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Look for Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea in 2013
A new colorful and durable echinacea will keep gardening interesting next year.
I really appreciate how All-America Selections has changed its process for announcing its winners. Instead of releasing all the new plants at once, the organization makes its plant announcement as soon as the selections are made.
Gardeners can then look forward to seeing these new plants in upcoming catalogs, mail order companies and websites…and watch for them at lawn and garden retail stores next spring.
‘Cheyenne Spirit’ is the perfect echinacea for gardens in our area. It’s a gorgeous, first-year flowering echinacea that captures the spirit of the North American plains.
According to the folks at AAS, this offering produces a mix of flower colors from rich purple, pink, red and orange tones to lighter yellows, creams and white. ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ doesn’t require a lot of water and offers a wide-range of uses. AAS recommends planting in a perennial border, in a mass landscape planting, in a butterfly garden or as a cut flower.
Easy Fall Gardening with Brown-Eyed Susan
The Brown-eyed Susan is a native biennial plant that acts like a perennial because of its prolific self-sowing.
I’ve been talking about my vegetable garden a lot lately, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the flowers in my cottage garden. One of my all-time favorites is the Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) because it brightens up every corner where it appears.
My crop of Brown-eyed Susans started years ago with one plant I bought at a garden club plant sale. That one plant bloomed the following summer and I loved its little yellow flowers with dark brown centers.
The next year there were more Brown-eyed Susans that had self-sown along the side of my driveway. The next year they had spread to the front bed. And sow they’ve sown themselves, year after year to create fabulous fall borders. These flowers make gardening so easy.
Dry Garden? Time to Water
All Western landscapes benefit from winter watering.
If your landscape and garden are as dry as mine, it’s definitely time to water. Even if it seems too early to pull out the hose, trees, shrubs and lawns need winter watering. The general rule for winter watering is to apply water twice a month from October through March, especially if there has been no measurable precipitation and the temperature is above 40 degrees.
The temperature today is well above 40 degrees here in Denver and other parts of the West. In fact, we’re coming off our driest February on record. Even if you’re trying to conserve water in the landscape, it’s important to give plants a drink to prevent permanent damage.
To make the most of your water budget, you can prioritize your watering zones.
A new colorful and durable echinacea will keep gardening interesting next year.
The Brown-eyed Susan is a native biennial plant that acts like a perennial because of its prolific self-sowing.
I’ve been talking about my vegetable garden a lot lately, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the flowers in my cottage garden. One of my all-time favorites is the Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) because it brightens up every corner where it appears.
My crop of Brown-eyed Susans started years ago with one plant I bought at a garden club plant sale. That one plant bloomed the following summer and I loved its little yellow flowers with dark brown centers.
The next year there were more Brown-eyed Susans that had self-sown along the side of my driveway. The next year they had spread to the front bed. And sow they’ve sown themselves, year after year to create fabulous fall borders. These flowers make gardening so easy.
Dry Garden? Time to Water
All Western landscapes benefit from winter watering.
If your landscape and garden are as dry as mine, it’s definitely time to water. Even if it seems too early to pull out the hose, trees, shrubs and lawns need winter watering. The general rule for winter watering is to apply water twice a month from October through March, especially if there has been no measurable precipitation and the temperature is above 40 degrees.
The temperature today is well above 40 degrees here in Denver and other parts of the West. In fact, we’re coming off our driest February on record. Even if you’re trying to conserve water in the landscape, it’s important to give plants a drink to prevent permanent damage.
To make the most of your water budget, you can prioritize your watering zones.
All Western landscapes benefit from winter watering.