Gardening Class Season

I have taken a couple of gardening classes the last few Saturdays at Fort Collins Nursery.  The first one was Organic Gardener’s Companion: Cool & Warm Season Vegetables.  The class was by Jane Shellenberger, the editor of Colorado Gardener and the author of Organic Gardener's Companion: Growing Vegetables in the West.  Amazingly, I don't have this gardening book.  I have looked at it several times, but have not purchased it.  I don't consider myself to be an expert gardener, but it was obvious from the other people in the class that I know way more than most people do about vegetable gardening.  There are a couple of things I want to try like compost tea and see if it makes a difference with the vegetables and then try row covers so I can start cool season vegetables sooner. 

Outside the Denver Botanic Gardens - Summer 2013

The second class I took was Design tips for western-inspired gardens with Plant Select® by Pay Hayward.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the class by Jane, but the class with Pat got me really excited.  I spent all afternoon telling my spouse how wonderful the class was and I think he figured it out after I said it for the hundredth time during lunch.  I have had good luck with most of the Plant Select plants I have planted.  There are a few I can't grow but I think they were in wrong spots in the yard.  I learned that I am cutting back my Agastache back too soon.  I need to wait till the new growth is 4 or 5 inches tall.  I need to stop cutting back Echium amoenum "Red Feathers" after it blooms because it reseeds or self sows.  I also noticed during the slide show that some of the Plant Select plants in my garden are not as large as they could be.  It is the soil conditions.  I may be moving plants this Spring (or what survived the winter) and experimenting.  FYI - there will be a new Plant Select book in 2016.  Not sure I can wait that long.  The original is a great resource and I like to give it as a gift to new gardeners in Colorado.

I don't have any Plant Select photos.  This is Leontis "Savannah Sunset".  This is a cool plant. 

Close up of Savannah Sunset