Describe something as stronger, faster, and able to fend off foes, and most people think of caped crusaders in brightly colored tights.  Toss in a “and their tomatoes are amazing!” and you’re written off as talking to adolescent boys and Boris Vallejo fans.  But one look at the performance of this year’s hot new product, and you’ll be tempted to try a few in your garden to get a taste of what it’s like to live with a superhero.

If you decide to plant a Mighty ‘Mato, buckle your seatbelts; it promised to be one wild summer ride.  The latest improvements to vegetables comes to us from the Pacific Northwest, where Log House Plants have perfected the art of fusing tomatoes to a rootstock that amps up America’s garden sweetheart with super natural powers.  “This is not a genetically modified organism; it’s a grafted plant,” says Brian Wheat, co-owner of Lafayette Florist, 600 South Public Rd. in Lafayette, CO, “it’s a modern tomato on an old world, wild tomato rootstock.  This is the same theory as roses, where they put roses on roots to have bigger flowers, bloom longer.  We want tomatoes to survive here, with our cool nights, poor soil, and temperature swings.  When people see how many tomatoes they get, how huge they are, they’ll be overwhelmed to see it performing so well.”

 To be honest, anything that touts itself as the must-have of the season gets a stink eye from me until it’s proven itself, because there are a lot of people who devote their lives to separating gardeners from our money.  Fads come and go, usually with late night television ads that, if you act now, will send you a few Ginsu knives they have lying around.  Wheat’s seen them all.  “Sometimes there’s a hula-hoop idea that is beautiful in its simplicity, like the Topsy-Turvy planter.  They’re perfect for certain places, like patios or those who don’t have gardens any more but want a little tomato plant.  I want my customers to get the most out of their garden; it’s the most important thing to me.”

 Getting the most from places in Colorado isn’t always easy, with changing elevation and a short growing season.  But this beauty and the beast pairing holds a lot of promise for gardens in challenging locales, like gardening at elevation, where Wheat sees the earlier cropping and tolerance to temperature swings of the Mighty ‘Mato beating out traditional tomatoes.  “When you look at its benefits, this tomato says Colorado, not Illinois, where I’m from.  They have rich soil, rain.  This makes sense for us; it starts producing earlier and gives fruit later into the season.”

If you’re growing it in a container, think big; the root system on Mighty ‘Mato requires a whiskey barrel or larger size pot.  And caring for a grafted tomato differs from a standard one:  you don’t plant them deeply.  Along the lower part of its vine, tomatoes have lumps, called root initials, that often develop into roots.  When this happens to a grafted tomato, the genetics of the top growth can take over, reducing or cancelling out the robust characteristics the rootstock provides.  Plant them at the same level as they are in the pot, making sure that the graft line – you can clearly see it – is above the soil. Many varieties of heirloom and hybrids are available on the Mighty ‘Mato, including:  beefsteak, Mortgage Lifter, Black Krim, Green Zebra, or Cherokee Purple slicers.  Cherry tomato fans will love the better-than-bumper-crop production of Sweet Million, Black Cherry, or Yellow Pear.  I’m trying Brandywine, because I’ve noticed a decline in its vigor in my garden and want to see if grafting gives it the jolt needed to grace our table with the tangy, old fashioned flavor love apples are known for.

I love to talk about annuals. They’re colorful and long lasting. I like to call them the “workhorses” of the flower garden. Planted after the last frost in your geographical area, they will give you joy all season while providing shades of every color of the rainbow.

The great thing about annual bedding plants is this year, you love hot orange, but last year you planted all yellow and pink, and next year purple might be your top choice. Annuals are an inexpensive way to change the curb appeal of your home and stay updated with fashion and color trends. It’s a fun way to spend time with the family as you pick colors, plant for the season, and then watch them produce color until fall. With water, soil prep and a little fertilizer, it’s very rewarding.

