Western Gardening Blog

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

The latest flower tips

VIDEO: How to Clean Your Petunias, So You Aren’t Trimming Off the Wrong Parts

You want to "clean" your petunias, so they look pretty and tidy. But how do you know you're trimming off the right parts? What's a new bud versus a dying flower? In this short video on petunia care, you'll see get simple tips and clear photos on: EXACTLY what to look...

VIDEO: How to Trim Petunias to Keep Them Looking Pretty

If you have petunias, you may be wondering how to keep your petunias looking good, especially when the blooms start dying. In this week's video, you'll: See exactly where to trim your petunias, so your plants look pretty and you encourage them to keep giving you new...

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 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...

VIDEO: 4 Proven Tips to Pick Flowers for Planters (That Last!)

So, you walk into your local garden center ... You're all ready to pick 3-5 flowers for your planters, but suddenly, you see HUNDREDS of flower choices. You're looking at row, after row, after row of flowers. How are you supposed to know which flowers to pick?? No...

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...

5 Helpful Things to Know About Garden Centers in Colorado, Utah & Similar States

So, you walk into your local western garden center... And you see row after row of flowers. You may find yourself thinking one of two things: "Ahhhh, I'm in my happy place." You feel like a kid in a candy store. Or ... "HOLY. CRAP." There are sooooo many choices. You...

“Can I Change the Flowers in My Flowerpots for Fall?”

I used to think that once you planted your flowerpots, that was it. Your flower babies were in there for the long haul. But I’ve come to appreciate that you can swap out the flowers in your pots. It's like changing your wardrobe for the seasons. If you want to change...

What to Do With Outdoor Pots in the Winter, So They Look Good for Many Seasons

The seasons are changing. It's time to figure out what to do with your outdoor pots in the winter. (Good thinking!) Before you start getting winter snow and freezing temps, it helps to: 1) Empty the dead flowers and dirt (or "soil" in garden lingo) from your outdoor...

Will Wind Chill Kill My Plants?

- 20 degrees below zero... -50 degrees below zero... -70 degrees below zero ... Yikes. Every few years, we see some big wind chill numbers across parts of the Rocky Mountain region and high plains during winter, including in Colorado and Wyoming. With these arctic...

What NOT to Do in Your Western Garden in February

The sun is shining its warm rays. Birds are singing. And Costco has started assembling its spring pergola displays. Spring is starting to feel like it's within reach, even if it's still a ways off. It’s enough to make you want to skip through the aisles of Costco. (Go...

How to Sterilize Your Flowerpots

Here are the key items you need to sterilize your flowerpots: Here's how to sterilize your flowerpots: Wear clothes for cleaning. For example, put on rubber gloves. You also may want to put on old clothes. Place your pots in a sink or tub (if you can). Wash your pots...