4840 6th Street
Marie’s Landscape Refresh
SCHEDULE | DESIGN | PLANTS + MATERIALS | SOIL | CARE + MAINTENANCE | RECOMMENDATIONS | RESOURCES
GARDEN NOTES
FULL DESIGN
NATIVE THEME | PICTURE GALLERIES BELOW
FRONT YARD DESIGN
*NOTE FOR DESIGN MEETS: Multiple seasons are layered here for condensed reference— Simply a portion of blooms will be visible at any given time. During design meets, a view-by-season can be broken out as needed. Evolution of the native plant list may continue between now and spring, by preference.
BACKYARD
Vegetable Garden DESIGN
Mostly Native Plant List
WITH COMMON + BOTANICAL NAMES | CONTAINER SIZE | QUANTITY | DETAILS
Reference Pictures
Materials List
RECOMMENDED MATERIALS | QUANTITY OR SIZE | DETAILS | SUGGESTED SUPPLIER
Reference Pictures
“NOW’S AN EXCITING TIME TO GROW YOUR AT-HOME GARDENING SKILLS + KNOW HOW!”
HERE ARE LINKS TO EACH STEP AS YOU LEARN THE ARTS OF:
1) BUILDING SOIL
2) LEARN TO GROW + (SEPARATE) YOU TUBE VIDEOS
3) OUR SCHEDULE OF AVAILABLE HANDS-ON CLASSES
4) CREATING + CULTIVATING A FRUIT TREE GUILD
5) GARDEN MAINTENANCE
6) LOCAL VENDORS
GREAT! LET’S DIVE IN…
Building Your Soil
THE HEALTH OF YOUR PLANTS IS FIRST AND FOREMOST ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR SOIL
COLORADO SOIL STRUCTURE + AMENDMENTS
WELCOME TO COLORADO: A HIGH ALPINE DESERT
The “high alpine desert” (high and dry) zone of our Colorado front range means that the soil here is typically a rocky compacted clay, deficient in nitrogen or other nutrients. The soil here has a high “alkaline” pH of 7.0 - 8.3, due to the high amount of calcium carbonate (free lime), a reflection of limited rainfall and rock weathering.
To adjust for this, here are the elements we can easily add to this soil to make it more hospitable and to support your garden beauty and bounty.
START HERE + BRING YOUR SOIL TO LIFE
In perennial beds, after spring clean up, and before adding seeds or starts, it is highly recommend to:
1) OPTIONALLY Aerate or till the existing raised bed soil. In a raised bed specifically designated for use as a vegetable garden, it can be difficult to apply a no-till practice. In this case, it’s fine to balance structure and provide nutrients by adequately loosening up and amending the soil.
BALANCE YOUR SOIL STRUCTURE WITH THESE ELEMENTS
2) Add a moisture-retaining element such as rice hulls, pearlite, or vermiculite (expanded shale). If you want to support a local reseller, these are available at McGuckins. The volume needed will depend on your square footage as well as any unique microclimate influences of note.
The gardener’s goal here is to create a loamy soil strucure (an equal balance of sand/silt/clay). We’re going for the “goldilock’s zone” of not too heavy, not too light, but just right, with good moisture retention. Here’s how to identify what general soil type you may be working with and now to balance it:
→ DENSE DIRT OR CLAY Most of the Front Range of CO has dense or clay dirt masquerading as soil. So, if you soil is overly dense, compacted, or has a high clay content, you’ll want to lighten it up. For this, you can use rice hulls, pearlite, and/or vermiculite. These elements act to retain moisture by wicking and dispersing, making it available to the roots in a more even distribution over a longer period. Coconut coir and spanghum moss also provide a lighter weight to the surrounding soil media thus aerating and lifting the density.
→ SANDY SOIL If your soil is too sandy or dry dusty silt, water may run through it too fast, or it may not cultivate the density necessary to support the kind of microbial activity that will truly nourish your plant roots. So you’ll want to create more moisture retention and build up the structure slightly. In this situation, coconut coir acts as a fine moisture retention element, or you could use vermiculite for even more retention. Consider removing a % of the existing media and/or adding raised bed soil to bring the structure into balance.
