Now that it’s July and seedlings have had time to root in, container displays around the Gardens are taking off — bulking up in size, spilling over edges and launching flower stalks. Come with me as we wander among some of this season’s most colorful and dynamic displays. </p> First stop, the large containers outside the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center</strong>. Each pot is filled with citrus-colored flowers that echo the theme of neighboring beds – “So glad to see you,” a joyful hello to all who pass by. Although I chose the theme over a year ago, it has proven unexpectedly apt, reflecting the gratitude we feel welcoming visitors back. The highlight of this design is the tropical legume Senna didymobotrya</em> planted on either side of two cannas. Each plant has long stems that arch inward and, at distance, remind me of a person’s arms raised up in excitement before hugging a friend. Yellow, round flowers and leaves that smell like toasted corn give this beauty its common name, popcorn cassia. </li> Next stop, outside Marnie’s Pavilion</strong> where colleague Nick Daniels has transformed the low walls into a wondrous collection of cacti and succulents. This display encapsulates the principle that contrast is completion. It is diverse, unifying and satisfies our love of visual drama. Note how the variegated Agave attenuata</em> ‘AGAVWS’ Ray of Light pops in front of the brilliant red Aloe dorotheae.</em></li> From here we walk south to the Science Pyramid,</strong> where colleague Mike Holloway shows his talent for plant mixology -- combining cool and hot colors, spiny geometric forms and soft cascading ones. You’ll see more of his talents in the Victorian Secret Garden to the northwest, where kitsch is elevated to high art. Humorous touches — including a head planted with a bromeliad wig — are mixed with elegant combinations of foliage plants.</li> But first pass through the Steppe Garden</strong> to see an eclectic mixture of high-altitude gems displayed in front of the waterway. Colleague Sonya Anderson has assembled plants from four steppe regions, including a large pelargonium that looks like a tree and a king protea.</li> More must-see containers await in the Annuals Garden and Pavilion</strong>, where colleague Bridget Blomquist has lined beams of the pergola with baskets of silver dichondra, magenta geraniums and an Alternanthera </em>the color of red wine. The plants match those in planters below with equal lushness, making you feel as if you’ve escaped into a flower tunnel.</li> Next stop, South African Plaza</strong> where colleague Mike Kintgen transports us to the tip of Africa and nearby Madagascar and Sub-Saharan Africa. Here you’ll find flora that’s both familiar and unusual. Pelargoniums join lesser known specimens, such as Senecio </em>and Kalanchoe</em>, in pots on the terrace and in an adjacent bed of flowering torches, known as Kniphofia</em>.</li> Finally, walk through Le Potager,</strong> past a sea of larkspur to the gazebo and you'll find a container of Abutilon </em>‘Souvenir de Bonn’. Encircling it are wands of Campanula glomerata</em>, mingling so naturally with the flowering maple that you’d think they grew in the pot too. In fact, the campanula grows in the bed and the potted Abutilon </em>was placed there by colleague Ebi Kondo to create a seamless effect.</li> </ul>
Summer is officially underway. The cast of spring-blooming flowers we so eagerly awaited has been replaced by a rowdy and colorful mid-season crowd, who are having their day in the sun. And, while the initial excitement of the gardening season has not faded for many of us, reality has set in: weeds have proliferated alongside our beloved landscaping plants. Perhaps we were out of town for a couple of days, shifted our focus to a project other than our yards or needed a respite from the soaring 90°F temperatures. Meanwhile, weeds jumped at the opportunity, marched up and down sidewalk cracks and fence lines, colonized the darkest and most clay-heavy corners of our yards, and scrambled brazenly up desirable plants with their tendrils. </p> Some of these weeds are annuals or biennials that are easily addressed in an après-dinner weed-pulling session, accompanied with a beverage and snippets of conversations with friendly passersby. Pleasant enough. However, there’s that suite of more problematic weeds, perennials that reproduce vegetatively, creating clones of themselves until their radius expands. These are the weeds we pull repeatedly, only to become overwhelmed when they return with an exponential vengeance. One such weed is Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense</em>). </p> Identifying Canada Thistle</strong> A colony-forming species, Canada thistle emerges in the spring, punctuating yards (and other disturbed sites) with rosettes of leaves. Leaves are spiny lobed and from 4 to 8 inches long, mostly smooth and