Deter Deer with Camouflage Gardening

A deer-proof garden is essentially non-existent, but a highly deer-resistant garden is attainable with a little effort and planning. One key is to practice “camouflage gardening“.

Camouflage gardening is the practice of using plants that animals don’t like to deter them from eating plants that they do like. Camouflage gardening is mostly focused on deterring deer, but can work for rabbits, squirrels, and even dogs and cats with appropriate plantings. I must point out and stress that this deters animals like deer from eating desirable plants, it doesn’t prevent them from eating anything.

Deer exploring my new vegetable garden

Think of it as constructing a castle or defensive military position. The plant you want to protect is in the center of the defensive zone. It’s surrounded by a barrier of deer-resistant plants. For superior defense you layer zones with additional rings of protection. You’re not building walls to protect plants but using plants to protect plants.

There are certain plants that deer, and similarly many other animals, don’t like. Deer tend to avoid plants that are strongly aromatic or bitter tasting, that have a milky or sticky sap, or that have prickly leaves or are tough and hairy. When they encounter these plants they tend to ignore them and move on.

Deer are browsers that amble from plant to plant looking for something they like. If a plant isn’t on their list of favorites, they’ll keep looking for one that is. This assumes that they have an adequate food selection available. When conditions are bad, as in drought years or when habitat is reduced, they’ll eat almost anything to stay alive. In spring pregnant does will eat almost anything.

Deer look everywhere for food

To get the best protection and to help minimize problems during bad years, the outside protective zone, which is the first that deer encounter, would have a plant that is highly resistant to deer. This layer should have plants that are aromatic with an odor that makes them walk away. You create a scent barrier that prevents them from smelling desirable plants. Lavender, mint, salvia, beebalm, rosemary, and cedar are some plants that have a smell deer avoid and are also rarely eaten.

Salvia and yarrow are deterrents

The second layer of protection would include bad-tasting or toxic plants. The idea is that if they wander past or through the first protective zone they’ll come across plants that they don’t want to eat. Holly, juniper, feathergrass, zinnia, and barberry are rarely eaten. Plants like elderberry, poppies, bleeding heart, lobelia, and larkspur can be toxic. When deer encounter these plants they should go in the opposite direction.

A third layer of protection is to offer a suicide zone. This is a grouping of fast-growing plants outside the protected area that are less deer resistant. Honeysuckle, trumpet creeper, morning glory, and clematis are plants that deer will nibble without decimating the plant. Flowers that reseed prolifically fit in here too. Planted strategically, these plants can lead deer away from more desirable beds.

With a simple two-stage protection planting plan, deer will come across your landscape, realize they don’t like the smells and tastes, and keep on walking. If they’re curious or extra hungry, they’ll try nibbling on what they find but if they don’t like it they’ll realize this whole yard isn’t worth their time and effort and will move on to your neighbor’s yard. They never make it to the roses or tulips or young fruit tree that they would devour.

Adding a suicide zone gives them someplace else to go as they walk away from your garden. They may eat a few clematis or morning glory flowers as they avoid the aromas and tastes of the other zones. Asters, petunias, and small sunflowers give them something else to nibble, and will grow back soon.

My sunflowers were sacrificial plants

As you plan a camouflage garden you don’t need to think in terms of clearly defined rings of plants. The first and second protective zones can be intermingled, with aromatic plants planted among bitter and toxic ones. The concept is that one plant deters the deer and when they move to a second plant it deters them too. Ideally every plant they encounter within a defined space is a deterrent and they never move through it.

When you have a mix of plants with many deer deterrent properties it creates a synergy where the entire garden becomes highly effective at deterring deer. A wide spectrum of aromatic plants can confuse deer to the point that they seek a more simple, clearly identifiable source of food… like the big expanse of tulips down the street.

To be most effective camouflage gardening needs to be as year-round as possible. If the plant you’re hoping to protect blooms or buds before the others, deer can find it. Your deterrent plants need to be in position and producing their deterring effect.

For example, for early spring your garden border is planted with dwarf juniper, rosemary, sage, or artemisia — plants that are still fragrant even when they’re dormant. A fragrant groundcover like thyme covers the area. A large planting of daffodils, plants deer typically don’t eat, brings early color and helps create another deer deterrent barrier. Irises come next, another plant deer typically don’t eat. At the center of your display for height and color are your tulips, a plant that deer love to devour.

Depending on variety, you may have irises and tulips flowering together which adds extra confusion to the deer. It’s not a perfect solution. In a good year your tulips are spared; in a very bad year everything is eaten.

I’m planting my new landscape with entire beds of deterrent plants. One bed has lavender on one side and various spirea on the other. Miscanthus grass provides height and interest. Purple coneflower and yarrow add color. Apache plume fills the center for added texture color and interest. It’s highly satisfying to see deer tracks in and around the bed and not a single plant is disturbed.
Another bed has creeping phlox, artemisia, dwarf pines, salvia, yucca, columbines, irises, and daffodils; again, there are tracks but no damage. Next year’s new beds will have similar plantings.

A young deer walks away from new beds

We have a resident deer population. They even bed down among the gambel oak trees in our backyard. I’m hoping that they’ll get used to encountering so many plants they don’t like that by the time I plant young trees and a few other less-resistant perennials they’ll have learned to go some place else for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Already I’ve noticed more tracks walking around my deer-resistant beds than walking through them.

Some neighbors never go away

For your camouflage garden, research deer deterrent plants. You won’t need to sacrifice color, smell, texture, or height. Select plants that you like to grow normally. Then design your beds and landscape with those plants as the first barrier. Continue with plantings of other deer-resistant plants that you want in your landscape. Personalize the space. You don’t need to grow plants you don’t like.

Camouflage gardening isn’t foolproof. The only sure way to protect plants is with a physical barrier. For prized plants and young trees a fence or metal wall is the only sure deer proofing. Used together, camouflage and wire fences can allow plants that deer like to eat to become large enough and established to the point they don’t need a fence.

Camouflage gardening works best in a large landscape or garden with enough space to allow planting the necessary barrier plants, but even in small gardens the same principles can be beneficial. Make plants that deer and other animals avoid your first line of defense. Hide your other plants with smells and tastes that deter deer. With a little planning and a lot of luck you may be able to enjoy plants that you’ve had problems with before.

Check out my video on how to deer proof your garden on my video channel:

https://www.youtube.com/gardenerscott

A deer-proof garden is essentially non-existent, but a highly deer-resistant garden is attainable with a little effort and planning. One key is to practice “camouflage gardening“.

Camouflage gardening is the practice of using plants that animals don’t like to deter them from eating plants that they do like. Camouflage gardening is mostly focused on deterring deer, but can work for rabbits, squirrels, and even dogs and cats with appropriate plantings. I must point out and stress that this deters animals like deer from eating desirable plants, it doesn’t prevent them from eating anything.

Deer exploring my new vegetable garden

Think of it as constructing a castle or defensive military position. The plant you want to protect is in the center of the defensive zone. It’s surrounded by a barrier of deer-resistant plants. For superior defense you layer zones with additional rings of protection. You’re not building walls to protect plants but using plants to protect plants.

There are certain plants that deer, and similarly many other animals, don’t like. Deer tend to avoid plants that are strongly aromatic or bitter tasting, that have a milky or sticky sap, or that have prickly leaves or are tough and hairy. When they encounter these plants they tend to ignore them and move on.

Deer are browsers that amble from plant to plant looking for something they like. If a plant isn’t on their list of favorites, they’ll keep looking for one that is. This assumes that they have an adequate food selection available. When conditions are bad, as in drought years or when habitat is reduced, they’ll eat almost anything to stay alive. In spring pregnant does will eat almost anything.

Deer look everywhere for food

To get the best protection and to help minimize problems during bad years, the outside protective zone, which is the first that deer encounter, would have a plant that is highly resistant to deer. This layer should have plants that are aromatic with an odor that makes them walk away. You create a scent barrier that prevents them from smelling desirable plants. Lavender, mint, salvia, beebalm, rosemary, and cedar are some plants that have a smell deer avoid and are also rarely eaten.

Salvia and yarrow are deterrents

The second layer of protection would include bad-tasting or toxic plants. The idea is that if they wander past or through the first protective zone they’ll come across plants that they don’t want to eat. Holly, juniper, feathergrass, zinnia, and barberry are rarely eaten. Plants like elderberry, poppies, bleeding heart, lobelia, and larkspur can be toxic. When deer encounter these plants they should go in the opposite direction.

A third layer of protection is to offer a suicide zone. This is a grouping of fast-growing plants outside the protected area that are less deer resistant. Honeysuckle, trumpet creeper, morning glory, and clematis are plants that deer will nibble without decimating the plant. Flowers that reseed prolifically fit in here too. Planted strategically, these plants can lead deer away from more desirable beds.

With a simple two-stage protection planting plan, deer will come across your landscape, realize they don’t like the smells and tastes, and keep on walking. If they’re curious or extra hungry, they’ll try nibbling on what they find but if they don’t like it they’ll realize this whole yard isn’t worth their time and effort and will move on to your neighbor’s yard. They never make it to the roses or tulips or young fruit tree that they would devour.

Adding a suicide zone gives them someplace else to go as they walk away from your garden. They may eat a few clematis or morning glory flowers as they avoid the aromas and tastes of the other zones. Asters, petunias, and small sunflowers give them something else to nibble, and will grow back soon.

My sunflowers were sacrificial plants

As you plan a camouflage garden you don’t need to think in terms of clearly defined rings of plants. The first and second protective zones can be intermingled, with aromatic plants planted among bitter and toxic ones. The concept is that one plant deters the deer and when they move to a second plant it deters them too. Ideally every plant they encounter within a defined space is a deterrent and they never move through it.

When you have a mix of plants with many deer deterrent properties it creates a synergy where the entire garden becomes highly effective at deterring deer. A wide spectrum of aromatic plants can confuse deer to the point that they seek a more simple, clearly identifiable source of food… like the big expanse of tulips down the street.

To be most effective camouflage gardening needs to be as year-round as possible. If the plant you’re hoping to protect blooms or buds before the others, deer can find it. Your deterrent plants need to be in position and producing their deterring effect.

For example, for early spring your garden border is planted with dwarf juniper, rosemary, sage, or artemisia — plants that are still fragrant even when they’re dormant. A fragrant groundcover like thyme covers the area. A large planting of daffodils, plants deer typically don’t eat, brings early color and helps create another deer deterrent barrier. Irises come next, another plant deer typically don’t eat. At the center of your display for height and color are your tulips, a plant that deer love to devour.

Depending on variety, you may have irises and tulips flowering together which adds extra confusion to the deer. It’s not a perfect solution. In a good year your tulips are spared; in a very bad year everything is eaten.

I’m planting my new landscape with entire beds of deterrent plants. One bed has lavender on one side and various spirea on the other. Miscanthus grass provides height and interest. Purple coneflower and yarrow add color. Apache plume fills the center for added texture color and interest. It’s highly satisfying to see deer tracks in and around the bed and not a single plant is disturbed.
Another bed has creeping phlox, artemisia, dwarf pines, salvia, yucca, columbines, irises, and daffodils; again, there are tracks but no damage. Next year’s new beds will have similar plantings.

A young deer walks away from new beds

We have a resident deer population. They even bed down among the gambel oak trees in our backyard. I’m hoping that they’ll get used to encountering so many plants they don’t like that by the time I plant young trees and a few other less-resistant perennials they’ll have learned to go some place else for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Already I’ve noticed more tracks walking around my deer-resistant beds than walking through them.

Some neighbors never go away

For your camouflage garden, research deer deterrent plants. You won’t need to sacrifice color, smell, texture, or height. Select plants that you like to grow normally. Then design your beds and landscape with those plants as the first barrier. Continue with plantings of other deer-resistant plants that you want in your landscape. Personalize the space. You don’t need to grow plants you don’t like.

Camouflage gardening isn’t foolproof. The only sure way to protect plants is with a physical barrier. For prized plants and young trees a fence or metal wall is the only sure deer proofing. Used together, camouflage and wire fences can allow plants that deer like to eat to become large enough and established to the point they don’t need a fence.

Camouflage gardening works best in a large landscape or garden with enough space to allow planting the necessary barrier plants, but even in small gardens the same principles can be beneficial. Make plants that deer and other animals avoid your first line of defense. Hide your other plants with smells and tastes that deter deer. With a little planning and a lot of luck you may be able to enjoy plants that you’ve had problems with before.

Check out my video on how to deer proof your garden on my video channel:

https://www.youtube.com/gardenerscott

Understanding AHS Plant Heat Zones

What are AHS Plant Heat Zones? They're the counterpart to USDA Plant Hardiness Zones. USDA Plant Hardiness Zones are based on average cold temperatures of winter and the AHS Plant Heat Zones are based on average hot temperatures of summer. Hardiness Zones help gardeners determine if a plant can survive their region's winter extreme temperatures while Heat Zones help determine if a plant can survive their summer extreme temperatures.

The American Horticultural Society coordinated with the same people who helped develop the USDA Hardiness Zone map to develop a Heat Zone map based on temperature data from the National Climactic Data Center. Daily high temperatures from National Weather Service stations throughout the United States were compiled for the years 1974 through  1995. In 1997 they produced a national map representing their findings.

