by Alison
Stoven
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
Agent, Horticulture
Larimer County
Q: I have often heard of the Colorado State University’s
Annual Trial Gardens. Where are they located, and are they free of charge?
A: One
of the most popular visitor destinations in Fort Collins during the summer,
the Annual Flower Trials are conducted by Colorado State University Department
of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. The trial garden consists of over
1000 varieties of bedding plants, planted both in the ground and in containers.
Twenty-two plant and seed companies are participating in the 2007 trials. Each
variety is evaluated for plant vigor, uniformity, abundance of flowers and other
qualities.
The site is located at 1401 Remington Street, just east of College Avenue near
the CSU campus in Fort Collins. The best viewing time for this garden is late
July through frost. There is no charge to visit the gardens. For more information,
visit flowertrials.colostate.edu.
Q: My bluegrass lawn is looking really ugly! There are a lot of brown spots
and weeds. I thought my irrigation was covering the lawn efficiently, but I
guess I don’t know. Do you have any suggestions?
A: Because of Colorado’s dry, semi-arid climate, our turfgrass doesn’t
have nearly as many disease or insect problems like lawns in more humid climates.
Dr. Tony Koski, Extension Turf Specialist at Colorado State University, estimates
that up to 95% of turf brown spots are due to poor irrigation. It’s good
practice to check your irrigation heads on a regular basis to ensure that you
don’t have clogged heads or broken lines. This is especially important
if your irrigation is scheduled to come on when you’re sleeping. Also,
it might be worth the investment to have an irrigation audit done. For more
information, read CSU Extension Fact
Sheet #7.199, “Watering Established Lawns.”
Some weeds thrive in hot weather like Bermuda grass, crabgrass, foxtail, puncture
vine and spurge. Spraying for weeds during hot weather can be dangerous as high
temperatures could cause chemicals to volatilize and cause injury to plant material.
Before you do any spraying, be sure to carefully read all chemical labels and
apply them correctly. For more information on broadleaf weed control in lawns,
read Fact Sheet
#3.100.
Gardening and Insect Fact Sheets are available on-line by clicking HERE.
Return to Master Gardener Articles