Give the Gift of Garden Design

Struggling to find that perfect gift for someone?  Why not give the gift of garden design.  One of the most satisfying things I do at Garden Scentsations is consult with homeowners about what their landscape could become.  I love to show people how to transform their current landscape into something they can really enjoy and use year round.

Before the island was an eyesore

In my latest project, we took a very visible island bed in front of the house from overgrown junipers, weedy grass and dead aspen trees to a beautiful landscaped bed with water wise plants, decorative boulders and a winding flagstone path.

Now it has curb appeal and interest

We used two colors of 1" granite rock.  Tan for the majority of the bed and Purple LaSal to highlight the large basalt boulder and to make a "swoosh" in the center of the bed.

Finished island bed

This project was completed just a few weeks ago and there will be more planting in the Spring.  Some of the plants we used were lavender (big surprise there right!), agastache, mojave sage, coreopsis, Blue Mist spirea, upright juniper, serviceberry, Kannah Creek buckwheat, Powis Castle artemesia and California fuschia or zauschneria.  These plants are all water-wise, deer and rabbit resistant.  They will provide color and interest year round with very little maintenance.

If you have a spot in your yard that could use a little more curb appeal, give me a call.  I would love to give you some good ideas and take your landscape to the next level.  If you are interested in giving a Garden Scentsations gift certificate this holiday season, please give me a call.  My hourly rate is $40  with a two hour minimum.  We can solve a lot of problems and find lots of solutions in two hours! 

I hope you have a great holiday season with family and friends.

United States Lavender Growers Association

Here is the newly formed United States Lavender Growers Association's website link. Check it out often for updates and progress on this great organization.

United States Lavender Growers Association:

'via Blog this'

My Crazy Christmas Cactus

I want you to remember this date - October 16, 2011.  That's the first day I saw new blooms on my Christmas Cactus.

Last year, this amazing plant bloomed from Halloween to Mother's Day!  Almost 7 months of blooms!  I have it sitting in the west facing bay window of my dining room.  Can't wait to see the show again this year.

I'll keep you posted on the progress this year.  Have a great day.

My New Planter Box

One of the many projects I worked on this summer is the creation of a huge planter box.  It now resides where 3 large butterfly bushes used to be.  They were 12 years old and died last winter.  I was sorry to see them go but I always say when something dies in your garden it's just making room for something new!

Here is the humble beginnings of the planter box.

My friend Sherry helped with every aspect of this project.  From looking at the initial drawings in Master Gardener class, to measuring the space, going to Home Depot to help pick the best pieces of lumber and several long days actually putting the box together.

The dimensions are 20' long by 2' wide.  There are 3 sections to the box.  The middle section is 4' tall while the sides are 3' tall.  The box is made with treated lumber that was very green when I purchased it.

Progress is made.  The fresh wood is extremely heavy!

It took several weeks to finish the project but I learned a whole lot of new carpentry skills from Sherry.  I also learned how to use a reciprocating saw.  Very dangerous but lots of fun.  We also used my brand new circular saw.  Sherry ripped at 10' board with such precision!  I was amazed.  Maybe one day I can be as good as she is with power tools!

Our box is getting higher and higher.

We had to make adjustments for the slope of the land so the height of the box is much higher on the north side than I had anticipated.

Sherry - Master Gardener and Master Carpenter

So, without further adieu, here is the finished planter box.  

It's filled with excess gravel from another spot in the yard, grass clumps from my neighbors Phil and Tracii, homemade compost from my compost bin and some top soil for the very top 6-8".  

Next spring I plan on painting it - maybe a dark brown or cobalt blue.  Because its treated lumber, I need to let it age before I paint.  I look forward to using plants that will drape down the sides.  I don't have any walls in my landscape so this will be a new opportunity to plant something new.  Annuals, perennials, herbs.  The possibilities are endless.  But again I will wait til Spring.  That gives me all winter to dream and design.  

If you have any ideas for the box, please send me a comment.  I'd love to hear from you.  Bye  

Fall is a Gardeners Paradise

My backyard on first day of Fall 2011.

