Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden.  This message was recorded on Tuesday, January 8, 2008.

We would like to extend a special welcome to the members of the 2008 Apprentice Master Gardener class, who join the Tri River Area horticulture team this week.  The Master Gardeners are an essential component of our program, handling thousands of client calls and samples each year, and assisting the residents of Mesa, Delta, Montrose and Ouray Counties with their yard and garden questions.  We are very glad to have the new class on board!  The course runs through March 20, after which Master Gardeners will be available in our Mesa County office.  The Delta and Montrose offices will have Master Gardeners on staff sometime in April.  Meanwhile, we do have Advanced Master Gardeners available in the Mesa County office on most days; you can direct your gardening questions to them at 244-1836.

Several pruning questions have come in to the Mesa County Extension office this week.  Professional orchardists with many acres must begin pruning early in order to have all their trees done by spring, but this isn’t the best course for the home gardener.  Certain kinds of pruning may be done at any time of the year: remove dead branches, or any that are broken.  Clean cuts are always best, resulting in the least stress for the tree or shrub.  Branches that are rubbing against each other or a building or fence, or those that show signs of disease or injury should also be removed.  Major shaping, however, or pruning fruit trees to maximize bearing should be delayed until late winter.  Pruning stimulates growth, and early shoots will be damaged or killed by late frosts.  Pruning wounds also open up the plant tissue to dehydration, which kills far more plants than cold does over the winter.

The early flowering shrubs such as forsythias, quince, and lilacs will bloom on wood that grew last year.  If they are pruned over the winter, they will not bloom in the spring.  These plants should be pruned after blooming, but before they have set their buds for the following year.  The summer bloomers, which bloom on the current season’s wood, should be pruned in late winter to stimulate growth and produce abundant flowers.  Roses are a special case: delay pruning roses until about mid April, when the risk of a late killing frost is low.  Higher elevations need to wait longer.  If they are extremely straggly and in the way, try tying them back with soft cord or cloth strips, which will not rub abrasively in the wind.  

Brochures are available now for Landscapes West 2008, our Garden Conference and Show, that will take place February 1, 2, and 3 at Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junction.  We have an exciting conference this year!  David Whiting, professor of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Colorado State University, will be presenting a dynamic program on western garden design, emphasizing personal needs, uses, and passions, all within a context of a water-wise environment, on Friday February 1.  You won’t want to miss it!  Friday will conclude with our perennial favorite, David Salmon of High Country Gardens, on using ornamental grasses in the xeric garden.  The cost for Friday is only $25.00, and Master Gardeners are entitled to a special rate for this day.

On Saturday, February 2, David Salmon will be back to speak with us about planting natural nectar to attract hummingbirds to the garden, followed by Randy Mandel from Rocky Mountain Native Plants, on new paradigms in landscaping.  Saturday’s program also introduces Dr. Jeff Gillman from the University of Minnesota, who has done a lot of interesting research into garden myths, to discover what is and isn’t valid.  He’ll be giving three presentations, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.  Saturday is rounded out with Dr. Irene Shonle from Gilpin County Extension, on low water native plants for higher elevations, and with a special and very entertaining program on botanical sexuality from Mary Ann Bonnell, a naturalist for the City of Aurora.  The cost for this exciting day of programs is $50.00.

On Sunday the 3rd, the conference will conclude with Dr. Gillman, the Wonderful World of Iris by two iris breeders, Victoria Rule of Willowbend Farm and Advanced Master Gardener Birdie Young, and Randy Mandel on new plant species for the western slope.  Sunday’s sessions end at noon, and the cost for the day is $25.00.   The full program is on line at www.westernslopegardening.org along with registration information.

Give us a call at 244-1836, to receive a Landscapes West brochure or to speak with a Master Gardener.

Thank you for calling Dial-a-Garden.  This message will be updated next week; have a great week!

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Curt Swift CSU Extension Tri River Area Horticultural Agent