Sunday, June 24, 2012

Media Madness

Whew, it's been a busy couple of weeks, but I wanted to share with you a couple of projects I've been involved with recently. Last weekend I represented the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado on KMGH TV Denver's Channel 7 (ABC network affiliate).  The topic was "Improving Curb Appeal and Your Home's Value with Landscaping."  Here's the video clip:



I've also started writing for Houzz.com, an interactive web magazine that focuses on architecture and design.  My articles will feature gardening information and plants for the Rocky Mountain Region. Click on the Houzz button  — there on the right — anytime to follow along or see what's new. Here's my latest article, a profile of Chamaebatiara millefolium, fernbush.

fernbush at Kendrick Lake park in Lakewood, Colorado

To all of my friends in the scorched West: stay cool, stay safe, and may your gardens bring you peace.


Friday, June 15, 2012

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day 6.15.2012

Many areas of Colorado's Front Range have been hit with severe hail storms this past month. Luckily, my garden has only had to cope with the endless, drying winds. Here are a few highlights of what's blooming right now --- my favorites that are tough and reliable, regardless of the crazy weather:

Dalea purpureum, purple prairie clover
Glaucium flavum, horned poppy
Nymphaea spp, hardy waterlily
Callirhoe involucrata, poppy mallow
Echinops ritro, globe thistle
Penstemon pinefolius 'Mersea Yellow', yellow pine-leaf penstemon

I hope you and your garden is faring well during the glorious month of June! Click here to join other garden bloggers via our host, Carol, of May Dreams Gardens.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Garden Tour Ticket Winners!

Kristen and Sharon, you are our two lucky winners - start planning your Saturday!  Please contact me at jhcstudios at yahoo dot com as soon as possible for all the info. Thanks to all who played along!

Friday, June 08, 2012

Mmmmm . . . Tasty!


The serviceberries are ripening right now and I've been fighting off the robins to harvest a few.  Serviceberry, Amelanchier, is a wonderful genus of native  shrubs and small trees that I've written about here.  These plants are highly ornamental, and their fruit is as tasty as it is colorful.


The ripe berries are purple in color, about 3/8" in diameter, and taste like a cross between a blueberry and a grape — sweet and a bit musky. They're terrific right off the tree, and I like them with my morning bowl of yogurt and granola, too.  Or pancakes.  Or smoothies.  On ice cream.  Mmmmm.


Native. Ornamental. Edible.  What more could you ask for?

Don't forget: leave a blog comment here by 6.11.2012 for a chance to win a pair of free tickets to the Enchanted Gardens Tour of Northwest Denver.

Sunday, June 03, 2012

Enchanted Gardens . . . Giveaway!

Lilium ssp
June is garden tour time, and one of my favorites is the Enchanted Gardens Tour of Northwest Denver.  This year's tour is slated for Saturday, June 16th, from 9am-4pm, rain or shine. What's so great about this tour?
  • The sponsor:  The Conflict Center, now celebrating 25 years of violence prevention.
  • The location:  great, early to mid 20th century architecture in some of Denver's most charming (and hip!) neighborhoods, including Highlands, Berkeley, Sloan's Lake, Sunnyside, and more.
  • The gardens:  personal, creative expressions that reflect each gardener's passion.
I always come away from this tour excited and inspired by what I can learn from garden makers who are not hide-bound by design "rules".  Bravo to the amateur gardener - follow your heart's desire!

Would you like to attend the Enchanted Gardens Tour? I have two pairs of tickets to give away!  Just leave a comment on this blog post, and I'll use the random number generator to select the winners on June 11th.

Find out more details about the tour here.