Summer has left the building!  Sure doesn't seem that way with the warm temperatures we've been having.  Today the high is 90!  Avg high temp should be 75.  Much more comfortable.  Fall is the most wonderful time of the year here in Western Colorado.  Dry and warm, lots of fall colors, lots of time to plant those bargains you found at the garden centers.  Fall is a great time to plant.  We don't usually get a hard freeze until after Thanksgiving in Grand Junction and the ground doesn't freeze until mid December.  That's plenty of time for the roots of your newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials to establish themselves. I try to get my planting done by the end of October to be safe.

Which reminds me, when you're looking for great plant bargains remember to stop by the CSU Extension's Master Gardener Tree Auction and Sale.  It is down at the Mesa County Fairgrounds behind the Extension building.  Starts at 9am til early afternoon or whenever all of the trees have been sold.  There will be a great selection of trees, shrubs and perennials and lots of Master Gardeners on hand to answer any questions.  All proceeds benefit the Master Gardener scholarship fund.

What is blooming in your garden?  Here's what's blooming in mine - agastache, lavender, sedum, prairie zinnias, hot pink salvias, Knock Out roses, plumbago, rubdeckia and gallardia.  The herbs, tomatoes and onions are looking great.  The artemesia is big and fluffy and the Autumn Purple Ash is starting to turn to a deep burgundy color.

Next time I'll show you the huge planter box I built this summer.  Have a great day!

Amy's Pots

I love to create beautiful pots for season long color and interest.  This summer I had a chance to plant 3 large pots for my client Amy.

At this point, the possibilities are endless.  To compliment the green pots and neutral background, we chose rich colors like burgundy, orange and purple.  The plants we chose included grasses, herbs, annuals, and trailing vines.  Purple fountain grass, dracena spikes, verbena, rosemary, chives, sage, sweet potato vine, scaveloa, fuschia, coleus and begonias to name a few.

We filled the pots with good quality potting soil and sprinkled slow release fertilizer Osmocote throughout 

the top few inches of soil.  We pre-placed the plants to see exactly where they should go.  Each pot had

 its own drip irrigation tubing to ensure proper watering. 

The result is three beautiful, lush pots that are filled with color, fragrance and texture.  These pots will continue to look good until our first hard frost sometime in October.  

Aren't these amazing?  With about $100 worth of plants and materials and a few hours work, Amy has a long lasting focal point to her front entry.  By adding the herbs, she also has a good supply all summer long. 

When you're ready to create beautiful pots, remember the formula - thrill, fill and spill.  Have fun!

Evolution of a Garden project - The Enterprise Building in downtown Grand Junction

One of my favorite garden design clients is Dena Carpenter and the Enterprise Building in downtown Grand Junction.  We started collaborating on designing the 20 built-in planters of the Enterprise building way back in Spring of 2007.  Dena is an avid gardener and has always worked with me in the design and installation of the planters.

The planters before they were planted.

Because this building is over 100 years old and has a Victorian look to it, I wanted to add plants that were appropriate to the era and enhanced the colors on the exterior of the building.

Snap dragons, coleus, purple fountain grass and sweet potato vine add color and texture.

 The first year, we planted purple fountain grass, snapdragons, coleus, roses, fuchsia, petunias and salvias.  Very colorful, old fashioned plants that really worked with our color palette.

Marigolds and geraniums add season long color.

Over the years, we have added perennials such as groundcover roses, yarrow and lavender.  

Licorice plant adds great texture and softens edges of the planter.

Brand new plants for 2011.

This year we planted lots of color using tried and true selections.  We have also added dahlias and herbs.  We planted rosemary, chives and parsley.  The herbs have been very successful and add lots of fragrance.

We are very pleased with how the planters have evolved over the years and receive many positive comments from the public all the time.  Next time you're downtown, please take a moment to visit our beautiful planters. Take some ideas from these combinations and apply them to your garden or pots.

If you want help bringing more color to your garden just give me a call!  I will be glad to help.

Colorado Lavender Festival program

Here is the program for the festival and farm tours this weekend.  Hope to see you there.

Going, Going, Gone

Joe starts cutting down the tree

Almost done with the trunk

Wow.  That was fast!