From the dwarf zinnias to hedge-type marigolds, size and shape is up to you. Some plants will tolerate hot, dry sunny locations and others prefer moist shade. Almost every yard has a place where annuals can be planted. Your local florist or garden center can help with information and education on what plants will do best for your yard. Here are a few ideas to inspire you in choosing annuals:

Borders: lobelia, ageratum, sweet alyssum, dwarf marigolds, dianthus, moss rose portulaca, dusty miller

Mass Plantings: geraniums, petunias, marigolds, celosia, cosmos, phlox, vinca and gazanias

Tall Flowering Plants: snapdragons, cleome, nicotiana, salvia, gomphrena and zinnias

Trailing Plants: verbena, lobelia, vinca vine, sweet potato vine, calibrachoa, lantana, scaevola and bacopa

Climbing Plants: morning glory, nasturtium, black-eyed Susan vine and scarlet runner bean

Shade Lovers: impatiens, begonias, fuchsia, coleus, mimulus, torenia, browallia and balsa

Fragrant Flowers: nicotiana, sweet alyssum, scented geraniums, stock, heliotrope and four o’clocks

Patio Pots: spike, dahlias, calibrachoa, gerbera, osteospermum, bidens, geraniums, petunias, marigolds, pansy, viola, helichrysum, chrysanthemum daisy, New Guinea impatiens, asparagus fern, statice, ivy, herbs and veggies of all kinds.

A few of my favorites: salpiglossis, schizanthus, nemesia and diascia.

Be adventurous. There are new varieties introduced every year, along with new colors and textures. You are limited only by your imagination. Enjoy a great summer of color in the flower garden.

During my 30 years in the garden center business, there is one question that is asked more than all others: “What’s the difference between an annual and a perennial?” It’s one of those questions that many are embarrassed about, because they re-ask it every year. Here is the response I give to help my customers remember: “An annual is like annual taxes, you have to do them every year. A perennial is like a perennial problem, it keeps coming back, time after time.” With that said, here are some powerful perennials every landscape should consider, and some great ground covers that are hardy, will return every year and spread, and help reduce weeds and soil erosion.

The benefits of a well-designed perennial garden can provide many years of beauty and enjoyment. Early blooms of Basket of Gold Alyssum, to mid summer’s Stella de Oro Daylily and Shasta Daisies, then finishing with fall’s Autumn Joy Sedums, offers homeowners constant color throughout the season with less maintenance, less water, and often with fewer pest problems.

Perennials may serve as natural borders along fences or property lines and require less irrigation and maintenance than turf grass. Visually, perennials give depth to property, and are a great background to soften fences and walls. They also are great companions to trees and shrubs and help in the resale of a home.  Sunny, dry sites to moist shady spots have numerous perennials and ground covers that will foot the bill and thrive when properly selected for their location. Not to mention the main goal — curb appeal to impress your family, friends and neighbors. But most of all impress the folks driving by that say, “Wow, that’s a beautiful flower garden and it seems to stay in bloom all season!”

Tips for planting perennials:

• Choose location and blooming times

• Check plant hardiness for your neck of the woods Consider factors of sun, shade, wind, soil type and water source
• Plan it on paper, which is much easier to correct than digging plants back up to relocate
• Prepare a list of desired plants with heights and spread, blooming time and color
• Add organic matter to improve soil quality if needed to help with drainage and aeration
• Early Spring: Rock Cress, Creeping Phlox, Basket of Gold, English Daisy, Lily-of-the-Valley, Candytuft, Pasque Flower, Mossy Saxifrage, Hellebores, Violas and Sandwort
• Early Summer: Ajuga, Columbine, Sea Thrift, Forget-Me-Not, Sweet Woodruff, Iris, Dianthus, Bleeding Heart, Penstemon, Periwinkle, Flax, Snow-in-Summer and Peony.
• Summer: Snow on the Mountain, Yarrow, Holly Hock, Agastache, Astilbe, Carnation, Coreopsis, Ice Plant, Delphinium, Foxglove, Baby’s Breath, Coral Bells, Red Hot Poker, Lavender, Shasta Daisy, Bee Balm, Poppy, Rudbeckia, Salvia, Daylily, Hosta and Veronica
• Late Summer/Fall: Coneflower, Sedums, Fall Aster, Chrysanthemum, German Statice, Gayfeather, Tall Garden Phlox, Russian Sage and Ornamental Grasses.

