Columbine Blog
News, Tips and Updates
Part 7: How to Support Pollinators All Year Long
More than Pretty Creatures Pollinators go through many stages of life and need habitat that supports them throughout the year. It’s easy to get focused on the loveliness of a butterfly alighting on a butterfly bush blossom or sipping nectar from a butterfly weed flower,...
12 November, 2024
Note to our Maintenance/Fall Clean Up Clients
If you’ve been with us for the last year or more, you’ve probably noticed a trend in our message about fall clean up that is echoed in this month’s blog article: less is more. In our newsletters and your invoice emails, I’ve explained why...
11 October, 2024
Part 6: Ecological Maintenance
Less is more. Many standard practices we have learned to do, with the belief that they make us good gardeners, end up backfiring, work against nature, and create extra unnecessary work for us. Instead, here are some tips on how to maintain your landscape...
08 October, 2024
Part 5: 4 Things to Know Before Planting Native Plants
I talk a lot about sustainable landscapes needing to include native and adapted plants. But what specifically does that mean? In both cases, it means we use plants that like growing in our native soil, and they do it well. They are accustomed...
05 September, 2024
Our 2024 Newsletter Theme: The Mechanics of a Sustainable Landscape
What is a sustainable landscape? It seems the word sustainable has been watered down, overused and mis-used over the years, so what does it really mean? In terms of a landscape, picture vibrant nature, in harmony, where chemicals aren’t needed because the ecosystem is...
09 August, 2024
Part 1: The Permacultural Approach to the Spring Garden
In the realm of gardening and landscaping, the principles of permaculture have been gaining significant traction. Permaculture, derived from “permanent agriculture” or “permanent culture,” emphasizes working in harmony with nature to create sustainable and resilient sy
10 July, 2024
Part 2: MAXIMIZE USE OF WATER; Beyond “Waterwise”
Water is life, as they say. It is a precious resource, and as some point out, it should be more accurately referred to as source, the source of all life. When we look at it through this lens and pay attention to how we...
09 July, 2024
Part 3: CHECKLIST: Designing to Nurture Nature & Nurture Ourselves
Design is an important part of the process for creating a sustainable landscape. It invites deep thought, reflection, and planning to make sure we’re creating a landscape that checks all the boxes. Sustainable landscape design strives to create landscapes that Pay rent...
01 July, 2024
Part 4: Is Living Mulch Better than Dead Mulch?
What is living mulch? you might ask. Let’s first address what mulch is. In the ornamental horticulture world, mulch is something that covers the ground and: Typically, mulch is either a wood-based material, or gravel. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Living mulch, as...
27 June, 2024
A Natural Solution to Prevent the Need for Herbicides & Pesticides
In today’s world, where environmental concerns are paramount, there is a growing awareness of the adverse impacts of herbicides and pesticides on ecosystems. However, maintaining a beautiful and healthy landscape doesn’t have to rely on chemical interventions. By creating habitat in your
10 June, 2024
How to Create Habitat for Pollinators in Your Landscape
Creating habitat for pollinators is a wonderful way to support the local ecosystem while simultaneously enhancing your landscape for your own enjoyment. Here are some steps you can take: Plant Native Wildflowers: Choose a diversity of native wildflowers that bloom at different times...
16 October, 2023
Myth Busting: Dry Streambeds, Cobble as Weed Control, Rototilling
MYTH #1 DRY STREAMBEDS BELONG IN A WATERWISE LANDSCAPE FACT: DRY STREAMBEDS ARE NOT WATERWISE Dry streambeds are not considered waterwise because they do not actively conserve or utilize water resources. A dry stream bed typically lacks vegetation or water-holding features, which means
11 September, 2023
Discover the Harmonizing Effects of Infinity Gardens
Infinity gardens embrace the natural landscapes and vast vistas to create visually stunning and expansive garden designs. These gardens aim to capture the essence of Colorado’s boundless beauty and evoke a sense of infinite space. The concept is achieved through careful selection of plants, st
10 August, 2023
How Rain Gardens Emulate Nature’s Hydrological Engineers: the Beaver
If you’ve been reading our newsletter, you know by now that rain gardens are innovative and environmentally friendly solutions for managing stormwater runoff. But did you know that these gardens functionally mimic the work of beavers? Indeed; they effectively spread and slow the flow...
12 July, 2023
Is “Nonvegetative turf” a Good Alternative to Traditional Lawn?
I know it can be a challenge to figure out exactly what to cover the ground with. The adage tossed around the ecological and horticultural realms that “nature abhors a vacuum” refers to the fact that weeds will fill a void. We don’t want to...
12 June, 2023
Wait! 7 Steps Before Going to the Nursery…
May is the peak of plant supply at our local nurseries and it’s so easy to fall in love with endless cute and handsome plants of all sizes, but before you bring them home there are several steps I recommend you take to set you...
10 May, 2023
How to Choose a Theme for Your New Landscape
Are you thinking about hiring a Landscape Designer but feeling timid because they might ask questions like “What Landscape Theme would you like?” when you haven’t a clue how to answer? It can be intimidating, no doubt. We’re here to equip you with what you...
15 April, 2023
The Power of a Personalized Landscape Design
Have you wondered about the benefits of getting a professional landscape design before making major changes in your landscape? Well, let me ask you some questions. Have you ever driven across the country without a map? If so, how many times did you have...
09 March, 2023
Winter-time Tips & Tricks
Overwintering Perennials in Containers I’ve had great success with this over the years. It’s generally not recommended because in containers, the regulating mass of the ground is not moderating temperature fluctuations as it does for plants in the ground, nor is the water-holding...
16 November, 2022
The Art of Fall Clean Up
Is fall clean up worth doing? Is it important? Does the timing matter? Yes, yes, and yes. Here are the whys and wherefores you’ve been yearning to know. As we learn the ways to be more ecologically responsible gardeners, we learn that being selective...
15 October, 2022