For moisture balance, remember this general rule of thumb: Use rice hulls, coconut coir or perlite when you want better drainage and aeration. Use vermiculite when you want more moisture retention.
What’s Your Starting Soil Type?
Use Amendments To Balance Soil Structure
Here’s What A Healthy Balance Might Look Like
NEXT FERTILIZE YOUR SOIL WITH
COMPOST + NUTRIENTS
There is a difference between soil and dirt. Dirt can be any media such as sand/silt/clay, but it lacks the living microbes or fungal networks that create the ‘soup’ of life within which plant roots symbiotically thrive. Soil, on the other hand, can have a base of the same media, yet it is ALIVE, providing a living soup for such organisms. Soil has a balanced structure, density, and most importantly: the biodiversity necessary to support a living eco-system thriving within. Here’s how to build biodiversity and healthy structure into your Colorado soil:
COMPOST
3) Add a volume of organic compost suitable for vegetable or medicinal garden use. Start by adding a layer to the top of the exposed soil and then mixing it in. Great composts to use can be anything from Alpaca or Chicken poop from your local farm (make sure it’s not too “hot”), to bagged compost. Here are our recommended bagged planting soil blends, available at local suppliers such as McGuckins:
• The Bomb — by Paonia Soil Co
• Sheep ‘n Peat — by Earth Essentials
• Ocean Forest — by Fox Farm
FERTILIZERS
4) Add nutrients that help plants grow. Your typical fertilizers will have a blend of Nitrogen—Phosphorus—Potassium (N-P-K). Together these provide a spectrum that meets plant needs. You can also add other natural elements such as worm castings, bat guano, fish or kelp emulsion, blood or bone meal. Keep in mind that each of these has their own ratio, so make sure it’s what your plant needs before applying. We recommend the following brands:
• Root | Grow | or Bloom — by Age Old Organics
• Hemp Dress — by Key To Life
BOOST SOIL BIO-DIVERSITY
5) Add mycorrhizae (a fungus that grows in association with the roots of a plant) for help with nutrient uptake to help plants and ecosystem grow. Establishing this root-based systemic network is essential in that it helps plants attract and absorb nutrients from the surrounding soil that its roots alone would not be able to draw up. It’s like ‘nature’s wifi’— helping connect the neighborhood bio-chemically through the soil. Nature takes time to build this, and we can help speed it up by introducing the mycorrhizae.
• Mycorrrhizae — by Big Foot
ADD WATER SLOWLY AS YOU MIX YOUR SOILS
6) Slow water. Let the amendments soak down with slow watering (to avoid fast runoff) before planting. Soaking, rather than spraying, will give your soil time to sink in and begin to come to life. Make sure the water soaks deeply down and doesn’t just sit in the top few inches of your soil.
PLANT YOUR SEEDS + STARTS
7) Now your seed and starts are ready to be planted. By nurturing the soil before planting, you increase the success rate of your introduction, robustness, and longevity of your new plants, as well as contribute to a healthier ecosystem.
Additional Natural Products
CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS
for horticultural and vegetable gardens
Learn To Grow (What To Know)
HIGHLIGHTS FOR CULTIVATING PLANT GROWTH IN YOUR GARDEN
COMPANION PLANTING
While there are many definitions of what makes a healthy ‘plant guild’, essentially we are looking to create a polyculture by placing species (vegetable, flower, herb) that grow well together, are chemically beneficial for one another, as well as some that attract pollinators and/or some that repel pests.
We’ll give you some of our suggestions for your unique garden. Diversity is key, so play around with your senses — imagine what you’d like to see, smell, taste, or use, or experiment to find what suits your garden best. Here is a link to a good companion plant search, if you get curious about what would grow best with each specific species: https://www.epicgardening.com/?s=companion+plants
TRELLISING
While Boulder is high-and-dry, if you wish to avoid mildew, then trellising your vines is a helpful way to go. On a trellis, the fruits and veggies are easier to see when ripe and to pick. Another creative suggestion might be to create an arched trellis between beds. You can find how-to videos and recommendations for many options below. Be creative and have fun.
