It’s easy bein’ green when it comes to cleaning house. Alternatives to chemical cleaners are just as effective, and not hazardous to your health or the environment. Next time you head to the store, add a few items to your shopping list: fresh lemons, baking soda and vinegar. Then scratch off glass cleaner, scouring powder, […]
This Niwot landscape was designed to amplify the earth’s electromagnetic field to keep the home’s occupants healthier and in tune with the earth. Photos courtesy Outdoor Craftsmen When you round the corner into Jeff Lambert’s modest-sized, suburban backyard, a surprising visual feast awaits: Cascading waterfalls, a blue-green sea of plants, a hobbit-esque stone-and-timber sauna, and […]
The creative stonework in this garden makes it stone-cool rather than stone-cold. Photos by WeinrauchPhotography.com When Brad and Emily Hahn purchased their Mapleton Hill home in 2003, it’d been a rental property for 30 years. The neglected house needed a facelift, and the yard was covered in pesky vines, unwieldy rhubarb and dying pear trees. […]
Autumn is tree-planting time, so dig a hole for these favorites of the senior curator at Denver Botanic Gardens. They’re tough, generally xeric and pretty to boot. Text and photos by Panayoti Kelaidis Trees and shrubs are the bones of our gardens, the structure upon which everything depends. We often ignore them in summer, when […]
Teaching children gardening skills empowers them to make healthier choices for themselves and the planet. Gardening is easy. Just ask Alexis Smith, 10, who loves helping her mom tend their sprawling east Longmont garden. “I just write down everything my mom tells me,” Alexis says, proudly showing off her gardening binder, which contains pages and […]
Fall is the perfect time to plant bulbs, and pairing bulbs makes for fabulous displays. Here are ideas for creating gorgeous beds come spring and summer. Bulbs are the unsung wonders of the garden. They give us unending color with very little effort, and even a novice gardener can create a spectacular display. If you […]
The nation’s first net-zero greenhouse is being built and tested at a local organic farm by a Boulder firm, which hopes to develop it for residential applications so homeowners can grow vegetables year- round—without the associated astronomical energy costs. It’s an odd disconnect: If you grow your own food, chances are you’re going to have […]
Are your garden gloves too sweaty, too porous or too prone to pricking? We had Master Gardeners test four popular gloves to see which ones were just right for the job. By Carol O’Meara A gardener’s hands are a dead giveaway that he or she works with the earth: scraped and pricked, with split nails […]
It’s hard to love plants that die off, never produce or need constant babying. Sometimes you gotta give your plants “tough love,” and let ’em figure it out on their own. Here are some that thrive on tough lovin’. By Panayoti Kelaidis As senior curator at Denver Botanic Gardens, I always hear the same complaint: […]
Many cultures depend on plants for their healing, regenerative and recuperative properties. But do plants also have the power to attract love, ward off evil and restore happiness? Want to know the real secret to surviving this struggling economy? Put a little poverty-protection in your cupboard: a jar of alfalfa. Having nightmares? Tuck some anise […]
For many people, a garden is a canvas they fill with more than flowers, to the pleasure or dismay of neighbors. Here are some local landscapes that have inspired both awe and ire. When Cheri Bost sees a yard full of interesting decorations, she starts reeling off numbers. A birdbath gets one point, but a […]
Shade gardens require a little extra TLC to be successful. Whether you’ve got tree shade, dappled shade or deep shade, here are some suggestions for growing plants in it. Shade gardening—nobody ever said it was easy, but why’s it so darn hard? First it’s too wet, then it’s too dry. The resulting straggly, struggling plants […]
This backyard was completely re-landscaped to make it user-friendly for the owner and her dogs. Here is her advice for creating a dog-friendly yard. Photos by Ryan James One day, Barbee James looked at her backyard terraces flush with flowers, sweeping down a slope to merge with an emerald expanse of open space just beyond […]
Fragrant and beautiful, lavender has many wonderful uses. In addition to the tastiest lemonade you’ll ever drink, Richelle Reilly (pictured here) has come up with lots of uses for fresh lavender, which she grows and sells along with fresh cut flowers at McReilly Farms, open weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Pick up a […]
The following substances are highly toxic to puppies and adult dogs, and should always be avoided in a dog-friendly landscape: Cocoa mulch: “Even though it’s not a plant, it’s one of the most common poisonings from backyard gardens,” says Dr. Jenelle Vail of the Humane Society of Boulder Valley Veterinary Clinic. “Cocoa mulch is made […]
Summer’s the time to enjoy your yard, and creating an outdoor room lets you enjoy it even more. Here are some tips for making an outdoor room you’ll really want to live in. Spending balmy summer days on your patio sounds great—unless you have wretched chairs, no shade and shabby views. Whether you only have […]
Turning a century-old dairy barn into a cozy home and a pasture into a flower farm took all the grit and know-how of these handy homeowners. But they say getting back to the land made it all worthwhile. Now that it’s a sweet comfortable home, you’d never know that cows occupied this former dairy barn […]
These barbecue accessories can help you fire up a feast in no time. They also save labor, and add flavor and flair to all your alfresco meals. By Rebecca Schneider There’s nothing like food hot off the grill. The aromas, the flavors and the great outdoors all add up to memorable dining. But when your […]
This organic garden stays healthy because its soil creatures are happy with the homeowners’ till-free techniques. Barbara Miller caught the gardening itch at an early age. Her childhood chore was tending the family strawberry patch and selling the berries. “I sold quarts on the roadside for a quarter,” recalls the Boulder gardener. “That was a […]
The secret to a great garden lies just beneath your feet. Hardy blooms start with healthy soil, and spring is the ideal time to get your dirt in tip-top shape. “The bottom line is that soil is a living system, providing the fundamental support for all terrestrial life,” says Dr. Jean Reeder, retired soil scientist […]
