I discovered this white stuff on my 2 year old Hypericum prolificum.

What is it? Fungus? Eggs? And should I do anything about it?

We have wonderful old pine trees and tons of needles in our yard. Thoughts on using them as mulch? I hate to buy bagged stuff when we have this in our yard, but I also have heard the needles are too high in acidity (I think that was it), which isn’t good for the plants around the needles?

I’m a brand new gardener in the front range of Colorado close to boulder area. I need help deciding what to plant in these large containers. Minimal watering in Colorado would be ideal if possible.

The front one has a pole for hanging lights but I was thinking something that needs something to trail onto might be nice in there. There’s about 5 inches. Is there anything that would be able to grow in that shallow of a container?

The back pots are much deeper probably about a foot-a foot and a half.

What’s the best time of year to plant? Wait til last frost in May? Thanks!!

I have this are on the south side of the house, it doesn't drain too well due to concrete on the other side of the privacy fence. Looking for something that will serve as a screen. Want to plant near the privacy fence spaced off by a few feet and then between the hog fence and the shrub.

Hello, Does anyone know what the name of this tree is in with white flowers?

Thanks!

I've seen you eyeing those tomatoes at the store

Hello fellow masochists (oops I mean Denver gardeners), I’m looking to plant a hedge on the eastern and southern edges of my front lot. Looking for native and/or xeric options. Thinking about 3-5’ tall. This area gets good morning sun, part shade in afternoon. Welcome any ideas!

I'm thinking this is finally the year where I set up a couple bushes. If anybody has any starts they're open to gift or trade, I'd be happy to take them off your hands.

Sorry, saw this in rhe PNW sub and had to share.

Not before mothers day. 😁

I planted a bunch of perrenials last Spring that started growing a couple weeks ago, but it looks like the mix of hail and snow has probably destroyed that early growth. Will these plants recover and send up new shoots after it warms up again and I fertilize?

Specifically, I'm worried about my agastache, astilbe, hydrangeas, garden phlox, peonies, delphinium and basket of gold.

I know fall is a better time but we have some bare patches we need to work on since we’re getting a dog and we’re already anticipating so many muddy paws.

We have some grass seed from Rocky Mountain Bio Ag but that might take too much watering/time. Any thoughts on putting down sod instead (or where/when to get it)?

I've just started working with one of our Extension hort/pollinator experts to pull together information about the Colorado law that went into effect last summer restricting the sale of neonic pesticides. Extension offices/Master Gardeners are already starting to get a lot of questions about where to buy them and we want to educate people on the topic of safe pesticide use and protecting pollinators in the process of answering them.

She already knows roughly 1,000,000x more than me as I'm just starting to learn about the topic myself, but, I thought this would be a great place to gather some questions for her that might be common among Colorado gardeners so we can tailor any new resources to be as helpful as possible. Or, if you're in a position to know other folks' common questions, you can share those too!

- Griffin (comms. specialist not a hort expert)

P.S. I understand some people may be very anti-pesticide and that's okay. FWIW, the goal here is to better educate those who are already planning to use pesticides about whether or not they need them, and, if they do need them, what the best practices are for application so they can avoid common mistakes that could negatively impact their ecosystems.

Have you noticed an uptick of grasshoppers?

If so, you’re not alone! From home gardeners to farmers, multiplying grasshoppers across Colorado are causing considerable headaches as they eat their way through a wide variety of plants.

Join two CSU Extension experts, state entomologist Melissa Schreiner and Arapahoe County hort/entomology specialist Lisa Mason, April 4 at noon to learn about what you can do to protect your plants from grasshoppers!

View our full webinar series >

Register for Grasshopper Management in Colorado >

⚠️ Due to high demand, webinars can exceed our live participant limit. So, be sure to join early to save your spot!

Hello people who are so much better at tree planting than I am! I would like to get some thoughts on tree options. I would like to put 2 trees outside my office window so people can’t stare in at me while they walk by. It is morning shade, afternoon sun, clay soils (far NW side of town), 6000’. It is not a huge space along my fence line so not looking for something that will get massive. Just something nice to break up the fishbowl effect and give the birds something to enjoy. Could you guys give me a few ideas?

https://resourcecentral.org/gardens/shop/sunlit-fiesta-2025/

This garden is on sale. I've planted quite a few of their gardens, and all are successful. Many cities partner with them to increase the discount.

These plants were from a Resource Central Garden in a Box. Last year, they didn’t do anything. I love them!

I have a portion of my front lawn, say 10x12, that is sod but I assume how killed most of it last summer by accident.

Can I replace with this option? Any experience as a ground cover here?

Okay maybe it’s only “Fool’s Spring” but I have a cold frame and row covers so let’s gooooo! What are you all planting?

We have got… * kale * beets * arugula * radishes * celery (from the nursery) * cilantro * fennel * sugar snap peas

Last week I dropped soil samples off at the CSU lab. Today I got the results and I'm not entirely sure what to do next.

My primary concern is the arsenic level. I can't seem to find concrete info on if it's safe to grow edible vegetables in this soil or not. I'm building some raised beds and am trying to figure out if I can just amend my existing soil or need to buy new stuff.

Last fall I also re-seeded my front yard (where I took the sample) with a native grass and wildflower blend. Do I need to be worried about the salt level inhibiting germination?

The report had two comments:

Soluble salts are moderately high. Some vegetable crops may not grow well under these conditions. Excess water is needed to leach salts below the root zone. Frequent irrigation may be necessary to keep salts diluted enough to allow normal plant growth. This is especially critical at germination and early plant growth stages. Soluble salts must be less than 0.8 mmho/cm for normal plant growth and development. All nutrients are at above or adequate levels for vegetable crops.

Cadmium, chromium, lead, molybdenum, and selenium concentrations are lower than those values EPA uses to guide clean-up and land use decisions. However, arsenic is much higher than the EPA value (0.39 ppm). No other contaminants were assessed. If soil safety is a concern for food production, a complete soil contaminant risk assessment is recommended.

Join John Murgel, a CSU Extension horticulture expert specializing in drought-tolerant landscaping, for a look at the evidence behind CSU's garden recommendations.

Date/Time: April 9 at noon.

Registration is free! Sign up to attend at: https://col.st/43mUt

Topics will include:

• How to use mulch most effectively
• What you should know about a planting site before gardening there (and how to know it)
• How to maximize natural pest control

❓👇 Have questions? Drop them in the comments and we'll pass them along to John to address during the webinar - or to answer after it.

⚠️ Due to high demand, webinars can exceed our 500 live participant limit. Join early to save your spot!

P.S. John is the expert behind some of our favorite recent gardening write-ups including:

• The benefits of xeriscaping: A beginner’s guide to drought-tolerant landscaping
• Want to remove your lawn? Here’s how not to kill your trees
• 13 front yard xeriscape landscaping ideas with photos of drought-tolerant designs
• Simple plant propagation: How to divide plants and conquer hearts

Everyone else’s in the neighborhood seem pretty perky and happy. Found them like this today.. moved the mulch further away from the stems. How to revive?

I know just about nothing about gardening and this bed is pretty overrun. I’m not sure how to fix it but it seems like a lot of grass is growing. Cleared out a lot of the dead leaves etc. what should I do?