The result is a map that color codes the country into 12 zones that indicate the average number of days when the temperature is above 86F degrees (30C). These are "heat days". Zone 1 has an average of less than one day per year above 86 degrees while Zone 12 has an average of more than 210 days above 86 degrees.

Why 86F (30C) degrees? That is the point that many plants begin to experience distress and potential damage from sustained heat. Above this point plants can drop blossoms, drop leaves, fade in color, reduce fruit development, and possibly die. Some plants won't die right away but will be stressed for so long that each year they perform less productively than the year before.

Many plants will wilt in heat, but will recover once temperatures fall. Sustained heat can have a serious physiological impact on some plants and triggers a lingering decline to ultimate death. Knowing how a plant will handle hot days is the reason for the AHS Heat Zone Map.

Most gardeners are familiar with the USDA Hardiness Zone system and look for the number on a plant tag when selecting new plantings. I live in Zone 5 and always make sure new perennial plants are at least hardy down to -20F degrees that the zone represents. I prefer plants hardy to Zone 4 for the occasional extremely low temperatures we get that approach -30F in winter.

I'm in AHS Plant Heat Zone 5. That represents 30 to 45 days above 86F degrees. I prefer to select plants for at least Zone 6 for the recent hot summers we've had; Zone 6 allows for 45 to 60 days above 86F. This year we're definitely encroaching on Zone 6 heat days.

Plant growers and distributors that include AHS Plant Heat Zones on tags will list both zone ranges. You'll now find a listing like "3-9, 6-1". That means the plant is suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9 and is suitable for AHS Heat Zones 6 through 1. Many plant catalogs are also including this information in their plant descriptions.

For me, an ideal plant would be something like "4-9, 7-1". That means it can handle the cold of the Hardiness Zone 4 and the heat of Heat Zone 7. My garden is well within both ranges and the plant should do well.

There are some limitations with the AHS Heat Zone map. Because it is relatively new and unknown, there aren't many resources available to make it easy for you to identify your zone. You have to try and determine exactly where your city falls within the zones on the national map. Apparently the AHS had a tool for determining exact locations, but the zone finder application is nowhere to be found now. I haven't been able to find any other source for finding Heat Zones by zip code like the USDA map has.

You can look at the map at: http://www.ahs.org/gardening-resources/gardening-maps/heat-zone-map

At gardening resources.com I found a breakdown of the Heat Zones by state, which was a little easier to read. You can find it here: http://www.gardeningplaces.com/heatzonemap/

Over 15,000 plants have been coded for heat tolerance. As more plants are coded and more companies begin listing both USDA and AHS zones on plant information, you can expect more gardeners to become familiar and comfortable with the conversion to a two-zone system.

For many of us we choose our plants, put them in our gardens, and then see how they do. For various reasons some plants do well while others struggle. Using both zone maps for selecting plants can help us put in plants that will not only grow well, but will thrive.

If some of your plants didn't do well in summer it may be because they weren't able to tolerate your garden's hot days. That may be an indication that they're inappropriate for your region. Understanding and using the AHS Heat Zones can help prevent similar problems in the future.

Link to the AHS Heat Zone map: http://www.ahs.org/gardening-resources/gardening-maps/heat-zone-map

Link to gardeningplaces.com state maps: http://www.gardeningplaces.com/heatzonemap/

What are AHS Plant Heat Zones? They're the counterpart to USDA Plant Hardiness Zones. USDA Plant Hardiness Zones are based on average cold temperatures of winter and the AHS Plant Heat Zones are based on average hot temperatures of summer. Hardiness Zones help gardeners determine if a plant can survive their region's winter extreme temperatures while Heat Zones help determine if a plant can survive their summer extreme temperatures.

The American Horticultural Society coordinated with the same people who helped develop the USDA Hardiness Zone map to develop a Heat Zone map based on temperature data from the National Climactic Data Center. Daily high temperatures from National Weather Service stations throughout the United States were compiled for the years 1974 through  1995. In 1997 they produced a national map representing their findings.

The result is a map that color codes the country into 12 zones that indicate the average number of days when the temperature is above 86F degrees (30C). These are "heat days". Zone 1 has an average of less than one day per year above 86 degrees while Zone 12 has an average of more than 210 days above 86 degrees.

Why 86F (30C) degrees? That is the point that many plants begin to experience distress and potential damage from sustained heat. Above this point plants can drop blossoms, drop leaves, fade in color, reduce fruit development, and possibly die. Some plants won't die right away but will be stressed for so long that each year they perform less productively than the year before.

Many plants will wilt in heat, but will recover once temperatures fall. Sustained heat can have a serious physiological impact on some plants and triggers a lingering decline to ultimate death. Knowing how a plant will handle hot days is the reason for the AHS Heat Zone Map.

Most gardeners are familiar with the USDA Hardiness Zone system and look for the number on a plant tag when selecting new plantings. I live in Zone 5 and always make sure new perennial plants are at least hardy down to -20F degrees that the zone represents. I prefer plants hardy to Zone 4 for the occasional extremely low temperatures we get that approach -30F in winter.

I'm in AHS Plant Heat Zone 5. That represents 30 to 45 days above 86F degrees. I prefer to select plants for at least Zone 6 for the recent hot summers we've had; Zone 6 allows for 45 to 60 days above 86F. This year we're definitely encroaching on Zone 6 heat days.

Plant growers and distributors that include AHS Plant Heat Zones on tags will list both zone ranges. You'll now find a listing like "3-9, 6-1". That means the plant is suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 3 through 9 and is suitable for AHS Heat Zones 6 through 1. Many plant catalogs are also including this information in their plant descriptions.

For me, an ideal plant would be something like "4-9, 7-1". That means it can handle the cold of the Hardiness Zone 4 and the heat of Heat Zone 7. My garden is well within both ranges and the plant should do well.

There are some limitations with the AHS Heat Zone map. Because it is relatively new and unknown, there aren't many resources available to make it easy for you to identify your zone. You have to try and determine exactly where your city falls within the zones on the national map. Apparently the AHS had a tool for determining exact locations, but the zone finder application is nowhere to be found now. I haven't been able to find any other source for finding Heat Zones by zip code like the USDA map has.

You can look at the map at: http://www.ahs.org/gardening-resources/gardening-maps/heat-zone-map

At gardening resources.com I found a breakdown of the Heat Zones by state, which was a little easier to read. You can find it here: http://www.gardeningplaces.com/heatzonemap/

Over 15,000 plants have been coded for heat tolerance. As more plants are coded and more companies begin listing both USDA and AHS zones on plant information, you can expect more gardeners to become familiar and comfortable with the conversion to a two-zone system.

For many of us we choose our plants, put them in our gardens, and then see how they do. For various reasons some plants do well while others struggle. Using both zone maps for selecting plants can help us put in plants that will not only grow well, but will thrive.

If some of your plants didn't do well in summer it may be because they weren't able to tolerate your garden's hot days. That may be an indication that they're inappropriate for your region. Understanding and using the AHS Heat Zones can help prevent similar problems in the future.

Link to the AHS Heat Zone map: http://www.ahs.org/gardening-resources/gardening-maps/heat-zone-map

Link to gardeningplaces.com state maps: http://www.gardeningplaces.com/heatzonemap/

Planning a Deer Resistant Garden

There is just one way to have a deer proof garden -- plant everything within the borders of a strong fence eight feet tall. For the rest of us, the best we can hope for is a deer resistant garden. Like all animals, deer have foods they prefer, foods they tolerate, and foods they avoid. The key for gardeners desiring a beautiful garden that deer walk past is to select plants in the latter category.

Shasta Daisies look great and are deer resistant

Let me qualify what "deer resistant" means. A deer resistant plant is one that deer do not eat as a primary food source. They may chew a few buds and occasionally pull off a leaf or two, but the plant is allowed to reach maturity with little molestation. Deer are browsers and will nibble on what they find; deer resistant plants are the ones they test and then walk away from.

It's important to acknowledge that deer, like all animals, will eat anything if they're hungry enough. Deer resistant plants are not a normal part of their diet, but under drought and low vegetation conditions deer will devour plants they have ignored for years. A doe with a new fawn won't venture far from it, so she will feed on less-than-desired plants nearby. Also, there are plants that hungry deer will only eat in winter and leave alone the rest of the year.

Purple Coneflowers are usually left alone

It's also important to acknowledge that deer will go out of their way to indulge in a garden offering plants they consider delicious. A garden loaded with roses, azaleas, geraniums, hosta, tulips, and fruit trees screams to the deer that the smorgasbord is open. The problem is that many gardeners also desire those same plants in their garden. Trying to maintain this kind of garden in the presence of a local herd can be nerve-wracking.

A deer resistant garden can be abundant and beautiful, but it requires careful plant selection. As I begin planning the landscape for my new house my focus is on gardens that will give me everything I want while denying the numerous deer a tasty lunch.

Deer tend to avoid Black-eyed Susan

As with all garden planning, there are important steps to take to get it right. An analysis of sun, shade, water, soil, USDA Hardiness Zone, and available space is critical to a good garden plan. Plants will do best when they're matched with the proper soil and location for their growth habits. Once this analysis is done, plants can be selected.

Generally, deer don't like plants with a strong aroma or with thorns or spines. They tend to stay away from decorative grasses. Many native plants are resistant to deer in areas where deer are native.

An assumption in growing deer resistant plants is that there are other food sources available to local herds. When deer have access to water and plants they like, they'll leave less desirable plants alone. When their only food sources are deer resistant plants, then that's what they'll eat. That's why there are so many conflicting discussions by gardeners as to whether a plant is deer resistant. For every gardener who has never had deer eat his plants there is another gardener who has deer eat every one of hers.

Salvia is universally acknowledged as deer resistant

Let's begin with deer resistant plants for full sun locations. Lucky for me, many of the plants I like to grow are naturally deer resistant; I have a minor deer problem at my current house and have never had a problem with these plants:

• Agastache
• Allium
• Artemisia 
• Barberry
• Columbine
• Coneflower
• Coreopsis
• Daffodil
• Dianthus
• Foxglove 
• Gaillardia
• Hens and Chicks
• Lantana
• Lavender
• Penstemon
• Potentilla
• Rose Campion
• Rudbeckia
• Russian Sage
• Salvia
• Shasta Daisy
• Snapdragon
• Spirea 'Magic Carpet'
• Yarrow
• Yucca

There is no lack of color, texture, and variety in this list. All of them are very resistant to deer in most landscapes. Many of them require little irrigation, which is a plus in my arid region.

Here are some plants for shade or partial shade areas.

• Allium
• Ajuga
• Astilbe
• Bleeding Hearts
• Coral Bells
• Fuchsia
• Monkshood
• Peony

I don't currently grow these plants but will in my new landscape. I also plan to add:

• Apache Plume
• Buddleia
• Fountain Grass
• Miscanthus
• Pampus Grass

The key to identifying deer resistant plants for your landscape is to conduct a little research. Many county Extension offices have fact sheets for local deer resistant plants. The internet allows cross referencing this government information. I easily found that New Jersey, Minnesota, and Colorado Extension information matches my own experience with the plants listed above.

Daffodils are on everyone's list of deer resistant plants

One of the best sources for local information about deer resistant plants is to ask a fellow gardener. Find out what your friends have trouble with and what they have success with when deer are involved.

I have a gardening friend who likes to grow Arborvitae and has to fence in each plant to prevent damage; Arborvitae is on the list of plants deer like to munch. I've tried to grow cherry, apple and plum trees in my current landscape and the deer have devastated them; they'll even push through the protective netting to nibble the buds. Those of us who have built structures to try and keep deer out will gladly share our experience.

Asking for advice can save valuable time, energy, and money. Geraniums cover the gamut of deer preference. Some varieties of geranium are like candy to deer while others are like vinegar. Find out what your friends are growing and copy their successes. I haven't seen Asian Lilies on any deer resistant plant list, but in my neighborhood they leave all of mine alone.

My lilies are left alone by deer

It's possible to get away with tricking deer. A few plants that they might eat may survive if they're planted among groupings of plants that they avoid. They'll tend to leave the whole group alone when they see an abundance of deer resistant plants.

I also believe in creative sacrifice. If you want to grow plants that deer may like to eat, also grow plants that they definitely like to eat. Grow plants like wild strawberries, raspberries, Virginia creeper, and sunflowers as a friendly offering. When they venture into your yard they'll gravitate toward those tasty morsels and are more likely to leave your treasured plants alone.

My offering to save my vegetable garden

With proper planning and plant selection, maintaining a successful and beautiful landscape in the presence of deer is not only possible, but easy. Choose deer resistant plants and let your gardens prosper.

There is just one way to have a deer proof garden -- plant everything within the borders of a strong fence eight feet tall. For the rest of us, the best we can hope for is a deer resistant garden. Like all animals, deer have foods they prefer, foods they tolerate, and foods they avoid. The key for gardeners desiring a beautiful garden that deer walk past is to select plants in the latter category.

