Why You Need to Grow Lavender by Sandy Swegel I awoke this morning dreaming of lavender. I adore everything about lavender. The Fragrance: exotic yet tender and sweet. The Blossoms: intense purples and blues and even dusty whites and pinks. The Herbal Essence: healing, calming, sedating yet inspiring. The Foliage: lavender plants paired with sages […]
How Our garden Holds it Own in the Snow by Sandy Swegel We had our first big snow…just six inches but very cold and wet followed by more snow and below freezing temperatures so one might easily assume the vegetable garden is done for the year. It certainly looks forlorn outside my window. But fortunately, […]
Helpful Tips on Curing by Sandy Swegel All winter squash improve greatly by having a curing time. Most of us inadvertently cure our winter squash without even realizing it…by leaving it on the counter or a shelf until we get around to cooking it. Curing is keeping the squash at a warmish temperature (70-80) for about […]
Picking Your Favorite Tomatoes for the Year by Sandy Swegel What were your favorite tomatoes this year? Or should I say who were your favorites since we do have relationships with our plants! We had a killing frost so it is officially the end of the tomato season, although just the beginning of the “what […]
Myth or Science? by Sandy Swegel Because the Wind told them they were naked and they turned red with embarrassment. There’s a Native American story that says it’s because hunters in the sky killed the Great Bear and his blood spills on the trees. (When the hunters cooked the bear, fat from the pot spilled […]
Planting Flowers for the Bees What’s your favorite flower this year? That’s the question our local gardening magazine posed to its readers this issue. Many candidates came to mind, but I realized my criteria in Fall for a good flower is one that blooms late to feed the bees and other pollinators that are still […]
Your Garden Loves Leaf Mold! Get ready to collect some manna from heaven! Leaf mold is one of the best amendments a gardener can add to the garden. And it’s super easy to make and free: All you need is leaves and time. Create a leaf pile somewhere it won’t blow away but will get […]
Wildflower Seeds by Sandy Swegel It’s Fall in Colorado and the most colorful gardens are the shelves at the hardware store garden centers. Thousands of mums are for sale. I’m not that fond of the one-on-each-side of the front door look, but I do like to get the small 4 in and 6 in containers and […]
Adding Color to Your Garden by Sandy Swegel A friend is a marketing guru and always talks about wanting to make things “pop” whether its brochures, interior design or gardens. Fall is a great time when colors pop. We naturally think of New England with its amazing Fall display. In fact, East Coasters coming to Colorado […]
What To Start Now Thinking about the beautiful creation stories explored in the services of the eve of Rosh Hashanah that our Jewish friends celebrated yesterday reminds me that for the gardener, things are never really at an end. There’s always something new to begin in the endless cycles of life. Whether it is Rosh […]