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by Ed Powers As a child growing up in the Dakota’s, Nebraska, and as an adult, in Michigan, we grew coneflower in our gardens.  They were tall, extremely beautiful, easy to grow and they really set off our gardens. The scientific name for the coneflower is Echinacea.  I have tried to grow them at 8,000 feet, where we live now, with a great degree of difficulty.  But, after 3 years of trying, we are finally seeing results. Echinacea is a group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family . The genus Echinacea has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. They are found only in eastern states to the eastern plains of central North America , where they grow in moist to dry prairies as well as open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers , blooming from early to late summer. The generic name is derived from the Greek word ἐχῖνος (echinos) , meaning " hedgehog ", due to the spiny central disk, referencing the spiky appearance and feel of

by Abi Saeed, Garfield County Agri/Horticulture and Natural Resources Extension Agent Just like us, pollinators need two main things in order to survive: food (floral resources) and shelter (nesting materials and habitat). Bee on Black-eyed Susan (Photo by Abi Saeed) Pollinators, like bees, butterflies, birds, bats, etc., play an enormous role in our lives, affecting agriculture, the economy, wildlife and plant diversity in the region. Of the plethora of animals referred to as pollinators, bees are the most important because of a key part of their anatomy: their fuzziness (aka: the tiny hairs that they have all over their bodies). Bees are covered with these branched hairs specialized for collecting pollen, and different bees have hairs on different parts of their bodies. These hairs allow them to be the incredible pollen-carrying critters that we know and love. Colorado is home to 946 different bee species. The majority of these bees rely on floral resources in the natural environment

by Sharon Faircloth We have all been told that adding landscaping can significantly increase the value of our properties.   A beautiful environment contributes to our overall well-being and it’s one of the reasons we live where we live.   Landscaping can be very daunting.   It seems the more natural you want it, the more complicated and expensive it can become.   Whether you want to enhance a problem area, attract wildlife or make it look like you live in a field of wildflowers, all it takes is some planning!   One consideration is to hire a professional to work with you on your vision, budget and timeline.   Another is to do all or parts of it yourself. There are literally a zillion ideas on doing your own landscaping.    Use the internet for ideas but stay on the 'edu' sites for science-based information on everything else.   To create your vision, begin by taking photos of your site.    Consider what you have vs. what you want.   What can be changed by adding rocks, landscap

by Sandy Hollingsworth, Gilpin County Master Gardener “N, P, K, Fe, Ca, Mg, pH…” Listening to gardeners talk about their soil can make you wonder if you need a science degree to understand it all!   Since soil health is the foundation of a successful garden, amending it to its best before planting will help your garden grow.   Spring is a good time to test the soil and see what minerals and nutrients it needs. CSU offers reduced cost soil tests which give you a detailed report of information about what is too high, too low and just right in your garden soil. Too much of a good thing like compost will interfere with your plants’ ability to take up nutrients needed for growth. I was surprised to learn from my vegetable garden soil test last year that I did not need to, and should not, add any more compost in the spring or manure in the fall as that was my annual routine in my home garden. Yet in the Gilpin County community garden where I volunteer the test recommended adding more compost