Deb Babcock: African violets are a beautiful choice
For a popular indoor plant with beautiful flowers and foliage, you can’t beat African violets (Saintpaulia). They seem to always look wonderful and bloom year-round.
Deb Babcock: Freshen up indoors with flowers
A splash of color during this monochromatic time of year brightens our spirits as well as our homes. And what better way to add a fresh splash of color than with some colorful tulips, Alstroemeria or daisies?
Jane McLeod: Coriander can help the medicine go down
Coriander is thought to be one of the first herbs to be used by mankind, perhaps as far back as 5000 BC.
Deb Babcock: Curious flora that feed on fauna
Some people say we gardeners are consumed by our plants. I don’t think they mean it literally, but there is a group of bizarre plants that obtain nourishment from consuming animals ... not necessarily gardeners.
Jane McLeod: Rosemary: the herb of remembrance
There is probably no need to convince you of the merits of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) as a must in every culinary herb collection.
Jane McLeod: Marjoram — the happy cousin
According to lore, marjoram, a native of the Mediterranean region, was created as a symbol of happiness by the goddess of love, Aphrodite.
Deb Babcock: New Master Gardener class starts Jan. 31
Want to learn about gardening in the high country? Or brush up on your knowledge of plants that grow at our altitude? Sign up for the 2013 Master Gardener class that starts Jan. 31 and runs through April 11.
Deb Babcock: Let worms do the work for you
When the ground gets hard around the Steamboat area and there’s no easy way to take food scraps out to the compost pile, consider worm composting indoors.
Deb Babcock: Colorado Native Plant Society a helpful resource
Although Steamboat Springs does not have a local chapter of the Colorado Native Plant Society, this organization offers some valuable benefits to local gardeners via newsletters, workshops, field trips and the Internet.
Deb Babcock: Indoor whimsy with clay vessels
Each year around Christmas, you start seeing advertisements for one of the funniest gardening plants: Chia Pets.
Deb Babcock: Plant Select — a cooperative effort
Plant Select® is a cooperative program of the Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension and the Green Industry.
Deb Babcock: Garden-worthy evergreens
As you look out into the garden at this time of year, it’s easy to see where you might want to add some winter interest and green color outside the regular growing season.
Jane McLeod: Bergamot a nice addition
An herb that has a variety of uses and that has made a strong transition to the flower garden is bergamot, or bee balm.
Deb Babcock: Trademarked and patented plants
While it’s unlikely the “Patent Police” are patrolling the gardens of Routt County to make sure we’re not illegally propagating plants, it behooves us to know which of our plants we’re allowed to propagate and which ones it is illegal to reproduce.
Deb Babcock: Protecting your trees this winter
Our really cold, windy winters and intense daily sunshine here in the mountains can damage the trees in our gardens, especially young ones that haven’t yet developed a thick, rough bark.