Shasta Daisies look great and are deer resistant

Let me qualify what "deer resistant" means. A deer resistant plant is one that deer do not eat as a primary food source. They may chew a few buds and occasionally pull off a leaf or two, but the plant is allowed to reach maturity with little molestation. Deer are browsers and will nibble on what they find; deer resistant plants are the ones they test and then walk away from.

It's important to acknowledge that deer, like all animals, will eat anything if they're hungry enough. Deer resistant plants are not a normal part of their diet, but under drought and low vegetation conditions deer will devour plants they have ignored for years. A doe with a new fawn won't venture far from it, so she will feed on less-than-desired plants nearby. Also, there are plants that hungry deer will only eat in winter and leave alone the rest of the year.

Purple Coneflowers are usually left alone

It's also important to acknowledge that deer will go out of their way to indulge in a garden offering plants they consider delicious. A garden loaded with roses, azaleas, geraniums, hosta, tulips, and fruit trees screams to the deer that the smorgasbord is open. The problem is that many gardeners also desire those same plants in their garden. Trying to maintain this kind of garden in the presence of a local herd can be nerve-wracking.

A deer resistant garden can be abundant and beautiful, but it requires careful plant selection. As I begin planning the landscape for my new house my focus is on gardens that will give me everything I want while denying the numerous deer a tasty lunch.

Deer tend to avoid Black-eyed Susan

As with all garden planning, there are important steps to take to get it right. An analysis of sun, shade, water, soil, USDA Hardiness Zone, and available space is critical to a good garden plan. Plants will do best when they're matched with the proper soil and location for their growth habits. Once this analysis is done, plants can be selected.

Generally, deer don't like plants with a strong aroma or with thorns or spines. They tend to stay away from decorative grasses. Many native plants are resistant to deer in areas where deer are native.

An assumption in growing deer resistant plants is that there are other food sources available to local herds. When deer have access to water and plants they like, they'll leave less desirable plants alone. When their only food sources are deer resistant plants, then that's what they'll eat. That's why there are so many conflicting discussions by gardeners as to whether a plant is deer resistant. For every gardener who has never had deer eat his plants there is another gardener who has deer eat every one of hers.

Salvia is universally acknowledged as deer resistant

Let's begin with deer resistant plants for full sun locations. Lucky for me, many of the plants I like to grow are naturally deer resistant; I have a minor deer problem at my current house and have never had a problem with these plants:

• Agastache
• Allium
• Artemisia 
• Barberry
• Columbine
• Coneflower
• Coreopsis
• Daffodil
• Dianthus
• Foxglove 
• Gaillardia
• Hens and Chicks
• Lantana
• Lavender
• Penstemon
• Potentilla
• Rose Campion
• Rudbeckia
• Russian Sage
• Salvia
• Shasta Daisy
• Snapdragon
• Spirea 'Magic Carpet'
• Yarrow
• Yucca

There is no lack of color, texture, and variety in this list. All of them are very resistant to deer in most landscapes. Many of them require little irrigation, which is a plus in my arid region.

Here are some plants for shade or partial shade areas.

• Allium
• Ajuga
• Astilbe
• Bleeding Hearts
• Coral Bells
• Fuchsia
• Monkshood
• Peony

I don't currently grow these plants but will in my new landscape. I also plan to add:

• Apache Plume
• Buddleia
• Fountain Grass
• Miscanthus
• Pampus Grass

The key to identifying deer resistant plants for your landscape is to conduct a little research. Many county Extension offices have fact sheets for local deer resistant plants. The internet allows cross referencing this government information. I easily found that New Jersey, Minnesota, and Colorado Extension information matches my own experience with the plants listed above.

Daffodils are on everyone's list of deer resistant plants

One of the best sources for local information about deer resistant plants is to ask a fellow gardener. Find out what your friends have trouble with and what they have success with when deer are involved.

I have a gardening friend who likes to grow Arborvitae and has to fence in each plant to prevent damage; Arborvitae is on the list of plants deer like to munch. I've tried to grow cherry, apple and plum trees in my current landscape and the deer have devastated them; they'll even push through the protective netting to nibble the buds. Those of us who have built structures to try and keep deer out will gladly share our experience.

Asking for advice can save valuable time, energy, and money. Geraniums cover the gamut of deer preference. Some varieties of geranium are like candy to deer while others are like vinegar. Find out what your friends are growing and copy their successes. I haven't seen Asian Lilies on any deer resistant plant list, but in my neighborhood they leave all of mine alone.

My lilies are left alone by deer

It's possible to get away with tricking deer. A few plants that they might eat may survive if they're planted among groupings of plants that they avoid. They'll tend to leave the whole group alone when they see an abundance of deer resistant plants.

I also believe in creative sacrifice. If you want to grow plants that deer may like to eat, also grow plants that they definitely like to eat. Grow plants like wild strawberries, raspberries, Virginia creeper, and sunflowers as a friendly offering. When they venture into your yard they'll gravitate toward those tasty morsels and are more likely to leave your treasured plants alone.

My offering to save my vegetable garden

With proper planning and plant selection, maintaining a successful and beautiful landscape in the presence of deer is not only possible, but easy. Choose deer resistant plants and let your gardens prosper.

Choosing Garlic for the Garden

Garlic is an essential culinary component in our household. Also, it's a nearly essential component in my garden. Like many vegetable garden crops, harvesting garlic and using it in your kitchen just seems to make it taste better. My famous pickled green beans rise to another level when I make them with green beans, dill, and garlic from my garden.

Garlic from the market

Garlic is a member of the Allium family. That family includes many edible bulbs like onions, shallots, and leeks. It also includes Giant Allium flowers. All of them can send up long stalks with a star-burst flower that will produce seeds. This year I'm growing onions, shallots, and leeks from seed and they're all doing well. Garlic, however, is best grown from cloves.

Each garlic bulb consists of many individual cloves. Each of these cloves has the potential of growing into a single garlic plant, forming a new bulb. Those new bulbs will have multiple cloves with each of those able to grow and develop into a plant. In that way, garlic is a self-sustaining plant that doesn't require pollinators or other special propagation methods. That simplicity makes garlic easy to grow in the garden.

What makes garlic different from many other vegetable crops is that it is best planted in the fall. Cold temperatures are needed to initiate the growth of the buds that will form into cloves. The plant will overwinter in the soil and emerge in spring. Bulbs will continue to grow in size until they're ready to harvest in early to late summer. You can get away with very early spring planting in some areas, but the bulbs may not fully develop by harvest time.

Choosing what kind of garlic to grow may seem daunting when you look at a catalog (Territorial Seed Company offers 29 different ones), but it really comes down to a simple choice. There are just two basic garlic types: soft neck and hard neck.

Chances are if you bought garlic in a store it was a soft neck variety. This is the garlic that tastes like garlic. Softneck garlic has a white, papery skin, has many cloves around a central core, and keeps well for a long time, up to nine months. The plant stalk is flexible and allows the bulbs to be braided together, a decorative method of storing them. There are many types of softneck garlic with "silverskin" and "artichoke" being the most common.

Hardneck garlic can be found at some specialty chef and food stores. Many different flavors and colors exist. The bulbs have fewer cloves than soft neck and may not have any skin around them. They're less hardy and have a shorter shelf life than soft neck varieties. They're called hardneck garlic because the stalk is not flexible and remains rigid. The three main types of hardneck garlic are "purple stripe", "rocambole", and "porcelain".

Generally, for most home gardeners I recommend growing softneck varieties. This is the garlic you're familiar with, will store best after harvest, and the soft stalks are fun to braid and look cool hanging on the kitchen wall. Hard neck garlic can be finicky when it comes to weather and may not survive extreme conditions. The lack of an outer paper skin means you need to handle them with more care, though they are easier to peel when it comes time to cook.

You can grow purple, red, blue, and pink garlic. There are mild ones and spicy ones. You'll find little ones and big ones. But not all types will do well in your garden. Some varieties do better in cold regions while some do better in warm. Some garlic is ready for harvest in early summer while some isn't ready until late. With a little research you can find a garlic that meets your specific taste and growing requirements. Or you can go with common varieties that do well in many gardens.

When you seek garlic in a nursery or online site, you'll probably find names like Early Italian, Spanish Roja, and Inchelium Red. Those are among the three most popular varieties. I've ordered Inchelium Red for planting in my garden in about a month; it is a national taste-test winner. Spanish Roja is the most popular hardneck variety with a taste many consider truly garlicky. Popular Italian Late, Oregon Blue, and Susanville are softneck varieties that range from pungent to mild in taste.

"Elephant Garlic" is quite popular because it produces bulbs as big as a softball, but it is not true garlic. It is related more to leeks than to garlic. Though it looks like a big garlic clove and the assumption is that it will have a strong garlic flavor, it is actually more subtle. Just as a leek is milder tasting than an onion, elephant garlic is milder than  regular garlic.

Ordering online is an easy way to get your bulbs but you can also find them in nurseries and garden centers. When selecting bulbs for planting, they should be dry, plump, and firm. Soft and spongy or dry and crumbly bulbs should be avoided. Choose ones that don't have a green shoot appearing from the top; those are older and may not do as well when planted.

You can take cloves from standard bulbs you buy in the supermarket, plant them, and they may grow. However, unless they're labeled as organic they were probably sprayed with a chemical to keep them from sprouting while in transit and storage. That same chemical can keep them from sprouting in your garden. Also, they were probably grown in California or China in weather and climate different from yours.

Ask your fellow gardeners, your Extension office, or the folks at the nursery for which garlic does best in your area. Many sources can give background information about varieties you may be interested in. Inchelium Red was discovered on the Colville Indian reservation in northern Washington, an area near my father and his wife's home. I chose it because of that connection, because of its taste, and because it can handle cold winters.

Take a little time and look into the garlic varieties available to you locally and online. Find one or two that interest you and make a purchase. A single bulb will probably have between six and 16 cloves that you can plant. Think about how much garlic you typically use and plan accordingly. You may only need two or three bulbs to provide enough garlic at harvest to last you for many months.

Look to the article on September 12, 2011, for how to plant garlic. Choosing what you'll plant is the first step.

Garlic is an essential culinary component in our household. Also, it's a nearly essential component in my garden. Like many vegetable garden crops, harvesting garlic and using it in your kitchen just seems to make it taste better. My famous pickled green beans rise to another level when I make them with green beans, dill, and garlic from my garden.

Garlic from the market

Garlic is a member of the Allium family. That family includes many edible bulbs like onions, shallots, and leeks. It also includes Giant Allium flowers. All of them can send up long stalks with a star-burst flower that will produce seeds. This year I'm growing onions, shallots, and leeks from seed and they're all doing well. Garlic, however, is best grown from cloves.

Each garlic bulb consists of many individual cloves. Each of these cloves has the potential of growing into a single garlic plant, forming a new bulb. Those new bulbs will have multiple cloves with each of those able to grow and develop into a plant. In that way, garlic is a self-sustaining plant that doesn't require pollinators or other special propagation methods. That simplicity makes garlic easy to grow in the garden.

What makes garlic different from many other vegetable crops is that it is best planted in the fall. Cold temperatures are needed to initiate the growth of the buds that will form into cloves. The plant will overwinter in the soil and emerge in spring. Bulbs will continue to grow in size until they're ready to harvest in early to late summer. You can get away with very early spring planting in some areas, but the bulbs may not fully develop by harvest time.

Choosing what kind of garlic to grow may seem daunting when you look at a catalog (Territorial Seed Company offers 29 different ones), but it really comes down to a simple choice. There are just two basic garlic types: soft neck and hard neck.

Chances are if you bought garlic in a store it was a soft neck variety. This is the garlic that tastes like garlic. Softneck garlic has a white, papery skin, has many cloves around a central core, and keeps well for a long time, up to nine months. The plant stalk is flexible and allows the bulbs to be braided together, a decorative method of storing them. There are many types of softneck garlic with "silverskin" and "artichoke" being the most common.

Hardneck garlic can be found at some specialty chef and food stores. Many different flavors and colors exist. The bulbs have fewer cloves than soft neck and may not have any skin around them. They're less hardy and have a shorter shelf life than soft neck varieties. They're called hardneck garlic because the stalk is not flexible and remains rigid. The three main types of hardneck garlic are "purple stripe", "rocambole", and "porcelain".

Generally, for most home gardeners I recommend growing softneck varieties. This is the garlic you're familiar with, will store best after harvest, and the soft stalks are fun to braid and look cool hanging on the kitchen wall. Hard neck garlic can be finicky when it comes to weather and may not survive extreme conditions. The lack of an outer paper skin means you need to handle them with more care, though they are easier to peel when it comes time to cook.

You can grow purple, red, blue, and pink garlic. There are mild ones and spicy ones. You'll find little ones and big ones. But not all types will do well in your garden. Some varieties do better in cold regions while some do better in warm. Some garlic is ready for harvest in early summer while some isn't ready until late. With a little research you can find a garlic that meets your specific taste and growing requirements. Or you can go with common varieties that do well in many gardens.

