Gardening in Larimer County

What does your garden look like during the day or does it really matter? You probably work and rarely get any time in the garden.  Are you a big fan of pastel colors but are disappointed as the harsh sun makes the colors seem faded?  Both of these situations can be remedied by planting an evening or moonlight garden.

A moonlight garden is one composed of pale flowers and silvery foliage that reflect the available light, even moonlight, and make the flowers more visible.  In sunlight, the white and cream colors exist only as accents or backgrounds for the brighter colors.  Night steals the bright colors from the garden.  Then the whites and creams, along with pale pinks, pale yellows and silver-gray seem to glow and look almost iridescent.  Fragrant flowers release more of their perfume when the air starts to cool.

It is rumored that Vita Sackville-West, a famous English garden writer, designed her famous “white garden” in the evening hours when the whites seemed to glow.  There are many plants suitable for this type of garden for any location – sunny or shady, dry or not, large or small.

Choose plants in pale colors that have the similar light and water requirements.  Since all of the colors work together, it won’t be too difficult to compose a pleasing garden.  Try to avoid placing cream colors right next to white or gray-silver.  White and silver look best next to each other and to pink. Chartreuse adds a nice accent color in the evening garden.  Try chartreuse next to some of the other plants you have chosen to get a nice combination but don’t overuse it.  One nice chartreuse plant is Hosta ‘Fragrant Gold.

Add a few bright flowers so the garden will also look nice during the daytime hours.  Blue, purples and magentas add color but use only small amounts.  These colors will fade into the background at night and add depth to the whole picture.  Perennial, annuals, vines and shrubs all work well.

Taller plants such as Butterfly bush (Buddleia), Flowering Tobacco plant (Nicotiana alata) and Mock Orange (Philadelphus) are best placed in the back of the grouping.  Rounded, spike and fountain shapes add additional interest as do varied textures of the flowers and foliage.  A pale-colored piece of statuary in a corner could become a focal point.  Or try a small water-garden in a pale celadon green pot with a bubbler for sound (keeping in mind our water shortage).

Once your moonlight garden is complete, you will find that it offers a completely different aspect of gardening.  Many nighttime creatures such as moths will visit.  Pull up your chair, pick up your glass of lemonade and relax.

Moonlight Garden Flowers
Spring
*  Spring-blooming bulbs - Narcissus, Tulips, Hyacinth
*  Daphne ‘Carol Mackie’
*  Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
*  Iberis sempervirens  (Candytuft)
*  Syringa (Lilac)

Summer
*  Chrysanthemum x superbum  (Shasta Daisy)
*  Lavendula  (Lavender) Pale forms
*  Lilium  (Lily)  Asiatic and Oriental
*  Hemerocallis  (Daylilies)  Hyperion’ H.citrina
*  Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’
*  Dianthus  (Carnation or  Pinks)

Fall
*  Clematis maximowicziana ‘Sweet Autumn’
*  Aster  Fall-blooming forms
*  Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’

Many white, cream and pastel plants would be suitable.  Visit an area nursery to choose your favorites

Q.  Last month, many dark gray, slender beetles appeared suddenly on all four of my Japanese Anemones.  A couple of weeks later, they abruptly disappeared, leaving the leaves shredded.   Only one of the plants is getting buds.  What were these beetles?  Did they eat the buds of the other three plants?

 A.  It sounds like you have seen “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” blister beetles.  Newly hatched larvae of these beetles actively seek out and destroy grasshopper eggs in the ground (good).  The next season, the adult beetles emerge in late spring and gather in groups to feed, sometimes defoliating the host plants (bad).  They disappear just as suddenly as they appeared.

Blister beetles generally don’t require control unless the plant is in danger of defoliation.  Floating row covers can be used where appropriate.  You can also handpick these (ugly) beetles, but don’t use your bare hands.  They produce a chemical that can injure bare skin.  Use gloves and knock them into a pail of water.  Be persistent over two to three days and you should be able to get most of them.

The buds of fall-blooming Anemones are produced on separate stems in the basal leaves of the plant.  Different varieties have slightly different bloom times.  Check down inside the middle of the plants for buds.  Chances are good that the beetles left before the buds were formed.

Q.   I am so unhappy with the way my gardens look this year.  I realize the watering restrictions and heat are probably the cause.  But is there anything I can do about the appearance?

A.  The importance of soil preparation has become very apparent this year.  Incorporation of organic material to improve our soils is vital.  Mulching the soil surface to help retain moisture and keep the soil cool is critical.

Try not to look at the disasters of this year but to look at the successes.  Those plants that thrive in heat and dryness have never looked so good.  Russian sage, blue mist spirea, yarrow, blanket flower and Coreopsis are beautiful this year.  Potentilla, echinacea, and lavender are also winners in the heat.  Some daylilies and roses have also surprised us.

Congratulate yourself for having the foresight to plant these survivors.  Brag about the plants that have lived and actually thrived this year and plan to use more of these plants in the future.  There are many plants that do well in these conditions.
 

Q.  In past years, I have been plagued by flea beetles in my evening primrose and have never been able to get rid of them.  This year, I seem to have flea beetles in many other plants.  Is there anything I can do?
 

A.  Flea beetles cause “shothole” injury to leaves of plants.  This can cause serious injury and death to seedlings.  However they don’t usually cause the death of mature plants.  There are dozen of flea beetle species in Colorado and they each have preferences for certain plants.

Although they normally appear in mid-spring, there may be a second generation during the summer.  Some species may also have a third generation.  Our mild winter might have allowed more of these pests to survive as adults.  The stressed conditions of plants may cause these insects to attack those plants they might not bother otherwise.

If necessary, there are cultural, mechanical, physical and chemical controls that can help keep flea beetles in check.

Journal about successes and failures in your garden and landscape.  Evaluate plants for drought resistance, amount of light, sun and water needs.  Group plants with similar water requirements together.  Install a drip or trickle irrigation system and utilize water-wise gardening techniques.  Drought resistant plants are available in many colors, textures, and heights. Plan for when water is more readily available and be ready for change, challenges and fun gardening.

Rework older perennial beds that have become over crowded.  Remove and discard diseased plants susceptible to insects.  Thin large healthy clumps by dividing plants.  Surplus can be shared with other gardeners or moved to another area.

Remove blossoms on pumpkin vines to encourage fruit growth.  Leave a 2" stem on pumpkin at harvest and store in a cool dry place.
 

The authors have received training through Colorado State University Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener program and is a Master Gardener volunteer for Larimer County.

Gardening and Insect Fact Sheets are available on-line by clicking HERE.

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This page updated:  March 28, 2003