MULCHING
STRAW is the best mulch material for your raised veggie beds. (NOT HAY). The importance of covering bare soil cannot be understated. A good organic material that keeps the moisture in is essential for healthy soil, especially at high altitudes with extreme weather and low precipitation. Although they may look similar, straw and hay are different in one important feature: Hay, which is grown to feed animals, contains seeds. If used as mulch, these seeds germinate and create a weed problem. A good quality straw contains few seeds. Leaves, ground to a fine consistency can also be sprinkled as a mulch. Make sure any material you use in your edible gardens is either biodynamic or organic and has been grown free from chemicals or chemical fertilizers, including the groundwater in the area.
LIVING MULCH Short green plants like buckwheat, alyssum and clover can be used to cover soil between taller plants and keep weeds from growing, while enriching the soil and attracting beneficial insects. In fact, many of these are prized for their use as lawn alternatives. Check your microclimate requirements and each plant’s growing preference to make sure they will grow where you intend.
TREE BARK Gorilla hair mulch is a hairy type of shredded tree bark widely used as a garden mulch. Depending on your preference for using weed barrier material, this is a good one to use a strip of weed barrier or weed mat under for smaller walkways. This mulch settles down into a matt that is wind resistant and at the same time creates a soft thick layer to walk on that doesn’t allow as many weeds to propagate as gravel.
Wood chips are a fine option for walkways. Do NOT add them as a cover to your veggie gardens, though, as wood and bark can lock in nitrogen from the soil keeping it from the growing plant roots that need it.
Watch Others Do It + Then Try It Yourself
We Suggest The Following YouTube Channels As You Learn The Art/s Of…
Soil
Growing Tips
Next Level Beauty + Inspiration
Better Your Garden Game with 1-on-1 or Small Seasonal Garden Classes!
Come learn + practice at GEOFLOWER FARM in north Boulder
CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS
Click for more details at ou r north boulder location @ Geoflower Farm
Plant A Living Guild To Support Your Apricot Tree
Images courtesy of Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison showing spatial layout.
Sample Guild list(s) courtesy of Rebeccas Gardens for Front Range microclimate species.
Apricot Guild
What Is A Plant “Guild”? How Do Plants Work Together?
DEFINITION A plant guild is a community of plants that grow and support each other by recycling nutrients back into the soil, providing shade, and conserving water, attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests and diseases, building soil, and preventing erosion. In other words, they’re like each other’s best friends or friend circle, helping to share their unique skills and benefit the collective in their little location (aka micro-climate). They each help one another to be their best in the bio-chemical and ‘social’ environment.
DRIP LINE LAYOUT Main guild plantings are spaced most prominently within the circular area that defines the ‘drip line’ of the tree. The drip line is the area within which rainwater drips down from the trees leaves, forming a circle on the ground around the outer edge of the trees branches, mirrored by its root system underground. Just within the drip line is the area where the roots of the tree will most actively integrate with companion plants. This is because the tips of the roots are the most active and are always located near the drip line, reaching further out as the growth of the tree evolves. Specifically, this is where the tree has the most synapses for interchanges within the soil, including water and nutrient uptake. Other plantings may fill the space outside the drip line or the space that defines the garden between trees.
Aesthetically, we encourage your creativity! But in addition to your garden artistry, here are the logistical components that may help you decide what will go where for the needs of your unique guild or garden:
The 6 Main Balancing Components To A Guild
√ ATTRACTORS Great for bringing pollinators to the garden! >> Cosmos, Catmint, Sunflowers, Valarian, Sages/Salvias, Zinnias, Snapdragons, fennel, dill, lavender
√ REPELLERS Pest deterrents are a must as well. >> Allium (aka onion-family like Leeks, Chives), Garlic, Oregano, Geraniums, Marigolds, Mums, Daffodills, etc
√ NITROGEN FIXERS The ‘fertilizer’ for your tree, pulling nitrogen into the soil. >> Clover, Vetch, Legumes (clovers, beans, peas, lentils, peas, chickpeas), silverberrry
√ MULCHERS Can be cut and sprinkled around the tree like mulch which helps with water retention and soil protection. >> Comfrey, Vetch, etc, or hay or woodchips.
