Now's the time to feed your lawn.

 

When is the most important time to feed your lawn? The answer is now. The fertilizer you apply now will go directly to the roots of your lawn, where it is stored until the weather warms up in the spring and the lawn begins to green up. At this point your lawn depends on the energy stored in its roots. The most important part of the fertilizer you apply now is Nitrogen, the first number on the bag.

Fertilome Winterizer contains 25% Nitrogen, plus Phosphate and Potassium to help your lawn absorb and store the fertilizer you apply now. You can buy a 20 pound bag, which covers 5,000 square feet or a 40 pound bag which covers 10,000 square feet.

Rich Lawn Winterizer is organically-based and has a 15-3-6 formula. A 40 pound bag covers 6,000 square feet.  If you’re looking for an all-organic winterizer fertilizer, pick up a bag of

Nature’s Cycle (made in Platteville) or

Alpha Lawn II plus iron (made in Loveland). The organic fertilizers typically cover about 3,000 square feet of lawn. Stop in and see us. We'll help you select the right fertilizer for your lawn.

Learn from one of the best.

 

 

There are many who say that Panayoti Kelaidis has changed Western gardening more that anyone in recent times. There is no doubt that his influence on gardening and plant selection is substantial. As an expert in horticulture, science and art, the Senior Curator and Director of Denver Botanical Gardens Outreach, has traveled extensively and spoken throughout the world. He is past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Rock Garden Society

and the American Penstemon Society. In 2000, he was the recipient of the Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal from Swarthmore College, generally considered the highest honor in American Horticulture. Panayoti almost singlehandedly introduced the genus Delosperma to general horticulture.

Delosperma or Ice Plant is a low growing, long-flowering ground cover. This would be a great chance for you to ask Panayoti why he chose the name “ice plant”. Born and raised in Colorado, his extensive knowledge of horticulture in our unique climate will help you better understand the possibilities of gardening in Colorado. On Saturday, September 27^th at 1:00 p.m. you’ll have the opportunity to sit down and visit with Panayoti in The Flower Bin’s classroom.

Time to revive your lawn.

 

September is a great time to fix up your lawn. Turf grass wears out for any number of reasons; wear and tear, age, soil compaction, bugs, fungus and now is the best time to fix these problems. There are two products to use on your lawn right now to help it get ready for winter.

Revive™ works to break down the surface of your lawn so water and nutrients get into the soil better.

Soil Activator works at the root level so your lawn can take up water and nutrients better. You need both for your lawn to look its best. If you haven’t fed your lawn, now’s the time to add Fertilome Lawn Food Plus Iron. If you’re thinking about re-seeding those bare spots or adding seed to the whole lawn to help thicken it up, now is the time. Start with selecting the right seed for your lawn. Most of the grasses we use in our lawns are “cool-season” grasses. They do best when the temperatures are cooler. That’s why spring and fall are the best times to seed your lawn.  We recommend you choose seed that will work in our area. We get our grass seed from the Greely, Fort Collins area.

We sell grass seed in bulk, so you can buy the exact amount you need. For sunny areas, you can choose from Flower Bin Blue grass mix which is a drought tolerant and stands up to heavy traffic or Colorado’s Own which will work in sun and moving shade area. We also carry mixes for shady areas.

It’s best to aerate the lawn first, then add a soil amendment such as Sheep, Peat and Compost and lightly rake it in.

Add your seed and cover lightly with Top Soil or Sheep, Peat and Compost and keep it moist until the seed germinates. If you’re not sure how to proceed, stop in and talk to us. We help you select just the right grass seed.

Time to plant fall blooming bulbs.

Fall blooming bulbs from The Flower Bin. One of the easiest flowering bulbs to grow, Colchicum belongs to a small group of fall blooming bulbs and is a wonderful addition to your autumn garden.

Colchicum grow from bulb-like corms that need to be planted as soon as you get them. Pick a site that receives full sun to partial shade and prep your soil with Sheep, Peat and Compost or use Top Soil and work it into your existing soil about 5" to 6". Dig a hole about three times as deep as the bulb is high.

Add some Bone Meal to the bottom of the hole and cover it slightly. You want the bulb to root into the bone meal.

Place the bulb and fill the hole with soil and water.

Label the spot so you'll remember what was planted. Colchicum bloom quickly, usually within 3-4 weeks of planting. Remove the flowers once they have faded. Come spring, the bulb will send up leaves, but won’t bloom again until the next fall. Leave the leaves intact until they have faded. This is what replenishes the bulb so it will bloom again around September.

Colchicum will also blossom on your window sill. Simply place them in a glass container and they will soon bloom. Discard the bulb after blooming.

Crocus Sativas, the saffron crocus should also be planted in September.

Autumnale 'Album' a white flowering corm.

Lilac Wonder has large violet flowers and can grow up to 8" tall.

Tips for growing hardy geraniums

 

 

 

If you’re looking for a low maintenance mounding plant for your rock garden or perennial border, Cranesbill may be the plant for you. Cranesbill is the true hardy geranium, not to be confused with annual geraniums or pelargoniums. Hardy geraniums come back year after year. They grow in clumps and prefer full sun, though you could plant them in a spot that receives late afternoon shade. Cranesbill will do best in soil which drains well, so plan to dig in some soil amendments such as Sheep, Peat and Compost to your planting site. Count on cranesbill to give you many years of colorful pink and blue flowers. Great for pollinators. 'Rozanne' (pictured above) was selected as the 2008 Perennial of the year. It has a very large, vibrant violet-blue flowers and a long bloom season. Other cranesbill selection include:

 

 

 

 

'Dark Reiter'

'Blue Sunrise'

 

'Karmina'

'Laurence Flatman'