When you seek garlic in a nursery or online site, you'll probably find names like Early Italian, Spanish Roja, and Inchelium Red. Those are among the three most popular varieties. I've ordered Inchelium Red for planting in my garden in about a month; it is a national taste-test winner. Spanish Roja is the most popular hardneck variety with a taste many consider truly garlicky. Popular Italian Late, Oregon Blue, and Susanville are softneck varieties that range from pungent to mild in taste.

"Elephant Garlic" is quite popular because it produces bulbs as big as a softball, but it is not true garlic. It is related more to leeks than to garlic. Though it looks like a big garlic clove and the assumption is that it will have a strong garlic flavor, it is actually more subtle. Just as a leek is milder tasting than an onion, elephant garlic is milder than  regular garlic.

Ordering online is an easy way to get your bulbs but you can also find them in nurseries and garden centers. When selecting bulbs for planting, they should be dry, plump, and firm. Soft and spongy or dry and crumbly bulbs should be avoided. Choose ones that don't have a green shoot appearing from the top; those are older and may not do as well when planted.

You can take cloves from standard bulbs you buy in the supermarket, plant them, and they may grow. However, unless they're labeled as organic they were probably sprayed with a chemical to keep them from sprouting while in transit and storage. That same chemical can keep them from sprouting in your garden. Also, they were probably grown in California or China in weather and climate different from yours.

Ask your fellow gardeners, your Extension office, or the folks at the nursery for which garlic does best in your area. Many sources can give background information about varieties you may be interested in. Inchelium Red was discovered on the Colville Indian reservation in northern Washington, an area near my father and his wife's home. I chose it because of that connection, because of its taste, and because it can handle cold winters.

Take a little time and look into the garlic varieties available to you locally and online. Find one or two that interest you and make a purchase. A single bulb will probably have between six and 16 cloves that you can plant. Think about how much garlic you typically use and plan accordingly. You may only need two or three bulbs to provide enough garlic at harvest to last you for many months.

Look to the article on September 12, 2011, for how to plant garlic. Choosing what you'll plant is the first step.

Growing Rhubarb: The Foolproof Garden Plant

I don't know if there is a perfect vegetable garden plant, but Rhubarb comes close. Rhubarb is a perennial plant that has a place in many vegetable gardens in cooler regions. Even when confronted by extreme variations in soil, temperature, water, and sun, it races back and screams, "Look at me!" Its red stalks and huge leaves make it a great garden showpiece.

Rhubarb.

When asked for my opinion on an easy plant to grow, Rhubarb is always at the top of my list. When asked about interesting plants, I volunteer Rhubarb. And when asked about foolproof plants for new gardeners, Rhubarb springs to my tongue.

Rhubarb is categorized as a cool season plant. That's apparent at this time of year when it becomes one of the first perennial plants to break out of the winter doldrums. My Rhubarb plants are showing red, purple, and green growth now, even after a snow a few days ago. It actually requires temperatures below 40F degrees (5C) to break dormancy in spring. It will continue growing well as long as average temperatures remain below 75F degrees (24C). When temperatures regularly rise above 90 F degrees (32C), it will cease normal growth and bolt like many cool season plants.

Rhubarb breaking through in early spring.

Rhubarb can give you two harvests a year. Because low temperatures stimulate growth, you'll get the initial foliage burst in early spring and good stalks to harvest in late spring. The heat of summer will suppress cellular activity, but when temperatures begin to cool in fall you will see the foliage begin to grow again. You can often harvest stalks just before the first snows fall.

Of course, because it excels as a cool season plant, Rhubarb may not do well in very hot gardens. It can survive in excessively hot and dry regions, but will only produce thin stalks with very little color. If you have four seasons, or at least a long period where temperatures are below freezing, Rhubarb should do well in your garden.

Rhubarb will grow in just about any soil though it prefers well-drained soils with lots of organic matter. It can also handle a wide range of soil pH, but does best when it's slightly acidic; my soil is alkaline and I've never had a problem. I recommend amending the soil well before you first plant and then mulching with partially-decomposed compost. Adding a balanced fertilizer when growth begins in the spring will benefit the plant but isn't always necessary if your soil is amended.

Rhubarb is best grown from dormant crowns and roots that you can purchase at nurseries, garden centers, or online. Plant the crown just below the soil surface in early spring to get the best start. Rhubarb plants can get quite large so allow space when planting, as much as four feet between crowns. Remember that it is a perennial plant that will come back every year for as long as 15 years, so choose its location carefully and wisely.

You can try growing from seed but it takes longer for the plants to establish. I do pot up seedlings from the established plants that I let go to seed. Be aware that the seedlings from hybrid cultivars will not be true to the parent plant. I've had great success with "Victoria", a sweeter variety that isn't as red as other Rhubarb, but that does well from seed.

During the first year, water well, remove the round, tall flower stalks when they appear, and do not harvest any of the stalks. You want a maximum amount of the plant's energy going into root development. In subsequent years the plant will require much less water and care. In the second year, minimize your harvest to encourage strong development, but by the third year and every year after you can harvest every stalk if you choose, but I don't recommend taking more than half of the plant.

Depending on how you use it, you can harvest a few stalks at a time or harvest the entire plant. You can pull out the stalks individually or cut them at the soil line. For at least a month, you'll be able to select stalks for harvest. Only the stalk is edible so throw the leaves in your compost pile.

I leave a number of stalks with leaves on the plant at the end of the season. When the cold of winter comes and the leaves dry out, I use them as a mulch to help protect the crown through the most severe cold. Rhubarb can easily handle -20F degrees of a zone 5 garden. My plants have survived -30F with the mulch protection of the dried leaves. Straw or other autumn leaves will work too.

After the Rhubarb is established it can handle just about any challenge including drought. Even if you stop watering and fertilizing, it will keep producing, though not as well as when you give it proper care. I've had seedlings that I potted and forgot about. Six months later, after sitting abandoned in a field during the cold winter with no watering, the plants sprang to life in early spring.

There are very few pests and diseases that affect Rhubarb. You can let it grow strong with very few worries. About the only thing to concern yourself with is overwatering. A young crown may rot if it is covered with too much soil or if it is saturated too much, but even that is unlikely. Remember that an established plant can handle drought, so don't try to pamper it with too much water.

Many Rhubarb gardeners recommend removing the seed stalk that appears when the air temperature gets high. The plant energy that goes into flower and seed production will reduce the leaf stalk production. I agree that you should do this in the first few years, but I think that flowering Rhubarb is a beautiful sight and for well-established plants I let it flower. I may lose out on some stalk harvest, but I'm rewarded with an amazing view.

Rhubarb in full bloom.

Rhubarb has a tangy, tart taste and eating it raw is usually not done. It's most often cooked with sugar in pies, breads, and cakes. I like to juice it for making jelly. Even if you never plan to eat it, it is a beautiful leafy plant that will look good in your garden. Because it is such a champion, by growing Rhubarb you can always have something to brag about. Try it.

I don't know if there is a perfect vegetable garden plant, but Rhubarb comes close. Rhubarb is a perennial plant that has a place in many vegetable gardens in cooler regions. Even when confronted by extreme variations in soil, temperature, water, and sun, it races back and screams, "Look at me!" Its red stalks and huge leaves make it a great garden showpiece.

Rhubarb.

When asked for my opinion on an easy plant to grow, Rhubarb is always at the top of my list. When asked about interesting plants, I volunteer Rhubarb. And when asked about foolproof plants for new gardeners, Rhubarb springs to my tongue.

Rhubarb is categorized as a cool season plant. That's apparent at this time of year when it becomes one of the first perennial plants to break out of the winter doldrums. My Rhubarb plants are showing red, purple, and green growth now, even after a snow a few days ago. It actually requires temperatures below 40F degrees (5C) to break dormancy in spring. It will continue growing well as long as average temperatures remain below 75F degrees (24C). When temperatures regularly rise above 90 F degrees (32C), it will cease normal growth and bolt like many cool season plants.

Rhubarb breaking through in early spring.

Rhubarb can give you two harvests a year. Because low temperatures stimulate growth, you'll get the initial foliage burst in early spring and good stalks to harvest in late spring. The heat of summer will suppress cellular activity, but when temperatures begin to cool in fall you will see the foliage begin to grow again. You can often harvest stalks just before the first snows fall.

Of course, because it excels as a cool season plant, Rhubarb may not do well in very hot gardens. It can survive in excessively hot and dry regions, but will only produce thin stalks with very little color. If you have four seasons, or at least a long period where temperatures are below freezing, Rhubarb should do well in your garden.

Rhubarb will grow in just about any soil though it prefers well-drained soils with lots of organic matter. It can also handle a wide range of soil pH, but does best when it's slightly acidic; my soil is alkaline and I've never had a problem. I recommend amending the soil well before you first plant and then mulching with partially-decomposed compost. Adding a balanced fertilizer when growth begins in the spring will benefit the plant but isn't always necessary if your soil is amended.

Rhubarb is best grown from dormant crowns and roots that you can purchase at nurseries, garden centers, or online. Plant the crown just below the soil surface in early spring to get the best start. Rhubarb plants can get quite large so allow space when planting, as much as four feet between crowns. Remember that it is a perennial plant that will come back every year for as long as 15 years, so choose its location carefully and wisely.

You can try growing from seed but it takes longer for the plants to establish. I do pot up seedlings from the established plants that I let go to seed. Be aware that the seedlings from hybrid cultivars will not be true to the parent plant. I've had great success with "Victoria", a sweeter variety that isn't as red as other Rhubarb, but that does well from seed.

During the first year, water well, remove the round, tall flower stalks when they appear, and do not harvest any of the stalks. You want a maximum amount of the plant's energy going into root development. In subsequent years the plant will require much less water and care. In the second year, minimize your harvest to encourage strong development, but by the third year and every year after you can harvest every stalk if you choose, but I don't recommend taking more than half of the plant.

Depending on how you use it, you can harvest a few stalks at a time or harvest the entire plant. You can pull out the stalks individually or cut them at the soil line. For at least a month, you'll be able to select stalks for harvest. Only the stalk is edible so throw the leaves in your compost pile.

I leave a number of stalks with leaves on the plant at the end of the season. When the cold of winter comes and the leaves dry out, I use them as a mulch to help protect the crown through the most severe cold. Rhubarb can easily handle -20F degrees of a zone 5 garden. My plants have survived -30F with the mulch protection of the dried leaves. Straw or other autumn leaves will work too.

After the Rhubarb is established it can handle just about any challenge including drought. Even if you stop watering and fertilizing, it will keep producing, though not as well as when you give it proper care. I've had seedlings that I potted and forgot about. Six months later, after sitting abandoned in a field during the cold winter with no watering, the plants sprang to life in early spring.

There are very few pests and diseases that affect Rhubarb. You can let it grow strong with very few worries. About the only thing to concern yourself with is overwatering. A young crown may rot if it is covered with too much soil or if it is saturated too much, but even that is unlikely. Remember that an established plant can handle drought, so don't try to pamper it with too much water.

Many Rhubarb gardeners recommend removing the seed stalk that appears when the air temperature gets high. The plant energy that goes into flower and seed production will reduce the leaf stalk production. I agree that you should do this in the first few years, but I think that flowering Rhubarb is a beautiful sight and for well-established plants I let it flower. I may lose out on some stalk harvest, but I'm rewarded with an amazing view.

Rhubarb in full bloom.

Rhubarb has a tangy, tart taste and eating it raw is usually not done. It's most often cooked with sugar in pies, breads, and cakes. I like to juice it for making jelly. Even if you never plan to eat it, it is a beautiful leafy plant that will look good in your garden. Because it is such a champion, by growing Rhubarb you can always have something to brag about. Try it.

Try New Gardening Ideas

Every year I try something new in my garden and I encourage other gardeners to do the same. It might be a new plant, a new seed, a new method, or a new location. Last year I tried hanging tomatoes (more on that in a future article) and three types of potatoes. This year I'm sowing more different types of seeds than I ever have before and I'm trying varied methods to lengthen my growing season.

Many gardeners specialize in a particular gardening arena. My friend Cathie has a theory that there are two types of gardeners: vegetable gardeners who plant a few flowers and flower gardeners who plant a few vegetables. Cathie is a flower gardener and I'm a vegetable gardener and yes, we each have a few of the other type.

When you expand your gardening world beyond what you've always done before, you can find some wonderful success. A vegetable gardener, I have flower gardens too. Though my coneflowers and daylilies didn't do well last year, my hollyhocks and snapdragons did. If I only focused on my vegetable garden, I wouldn't have enjoyed the hummingbirds savoring my penstemon and honeysuckle. If I hadn't planted roses, I wouldn't have had a lovely backdrop for my daughter's wedding.

Gardening outside of your comfort zone exposes you to opportunities and new adventures. While looking for new vegetable seeds you may stumble across an amazing catalog of unique flowers. While choosing new flowers you may encounter edible plants. By adding flowers that attract bees and hummingbirds to your garden you can improve the pollination of your beans and tomatoes. You may discover a method of weeding your vegetable beds that carries over to your Hostas. There are many things to discover.

One of my new adventures this year will be fish in the garden. That's right, fish. Do you remember the story about Squanto teaching the Pilgrims how to plant corn? He buried a fish and covered it with a mound of soil into which he put the corn seeds. My friend David has a freezer full of fish. When the weather and soil are warm enough for me to plant corn, I'm going to take David's donation and plant the way that Squanto showed the early settlers. It will be a fun experiment.