Facts for ground covers:

• Helps control weeds and soil erosion
• Dense foliage, but some can become invasive
• Generally, less than 12” tall and spread easily
• Plant where grass is not practical and some tolerate light foot traffic
• Vines, herbaceous plants and shrubs, low growing juniper and ornamental 
• Grasses and moss, are considered excellent groundcovers.

When planting ground covers, follow the same tips as perennials.

Here are a few ground cover favorites to consider:

• Small areas (under 50 square feet): Woolly Yarrow, Pussytoes, Mt Atlas Daisy, Silver Mound Sage, Sedum, Hens and Chicks, Lamb’s Ear, Creeping Thyme, Cranesbill, Creeping Speedwell and Verbena
• Large areas (greater 50 square feet): Poppy Mallow, Snow-In-Summer, Ice Plant, Strawberry, Creeping Potentilla, Rock Cotoneaster, Catmint, Moneywort, Ground Ivy, Japanese Spurge and Periwinkle.

Enjoy your perennial wonders of nature and they’ll reward you with years of colorful blooms.

What’s your favorite perennial, and where does it live and thrive in your garden?

Lady Bird Johnson said, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”

“Every year of our lives, one thing is certain, the seasons will change, the sun will rise and set, and the flowers will bloom.” That’s my personal quote. (Maybe someday, some young writer will quote me. That would be cool … sorry, I digress.)

Gardeners and even non-gardeners notice the changes of our seasons, when the green patches of lawn peek out from a snow covered yard and the faces of pansies tilt upwards toward the sun on a cold late winter day. Fall planted, spring blooming bulbs, such as tulips, crocus and daffodils, start to emerge, their noses pushing through the soil. They’ll notice the buds on tree branches start to swell, the buzzing of bees, and a Red Breasted Robin with a worm in its beak preparing for a new family. They might notice the life giving moisture soaking into the ground, rejuvenating shrubs and rose bushes, slowly warming them out of their long winters nap. The spring rain cleanses the winter’s deposits from the fronds of juniper.

No doubt, Spring is my favorite time of year. Spring is when we celebrate regrowth and new beginnings.

Across the nation, there are times when you anticipate the next big show by Mother Nature. The rhododendrons in the southeast, cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., the fragrant peonies on the plains of Central Illinois, to the golden aspens of fall in our mountains of Colorado and the tulips of Skagit Valley in Washington.

I could make a list of all these extraordinary displays, and every person reading this would add a few more from where they grew up or live. These natural events bless us and touch all of our senses, from the smell of lilacs and plumeria, to the soft touch of pussy willows, the sight of pampas grass on a hillside waving in the wind, to the taste of fresh rhubarb and the sound of rustling corn stalks in a late summer breeze, all bring up images of nature’s colorful bounty.

It sometimes touches our very fiber of who we are and stirs up memories of times past and future promises.  Nature and plants can affect our moods and well being. The overcast gray skies and gloomy frozen landscape of the Midwest can be depressing, and for some, the only cure is spring. The busy and sometimes hectic lives we live can be made more tolerable by just stopping and smelling the roses.

So my wish for you this  spring is to take a moment to look around at what nature has to offer. Bring branches of apple blossoms and forsythia indoors and let them bloom.  Visit a tulip festival.  Plant pansies and violas in a colorful pot.

Take a walk with the family around your neighborhood and spy on newly emerging flowers. Enjoy the promise of growth and admire creation. This cycle started long before we showed up and will continue long after we are gone. Embrace and thank nature for the gift of reengergizing us each and every spring.

Which flowers and plants do you look forward to watching bloom every spring?

Remember those beautiful tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus that were blooming in the spring? Believe it or not, now is the time to plant the bulbs for next spring’s bloom. You’ll be glad you planted them. When those flowers emerge in the spring from their winter slumber, it is truly magical. Let me share with you a short history on tulip bulbs, and tell you about site, soil prep, selection (the fun part), planting and growing.

