Hello and happy fall!

It’s finally cooling down a bit which makes this is my favorite time of year with cool nights and warm days. And it’s a great time for planting!

PLANTING
New plants planted in the fall are afforded the opportunity to focus all their energy on getting roots established in their new home without having to put any effort into pushing out new leaves, flowers or fruit above ground. Fall planting gives plants a real jump start on establishment. Let us know if there are any areas you’d like to change or augment.

BULBS
It’s that time of year again to make what could be a small investment for big impact come spring. I know some of you took note of your spring gardens and observed where some splashes of color would be desired and we did some noticing for you as well. For the relative low cost of bulbs (as compared to perennials or annuals) you can get great early season color returning year after year.

• A solid plan many gardeners adhere to is adding bulbs every year for a glorious spring display.
• Durango Botanical Society’s 8th Annual Bulb Sale is Oct 13. Get some unique beauties and support a good cause!
• Click here if you’d like us to plant bulbs for you this year.

WHAT ALL IS DONE TO PUT A GARDEN TO BED FOR THE WINTER?
In late October and early November we will be doing the valuable work of tucking landscapes in for the winter. Let us know if you’d like to get on our schedule if you aren’t already. Here’s a reminder of some of the benefits:

• CUT BACK PERENNIALS: Cutting back and removing this year’s growth from perennial flowers helps to reduce pests and gives you a tidy aesthetic during the winter months
• CREATE WINTER INTEREST: By knowing what to leave, birds and other wildlife benefit by having seeds in the winter; you benefit by having a more interesting winter-scape
• NOURISH YOUR SOIL: Feeding the soil with nutrients and organic matter improves the health of your soil, plants, garden, and when they thrive, we believe you do too. Click here to read why.
• MULCH: Mulching is often thought of a spring activity, but ensuring your beds have ample mulch now helps insulate your plants against drought, cold snaps, and dramatic temperature changes
• RAKE LEAVES: Removing fallen tree leaves helps your lawn stay healthier, makes the landscape look cleaner, can prevent perennials from rotting beneath them, and makes spring clean up much quicker

WATER IN THE WINTER
If there’s no snow cover, it’s a necessity. Many people are losing long-established plant this year due to not watering them enough. Don’t let yours be next!
Click here to look at a drought map to see where we currently stand. It’s an eye-opener.

PASSIVELY HYDRATE YOUR LAND WITH RAIN WATER
We are designing with passive rainwater catchment earthworks to mitigate the effects of erosion and make use of storm water to water your plants in your landscape, as opposed to the conventional approach of ushering it off the property as quickly as possible while paying to pipe water in. If you are interested, give us a shout and we can explore the applications for your landscape.

VICTORIOUSLY AVOIDING THE LANDFILL
Good news! We have secured a relationship with Tierra Vida Farm. They are happy to turn your yard waste into compost which nourishes their land and crops. We are happy to have it nurturing a good cause and to keep it out of the landfill. Of course the farm is a much nicer place for our crew to pay visits to than the transfer station too!

And our woody debris is now being collected for chipping by Lorax Tree Service. Much gratitude there.

HOLIDAY DECORATING
Yes, we’ll be at it again! Let us take care of any part you don’t love to make your holidays simpler, brighter, and more creative than ever. Click here for more info or to reserve your preferred week before we fill up!

And, in case you partake, look for us at these community events. We have donated gift certificates for holiday decorating to

• San Juan Mountains Association’s 30th anniversary already happened but we source our holiday trees from them so wanted to give them a nod here anyway.
• Great Old Broads for Wilderness silent auction online that will take place Oct 28- Nov 11
• Garden Project of SW Colorado for their One Garden at a Time fundraising dinner Oct 12