√ ACCUMULATORS Rejuvenate the soil by pulling up and replenishing nutrients. >> Borage, Comfrey, Chickweed, Yarrow, Nettle, Strawberries, Sorrel, Vetch etc
√ SUPPRESSORS Help suppress weed growth, like ground covers with interwoven root systems. >> Clover, Thyme, Sedum, Strawberries, etc
Pollination + Fruiting
It is natural for some apricot trees to be alternate-bearing, meaning they produce fruit every other or third year. This depends on many integrated factors:
Pollination: Some apricot trees can pollinate themselves, but many rely on cross-pollination, which can improve the quality and quantity of the fruit. :
Self-pollination
Apricot trees are self-fertile, which means they can be pollinated by pollen from the same flower or another flower on the same tree. However, some varieties, like the Vivagold cultivar, are not self-fertile.
Pollinators
Pollinators, like bees, are usually responsible for pollinating apricot trees. However, cold temperatures, rain, and wind can reduce pollinator activity.
Pollinator plants
If there aren't enough bees or beneficial pollinator insects, you can plant pollinator-attracting plants in your garden or get a beehive
Weather: Early seasonal spring frosts, such as Colorado is famous for, can freeze blossoms that do not transform into fruit. Likewise, heavy rain or wind can knock buds off the tree before fruit matures.
Temperature: Apricots need 300 hours of temperatures below 45°F. Colorado sees extreme temperature fluctuation, which may sometimes interfere with fruiting.
Thinning: Thinning the tree (in spring) for proper light, air, and growth will cultivate the best structure to support fruit production. If the tree isn't thinned, it might produce a large crop one year and a small crop the next.
Watering: Too much or too little water at bloom time or while the fruit is maturing can prevent the tree from producing fruit.
Nutrients: Fruit trees require additional nutrient density to support production. A lack of nutrients, like phosphorus, can prevent the tree from producing fruit.
Age: Older trees require more care and maintenance to produce fruit, and may eventually stop producing fruit altogether.
Fertilizing
Fertilize your Apricot tree in early spring, after the snow melts and before new growth begins.
Use a balanced N-P-K blend with additional nutrients that support microbial soil health and root uptake, including:
Nitrogen: The primary nutrient used by apricot trees, nitrogen promotes green growth. It's leached from the soil by normal growth, so it needs to be replaced with organic or synthetic compounds. A lack of nitrogen can cause leaves to turn pale or reddish, become narrow or shrunken, or develop dead spots.
Phosphorus and potassium: These macronutrients are also important for apricot growth. Potassium is especially important for the size and weight of stone fruit.
Calcium: Improves fruit growth.
Iron: Helps increase fruit size and weight, and crop yields.
Copper and zinc: Micronutrients that apricot trees need.
Magnesium: A deficiency of magnesium can cause apricot leaves to look abnormal. Epsom salts can help correct this deficiency
You can read more about this in the section below on BUILDING SOIL…
Our plant recommendations are selected with your microclimate in mind— including sun, soil, and water conditions, species variety, seasonal fruiting or bloom times, companion planting, nitrogen fixers, pollinator attractors, natural pest resistance, aesthetics and overall balance. With over a decade in the industry working on the front range in this high alpine zone, we believe these selections are well suited to bring your garden to life. Planting can be partly intuitive and also counter intuitive. If you have any additional questions, just reach out.
MAY
Natural Solutions For Apricot Tree
1) OBSERVATION: SMALL / OUTER BRANCH DIE BACK
Marie is noticing that there are a few outer branches that are dead and appear to be dying off. These are not related to the crown, but to some of the mid-height outer branches. Dead branch width is around 1- 1.5” in diameter. She asked me to cut off two of these dead branches with loppers. mE
2) INQUIRE: WHAT MIGHT BE HAPPENING IN THE LARGER CONTEXT (THE ECO-SYSTEM) THAT COULD BE LEADING TO THIS SYMPTOM?
