Dreaming of Summer
Garden Gate|Issue 175 - February 2024
Unless you are lucky enough to live where it’s warm year round, when winter starts to drag on, it may feel as if the garden is awash in dreary, monochromatic browns and grays. Time to close your eyes and dream of summer—a colorful season when foliage is vibrant, fl owers are blooming and pollinators are active. If you need a bit of summer inspiration, here are three colorful low-maintenance combos that will also attract wildlife. Who wouldn’t dream of that?
Jennifer Howell
Dreaming of Summer

Rooting for Butterflies

Even if you aren’t a Denver Broncos fan, you’ll cheer for this eye-popping color combination. And butterflies will applaud it too. Heat-tolerant ‘Blue Butterfly’ Siberian larkspur will draw in many pollinators until late summer. Cut the bloom stalks to the ground when they are finished to keep plants neat. Deadhead spent coneflower and bachelor’s button blossoms to extend flowering until fall, but leave a few to produce seeds that will grow the next year. ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass is sterile and won’t reseed, but the dried seedheads provide winter interest and cover for birds. This drought-tolerant combo appreciates a midsummer boost of water-soluble general-purpose fertilizer.

A Siberian larkspur  Delphinium grandiflorum ‘Blue Butterfly’ Perennial; royal blue flower spikes from early to late summer; full sun; 12 to 15 in. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7

B Coneflower Echinacea ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ Perennial; daisylike flowers in shades of orange, cream, yellow, red or purple from summer through fall; full sun to part shade; 22 to 30 in. tall, 12 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

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Spinach - Learn the secrets to growing this tasty green in spring and fall.
Garden Gate

Spinach - Learn the secrets to growing this tasty green in spring and fall.

If you're one of those gardeners who can't wait to get started in spring and hates to throw in the trowel in fall, spinach is the perfect shoulder season crop. This mild, earthy-flavored green comes in many varieties, ranging from crinkly-leafed savoys to slightly textured semi-savoys and the flat, smooth-leafed types. Colors can be dark green, light green and even red-veined. Here's how to get the most of it every year.

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Issue 179 - October 2024
Why Bulb Depth Matters - Dig deep enough to ensure your plants stand tall and live the longest
Garden Gate

Why Bulb Depth Matters - Dig deep enough to ensure your plants stand tall and live the longest

When you're planting bulbs, it's tempting to just dig a hole as deep as your trowel will reach easily, nestle the bulb in, cover it up and move on. But the fact is, each type of bulb will flower best and thrive at a different depth.A good rule of thumb is to plant a bulb two to three times its height. One reason planting depth is important is because it helps to keep the bulbs protected from fluctuations in temperature that happen closer to the surface.

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Issue 179 - October 2024
GARDEN ESSENTIALS
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GARDEN ESSENTIALS

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Saving Seeds
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Saving Seeds

Saving flower seeds is a great way to get more plants with almost no investment. It's easy to do. Here's how to save seeds from some of your favorite annuals as the growing season winds down.

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Issue 179 - October 2024
Cucumber Trellis Flop
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Cucumber Trellis Flop

I watched cucumber trellis growers online for several seasons with envy. What a brilliant way to save space in raised garden beds and make it look fancy! Finally, I was sold and decided to try it in my garden.

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Issue 179 - October 2024
9 Tough Perennials for Clay Soil
Garden Gate

9 Tough Perennials for Clay Soil

Whether you garden in the nutrient-poor red clay of the Southeast, the calcium combined-with-clay caliche of the West or something in between, the common denominator is that clay soil is difficult to grow in. Why? Tiny particles of clay hold tightly together, slowing drainage and limiting the amount of oxygen that can reach plant roots. You've seen the resultsanemic-looking or rotting plants.

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Garden Fences
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Garden Fences

Discover the perfect blend of functionality, style, and materials for your ideal fence.

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A GARDEN OF STORIES
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A GARDEN OF STORIES

Learn plant and project tips from a couple who's been gardening here for nearly 50 years.

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Switchgrass
Garden Gate

Switchgrass

Adaptable switchgrass goes with the flow.

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Issue 179 - October 2024
Establish a Monarch Waystation
Garden Gate

Establish a Monarch Waystation

Did you know that a single monarch butterfly can migrate up to 3,000 miles? That's a lot of ground to cover! This amazing insect makes a fascinating journey, unlike any other butterfly.

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Issue 179 - October 2024