Fall in Love With Flower Gardening
Hi there, I’m Ann. I help budding western gardeners learn flower gardening without the endless guessing and overwhelm, so they can get results QUICKLY.
Get ready to find more joy outside, while you grow flowers that have your friends saying, “Wow!”
If you’ve ever admired your neighbors’ gardens and thought, “I wish I could do that,”
you’re in the right place. 🌻
Get showy color in just one summer — with flowerpot gardening
Dig into these free tools to shorten your learning curve
Want more colorful blooms from your flowerpots? Check out these 3 proven ways to get new buds.
What’s your flowerpot personality? Find out here! You’ll get flower suggestions that match.
Discover simple flower tips to raise your container garden game, so you can’t wait to spend time outside.
It’s not you …
It’s flower gardening in the West
You know those parts of the country where you dig a few holes, plop in a few plants and watch them grow into a lush jungle?
All the while, you sip chilled cocktails and laugh about how easy flower gardening is.
That isn’t Colorado, Utah or the interior West. 🙂
Located in the semi-arid, high steppe of North America, we have unique conditions for growing flowers. Throw in the Rocky Mountains, and well, it’s an adventure!
More like Patagonia than Pittsburgh
Did you know that our growing conditions are often more like parts of Patagonia, South Africa and Central Asia than other parts of the U.S.?
(Explains a few things, doesn’t it?)
Here’s the good news …
You CAN grow colorful flowers in western states like Colorado & Utah even if:
- You’re new to gardening at elevation … in a semi-arid climate … with 60-degree temperature swings … and wait, is that an ELK in your yard?
- You don’t have endless hours to spend in your garden
- You don’t have a mind like Martha Stewart (nor should you have to!)
But when learning how to garden, it helps to have a guide to skip over the bumps that surprise rookie gardeners here. 🌻
If we haven’t said hello on a Colorado hiking trail …
Hi there, I’m Ann
Certified Colorado Gardener, Dog Mama, Midwesterner-Turned-Colorado Girl
I grew up in a family of gardeners, but when I moved west, I quickly discovered that gardening in our high-altitude, dry conditions is an adventure.
I became a Certified Colorado Gardener through the Colorado State University Extension, and God knows, I’ve learned A LOT through 18 years of hands-on practice too.
When flower gardening clicks, it’s such a fun way to relax and reconnect with nature. I created Go West Gardener to help budding western gardeners — like you — find your confidence, so you can create an outdoor space you LOVE.
“Growing flowers is so much more rewarding”
“Because of Ann’s awesome gardening tips, my annuals are lasting much longer, and my flowers are thriving. Growing flowers is so much more rewarding.”
Ana Zellars | Golden, Colorado
Western flower gardening is an adventure
Where would you like to begin?
Go from, “I hope this grows,” to, “I’ve totally got this”
Get my latest flower gardening tips
Red Birds in a Tree: A Drought-Tolerant Flower That’s a MAGNET for Hummingbirds
During the pandemic, my husband and I re-worked part of our yard with new garden beds. (Any other weekend warriors out there?) I wanted to include drought-tolerant red flowers that would grow well in Colorado’s poor soils and hot, dry climate. And that’s when I fell...
Pre-Planned Flower Gardens: Beautiful Flowers Without the Overwhelm
Buying flowers for a garden can feel like a lot of guesswork. Especially when you live in the gotta-have-some-moxie, semi-arid West! This isn’t a place where you a dig a few holes, plop in some flowers and watch them grow into a lush jungle. Nope, our growing...
VIDEO: Japanese Beetles In Colorado & How to Control Them
What the heck is turning your plants into lace-y skeletons? If it's late June, July or August in the Front Range of Colorado, Japanese beetles may be to blame. "What do Japanese beetles look like?" you may be wondering. Japanese beetles are metallic green insects with...