I covered some of my raised beds with mini greenhouses (see my blog, "Extending Your Growing Season With Mini Greenhouses"). My lettuce, radishes, and peas are under cover, planted a few weeks sooner than they would have been without the aid of the soil-warming protection. I'll be savoring the results of my labors earlier than I ever have before.

Last year I planted sunflowers that thrilled my wife. This year I'll add many more varieties and will grow a virtual forest of sunflowers. The birds, bees, and my wife will all be very happy.

Of course, I will still have the standard tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers that I grow each year, but I'm adding some unique varieties. A few new short-season tomatoes, "Dragon's Blood" beans, and heirloom cucumbers will liven up my typical summer fare. I'm even planting "Minnesota Midget", a small melon that should provide fruit well before the first frost of fall.

Think about what you can try in your garden. Fish may not be the answer, but there are thousands of varieties of flowers, fruit, and vegetables that you haven't tried yet. If you're a vegetable gardener try a few new flowers. If you're a flower gardener, plant a new vegetable bed. Expand your horizons and enjoy some new adventures in gardening.

Every year I try something new in my garden and I encourage other gardeners to do the same. It might be a new plant, a new seed, a new method, or a new location. Last year I tried hanging tomatoes (more on that in a future article) and three types of potatoes. This year I'm sowing more different types of seeds than I ever have before and I'm trying varied methods to lengthen my growing season.

Many gardeners specialize in a particular gardening arena. My friend Cathie has a theory that there are two types of gardeners: vegetable gardeners who plant a few flowers and flower gardeners who plant a few vegetables. Cathie is a flower gardener and I'm a vegetable gardener and yes, we each have a few of the other type.

When you expand your gardening world beyond what you've always done before, you can find some wonderful success. A vegetable gardener, I have flower gardens too. Though my coneflowers and daylilies didn't do well last year, my hollyhocks and snapdragons did. If I only focused on my vegetable garden, I wouldn't have enjoyed the hummingbirds savoring my penstemon and honeysuckle. If I hadn't planted roses, I wouldn't have had a lovely backdrop for my daughter's wedding.

Gardening outside of your comfort zone exposes you to opportunities and new adventures. While looking for new vegetable seeds you may stumble across an amazing catalog of unique flowers. While choosing new flowers you may encounter edible plants. By adding flowers that attract bees and hummingbirds to your garden you can improve the pollination of your beans and tomatoes. You may discover a method of weeding your vegetable beds that carries over to your Hostas. There are many things to discover.

One of my new adventures this year will be fish in the garden. That's right, fish. Do you remember the story about Squanto teaching the Pilgrims how to plant corn? He buried a fish and covered it with a mound of soil into which he put the corn seeds. My friend David has a freezer full of fish. When the weather and soil are warm enough for me to plant corn, I'm going to take David's donation and plant the way that Squanto showed the early settlers. It will be a fun experiment.

I covered some of my raised beds with mini greenhouses (see my blog, "Extending Your Growing Season With Mini Greenhouses"). My lettuce, radishes, and peas are under cover, planted a few weeks sooner than they would have been without the aid of the soil-warming protection. I'll be savoring the results of my labors earlier than I ever have before.

Last year I planted sunflowers that thrilled my wife. This year I'll add many more varieties and will grow a virtual forest of sunflowers. The birds, bees, and my wife will all be very happy.

Of course, I will still have the standard tomatoes, beans, and cucumbers that I grow each year, but I'm adding some unique varieties. A few new short-season tomatoes, "Dragon's Blood" beans, and heirloom cucumbers will liven up my typical summer fare. I'm even planting "Minnesota Midget", a small melon that should provide fruit well before the first frost of fall.

Think about what you can try in your garden. Fish may not be the answer, but there are thousands of varieties of flowers, fruit, and vegetables that you haven't tried yet. If you're a vegetable gardener try a few new flowers. If you're a flower gardener, plant a new vegetable bed. Expand your horizons and enjoy some new adventures in gardening.

What to Plant Before the Last Frost

As the snows dissipate and the sun shines longer, gardeners are chomping at the bit to put seeds and plants in the ground. Depending on your location and planting calendar, you can probably get things started now. The key is knowing which plants can handle cold soil and cold nights. The solution is cool season vegetables.

Cool season vegetables are the ones that you can put in your garden beds before the last frost. Early spring planting is ideal. They can handle a light or moderate frost, survive, and prosper. Some of them even prefer a few frosts to develop flavor and provide the maximum yield. Most of them don't like the high temperatures of summer.

Cool season plants that should thrive in cool conditions include: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, peas, potatoes, radish, rutabaga, spinach, turnip. Beets, carrots, chard, and parsnips are cool season vegetables that can also handle warmer temperatures of summer.

A few of the seeds I'm sowing before the last frost.

These vegetables do very well as the daytime temperatures climb in spring. When the thermometer climbs beyond 80 F, they'll begin to suffer. When the days lengthen in summer and the temperatures climb above 85 F, most cool season plants begin to "bolt". That's when the plant sends up a flower stalk, signaling the end of leaf production and the beginning of seed production. Cabbage, lettuce, kale, and spinach will all taste worse after they bolt.

Most of these cool season vegetables do best when planted two to four weeks before the last frost. Individual seed packets will offer guidance for specific planting time. With a little preparation, you can get them in the ground and growing long before the rest of your garden.

Sow the seeds directly into the soil. Check your soil temperature before planting. As long as the soil is above 40 degrees F, the seeds should germinate if kept moist in an amended soil. A few of the plants like cabbage, chard, potatoes, and turnips will do better if the soil is at least 50 degrees F. For best results some of these vegetables do better as young plants rather than seeds; transplant broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and onions if you have the option.

The air temperature shouldn't be more than a few degrees below freezing on the coldest nights and should be consistently above 40 degrees F during the day. You can do a few things to help protect the plants while night temperatures remain low. Mulching the young plants with straw or grass can help insulate them and moderate soil temperatures. Row covers will help protect plants from a light frost. If a hard freeze below 28 degrees F is forecast, cover the plants with a sheet or blanket overnight; plastic will work, but can freeze any leaves or plants that it touches.

I encourage raised beds covered by a mini greenhouse. That's what I'm using. The plastic cover helps generate warmth during the day and reduces the cold at night when the soil radiates its warmth. Even on cold days, the cover keeps the plants warm if the sun is shining. On very warm days, the cover should be opened to allow airflow to keep plants from overheating.

One of my early spring planting beds.

There are perennial vegetables that also fall into the cool season category. Asparagus, horseradish, and rhubarb are great additions to a garden and will return year after year. All three can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in spring; when it's no longer frozen. They will be among the first of your plants to break ground in future years. Choose their home carefully because they'll become permanent fixtures in your garden once established.

If you have limited room in your garden, cool season vegetables can provide multiple harvests in the same plot. An early planting of lettuce or spinach will provide ample produce for your kitchen. Just about the time they begin to suffer from higher soil and air temperatures, you can remove them and plant tomatoes or squash in the same space. The combination of cool season vegetables early in the season and warm season vegetables later in the season is endless.

Here's another secret to keep in your back pocket. Many of these cool season vegetables will grow well in the fall too. A late summer planting will provide a harvest after the first frost of fall. You may get three different crops in the same garden plot. Look forward to more information about that when I discuss it during the summer.

For now, enjoy an edible garden with frost on the ground. By the time you start thinking about planting tomatoes, squash, and corn, you'll already have harvested radishes, lettuce, peas and more wonderful, cool season vegetables. It's not too early to begin.

Here's the video of the mini greenhouse:

Here's a link to "Extending Your Growing Season with Mini Greenhouses"

As the snows dissipate and the sun shines longer, gardeners are chomping at the bit to put seeds and plants in the ground. Depending on your location and planting calendar, you can probably get things started now. The key is knowing which plants can handle cold soil and cold nights. The solution is cool season vegetables.

Cool season vegetables are the ones that you can put in your garden beds before the last frost. Early spring planting is ideal. They can handle a light or moderate frost, survive, and prosper. Some of them even prefer a few frosts to develop flavor and provide the maximum yield. Most of them don't like the high temperatures of summer.

Cool season plants that should thrive in cool conditions include: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, peas, potatoes, radish, rutabaga, spinach, turnip. Beets, carrots, chard, and parsnips are cool season vegetables that can also handle warmer temperatures of summer.

A few of the seeds I'm sowing before the last frost.

These vegetables do very well as the daytime temperatures climb in spring. When the thermometer climbs beyond 80 F, they'll begin to suffer. When the days lengthen in summer and the temperatures climb above 85 F, most cool season plants begin to "bolt". That's when the plant sends up a flower stalk, signaling the end of leaf production and the beginning of seed production. Cabbage, lettuce, kale, and spinach will all taste worse after they bolt.

Most of these cool season vegetables do best when planted two to four weeks before the last frost. Individual seed packets will offer guidance for specific planting time. With a little preparation, you can get them in the ground and growing long before the rest of your garden.

Sow the seeds directly into the soil. Check your soil temperature before planting. As long as the soil is above 40 degrees F, the seeds should germinate if kept moist in an amended soil. A few of the plants like cabbage, chard, potatoes, and turnips will do better if the soil is at least 50 degrees F. For best results some of these vegetables do better as young plants rather than seeds; transplant broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and onions if you have the option.

The air temperature shouldn't be more than a few degrees below freezing on the coldest nights and should be consistently above 40 degrees F during the day. You can do a few things to help protect the plants while night temperatures remain low. Mulching the young plants with straw or grass can help insulate them and moderate soil temperatures. Row covers will help protect plants from a light frost. If a hard freeze below 28 degrees F is forecast, cover the plants with a sheet or blanket overnight; plastic will work, but can freeze any leaves or plants that it touches.

I encourage raised beds covered by a mini greenhouse. That's what I'm using. The plastic cover helps generate warmth during the day and reduces the cold at night when the soil radiates its warmth. Even on cold days, the cover keeps the plants warm if the sun is shining. On very warm days, the cover should be opened to allow airflow to keep plants from overheating.

One of my early spring planting beds.

There are perennial vegetables that also fall into the cool season category. Asparagus, horseradish, and rhubarb are great additions to a garden and will return year after year. All three can be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in spring; when it's no longer frozen. They will be among the first of your plants to break ground in future years. Choose their home carefully because they'll become permanent fixtures in your garden once established.

If you have limited room in your garden, cool season vegetables can provide multiple harvests in the same plot. An early planting of lettuce or spinach will provide ample produce for your kitchen. Just about the time they begin to suffer from higher soil and air temperatures, you can remove them and plant tomatoes or squash in the same space. The combination of cool season vegetables early in the season and warm season vegetables later in the season is endless.

Here's another secret to keep in your back pocket. Many of these cool season vegetables will grow well in the fall too. A late summer planting will provide a harvest after the first frost of fall. You may get three different crops in the same garden plot. Look forward to more information about that when I discuss it during the summer.

For now, enjoy an edible garden with frost on the ground. By the time you start thinking about planting tomatoes, squash, and corn, you'll already have harvested radishes, lettuce, peas and more wonderful, cool season vegetables. It's not too early to begin.

Here's the video of the mini greenhouse:

Here's a link to "Extending Your Growing Season with Mini Greenhouses"

Life Springs Up

Life is returning. Plants are greening into action, even in my landscape at 7,500 feet elevation. The birds are evident as they trill and sing in the morning. We even saw some bees last week. It's been happening for a few weeks at lower altitudes and in warmer climes. Regardless of when it hits, the new life of spring is welcome.

Sure, spring isn't officially here for another week, but that technicality won't keep plants from emerging and beginning their seasonal growth. Crocus, Tulip, and Daffodil are already poking up in many areas. The first greening in the garden to catch my eye was the Columbine (Aquilegia). At the point you've had enough of winter and begin to question whether it will ever end, that first view of green brightens your spirit and proves the cycle of life continues.

The Columbine is springing up.

If you haven't been in your garden recently to see the new color, go exploring. Grass is among the first to green and grow in early spring. Most grasses are cool season plants and grow best in the cool, moist conditions of spring. From a distance your lawn still looks brown, but as you get closer you can see the new, green shoots pushing their way through the dried mass. In no time at all they will overwhelm and cover the brown.

The grass is greening before the rest of the garden is cleaned up.

Many perennial groundcovers are ready to grow quickly when the blankets of snow and ice are uncovered. My Thyme and Periwinkle (vinca minor) have thrown back the shackles and are adding nice color to the garden and paths.

Periwinkle beginning to spread in spring.

Most evident in the early spring growth are the weeds. Perennial weeds will try to gain a foothold before your other plants wake up. As I've mentioned before, use the opportunity of recognizing the green weeds against the brown of winter and remove them before they pose problems to other plants. It's their bad luck to be the first to express new color.

This dandelion got a little too confident. It will be gone soon.

Keep track of your plants as they emerge from winter slumber. Established plants of the same varieties should break ground at about the same time. If you see bare areas where nothing is growing, make note of that. You probably lost some plants to the harsh conditions of winter and will have to replant in those spots. You don't have to replace losses with the same plants; use the opportunity to plant something new.

