select program, and shows a few of the new winners from the 2014 CSU annuals trials. The benefit of these plant choices are that they are proven by research to not only survive, but thrive in Colorado’s tough landscape environment with minimal inputs. These beautiful perennials and annuals will be in your local garden center this spring. Our good/poor landscape management choices gardens include research-based recommendations for proper homeowner care of turf and and other landscape plants. The plant diversity quadrant focuses on showcasing beautiful alternative tree choices to ash. And, what we expect to be one of the most popular garden quadrants contains a wealth of information gathered from the Colorado Department of Agriculture and CSU about the current threat of the Emerald Ash Borer to our urban and suburban forests. 20 Master Gardeners and CSU staff worked 2.5 long days installing the garden to showcase the educational themes. Be sure and visit the Colorado Garden and Home Show running from February 7-15, 2015 at the Colorado Convention Center. Your garden will thank you!
Colorado Garden and Home Show
One of the activities I enjoy most as a Master Gardener volunteer is the annual Colorado Garden and Home Show. Every year, the CSU Extension staff work with Master Gardeners to design the Education Garden at the show, which is designed to provide homeowners with research-based information about gardening in Colorado. This year, I was so privileged to help design the garden with good friend, and fellow Master Gardener, Martha Kirk, under the direction of James Klett, Ph.D. Our theme is Proven Solutions for Colorado Landscapes, and we’re covering a lot of ground with this one! We have 6 different gardens within the space, and we will address Tree Diversity, Small Space Gardening, Emerald Ash Borer, Common Turf and Landscape Maintenance Problems, and we will feature Plant Select plants as well as winners from the CSU Annuals Trials. There are a lot of learning opportunities packed into this 30’x50′ space. Tomorrow, we add all the color with blooming annuals and perennials. More to follow!
Emerald Ash Borer update
This is one of the best summaries I have read regarding this new pest in Colorado. Please click here to review the article by Susan Clotfelter in the Denver Post.
We are at the beginning stages of dealing with the challenges of this pest in Colorado, and many of us will have to make some choices about the ash trees in our landscapes in the future. For now, if you are not in the immediate quarantine, or adjacent area, you probably do not have to make any decisions about your ash trees. However, it is time to become familiar with EAB, and it’s potential for destruction. Consult a qualified arborist if you have concerns about this or the health of any of your trees.
If you are considering planting new trees in your landscape, it’s time to consider alternate species. Please consult this list compiled by CSU. Diversification of our urban forests is a good idea. This list has some terrific trees that are currently underused. I would love to hear which ones are your favorites.