green above and white-woolly below. Around the time spring transitions to summer, a flower head emerges with one to five small pink to purple (rarely white) flowers. Fun fact: This species is dioecious, meaning individual plants have either female or male flowers. At maturity, Canada thistle stands 3 to 5 feet tall. What you don’t see is most of the plant—an extensive creeping root system that penetrates the soil to depths of 6 to 15 feet. </p> Since its arrival to North America several hundred years ago, Canada thistle has spread throughout much of Canada and the United States and is considered a noxious weed (list B) in Colorado. It aggressively competes with native plants, reduces crop productivity by vying for essential resources such as space, nutrients, light and water, is unpalatable to livestock and, if left to its own devices, can form monocultures in our yards. These are all compelling reasons to manage this species, but where to begin? </p> Research suggests that a combination of approaches works best for managing Canada thistle. Below are several suggestions: </strong></p> Mow frequently or cut back</strong> the rosettes with clippers </strong>from when the plant emerges in the spring through summertime. This will prevent flower formation and will also stress the plant by reducing carbohydrate storage in roots. </p> Glyphosate:</strong> From late summer up until the first hard freeze, spot treat by applying glyphosate to Canada thistle leaves using a paintbrush. The herbicide will be translocated to the underground parts of the plant, ultimately bringing about its demise. </p> Plant regionally appropriate plants:</strong> Once your yard’s thistle population is under control, plant regionally appropriate plants including a diversity of natives and Plant Select® plants. These require fewer inputs, including less fertilizer and water. Where bare ground remains, apply mulch. Covering bare ground with plants and mulch will make your yard less prone to future weed infestations. </p> Puccinia punctiformis</em>, a rust fungus that is host-specific and pathogenic to Cirsium arvense, shows great promise in managing Canada thistle populations.</strong> This biocontrol is currently being evaluated in Colorado for appropriate application timing and best methods. To learn more or to order, visit the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Request-A-Bug</a> page.</p> Although Canada thistle is one of the more challenging weeds to manage, the good news is that with a multi-pronged approach over the course of several seasons, it is entirely possible to eradicate this weed from our yards. </p>
When we think of spring, we think of flowering trees, cool breezes, slowly emerging perennials, birds singing and – of course – bulbs! </p> The explosion of tulip bulbs at the Annuals Garden and Pavilion at York Street may be the talk of downtown, but in the southwestern foothills at Chatfield Farms</a>, daffodils are the primary spring stunner. Although some tulips dapple the various gardens across the farm, deer – and sometimes even elk – predation doesn’t allow for such grand mass plantings as the gardens at York Street. Daffodils, despite their cheerful, sunny appearance, are actually toxic, containing a substance called lycorine. With a bitter taste and causing digestive upset, deer and other garden visitors intent on munching should steer clear of daffodils. </p> You can find many different varieties of daffodils across the landscape at Chatfield Farms. Some, like ‘Ferris Wheel’, ‘Pink Charm’, and ‘Precocious’ are known for their huge flower size and flower power. Others, such as ‘Angel Eyes’, ‘Kokopelli’, or ‘Elka’ may be some of the smallest flowering daffodils you’ve ever seen. </p> Other tiny treasures that may catch your eye include dwarf reticulated Iris. Some of the earliest and smallest bloomers across the farm, Iris reticulata</em> also qualify as deer resistant. Varieties such as ‘Pauline’, ‘Rhapsody’, and ‘Eye Catcher’ can be found in some of the drier gardens at Chatfield Farms, attracting hungry bees.</p> When horticulturists at Chatfield Farms still find themselves craving tulips and decide to try their luck, success has been found in planting Tulipa linifolia </em>and Tulipa turkestanica</em>. Despite being only 4 inches tall, Tulipa linifolia</em> shines bright red in the garden. With a long bloom period and snubbed by most deer, this little tulip is tried and true. Tulipa turkestanica</em> can grow up to 8 inches tall with multiflowered clusters that bees are drawn to; it is a reliable and hardy early bloomer that has been completely untouched by deer. Both tulips have very small bulbs, which make planting in the fall a breeze, and are great choices for smaller gardens as well as rock gardens and xeric gardens.</p> Be sure to swing by Chatfield Farms to enjoy our early season color and find your favorite deer resistant bulb! </p>