Think about the other animals in your garden too. If you haven't been feeding the birds during the winter, now may be a good time to start. They're more active as they prepare nests and look for food sources. You don't need to wait for flowers and insects to bring them in. A few bird feeders and bird houses can make your garden the center of bird activity. We have a pair of doves that nest nearby; they always spark my heart when I see them swoop into the garden.

Rabbits, squirrels, and gophers will also become more active in these early days of spring. Have you acted to keep them on the side of the fence that you desire? Repair fences and covers or put up new ones to help keep them under control. Our dogs are spending more time outside now and helping to define the territory that other animals should avoid.

My apple tree is displaying buds that should open soon. Prune out diseased or broken branches from your trees and bushes before the leaves obscure your view of the troubled spots. Look at the shape of your fruit trees, berries, and grapes. Correct pruning will make a stronger plant and produce more fruit.

The soil is warming. Soon it will be time to plant my cool season vegetables. You may be doing it already. Broccoli, cauliflower, and peas like cooler conditions. Radishes, lettuce, spinach, and carrots will grow quickly and do best in the mild spring weather. My raised beds are ready.

That first green shoot of spring is also the green flag of the race to get everything prepared for the frantic planting, growing, and harvesting days ahead. Take the time to soak in the new color, but recognize that your gardening days are about to get busier. You wanted it... spring is here.

Life is returning. Plants are greening into action, even in my landscape at 7,500 feet elevation. The birds are evident as they trill and sing in the morning. We even saw some bees last week. It's been happening for a few weeks at lower altitudes and in warmer climes. Regardless of when it hits, the new life of spring is welcome.

Sure, spring isn't officially here for another week, but that technicality won't keep plants from emerging and beginning their seasonal growth. Crocus, Tulip, and Daffodil are already poking up in many areas. The first greening in the garden to catch my eye was the Columbine (Aquilegia). At the point you've had enough of winter and begin to question whether it will ever end, that first view of green brightens your spirit and proves the cycle of life continues.

The Columbine is springing up.

If you haven't been in your garden recently to see the new color, go exploring. Grass is among the first to green and grow in early spring. Most grasses are cool season plants and grow best in the cool, moist conditions of spring. From a distance your lawn still looks brown, but as you get closer you can see the new, green shoots pushing their way through the dried mass. In no time at all they will overwhelm and cover the brown.

The grass is greening before the rest of the garden is cleaned up.

Many perennial groundcovers are ready to grow quickly when the blankets of snow and ice are uncovered. My Thyme and Periwinkle (vinca minor) have thrown back the shackles and are adding nice color to the garden and paths.

Periwinkle beginning to spread in spring.

Most evident in the early spring growth are the weeds. Perennial weeds will try to gain a foothold before your other plants wake up. As I've mentioned before, use the opportunity of recognizing the green weeds against the brown of winter and remove them before they pose problems to other plants. It's their bad luck to be the first to express new color.

This dandelion got a little too confident. It will be gone soon.

Keep track of your plants as they emerge from winter slumber. Established plants of the same varieties should break ground at about the same time. If you see bare areas where nothing is growing, make note of that. You probably lost some plants to the harsh conditions of winter and will have to replant in those spots. You don't have to replace losses with the same plants; use the opportunity to plant something new.

Think about the other animals in your garden too. If you haven't been feeding the birds during the winter, now may be a good time to start. They're more active as they prepare nests and look for food sources. You don't need to wait for flowers and insects to bring them in. A few bird feeders and bird houses can make your garden the center of bird activity. We have a pair of doves that nest nearby; they always spark my heart when I see them swoop into the garden.

Rabbits, squirrels, and gophers will also become more active in these early days of spring. Have you acted to keep them on the side of the fence that you desire? Repair fences and covers or put up new ones to help keep them under control. Our dogs are spending more time outside now and helping to define the territory that other animals should avoid.

My apple tree is displaying buds that should open soon. Prune out diseased or broken branches from your trees and bushes before the leaves obscure your view of the troubled spots. Look at the shape of your fruit trees, berries, and grapes. Correct pruning will make a stronger plant and produce more fruit.

The soil is warming. Soon it will be time to plant my cool season vegetables. You may be doing it already. Broccoli, cauliflower, and peas like cooler conditions. Radishes, lettuce, spinach, and carrots will grow quickly and do best in the mild spring weather. My raised beds are ready.

That first green shoot of spring is also the green flag of the race to get everything prepared for the frantic planting, growing, and harvesting days ahead. Take the time to soak in the new color, but recognize that your gardening days are about to get busier. You wanted it... spring is here.

The Value of Your Vegetable Garden

Have you determined how much your garden costs? Not the wood, bricks, stone paths, or sculptures that border it or decorate the inside, but the actual cost of the seeds and plants. How much cold, hard cash do you spend in the spring and summer to put plants in the ground?

How much harvest to you see at the end of the season? Have you stopped to think about the quantity of tomatoes or berries or corn or beans that you pull from the plants? What is the market rate for the price of that produce? You don't need an exact number, but think about how much a comparable amount of fresh fruit or vegetables would be if you purchased them from the grocery store or farmer's market.

By comparing the cost in the beginning with benefit at the end you're doing a basic "cost-benefit analysis" of your garden. You may ask why this is important, because you always choose to grow what you like to grow. It is important because it should play at least a minor role in determining what seeds and plants you buy in the beginning.

You're going to spend a lot of time in the garden over the course of a season. Particularly if you have limited time or limited space, the plants you grow should have the greatest value. That way your time and the costs of gardening and bringing plants to maturity are most worthwhile. That value can be monetary or emotional and I'll discuss both.

I grew potatoes last year and thoroughly enjoyed the process of putting a seed potato in the ground and watching it grow to the point that I harvested full-size potatoes months later. The seed potatoes I used cost me a little more than $10. At the end of the season I harvested a little more than five pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes and five pounds of Russet potatoes. Though I enjoyed growing them, if I were to buy the same potatoes in the store they would cost less than $10. Not counting the water, fertilizer, and time spent, the seed potatoes cost more than the value of the potatoes they produced.

Delicious but not cost effective.

Compare that to my raspberry plants. I initially bought 10 plants for about $20. Within three years, after the plants multiplied by themselves, I harvested a total of about 40 pounds of raspberries. Raspberries can be expensive at the market and on a good sale day will be $5 per pound. Conservatively, my $20 worth of plants produced more than $200 worth of fruit.

Good eating!

This is how your gardening cost-benefit analysis works. If you have a plot for planting, is it better to choose raspberries or potatoes? You may love potatoes, but they're very inexpensive in the market and you can usually buy them for less than you can grow them. Raspberries on the other hand are astronomically more expensive to buy than to grow.

As you plan your garden and select your plants, think about the monetary benefit. If there is something you like to eat, but don't like the high cost of buying it fresh, then grow it yourself. Herbs are a good example. Basil leaves are expensive and aren't even as fresh as they should be when packaged in plastic; if you grow your own basil in the garden or on the windowsill you can use it perfectly fresh and save money. After the initial purchase of thyme, rosemary, or tarragon plants, they'll live for years and supply you with an ever-increasing quantity of ever-cheaper fresh herbs.

Plants like rhubarb and asparagus are wonderful garden choices if you have the space. They're both perennial plants and will come back every year with more vigor. They are expensive in the store. The minimal cost of buying starter plants will reward you dramatically.

Everyone loves tomatoes picked off the vine. A few dollars for seeds or plants and you can have an abundance of fruit that tastes better and is cheaper than the so-called "vine fresh" tomatoes in the supermarket. For taste, enjoyment, and dollar savings, tomatoes are almost a no-brainer.

There are many crops I grow that I have to think twice about when deciding whether to plant or not. Corn is relatively easy to grow but takes up a lot of space. Just about the time my corn is ready for harvest, I can usually find fresh corn on sale at the grocery store for four ears for a dollar. It's hard to compete with that pricing especially if you live in an area where store or farmer's market sweet corn is no more than one-day old.

When it comes to using my raised bed for potatoes or garlic, I have to choose garlic. They're both plentiful and inexpensive in the store, but garlic is more cost effective; it can be stored for later use and used to plant more garlic.

Also consider rarity and uniqueness when choosing seeds and plants. You can grow things that you can't find in the store, and if you could find them they'd cost a small fortune. Unique chard and kale are hard to find, expensive when you can, but easy to grow. Specialty lettuce is popular, also expensive, and also easy to pick fresh from your garden.

I'm not trying to be a mercenary when it comes to selecting my plantings. I'd grow everything if I could, but my time and space are limited. I choose what to plant using two basic parameters:  what I want to grow and what makes the most sense to grow.

I want to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers because it's easy and enjoyable to pick them fresh to make a dinner salad. If I save money by growing them myself, that's just icing on the cake. I grow green beans from seeds that I save each year so the cost is zero, but I like growing them so I can make pickled green beans for my wife and daughter. Even if they cost a small fortune, I'd still grow them.

When choosing between carrots or peppers, the monetary advantage of peppers wins out. A single carrot costs pennies, but a single yellow sweet pepper may be a few dollars.

Pumpkins are cheap to plant and also cheap to purchase around Halloween. But the joy of having your kids or grandchildren pick their own pumpkin out of your garden is worth whatever the extra expense might be, if anything.

Many gardeners think that growing apricots in my region is impossible because of our short season and unpredictable spring weather. It's tough, but can be done. I would get fruit from my apricot tree only once every two or three years. And in the best year I only got five or six pounds. But those apricots were more delicious than can be described. All of the pruning, watering, and babying was worth the effort for those few delectable bites.

Maybe these apricot blossoms will actually produce fruit.

Think about how you choose what to plant and how to determine your garden's value. If there is no special reason for the choice, think about the cost versus the benefit. You may actually discover that there are plants you aren't growing that should have a home in your garden. Make room for plants that are expensive to buy. Maybe it's just me, but fresh produce seems to taste just a little better when I know I'm saving money.

Have you determined how much your garden costs? Not the wood, bricks, stone paths, or sculptures that border it or decorate the inside, but the actual cost of the seeds and plants. How much cold, hard cash do you spend in the spring and summer to put plants in the ground?

How much harvest to you see at the end of the season? Have you stopped to think about the quantity of tomatoes or berries or corn or beans that you pull from the plants? What is the market rate for the price of that produce? You don't need an exact number, but think about how much a comparable amount of fresh fruit or vegetables would be if you purchased them from the grocery store or farmer's market.

By comparing the cost in the beginning with benefit at the end you're doing a basic "cost-benefit analysis" of your garden. You may ask why this is important, because you always choose to grow what you like to grow. It is important because it should play at least a minor role in determining what seeds and plants you buy in the beginning.

You're going to spend a lot of time in the garden over the course of a season. Particularly if you have limited time or limited space, the plants you grow should have the greatest value. That way your time and the costs of gardening and bringing plants to maturity are most worthwhile. That value can be monetary or emotional and I'll discuss both.

I grew potatoes last year and thoroughly enjoyed the process of putting a seed potato in the ground and watching it grow to the point that I harvested full-size potatoes months later. The seed potatoes I used cost me a little more than $10. At the end of the season I harvested a little more than five pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes and five pounds of Russet potatoes. Though I enjoyed growing them, if I were to buy the same potatoes in the store they would cost less than $10. Not counting the water, fertilizer, and time spent, the seed potatoes cost more than the value of the potatoes they produced.

Delicious but not cost effective.

Compare that to my raspberry plants. I initially bought 10 plants for about $20. Within three years, after the plants multiplied by themselves, I harvested a total of about 40 pounds of raspberries. Raspberries can be expensive at the market and on a good sale day will be $5 per pound. Conservatively, my $20 worth of plants produced more than $200 worth of fruit.

Good eating!

This is how your gardening cost-benefit analysis works. If you have a plot for planting, is it better to choose raspberries or potatoes? You may love potatoes, but they're very inexpensive in the market and you can usually buy them for less than you can grow them. Raspberries on the other hand are astronomically more expensive to buy than to grow.

As you plan your garden and select your plants, think about the monetary benefit. If there is something you like to eat, but don't like the high cost of buying it fresh, then grow it yourself. Herbs are a good example. Basil leaves are expensive and aren't even as fresh as they should be when packaged in plastic; if you grow your own basil in the garden or on the windowsill you can use it perfectly fresh and save money. After the initial purchase of thyme, rosemary, or tarragon plants, they'll live for years and supply you with an ever-increasing quantity of ever-cheaper fresh herbs.

Plants like rhubarb and asparagus are wonderful garden choices if you have the space. They're both perennial plants and will come back every year with more vigor. They are expensive in the store. The minimal cost of buying starter plants will reward you dramatically.

Everyone loves tomatoes picked off the vine. A few dollars for seeds or plants and you can have an abundance of fruit that tastes better and is cheaper than the so-called "vine fresh" tomatoes in the supermarket. For taste, enjoyment, and dollar savings, tomatoes are almost a no-brainer.

