Yes, you can have a mountain flower garden

My spring routine

Mid-March, start cleaning out flower beds of dead plant material

Add compost & scratch it in the top 1-2 inches of soil

Dig up & divide perennials (some reports say the fall is the best time to do this)

Start buying annuals & new perennials around May 10

Do not start planting until Memorial weekend or later, depending on weather

If starting a garden from scratch, the existing soil must be amended top soil & compost

May 13

June 26

September 21

The weather can make gardening challenging due to many factors like wind, late/early snow, hail, etc.

Hummingbirds like tubular flowers #1

Hyssop

Hummingbirds like tubular flowers #2

Penstemon

Hummingbirds like tubular flowers #3

Bee Balm

Where I buy my flowersFlower Bin – LongmontSturtz & Copeland – BoulderO’Tooles – WestminsterHigh Country Gardens (Ava Hyssop) –

Sante FeHarlequin’s – Boulder, North 26th StreetHome Depot (annuals) - Boulder

Buying tipsThurs, Fri & Sat are when most deliveries aremade

Want to buy the plants as soon as possibleafter they come off the trucks- this is especially true for Home Depot – the

plant area is unprotected from the sun & the parking lot gives off lots of heat

Flower bin grows their own plants

Look for plants that have a “Plant Select” tag – “Denver Gold” yellow Columbine is an excellent choice

Plant Select Flowers

Plant Select® is the country’s leading brand of plants designed to thrive in high plains and intermountain regions, offering plants that provide more beauty with less work so gardeners of all levels can achieve smart, stunning and successful gardens using fewer resources and with a more positive environmental impact.

Plant Select’s goal is to create smart plant choices for a new American Landscape inspired by the Rocky Mountain Region.

Plants chosen for program exhibit these eight attributes:Flourish with less waterThrive in a broad range of conditionsHabitat-friendlyTough and resilient in challenging climatesOne of a kind/uniqueResist disease & insectsLong-lasting beautyNon-invasive

Plant Select® is a nonprofit collaboration of Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and professional horticulturists. Our mission is to seek out and distribute the very best plants for landscapes and gardens from the intermountain region to the high plains and beyond.

Back Deck Full of Annuals

WateringWe use the “Raindrip” irrigation system for the perennial beds. This is hooked up to a timer that is attached to the main outside water outlet.

Our back deck has many pots/barrels of annual flowers & they must be hand-watered

Mountain Deer Repellent for Flowers - recipe by Chris BlueMix 1 raw egg & about 1 tablespoon of hot pepper sauce (such as Franks) together. Pour into a 2-gallon watering can & fill rest of the way with water, using the hose to mix it all together. Lightly sprinkle the mixture on the plants that the deer like to eat. This seems to last for 3-5 times of rain/water sprinklings, then repeat. Must clean out the sprinkle head of the watering can afterwards to get the leftover egg white off.

Note, it helps to start this process in the spring as the plants are growing. It seems to get the deer trained early.

All photos in this presentation are copyrighted by Chris Blue