Thanks to our neighbor Phil for lending us his electric chainsaw.  It sure made easy work of cutting down our sick hawthorn.  After the trunk was completely removed, there was still no sign of damage.  I'll start digging out the root ball in the next week or so to see if I can finally figure out what happened to the King.

Farewell to the King

I am a tree lover.  I love all types of trees and I include many varieties of trees in my garden designs and my own yard.  I do what it takes to keep them healthy which includes planting them in the right spot, watering deeply and fertilizing during the growing season.  I even apply systemic insecticide on trees that have problems with bugs.

Even with all of that love and attention, I have a very sick tree in my own yard that I have decided to cut down.  In September of 1999 I planted a very small but beautiful Crataegus viridis 'Winter King'.  Better known as the Winter King hawthorn.

Healthy 5 year old Winter King Hawthorn

This tree is known for its beautiful white flowers in Spring, reddish-orange berries in Fall and beautiful exfoliating bark year round.  In the last few years, the leaves have become smaller and very little growth has occurred.  Flowers and berries were abundant but the leaves would turn yellow by mid summer.  

I even had Susan Rose and the master gardener diagnostic team out last summer to see if they could find out what was causing this tree so much distress.  They could find no evidence of bugs or disease.  Every tree and shrub around it was healthy.  Even the grass was healthy around it.  No obvious signs of the culprit.  

I sprayed the foliage with Miracle-Gro and the leaves I could reach turned green for a time but went back to being yellow in a month or two.  This year, same story.  Lots of beautiful white flowers followed by small leaves that are turning yellow.  

Sucker growth at base is normal for this variety of tree.  Notice the  striking exfoliating bark

So, after years of struggling, it's time to put it out of its misery.  I am going to cut the 'King' down this week.  I also plan to dig out the root ball to find out if there is a problem with the roots.  Its driving me crazy that I don't know what happened to this tree.

I will document the process and post as soon as I can.  Wish me luck as I say Farewell to a friend.

Colorado Lavender Festival is almost here

The first annual Colorado Lavender Festival is almost here.  July 15, 16 and 17 we will be celebrating the emerging lavender industry in Western Colorado.  Tickets for the bus tour and seminars are available on our website at www.coloradolavenderfestival.com.

We also have a few festival items for sale on our website.  Beautiful commemorative posters and organic cotton t-shirts featuring the original batik artwork by local artist Susan Metzger.

See you in July!

The last day of Spring

This morning we woke up to 50 degrees, rain and clouds.  Not what we usually have in mid-June.  It is welcome however.  Any rain is good rain when you only get 8-9 inches per year.  We have had an unusually cool and wet spring and that has the plants at least two weeks behind schedule.  My english lavenders are now just coming into bloom.  No full color yet, just small blooms.

I should be enjoying that sublime chore of harvesting the lavender stems in the early morning while the color and oils are at their best.  Then I would put them in bunches and hang them in my crawl space for a week or two to dry.  I guess I'll have to wait another couple of weeks.  Sigh.......

One thing I can harvest now is my beautiful berggarten sage.  It is very different than the basic culinary sage plant and that's a good reason to consider it for your garden.  The leaves are large and a beautiful shade of silver.  They have a stronger flavor than the basic culinary sage so you use less of it. 

 

Berggarten sage leaves

The plant never blooms so there is no flower stalk to cut off.  The

plants stay very compact and tidy.  If I didn't use this sage for 

cooking, I would consider it for my landscape because of its

growing habit.  The only pests I have noticed are earwigs which

are minimal.

In the photo below, there are three plants which are approximately 4 years old.  Very hardy and a great addition to any garden.

Berggarten sage plants (3)

Looking forward to warmer weather soon.  Our farmers markets are beginning to have lots of early fruits and veggies.  Cherries will begin to show up this week.  Can't wait for that.  

Mixed Border Ideas

I am a big fan of mixed borders in our landscapes.  They offer so much variety and texture and have interest year round if you plant it right.  Its very simple to achieve this look in your yard.  