There are many crops I grow that I have to think twice about when deciding whether to plant or not. Corn is relatively easy to grow but takes up a lot of space. Just about the time my corn is ready for harvest, I can usually find fresh corn on sale at the grocery store for four ears for a dollar. It's hard to compete with that pricing especially if you live in an area where store or farmer's market sweet corn is no more than one-day old.

When it comes to using my raised bed for potatoes or garlic, I have to choose garlic. They're both plentiful and inexpensive in the store, but garlic is more cost effective; it can be stored for later use and used to plant more garlic.

Also consider rarity and uniqueness when choosing seeds and plants. You can grow things that you can't find in the store, and if you could find them they'd cost a small fortune. Unique chard and kale are hard to find, expensive when you can, but easy to grow. Specialty lettuce is popular, also expensive, and also easy to pick fresh from your garden.

I'm not trying to be a mercenary when it comes to selecting my plantings. I'd grow everything if I could, but my time and space are limited. I choose what to plant using two basic parameters:  what I want to grow and what makes the most sense to grow.

I want to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers because it's easy and enjoyable to pick them fresh to make a dinner salad. If I save money by growing them myself, that's just icing on the cake. I grow green beans from seeds that I save each year so the cost is zero, but I like growing them so I can make pickled green beans for my wife and daughter. Even if they cost a small fortune, I'd still grow them.

When choosing between carrots or peppers, the monetary advantage of peppers wins out. A single carrot costs pennies, but a single yellow sweet pepper may be a few dollars.

Pumpkins are cheap to plant and also cheap to purchase around Halloween. But the joy of having your kids or grandchildren pick their own pumpkin out of your garden is worth whatever the extra expense might be, if anything.

Many gardeners think that growing apricots in my region is impossible because of our short season and unpredictable spring weather. It's tough, but can be done. I would get fruit from my apricot tree only once every two or three years. And in the best year I only got five or six pounds. But those apricots were more delicious than can be described. All of the pruning, watering, and babying was worth the effort for those few delectable bites.

Maybe these apricot blossoms will actually produce fruit.

Think about how you choose what to plant and how to determine your garden's value. If there is no special reason for the choice, think about the cost versus the benefit. You may actually discover that there are plants you aren't growing that should have a home in your garden. Make room for plants that are expensive to buy. Maybe it's just me, but fresh produce seems to taste just a little better when I know I'm saving money.

What's Your Name Again?

This year I'll be adding new Phaseolus vulgaris, Beta vulgaris, and Lagenaria siceraria to my vegetable garden. Actually, I'll be adding beans, beets, and gourds. To me the names in the first sentence are hard to remember and sound a little too academic, but for many gardeners they represent the correct way to identify plants. They are a correct way, but the common way is good too.

Black-Eyed Susan

Choosing what to call plants is often a challenging decision for gardeners because sometimes it seems we speak different languages when referring to the same thing. From my grandmother, I learned that the big yellow flowers with dark brown centers are called Black-Eyed Susans. They were among the first flowers I planted as an adult. When I became serious about gardening and first entered conversations with expert gardeners, I was confused when they talked about the Rudbeckia in their gardens. It turns out Rudbeckia hirta and Black-Eyed Susans are the same plant.

Some gardeners, usually ones with specialized training, prefer to use the scientific name for plants. That includes the genus and species; it's a precise taxonomic description with Latin as the base. Scientific names are recognized by national and international organizations and are consistent for a plant regardless of the location of the garden. Many other gardeners prefer to use common names. Common names use common language to identify a plant, though those names may vary by region or country.

My gardener friends Diane, Cathie, and Carol can sit and talk at length about visiting nurseries and seeing plants. They talk about catalogs and new varieties and new opportunities. They use the scientific Latin names and understand everything they say to each other. To me it's virtually a foreign language, but I admire and am envious of their knowledge.

I do try to expand my vocabulary and understanding by learning the scientific names for many of the plants I grow so that I can converse appropriately. I memorized Centranthus ruber because that was one of my favorite plants; that's "Jupiter's Beard" or "Red Valerian" depending on where you come from. I'll talk about my Echinacea more than I will my Coneflowers (they're the same thing). I grow Penstemon and talk about them that way, though others call them "Beard Tongue." Agastache is a common xeric plant in our part of the country and I knew it by that name before I heard of "Giant Hyssop."

Jupiter's Beard

Where names become problematic is when you want to share information with another gardener or with a nursery worker. If you are talking about something that the other person doesn't understand, communication breaks down. You both may know about a specific plant, but if you can't identify it with an appropriate name common to the two of you you might as well be speaking different languages (which you really are).

Using a translator is a great idea. I like the "National Garden Book" published by Sunset Books. It includes an encyclopedia of plants that lists them by both common and scientific names. Last summer my good friend Diane asked if I wanted some of her Achillea, Calendula, and Delosperma for my new beds. Of course I said yes. Then I went home, looked them up in my book and found out I was getting Yarrow, Marigold, and Ice Plant.

Neither the common nor the scientific names are "the best" way to identify plants. My usage is relative to the situation at hand. When speaking about plants with my wife, daughter, or most people I know, I use the common names. That's how they know them. When I talk to fellow Master Gardeners or people I know prefer a scientific name, I'll do the best I can to pepper the conversation with my limited knowledge of Latin. If I don't know the plants they're talking about, I've learned to ask for clarification; it helps me learn.

I recommend learning the scientific names if you're serious about gardening. It's not for you to show off, but rather so you can communicate with other serious gardeners and gardening resources. Many locals know that the state flower of Colorado is a Columbine, the "Rocky Mountain Columbine" to be precise. If you want to grow it in your garden you might have trouble finding the seeds or plants if you didn't know to look for Aquilegia caerulea. Knowing that Columbines are Aquilegia is a good start, but there are many species: Aquilegia alpina is the "Alpine Columbine", Aquilegia chrysantha is the "Golden Columbine", and Aquilegia vulgaris is the "European Columbine". If you're looking for a specific flower in a specific color or size, you'll need to know the complete scientific name.

I'll continue to use the common names for most of my conversation and plant tags, but will expand my name awareness at every opportunity. Many popular catalogs list plants by common names, especially with vegetables and fruits, which makes ordering easy. Our local nurseries are mixed, with many of their plant tags only listing the scientific name. If I know what I'm looking for I don't have to ask for a translation from an employee, but more often than not I need help.

For most gardeners it's about the process of gardening and not the name of the plant. We know what we like and what we want to grow. We may not know what a plant is called, but if we want it we'll find out. Whether we use the common name or the scientific name only matters to the person supplying the first plant to us. Beyond that you can call it whatever you like.

This year I'll be adding new Phaseolus vulgaris, Beta vulgaris, and Lagenaria siceraria to my vegetable garden. Actually, I'll be adding beans, beets, and gourds. To me the names in the first sentence are hard to remember and sound a little too academic, but for many gardeners they represent the correct way to identify plants. They are a correct way, but the common way is good too.

Black-Eyed Susan

Choosing what to call plants is often a challenging decision for gardeners because sometimes it seems we speak different languages when referring to the same thing. From my grandmother, I learned that the big yellow flowers with dark brown centers are called Black-Eyed Susans. They were among the first flowers I planted as an adult. When I became serious about gardening and first entered conversations with expert gardeners, I was confused when they talked about the Rudbeckia in their gardens. It turns out Rudbeckia hirta and Black-Eyed Susans are the same plant.

Some gardeners, usually ones with specialized training, prefer to use the scientific name for plants. That includes the genus and species; it's a precise taxonomic description with Latin as the base. Scientific names are recognized by national and international organizations and are consistent for a plant regardless of the location of the garden. Many other gardeners prefer to use common names. Common names use common language to identify a plant, though those names may vary by region or country.

My gardener friends Diane, Cathie, and Carol can sit and talk at length about visiting nurseries and seeing plants. They talk about catalogs and new varieties and new opportunities. They use the scientific Latin names and understand everything they say to each other. To me it's virtually a foreign language, but I admire and am envious of their knowledge.

I do try to expand my vocabulary and understanding by learning the scientific names for many of the plants I grow so that I can converse appropriately. I memorized Centranthus ruber because that was one of my favorite plants; that's "Jupiter's Beard" or "Red Valerian" depending on where you come from. I'll talk about my Echinacea more than I will my Coneflowers (they're the same thing). I grow Penstemon and talk about them that way, though others call them "Beard Tongue." Agastache is a common xeric plant in our part of the country and I knew it by that name before I heard of "Giant Hyssop."

Jupiter's Beard

Where names become problematic is when you want to share information with another gardener or with a nursery worker. If you are talking about something that the other person doesn't understand, communication breaks down. You both may know about a specific plant, but if you can't identify it with an appropriate name common to the two of you you might as well be speaking different languages (which you really are).

Using a translator is a great idea. I like the "National Garden Book" published by Sunset Books. It includes an encyclopedia of plants that lists them by both common and scientific names. Last summer my good friend Diane asked if I wanted some of her Achillea, Calendula, and Delosperma for my new beds. Of course I said yes. Then I went home, looked them up in my book and found out I was getting Yarrow, Marigold, and Ice Plant.

Neither the common nor the scientific names are "the best" way to identify plants. My usage is relative to the situation at hand. When speaking about plants with my wife, daughter, or most people I know, I use the common names. That's how they know them. When I talk to fellow Master Gardeners or people I know prefer a scientific name, I'll do the best I can to pepper the conversation with my limited knowledge of Latin. If I don't know the plants they're talking about, I've learned to ask for clarification; it helps me learn.

I recommend learning the scientific names if you're serious about gardening. It's not for you to show off, but rather so you can communicate with other serious gardeners and gardening resources. Many locals know that the state flower of Colorado is a Columbine, the "Rocky Mountain Columbine" to be precise. If you want to grow it in your garden you might have trouble finding the seeds or plants if you didn't know to look for Aquilegia caerulea. Knowing that Columbines are Aquilegia is a good start, but there are many species: Aquilegia alpina is the "Alpine Columbine", Aquilegia chrysantha is the "Golden Columbine", and Aquilegia vulgaris is the "European Columbine". If you're looking for a specific flower in a specific color or size, you'll need to know the complete scientific name.

I'll continue to use the common names for most of my conversation and plant tags, but will expand my name awareness at every opportunity. Many popular catalogs list plants by common names, especially with vegetables and fruits, which makes ordering easy. Our local nurseries are mixed, with many of their plant tags only listing the scientific name. If I know what I'm looking for I don't have to ask for a translation from an employee, but more often than not I need help.

For most gardeners it's about the process of gardening and not the name of the plant. We know what we like and what we want to grow. We may not know what a plant is called, but if we want it we'll find out. Whether we use the common name or the scientific name only matters to the person supplying the first plant to us. Beyond that you can call it whatever you like.

Buy From Gardeners

Consider buying seeds and plants from people who understand gardening... other gardeners.

More gardening catalogs are arriving every day. Some are good, some are great, and some are to be avoided. I've ordered from catalogs and online sites for years; I also buy from great local nurseries, but they are small and I often look for new plants that can't be found locally. Many of my catalog purchases were selected based only on photos and plant descriptions because the companies were unknown or unfamiliar and I placed orders as a way to gauge the quality of the products. I've learned a few things about gardening catalogs as a result.

You can often feel the gardening passion of the growers through the words in a catalog, or not. It took me awhile to figure that out. Getting quality products is more than pretty pictures and low prices. My experience is that the best products usually cost a little more because the growers are gardeners who take extra time and make extra effort to grow quality plants.

Some of my worst experiences were purchases from "Burgess Seed & Plant Co." that I made years ago, before I became a Master Gardener. I received their new catalog a few days ago and read through it as a comparison to better catalogs I now have. The Burgess catalog is basically a laundry list of inexpensive seeds and plants with colorful pictures. There is very little information about proper planting methods and nothing about where or how they grow their products. Most of the plants I received from them arrived as a bundle, inside waterlogged plastic bags, and were in terrible condition; very few survived.

Contrast that experience with some of my best from "High Country Gardens." HGH identifies every plant in the catalog with sun and water requirements, soil preferences, and often a history of the cultivar. They explain who they are, where they are, and how they grow their products. Plants I received from them were planted individually in over-size pots, in plastic sleeves, inside protective plastic clamshells, divided by cardboard, in a sturdy box. Every plant arrived intact and in great shape. Survival rate was very high. The gardeners at High Country Gardens ship great plants.

I'm looking forward to my new purchases from "Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds", a new discovery that I wrote about a few weeks ago. They spend two very large pages of the catalog explaining who they are, where they are, and how they grow. They're gardeners.

A new catalog I ordered shows great promise. "Territorial Seed Company" also uses two pages of their catalog explaining who they are. They take pride in telling how they plant and pot transplants for quality. The best features of their catalog are lengthy growing instructions for every type of seed and plant. Their descriptions of proper culture, insect and pest concerns, and harvest methods are better than many gardening books I own. They're gardeners too.

Buying plants from local nurseries is usually better than buying from a big box store. At the big store you only have a small plant tag to identify the requirements for planting. The employees are rarely knowledgeable enough for moderate questions and may not even be gardeners. At a local nursery you can usually talk to the person who actually planted the seeds and fertilized the plants. They're gardeners who know the plants and can help you make appropriate choices for your garden.