Apricot tree branches dying off can be due to various factors, including diseases, improper care, or environmental stresses. Common causes include Eutypa dieback, blossom blight, or Phytophthora root rot, as well as insufficient watering, poor drainage, or fungal diseases.
Here's a more detailed look at some of potential causes:
Diseases
This fungal disease causes limbs to suddenly wilt and die, often with amber-colored gumming on the bark.
This fungal disease affects the blossoms, leading to their death and potentially causing dieback in twigs and small laterals.
This disease is common in poorly drained soil and can cause root damage, leading to branch dieback.
This disease can cause fruit rot and can also spread to branches.
Environmental Factors and Care
Poor Drainage
Waterlogged soil can suffocate roots and lead to branch death.
Insufficient Water
While too much water is harmful, a lack of water can also stress the tree and cause branches to die.
Nutrient Deficiency
Trees that lack essential nutrients may be more susceptible to diseases and may not be able to support healthy growth, leading to branch dieback.
Root Damage
Injuries to the roots, such as those caused by improper planting or damage from pests, can disrupt the tree's ability to absorb water and nutrients, leading to branch dieback.
Damage or Pest
Pests
Some pests can damage branches, making them more vulnerable to disease and dieback.
Mechanical Damage
Broken or damaged branches can be a breeding ground for disease and may not be able to support healthy growth.
3) CALL A TREE SERVICE SPECIALIST
• Ask for a professional opinion on:
How to address branch dieback, naturally
Prune out dead branches Removing dead branches can prevent further spread of disease and allow the tree to focus its energy on healthy growth.
Improve drainage If the soil has poor drainage, consider amending it with compost or other materials to improve drainage.
√ To improve drainage for a mature apricot tree, focus on amending the soil to enhance its porosity. This method may help ensure roots have access to air and water can drain away from the tree. Amend the soil with:
Organic Matter: Incorporate compost, well-rotted manure, or other organic materials to improve soil structure and water-holding capacity.
Gritty Materials: For clay soils, add expanded shale, soil pep, or sand o improve drainage and aeration.
Gypsum: In heavy clay soils, gypsum can help break down clay particles and improve drainage.
Ensure proper watering Water the tree adequately, but avoid overwatering. (Speak with an irrigation specialist about this).
Provide proper fertilization Ensure the tree is receiving the necessary nutrients to support healthy growth.
√ To properly fertilize an apricot tree in Colorado, apply a balanced fertilizer in early spring before new growth begins and again after fruit set to support fruit development. Avoid fertilizing late in the season to prevent excessive vegetative growth. For mature trees, use organic options like compost or manure, or specific organic fruit tree fertilizers.
√ You want an Organic fertilizer to provide your tree with Nitrogen – N (for leaf and branch growth), Phosphorous – P (for root and blossom development), and Potassium – K (for the tree's natural disease-resistance and overall health).
√ Apply nitrogen to the soil around the trees at the rate of one-eighth pound for every one inch of trunk diameter. Take the trunk-diameter measurement one foot above ground level.
Fungal applications In some cases, natural applications to treat fungal infections may be necessary to control fungal diseases.
√ Organic fungicides like copper-based solutions or sulfur sprays can be effective.
Protect from pests and damage Take steps to protect the tree from pests and damage, such as pruning, using pest control methods, and protecting the root system.
√ To naturally prevent pests, consider using companion planting, attracting beneficial insects, and implementing good garden hygiene. Additionally, consider using sticky traps, like Tanglefoot, and providing overwintering habitats for beneficial insects.
√ Use of ceyenne or hot chili pepper powder mixed with water and a little bit of soap to help the solution stick when sprayed. Works best for chewing and sucking insects. Or mix 1 tablespoon of neem oil or peppermint or clove essential oil, 2 cups water, and and 4 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. It's important to use this solution cautiously, as it can potentially damage or burn some plant leaves, due to its drying nature, especially in direct sunlight.
