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Gardening in Colorado
Presents many Challenges |
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Having grown up in Texas,
and learning all about gardening from my Daddy, I was not prepared for
gardening in Denver. Over time, I learned to overcome certain
obstacles: |
The temperatures vary a lot. The weather
can change within the day. It is common,
in the Spring, to wake up to a snow-cover landscape only to have all
the snow melted by
mid-day. In the winter when temperatures drop to below freezing,
the air feels warm because the sun is shining. Then sometimes in
the Winter we get blasted with blizzard. See
Big Snow Photos.
- Denver has a relatively low humidity
- Gone is the "fluffy" black soil of
Texas. It is replaced with clay and alkaline soil.
It is important to amend the soil with compost, peat or aged manure.
The red color soil is due to high amounts of iron.
- The growing season is short, compare
to Texas
- Plants that grow well in Texas' zone
8 won't grow here in zone 5
- Even the grass varieties are
different here
- Although Denver is classified as Zone 5; those living in the
mountains garden in Zone 3; and those in the foothills garden in Zone
4. I read an article that encouraged Denverites to try plants
suitable for Zone 6.
- Denver is called the "Mile High" city. The altitude
in Denver is 5280
feet.
- We don't get much rain. For several years we were on a
restrictive water-usage schedule.
- The sun shines 300 days a year. The
intense sun causes strong-stemmed plants and flowers with extra
brilliance. That's a good thing.
- The low temperatures range from -20F to -10F
- Spring is generally from April 15-June 15
- Fall is generally from September 1-October 15
- We, reportedly, have an average of 155 frost-free days
- It has been known to have snow in Denver as late as May and as
early as September
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In my time here, I
have experiment with plant location until I found spots where the plants
were "happy." I found that the north and east sides of the house
are much cooler than south and west sides. Not all plants are
happy being bathed in the hot afternoon sun on the west side of the
property. |
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My neighbors, at my
house in Littleton, CO, used to watch with amazement as every spring, I
rearranged by gardens. They commented that I moved plants around
like other people rearrange the furniture. As an artist, I
place plants to be pleasing, just like placing watercolors on paper. |
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As much as I love
them, broadleaf evergreens like rhododendrons don't grow well here.
I have had good luck growing lilacs, Oregon grape holly, junipers, and
several different varieties of potentilla. |
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It is a given that
garden soil in Denver will have to be amended. The Colorado State
University Cooperative Extension office has soil sample bags with
directions to have soil tested. The results of the soil test will tell
you what kind of amendments are needed. The soil needs to amended
to a depth of at least 12-18 inches. |
| For more information on native plants:
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| Links to Gardening Resources & Ideas |
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