It comes down to quality. Gardeners have a passion to grow, and grow well. Major retailers, through stores or catalogs, are out to make a buck through quantity sales and the gardening passion is often lost. When given a choice between a plant grown by a gardener and a similar one from an unknown source, I prefer to choose the one grown by someone with similar gardening thoughts as me. The extra care and attention from a gardener usually produces a better plant.

I do buy from major retailers. For generic annuals, I can save money at a big garden center; the quality of those plants aren't as important to me because they are short-lived. It's also better to see and feel a new plant purchase as compared to an unknown selection from a catalog. For some common, proven cultivars of various vegetables, I've found that the garden centers provide good plants, especially when they buy from a local or regional grower (a question you should ask). I usually know about the plants I'm buying and can determine for myself if the quality is good enough, without having to ask a clueless clerk.

But when it comes to uncommon plants, I turn to nurseries and catalogs. And I select catalogs that use real gardeners. High Country Gardens offers plants that do well in my semi-arid, mountain garden, but that I can't find locally. The other good catalogs mentioned above offer seeds that are unique.

When you're looking for new seeds and plants, look for the gardener behind them. If the catalog blatantly leaves out any description of who they are, you're at risk of receiving inferior plants. If the store sells a plant with no one knowledgeable to discuss it, you may be selecting the wrong plant for your garden. Proper plant selection requires a little research and experienced gardeners can help.

As I read through catalogs selecting the plants for this year's garden, I'm aware of the person, the gardener, who wants me to succeed. They've put their passion into the seeds and plants. That little extra attention and positive energy deserves a place in my garden.

Consider buying seeds and plants from people who understand gardening... other gardeners.

More gardening catalogs are arriving every day. Some are good, some are great, and some are to be avoided. I've ordered from catalogs and online sites for years; I also buy from great local nurseries, but they are small and I often look for new plants that can't be found locally. Many of my catalog purchases were selected based only on photos and plant descriptions because the companies were unknown or unfamiliar and I placed orders as a way to gauge the quality of the products. I've learned a few things about gardening catalogs as a result.

You can often feel the gardening passion of the growers through the words in a catalog, or not. It took me awhile to figure that out. Getting quality products is more than pretty pictures and low prices. My experience is that the best products usually cost a little more because the growers are gardeners who take extra time and make extra effort to grow quality plants.

Some of my worst experiences were purchases from "Burgess Seed & Plant Co." that I made years ago, before I became a Master Gardener. I received their new catalog a few days ago and read through it as a comparison to better catalogs I now have. The Burgess catalog is basically a laundry list of inexpensive seeds and plants with colorful pictures. There is very little information about proper planting methods and nothing about where or how they grow their products. Most of the plants I received from them arrived as a bundle, inside waterlogged plastic bags, and were in terrible condition; very few survived.

Contrast that experience with some of my best from "High Country Gardens." HGH identifies every plant in the catalog with sun and water requirements, soil preferences, and often a history of the cultivar. They explain who they are, where they are, and how they grow their products. Plants I received from them were planted individually in over-size pots, in plastic sleeves, inside protective plastic clamshells, divided by cardboard, in a sturdy box. Every plant arrived intact and in great shape. Survival rate was very high. The gardeners at High Country Gardens ship great plants.

I'm looking forward to my new purchases from "Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds", a new discovery that I wrote about a few weeks ago. They spend two very large pages of the catalog explaining who they are, where they are, and how they grow. They're gardeners.

A new catalog I ordered shows great promise. "Territorial Seed Company" also uses two pages of their catalog explaining who they are. They take pride in telling how they plant and pot transplants for quality. The best features of their catalog are lengthy growing instructions for every type of seed and plant. Their descriptions of proper culture, insect and pest concerns, and harvest methods are better than many gardening books I own. They're gardeners too.

Buying plants from local nurseries is usually better than buying from a big box store. At the big store you only have a small plant tag to identify the requirements for planting. The employees are rarely knowledgeable enough for moderate questions and may not even be gardeners. At a local nursery you can usually talk to the person who actually planted the seeds and fertilized the plants. They're gardeners who know the plants and can help you make appropriate choices for your garden.

It comes down to quality. Gardeners have a passion to grow, and grow well. Major retailers, through stores or catalogs, are out to make a buck through quantity sales and the gardening passion is often lost. When given a choice between a plant grown by a gardener and a similar one from an unknown source, I prefer to choose the one grown by someone with similar gardening thoughts as me. The extra care and attention from a gardener usually produces a better plant.

I do buy from major retailers. For generic annuals, I can save money at a big garden center; the quality of those plants aren't as important to me because they are short-lived. It's also better to see and feel a new plant purchase as compared to an unknown selection from a catalog. For some common, proven cultivars of various vegetables, I've found that the garden centers provide good plants, especially when they buy from a local or regional grower (a question you should ask). I usually know about the plants I'm buying and can determine for myself if the quality is good enough, without having to ask a clueless clerk.

But when it comes to uncommon plants, I turn to nurseries and catalogs. And I select catalogs that use real gardeners. High Country Gardens offers plants that do well in my semi-arid, mountain garden, but that I can't find locally. The other good catalogs mentioned above offer seeds that are unique.

When you're looking for new seeds and plants, look for the gardener behind them. If the catalog blatantly leaves out any description of who they are, you're at risk of receiving inferior plants. If the store sells a plant with no one knowledgeable to discuss it, you may be selecting the wrong plant for your garden. Proper plant selection requires a little research and experienced gardeners can help.

As I read through catalogs selecting the plants for this year's garden, I'm aware of the person, the gardener, who wants me to succeed. They've put their passion into the seeds and plants. That little extra attention and positive energy deserves a place in my garden.

Lucky Number Seven

There's cold and then there's COLD. Today falls into both categories for my gardens. An Arctic cold air blast rushed into our region driving temperatures down. High temperatures for today throughout Colorado are expected to only reach single digits. Based on the forecast, our elevation, and the snow on the ground, I expect today's high to reach about seven degrees F at my house. Tonight the low temperature will be about negative 15 degrees F; that's 15 degrees BELOW zero F.

We can have severe weather.

I've written often in recent weeks about the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone system. Today represents why it was created. The expected overnight low temperature puts us smackdab in the middle of the average annual minimum temperature depicted for Zone 5. Average minimum temperatures for Zone 5 can be expected to range between -10 and -20 degrees F.  One of the nice things about the USDA system (and the Hardiness Zone Map for Europe) is that you don't need to keep a record of your own personal temperatures; you can determine your Zone by looking at their map.

Plants handle cold temperatures differently. Some can shrug off severe cold, some can't take anything near freezing. Many seed companies, nurseries, and plant growers identify their plants by the respective Zone. It's becoming standard and works very well. Any plant identified as appropriate for Zone 5 can handle the temperatures I'm expecting today.

The system doesn't have to be restrictive or limiting. Gardeners who want to grow plants not suited for their region just need to do make more effort. I can grow Zone 6 plants, suitable for minimum temperatures of 0 to -10 degrees F. On nights with colder temperatures the plants need to be protected from the severe cold. This can be done with smaller perennials, not so easily with large bushes or trees.

I planted a number of Lavender plants last year, all identified as appropriate for Zones 5-10. I avoided purchasing a French Lavender identified for Zones 6-10. If I did have that plant I would need be concerned about the forecast for tonight, but it wouldn't have to be deadly to the plant if I took action. I would only need to find a buffer of five degrees to bring the plant into a safe zone.

Covering it with a plastic tarp, blanket, or large bucket should be enough to trap warmer air from the day and provide slightly warmer air near the plant. A combination of the three provides extra protection. If I wanted to ensure warmer temperatures I could string Christmas lights (the kind that get hot, not LED) in a frame over the plant and cover it. Colorado State University conducted tests of various coverings for plant frost protection and found the light and plastic method gave 6 to 18 degrees F of protection. Covering with a space blanket extended the protection by up to 30 degrees F. With extreme cold you might not get similar results, but we're only seeking a few extra degrees.

Ideally I would have recognized the possibility of severe cold and planted this Lavender close to my house, a structure that actually generates heat during the winter. Between the residual heat of the house and a plastic cover, it might be enough to protect it from the cold. The south side of a stone fence or any similarly protected area could work.

Even with a covering, it's likely that part of the plant would suffer; exterior branches and buds might die, but the main plant would survive. If the plant was particularly prized by me, it might be worth the effort to save it.

I don't always want to work that hard, however, so it's easier to plant plants that are appropriate for my Zone. Toiling outside at 7 degrees F can be painful and I try to avoid it if I can. It makes more sense to put in perennials that can easily handle the cold so I can sit in my chair enjoying the fire warming the room while it's cold and snowy outside. Especially with the snow acting as an insulating blanket, I'm not worried about any of my plants tonight.

To have even less worry, I try to plant with a colder zone in mind. If I can find Zone 4 plants, suitable for -20 to -30 degrees F, I don't need to lose any sleep on the rare nights when the temperature drops to -25. The cherry tree I planted is suitable for Zone 3. Assuming I can avoid deer damage, I'll never need to worry about cold temperatures affecting it.

I don't enjoy this severe cold any more than the plants do. Both of us know that warmer weather is on the way. Surviving the extremes is all either of us needs to be concerned with, but with planning and a little research before planting, the concern is eliminated. Right now I'm enjoying my fire, looking out at the snow, knowing it will be VERY cold tonight, and not worried about my plants at all.

There's cold and then there's COLD. Today falls into both categories for my gardens. An Arctic cold air blast rushed into our region driving temperatures down. High temperatures for today throughout Colorado are expected to only reach single digits. Based on the forecast, our elevation, and the snow on the ground, I expect today's high to reach about seven degrees F at my house. Tonight the low temperature will be about negative 15 degrees F; that's 15 degrees BELOW zero F.

We can have severe weather.

I've written often in recent weeks about the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone system. Today represents why it was created. The expected overnight low temperature puts us smackdab in the middle of the average annual minimum temperature depicted for Zone 5. Average minimum temperatures for Zone 5 can be expected to range between -10 and -20 degrees F.  One of the nice things about the USDA system (and the Hardiness Zone Map for Europe) is that you don't need to keep a record of your own personal temperatures; you can determine your Zone by looking at their map.

Plants handle cold temperatures differently. Some can shrug off severe cold, some can't take anything near freezing. Many seed companies, nurseries, and plant growers identify their plants by the respective Zone. It's becoming standard and works very well. Any plant identified as appropriate for Zone 5 can handle the temperatures I'm expecting today.

The system doesn't have to be restrictive or limiting. Gardeners who want to grow plants not suited for their region just need to do make more effort. I can grow Zone 6 plants, suitable for minimum temperatures of 0 to -10 degrees F. On nights with colder temperatures the plants need to be protected from the severe cold. This can be done with smaller perennials, not so easily with large bushes or trees.

I planted a number of Lavender plants last year, all identified as appropriate for Zones 5-10. I avoided purchasing a French Lavender identified for Zones 6-10. If I did have that plant I would need be concerned about the forecast for tonight, but it wouldn't have to be deadly to the plant if I took action. I would only need to find a buffer of five degrees to bring the plant into a safe zone.

Covering it with a plastic tarp, blanket, or large bucket should be enough to trap warmer air from the day and provide slightly warmer air near the plant. A combination of the three provides extra protection. If I wanted to ensure warmer temperatures I could string Christmas lights (the kind that get hot, not LED) in a frame over the plant and cover it. Colorado State University conducted tests of various coverings for plant frost protection and found the light and plastic method gave 6 to 18 degrees F of protection. Covering with a space blanket extended the protection by up to 30 degrees F. With extreme cold you might not get similar results, but we're only seeking a few extra degrees.

Ideally I would have recognized the possibility of severe cold and planted this Lavender close to my house, a structure that actually generates heat during the winter. Between the residual heat of the house and a plastic cover, it might be enough to protect it from the cold. The south side of a stone fence or any similarly protected area could work.

Even with a covering, it's likely that part of the plant would suffer; exterior branches and buds might die, but the main plant would survive. If the plant was particularly prized by me, it might be worth the effort to save it.

I don't always want to work that hard, however, so it's easier to plant plants that are appropriate for my Zone. Toiling outside at 7 degrees F can be painful and I try to avoid it if I can. It makes more sense to put in perennials that can easily handle the cold so I can sit in my chair enjoying the fire warming the room while it's cold and snowy outside. Especially with the snow acting as an insulating blanket, I'm not worried about any of my plants tonight.

To have even less worry, I try to plant with a colder zone in mind. If I can find Zone 4 plants, suitable for -20 to -30 degrees F, I don't need to lose any sleep on the rare nights when the temperature drops to -25. The cherry tree I planted is suitable for Zone 3. Assuming I can avoid deer damage, I'll never need to worry about cold temperatures affecting it.

I don't enjoy this severe cold any more than the plants do. Both of us know that warmer weather is on the way. Surviving the extremes is all either of us needs to be concerned with, but with planning and a little research before planting, the concern is eliminated. Right now I'm enjoying my fire, looking out at the snow, knowing it will be VERY cold tonight, and not worried about my plants at all.