Inspect the area for frogs, toads, or other beneficial insects first before you spray, as you wouldn’t want to harm their sensitive skin or wings.
√ Feeding squirrels in winter may be a far more enjoyable approach for the whole ecosystem, though use of ceyenne pepper may also help deter squirrels from eating the bark in winter (trying to get to the sugar-like sap inside).
Garden Maintenance
Access YOUR Custom Maintenance DIY How-To List here
/or/ Hop on our Quarterly Maintenance Schedule for in-person Garden Help + Tips
FREE Tree Care guide with Plant Talk Colorado
This link takes you to a separate website where you will find both a fact sheet— and a free database— including more How-To videos, and timely information on your choice of horticultural topics for growing on the Colorado front range.
Sponsored by Colorado State University Extension, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Green Industries of Colorado.
Natural Weeding Options
Click these separate links to read more or find out DIY tips
• Best Applications for Vinegar DIY
• Pulverize Weed Killer (Natural) Recommended Product
Local Nurseries + Vendors We Recommend
Find your seeds or plant starts here, as well as tools, materials, and more! We’re pleased to share the health and the wealth of opportunity among these associations from our many professional and social circles. Rebecca’s Gardens Design makes it our goal to stay as consistent as possible with the larger picture holistic ecological values for plants, people, and our planet. Thank you for your commitment to sourcing biodynamic or organically grown plant species or varieties, soil, or other products.
GOT INSTALLATION?
Recommended Installation Specialist
FROM HARDSCAPE TO PLANTINGS — HUMBERTO’S TEAM HAS IT COVERED
Rebecca's Gardens partners with A Good Earth Maintenance for installations through TLC, True Land Collective, a client-to-contractor hub featuring a niche group of trustworthy reliable small businesses.
We proudly work with longstanding local contractors and artisans who are masters of their trade, aligning projects and purpose for smoother communication and fit.
Our wisdom and work with native plants, cultivation, and maintenance is directly translated throughout the installation process, ensuring we do our best to communicate and instill the needs of your landscape ground the ground up.
We visualize and build to suit your dreams and budget in alignment with native ecological factors.
“Small or Grand, you're in good hands.”
Your Photo Album
Before
Phases Of Installation
Hardscape (Autumn 2024)
NOV 22-23 (FRI-SAT) Remove sod | Place decorative boulders | Build and grade berms | Stage flagstone path | Install edging + weed barrier
NOV 25 (MON) Install cobble | Mix + Spread Native Soil Blend | Cover soil with mulch | Adjust edging | Store hardscape materials for later use
Plantings (Spring 2025)
LATE-APRIL to EARLY MAY…tbd
Eco-System Support For Your Garden
Garden Inquiry: Why do squirrels eat the bark off a fruit tree?
Squirrels may primarily eat the bark of fruit (or other) tree to access the nutritious cambium layer underneath the bark, which is rich in sugars and nutrients, or to satisfy a nutrient deficiency. Rather than actually eating the bark itself; they often strip away the outer bark to reach this layer, especially when food sources are scarce or during the winter months when other food options are limited; this behavior is also sometimes used to maintain their teeth by gnawing on the bark.
Recommendation: Put out a cute squirrel feeder during fall and winter months, separate from the bird feeders. Side benefit may include the joy of observing their cute antics.
Click Here To Check Out This: SQUIRREL PICNIC TABLE
We’re so excited for your gardening journey this season! May your plants and hearts grow in abundance, wisdom, and joy. May you learn from experimentation and celebrate your adventures. And just like Life, gardening is a Journey… just remember that who we become, what we create, and how we enjoy the process on the way to our destination is the real treasure. So try something new, do your best, and you know where to reach me if you need any help, have any questions, or want to try out your ideas along the way. Enjoy the gift of every season!
~ Rebecca
A Fun Harvest Mid-season 2020
Tasty ground cherries