I have 'Emerald Green' arborvitea and 'Onodaga' viburnum as the background shrubs.  The viburnum is in bloom right now.  It has flat headed flower heads with pink flowers in the middle and white flowers that float around the middle like little stars.  In front of the arborvitea are zebra iris' and english lavender l. angustifolia 'Royal Velvet'.  As a ground cover, I am using ajuga which will start blooming in a week or so.  The foliage from the iris and ajuga are still beautiful even after they are done blooming.  The lavender will bloom from mid June through September.  I also have yellow chrysanthemums for fall color. 

When creating your mixed borders, think about season long interest, varying heights and bloom times, and compatible water and sun needs.  I'll be posting more pictures of these ideas as they come into bloom in my yard.   

Lovely as the Month of May

One of the main objectives of my garden designs is to have something in bloom or have great foliage and structure in the garden all year long.  It's easier to do than you might think.  When choosing plants, whether its a tree, shrub or perennial, think of how its going to look all year long.

Trees can have great shape or structure, interesting bark patterns, flowers, berries or fall color!  They should be the backbone of your landscape.  Choose them carefully because they are not only an investment in money but more importantly time.  It takes 5-6 years for most trees to achieve their final shape and many years more to reach their full size.  Trees that are making a splash right now in Western Colorado are Eastern Red buds, crab apples of all varieties and flowering plums to name a few.  Next up will be the hawthorns and horsechestnuts.

Shrubs are showing off their color now as well.  Lovely lilacs, viburnums and daphnes are in full bloom and filling the air with their sweet scents.  Soon the roses, brooms, lavenders and spireas will light up the landscape.  Summer blooming rose of sharon, blue mist spirea and russian sage will take you right into September.   

So the next time you're at the local garden center looking for interesting plants choose something that will fill a "slow interest" time in your garden.  You'll be glad you did.   

Celebrating the 1st day of Spring

Common lilac bud

Walking around my garden this afternoon, I noticed many plants coming to life.  We have had a warmer than usual few weeks and I have started to water since we have also been drier than usual.  This lilac bud just opened yesterday.

Early spring crocus

The daffodils are coming on strong.  The blooms are almost ready to open.  I can't wait.  The crocus have been blooming for about a week.  The yellow ones came first, then the purple and white.  What a beautiful sight to see everyday.

Daffodils ready to bloom

Take some time in the next few days to walk around your garden and discover all of the treasures coming to life.  We've been waiting all winter for the chance to get out in the dirt and play so

GO PLAY!!!!

And the winner is..........

Over the winter, I was pondering what to plant in the large empty spot where the overgrown Fitzer type juniper lived for years and years.

This spot is between a Sunburst Honeylocust on the left and an Autumn Purple Ash on the right.  It will receive sun most of the day and receive regular watering.

At first, I had my heart set on a Bridal Wreath spirea with its long arching branches filled with beautiful white flowers.  It would have all the space it needed to grow as big as it wanted and add some drama to the space.

Then I found the shrub that would do so much more than that.  Let's consider the attributes of the beautiful, yet somewhat rare in our town, Black Lace Elderberry.  Dramatic maroon foliage, sparkling pink flowers that turn into lucious black edible berries and red fall foliage.

This beauty will grow 8-10' tall and wide, provide contrast to all of the other plants in this bed and food for the birds and myself.  I hope I am able to find this locally.  If anyone sees one, please call me right away.  If need be, I'll order one from the internet but I would like to start with a #5 pot if possible.  Does anyone have experience growing this shrub?  The descriptions online often refer to it as the Japanese Maple of the north and it will grow in the most difficult places.  My yard is not that difficult but the intense summer sunlight might scorch it.

Wish me luck and pictures will come when I get her in the ground.  I think we will have to give her a special name.  Any ideas?

Lida's Lavender video

I wanted to share a beautiful short video of my friend Lida's lavender field.  Her son Jon Wesley shot this video this winter.

http://vimeo.com/19722698

Enjoy, Kathy

Southwest Lavender Conference was great

We just returned from the beautiful hill country of Central Texas where Joe, Molly Brown and I attended the Southwest Lavender Conference in Kerrville.  It was worth driving down there in February and I have to say the roads were in better condition than we could hope for.  We drove south on Hwy 550 through snowy Silverton and then onto Albuquerque.

