This article was first published in March 2023. Enjoy!
We’ve entered that time of the year in Colorado and the intermountain west when we tend to bounce between seasons, like animated 5-year-olds jumping around wildly in an inflatable bounce house.
Winter! Spring! Winter! Summer! Spring! Ack, winter!
Given that we don’t always follow a linear path into the growing season, it feels like a good time to chat about these common spring gardening questions in Colorado and the intermountain west:
“Will snow kill my spring flowers, like tulips?”
The short answer is no. (Yay!) March and April snowstorms shouldn’t affect whether your spring flowers return next year.
With that said, snow can “smoosh” your taller-growing spring flowers—like tulips and daffodils—and make their flower petals a little mushy if they’re blooming. Here’s what you can do.
“Are there flowers I can plant in pots in late March and April?”
If you’re up to your elbows in snow, we’ll chat in a few months.
But if you live at a lower elevation, you may start to notice violas and pansies at garden centers. These are “cool season” flowers. They’re like your relatives from Minnesota. Typically, they don’t mind a little chill.
Here what’s helpful to know about pansies.
“Can I plant flowers as soon as I bring them home from the store?”
Imagine the start of the skiing or snowboarding season. Sure, you could hit the slopes without working out in advance, but your legs are going to be on fire, right? But if you cross train first, your muscles will be tough and ready. You can ski or ride with ease.
The same is true for your flowers, especially the ones you get in the spring. There are simple things you can do BEFORE you plant them that will greatly improve your success rate with them. Get the scoop here.
More gardening questions and topics that may interest you:
- “What do I do with tulips after they’ve flowered?”
- When’s the best time to plant perennials in the spring in Colorado?
- 3 misconceptions about when to buy and plant flowers that can lead to dead plants (ack!)