Tulip History --- The original tulip was a wild flower growing in Central Asia. The Turks cultivated it or tamed it around 1000 AD. It was introduced to Western Europe and the Netherlands in the 17th century. Its name comes from the Turkish word for turban. A true status symbol planted in palace gardens.

It soon gained popularity as a trading product, especially in Holland. The interest in the flower was huge, and bulbs sold for unbelievably high prices. Some hybrids and mutations of the flower were seen as rare and a sign of upper status. In early 1637, there was a complete ‘Tulipmania” in the Netherlands, where many rare bulbs would cost more than the average cost of a house at the time. The early growers and traders made huge amounts of money. Everyone wanted in on the action, but then, oversupply and lower demand caused major bankruptcies. This “Tulip Crash” caused their government to introduce special trading restrictions on the flower.

Today, that’s all in the past, the popularity of the tulip is ever present. Bold colors, shapes and sizes, dramatic flares, parrot-types, bunching varieties make this wonderful treasure both affordable and hugely desirable.

Choosing Where to Plant Bulbs  ---- Plant them in a highly visible bed where you, family and friends can see and enjoy them. Choose a spot with good sunlight and drainage so bulbs will not become waterlogged. Amend your soil with a well-decomposed compost or sphagnum peat moss, this will improve your soil texture, plus, help with aeration and drainage. Apply phosphorus fertilizer or bone meal at the time of planting so it is available to the roots. Tip: Plant a solid block of color because in bloom, it is truly impressive.

Selecting Bulbs and Planting Bulbs ---- Pick the largest ones because there is a direct correlation between the size of the bulb and size of the flower. Avoid those that show evidence of mold or mechanical damage.

Check the blooming times on the bulb package; some will say, very early, early, mid or late. These will allow you to have a full spring and early summer of color.

In my area of Colorado, the best time to plant is September-October. Be sure to ask your local garden center about when the best time to plant is in your area.

Bulbs should be planted to a depth of three to four times the height of the bulbs. If your bulb is 2″, plant it around 6″ to 8″ deep. Plant with the growing tip up. Water well after planting and during dry times when there is no moisture during the winter months.

Caring for Bulbs in Winter and in Spring
After the ground freezes, add a few inches of mulch to prevent alternate freezing and thawing. During spring, remove flowers as they wither, but don’t be afraid to cut some and enjoy them in vases in the home.

Plant Pansies, too
A great addition to your bulb beds are pansies. Planted on the top of the bulb garden, it will remind you to give needed water in dry times and reward you with blossoms through the snow and winter. Many colors, shapes and sizes are available in fall. It seems the blues/purples and yellows are most hardy and prolific.

So, early this fall, plant these gems around your “palace” and smile to yourself for being so smart, knowing they’ll reward you next spring.

Happy Gardening!

  In this day and age, there are so many of us that have downsized. Our "gardening area" has diminished to a deck, porch or small patio. The days of you coming home from work to a huge chore of back breaking weeding, dead heading, dragging the hose around and harvesting the fruits of our labor have been reduced to some nice planters on the deck. I personally am guilty and love it. I've had many homes with huge gardens, show gardens on tours and plantings of unusual and exotic flowers and plants that don't necessarily grow in our environment. I've learned of micro climates and techniques to help these plant survive. Now over 50, I've decided to scale it down. But, that certainly doesn't mean you can't have a blast gardening and have some very cool plants and flowers to work with, brag on and enjoy ! 

    It all starts with looking at your location. Is it full sun, shade, part sun, windy, and ease of watering.  Picking the right flowers for the right location is vital.  Make sure you are paying attention to this. Putting shade-loving double impatiens in full sun will just frustrate you and defeat your goal. Planting zinnias in shade will not work. Now that you know your conditions, I would go to the garden center and pick out some cool, colorful, maybe even funky pots. Today's selection of pottery is so much better than years ago. Sure , we all still stock clay pots and plastic containers, but what a great opportunity to jazz it up with some neat brightly colored pots of different shapes and sizes. Maybe, a lime colored strawberry pot with dark blue lobelias trailing out, with  purple gomphrenas as the focal point on top. The selections are only limited to your imagination.