Joe and I in front of Silverton Visitor Center

We drove into west Texas where it was 90 degrees and sunny in Fort Stockton.  What a treat in the middle of winter!  Finally arrived in Kerrville and happy to be staying at one of the most beautiful and unique hotels we have ever seen.  The Y O Resort is one of a kind hotel.  The staff was wonderful and Molly gave it a "paws-up" for good grass and great walking paths.

In front of the Y.O. Resort in Kerrville, Texas

The Y.O. Resort lobby

Chelita Riley, president of the Texas Lavender Association and Cathy Slaughter of Gabriel Valley Farms organized the event and by all accounts was very successful.  I met people from Texas, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Nebraska, Maryland, Puerto Rico and Brazil!  There were quite a few new lavender farmers in attendance as well which is very encouraging.  It looks like lavender is where vineyards were 20 years ago. 

We toured several very scenic attractions in the area including the first olive farm in Texas where I bought several bottles of olive oil and olives.  It was market research right?  Speaking of market research, I also bought chocolate lavender bark and Herbs de Tejas from Imagine Lavender and lavender-earl grey tea from Wild Springs Tea.  I wonder if I can write these items off as business expenses?    We also went to M & J Lavender farm and Becker Vineyards.  Lunch was at the amazing Trattoria Lisina.  

The speakers and forums were very informative and I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.  I met Sarah Bader from Lavender at Stonegate in W. Linn, Oregon.  She has been a mentor and good force in the lavender industry for years and we are thrilled to have her as our keynote speaker at the upcoming Colorado Lavender Festival here in Western Colorado in July.  Check out our website for more festival details at www.coloradolavender.org.  

We are glad to be back home in Colorado though.  Spring is just around the corner and its time to start planning gardening and home improvement projects.   Next time we'll talk about spring clean up in the garden and the right time to cut back shrubs, grasses and perennials.

My Favorite Valentine

Back in 2005, I was daydreaming about having my very own compost bins for months.  My friends Bill and Meredith had a super set up with 3 bins - one for fresh material, one for almost finished material and one for the finished product.  That's exactly what I wanted but didn't have the space for something that elaborate.  

You may be asking yourself "What does this have to do with Valentine's Day gifts?" When you think about Valentine's Day gifts for women, chocolates, flowers and jewelry come to mind.  Luckily, my husband knows me better than that. 

The weather that February was especially mild and Joe said "Honey, let's build the compost bin you've been dreaming about!"  This is the story of my favorite Valentine's Day gift.

Joe asked me what dimensions I wanted the bins to be and what materials we need to use so I referenced a good CSU Extension Fact sheet on building your own compost bin.  We drew a plan, drove down to Home Depot and picked up some beautiful fresh smelling western red cedar wood for the posts and sides.

Over the next few weekends, we created the most beautiful compost bins I have ever seen.  I couldn't wait to fill them with all of the leaves and garden debris that had collected over the winter.

Because it was February, there wasn't a lot of "green" material in my pile but it didn't matter to me.  It was still beautiful.  I took pictures of it and brought them to Master Gardener class the next week to show my friends.  Everybody was very impressed with our masterpiece.  And just when you think it couldn't get any better, my friend Sherry offered me an endless supply of horse manure to help with the composting process.  What more could any girl ask for?  A handcrafted compost bin made with love by her husband and a girlfriend with horse poop.   Life is good.  :-)  

Put that snow to good use

Here in the Redlands, we received about 4" of snow.  Good, wet snowball-making snow.  Instead of letting it melt down your driveway and into the street, shovel it on your lawn or planting beds.  They can always use the extra moisture.  Free water and good insulation for tender plants.  Now that's what I call recycling!

Courageous Gardening

Even though its February, I am ready to get outside and dig in the dirt.  I'm ready to see what made it over the winter, watch for early blooming crocus and start my compost pile up again.

I love walking around my yard, noting what looks good, what needs to be relocated or taken out and what area can I add new plants to.  Last Fall, we had a very large spreading juniper removed from the southeast side of our house.  I now have a barren spot approximately 15' deep and 20' wide.  What an opportunity!  I have been thinking about what to plant in this spot all winter long.  With full sun and regular irrigation, the choices are endless.  I have been studying all of the garden catalogs looking for ideas and inspiration but sometimes I find what looks good in the catalog does not do well in our high desert climate and heavy soils.  It doesn't keep me from trying though.

