Western Gardening Blog

Inspiring western gardeners to grow beautiful flowers with less effort in Colorado, Utah & the intermountain west

The latest flower tips

“Should I Water My Garden in the Fall in Colorado? What About Winter?”

Winter is a marathon for our plants in Colorado. It's an endurance test, and it can take its toll on our landscapes. Typically: Most of us don't get a lot of precipitation during winter in Colorado. We get drying winds that pull the moisture out of plants. We also get...

Is It Better to Empty Your Flowerpots in the Spring or Fall?

I used to leave everything in my flowerpots until spring. The whole shebang. Dead flowers, old potting soil, all of it. And for a few years, everything was fine. But then, I lost a few flowerpots to cracking. (Ugh.) I also learned about some pesky insects that like to...

VIDEO: What Are the Best Flowers to Grow in Containers for Showy Color?

You want to add a big splash of color to your front porch or back deck this summer (“heyyy, neighbors!”), but you’re just getting the hang of flower gardening. You may find yourself with a lot of questions swirling around your brain. This is normal! In this week’s...

Flowers That Can Struggle When Planted in the Fall (in Colorado, Wyoming & Similar States)

What NOT to Plant in Fall Gardens Early fall can be a good time to plant perennials in many places in the intermountain West. (Perennials are your flowers that return year after year.) But as I’ve learned the hard way in my Colorado garden… There are some flowers you...

4 Tips to Make Your Spring Flowers Look Prettier: Spring Bulb Garden Design!

You want your spring flowers to look pretty, but what's the best way to design them? How do you make the biggest impact? Great questions! In this week's post, you'll find 4 simple tips for spring bulb garden design. Use these tips when you plant your bulbs in the...

5 Helpful Tips for Buying Spring Flowering Bulbs in the Fall

Let’s say you’d like to grow pretty spring flowers in your western garden, like tulips or daffodils. Awesome! These spring flowers grow from bulbs that you plant in the fall in Colorado, Utah and the West. Here are a few examples of spring flowering bulbs: In this...

Where to Buy Flower Plants (That Last) for Your Western Garden

Buying flower plants at your local home improvement store is definitely convenient. But did you know you have other options on where to buy flowers for your garden in western states like Colorado, Utah and Wyoming? Let's say you'd like to find unusual flowers in...

Garden Lingo Bingo: Understanding Annuals vs Perennials

As you start to learn more about gardening, you'll likely find yourself playing a game of, "garden lingo bingo." And you will definitely see the garden terms, "annual" and perennial," somewhere on your bingo card. In this week's tip, you'll get the scoop on: What's an...

“Where Can I Learn About Plants for Waterwise Flower Gardening?”

If you've been wondering, "Where can I learn about plants for waterwise flower gardening?", you're in the right place. It's dry in the West, which means we need to be strategic about the flowers we grow in our gardens. Where I live in Colorado, we're lucky if we get...

“Why Should I Plant Flower Pots This Summer?”

If you’re wondering, "Why should I plant flower pots this summer?", here are 8 reasons to dig into this awesome hobby this year. #1: Planting flowers reduces stress and makes you feel better. Studies show that getting out in nature calms us and makes us feel better....

Flowerpot Clean-up Tips: What to Do With Your Flowerpots When Your Flowers Are Dead

Friends, the end of the flowerpot season is like the end of a dinner party. You've had an amazing evening of laughter, stories and delicious food. (“Oh my God, that was so good! I need that recipe!”) Your heart feels so full. And then... you walk into your kitchen....

“When Should I Empty My Flowerpots?”

In the fall, one of the questions that often comes up is: "When should I empty my flowerpots?" There are different schools of thought on when to empty your flowerpots, so I'm going to share several options. That way, you can decide which makes the most sense for you....