I love TV shows about gardening, and watching high-definition videos of beautiful, lush gardens filled with flowers and leaves, insects and vegetables really satiates my gardening desire during the long winter months.
I can't wait to get my hands dirty and plan and plant a container garden on my little balcony. After each show I have new ideas and new plants to try, so by the time May rolls around and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is here in the UK, I can't wait any longer!
And every year, I put my potted plants on the deck too early, only for them to be killed by frost or hail, because I just can't bear to wait until the right conditions are in June.
Don't be like me.
It's unlikely that popular British horticulturist and leading horticulture expert Monty Don of “Gardener's World” would show us plants that thrive in the conditions of the Yampa Valley. His show is aimed at an audience that gardens in growing conditions that are very different from ours. So while I would love to plant everything I see on the show, I've learned that the only rule for growing plants in the Yampa Valley is that you must work within the limits set by Mother Nature. Mother Nature always wins.
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try anything. To experiment wisely, you need to know the specific boundaries you're working with. Test to find the unique conditions of your space. Your deck might have a microclimate where you can pot up things that typically thrive in a warmer climate than ours. Maybe you have a wetland in your yard where you can plant water-loving plants that aren't usually compatible with the water restrictions in this region. A kitchen window directly above the sink, which has more humidity than the rest of the house, might surprise you as the perfect place for a finicky orchid to grow.
For some, “testing” means measuring light, heat, and humidity, carefully comparing a particular spot to the conditions the plant you want to grow. For others (including me), testing means, “I like this plant, so let's see if it lives or dies here.” It's more like the plotters and panzers of the writing world, and either way you get a finished piece.
Both test tracks can tell you about the conditions in that particular spot and the plants that live there. Have your irises stopped blooming again? Maybe the trees have grown and shaded the spot. Try moving the irises to a sunnier spot (maybe dividing them too) and planting shade-loving plants instead.
Did the annuals you planted in your railing flower box last year wilt and die, even though you remembered to water them every now and then? Maybe it's too hot and sunny out there. Maybe your life only allows you the occasional time to care for your plants. Instead, try a planter filled with echeveria, sedum, or houseleek. These succulents are beautiful and surprisingly tolerant of sun and drought. Just ask me and my busy schedule to find out how I know.
Again, don't be like me and don't take TV gardening advice from other parts of the world as absolute truth. A sunny spot right next to a west-facing window might be just the right amount of sun for your sedum plants in rainy, cloudy, sea level London, but in dry, blue sky, 6,900 foot elevation Steamboat Springs, it was too much sun for my potted sedum plants. Poor sedums…
For information on gardening in mountain regions, visit Extension.ColoState.edu/docs/pubs/garden/07244.pdf.