I love experimenting with new and unusual plants in my garden.  I've planted many things in my garden that I thought would do well but really had no chance.  Like lupines.  I love lupines.  They remind me of  the Texas Bluebonnets I enjoyed while living in Houston and Dallas. Unfortunately, lupines don't like Grand Junction.  They just don't like our alkaline soils and the pH in my backyard is 8.5.

My newest experiment is an oakleaf hydranga.   I planted one in my front yard last October as well as one in a clients yard.  Starting with creamy white flowers in Spring that turn soft pink in Fall, brilliant Fall foliage and exfoliating bark that puts on a show all winter long.  What more could you ask for!   We both think its a chance worth taking.  I'll be sure to post pictures here of its progress this year.  Cross your fingers.

 Have fun in your garden this year and experiment with something new.

Winter in my backyard

It's time to water your yard!

According to the National Weather Service, there has been no precipitation in the Grand Junction area since the first of the year.  That means your trees, shrubs and perennials are getting very thirsty and need to be watered.  I know you're thinking I'm crazy - winter watering?  You may have never done this before especially if you have moved here recently from another part of the country.  But its essential to keep your plants from drying out and developing scorch this summer.  This is especially important for the plants you added to your landscape last year because their roots are not developed enough to keep the plant adequately hydrated.

CSU Extension has a great fact sheet on this subject and I highly recommend downloading it.  The web address is www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07211.html  


You should water your yard every 4-6 weeks during the winter months if there is not enough rain or snow.  Your plants will thank you in July.

Winter reading essentials

Waiting for Spring to arrive, I love to catch up on my reading.  If you are anything like me, you have a good selection of garden books in your home library to give you inspiration and answer questions about gardening.

There are a few I would like to recommend that are especially good for our area.  Sunset's Western Garden Book is the reference book no one should be without.  This book covers everything from plant hardiness zones, extensive plant descriptions and solutions to common garden problems.  For Colorado and Intermountain gardeners, there are several authors I would like to mention.  Lauren Springer's book The Undaunted Garden is one of my first gardening books and I still refer to it often.  She has a garden designers' eye for plant combinations that take your breath away.  This book also has great pictures and descriptions of  plants that do well in our challenging climate.  Passionate Gardening by Lauren Springer and Rob Proctor is an entertaining and beautiful look at gardening through the seasons.  Cutting Edge Gardening in the Intermountain West by Marcia Tatroe is becoming another heavily used reference book for me because of the beautiful but hardy plants and great combinations.  My newest book is Hardy Succulents by Gwen Moore Kelaidis.  If you think Hens and Chicks are the only hardy succulents you can grow, think again!  I love using succulents in my garden and finding new varieties and ways to use them is just what this book offers.

Of course, we can't forget all of the seed and nursery catalogs that are filling our mailboxes.  High Country Gardens catalog, out of Santa Fe, is one that I have been ordering from for years.  Most of their plants do very well in Western Colorado and the catalog has great descriptions and ideas to inspire your own garden designs.

So, enjoy this time away from your garden and find inspiration and design ideas in a few of these books.  Before you know it, crocus and daffodils will be popping their little heads out of the ground!


 

Welcome to my Blog

Hi.  My name is Kathy Kimbrough and I own Garden Scentsations, a garden design company.  I specialize in designing water wise gardens and garden coaching.  Have you heard of Garden Coaching?  We help our clients become better gardeners through hands-on learning.  I show clients how to properly plant everything from trees to annuals,  how to buy the healthiest plants at the garden center and so much more.  Have a question on when to water or how to prune that forsythia bush?  Call me.  I can help.  


I want to share my enthusiasm for gardening with you through this blog.  I will be posting ideas, thoughts and pictures throughout the seasons to show you what I think are great design ideas, inspired plant combinations, new tools for the garden and the best plants for our region.


I'd love to hear from you so please let me know if there is anything you'd like me to talk about.