14 March 2009

COLORADO COLLEEN: Spring springing too early?

The volunteer peach tree in the back yard opened its first beautiful blossoms yesterday. In the front yard, the dwarf white snow crabs have unfurled their little leaves. Crocus and daffodils bloom. Hyacinths are up. Down the block, forsythia shows a few firefly-yellow flowers. My sister told me last night that in Canon City, the lilacs are about to burst.
But it's not even St. Patrick's Day! The landscape is ahead of itself.
Denver has had virtually no winter and precious little snow. Now I can only hope we won't have one of those late season storms that dump heavy, wet, branch-breaking snow.
When I first began gardening in Denver, nearly 25 years ago, September roses were rare. As years went on, I'd see roses in October. Last autumn, I had November roses.
I'm already watering, and I watered half a dozen times over what passed for winter, or nothing would have survived. The trade0ff: All the plants help the environment, but require water.
This year, the discipline will lie in having mostly non-thirsty succulents in my containers.
Turn off that faucet when you're brushing your teeth. Install your low-flow shower head. Looks like we could have more depressingly dry days.
But there good news is that there's snow in the high country. Vail and Beaver Creek got 14" mid-week, and we're heading up to ski.

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