 So now you have some cool pots, time to consider the soil. A nice mixture of Canadian sphagnum peat moss, compost, vermiculite, perilite, charcoal and a wetting agent is recommended. Good drainage is a must.  Don't get nervous, you don't have to mix this, it's already in bags at the greenhouse ready to go, some with a  fertilizer already mixed in.  Adding some polymers in the soil, those little crystals that reduce watering and labor, will be beneficial to your plants. Ask your local garden center Guru for their recommendations and advise.

    Now comes the fun part, picking out your plants. Bright colors, texture of foliage, bloom and growth sizes, trailing or upright, variegated, are just a few considerations. Mixed pots are as unique as the gardeners who plant them. You can match them or make them opposites, monochromatic or psychedelic. The choice is YOURS ! It's your deck, your the one that will be sitting back and relaxing with your margarita gazing on them and saying, "very nice, cool flowers and oh, by the way, I designed and planted them !" Have fun, experiment with new varieties and plants you've never used. Nice red geraniums, a spike in the middle, a few yellow marigolds and petunias and some trailing vinca vine in a brown pot is nice. Don't get me wrong, it's nice, safe and traditional. But, maybe, next time try a red banana in the middle, surrounded by hot lips salvia with some blue ageratum with fiery orange celosia and sun loving coleus of lime around the edge mixed with double purple calibrachoa. Did I mention, it's in a ceramic bright orange window box ??? Gardening shouldn't be rocket science and it shouldn't be hard or difficult, what I'd like it to be, for everyone is a kick, fun and funky with alot of individual style. 

   We live on a golf course now in a patio home, so small scale gardening is a hot topic for me. My two umbrella planters on the tables are small scale golf greens, planted with Irish and Scotch moss surrounded with smooth pebbles, a teed up Callaway finish the look. Like I've said, "you are only limited by your own imagination !" Enjoy, The Flower Guy ! 

WOW, that sounds really quite heavy, but oh, so true. We need to understand the relationship between us and the important role that flowers, plants, bees, birds, bats, insects and animals play in our well being and the health of our world. One such character is the amazing hummingbird and relationship with the plants they love.

Our friend, the hummingbird, can fly forward, hover and then fly backwards and is the only bird that can. They weigh less than a penny, fly 500 miles non-stop flights from Mexico and Central American and thousand more miles to reach their destinations. Their tiny hearts can reach 1,200 beats a minute. They have the highest metabolism of all animals and are always on the brink of starvation. Their daily search of nectar is vital and need to find and visit hundreds of flowers to feed. Placing out feeders certainly helps, but planting flowers is the best solution to helping our little friend. Hummingbirds revisit a route they follow year in and year out, this practice is called "traplining." If you can help establish a garden of beautiful plants they will be lured to you and return. Red is their favorite color. Orange and purple seem a close second and third. They will hang around all summer, raise a few eggs and leave in the late summer or early fall. So, plan your "hummer garden" carefully with some plants I'll suggest. The huge bonus is, butterflies are attracted to the same plants, who could ask for more? A side note, the use of pesticides around our tiny friends is not cool, be safe and natural.

Trees and shrubs they love...Azalea, butterfly bush, flowering quince, lantana, weigela and red buckeye. A nice group of vines, such as, honeysuckle, morning glory, trumpet creeper, scarlet runner bean are on the menu. Perennials they'll dig...bee balm, cannas, cardinal flower,coneflower, columbine (my State Flower), coral bells, four o'clocks, foxglove, agastache,lupine, penstemon and the yucca. They will be your new best friends if you supply the annuals of fuchsia, impatiens, petunias, salvias and shrimp plant.

Attracting hummingbirds to your garden can make for a very pleasant summer, share their story, relationships, and flight plans with your friends and family. What a great opportunity to educated and enjoy the rewards. Remember, we all share this big blue marble with some amazing flowers... and the animals who love them !!! Get more information at www.hummingbirds.net or with my friends at the Colorado State University at www.ext.coloradostate.edu fact sheet #5.504.

Have a wonderful gardening season, The Flower Guy