Timberline Gardens » What’s in Bloom

Add a Little Whimsy to Your Space With A Homemade Fairy Garden

Julie Martin — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 01:49:10 +0000

Would you like to invite some whimsy into your life? Do you crave a way to spend some time in nature with your children or grandchildren? Creating a “fairy garden” will connect you to that wonderful world. In the process, you can take a trip to a country called the Imagine-Nation, your inner child still knows the way …

If you need a little help getting started, we’ve got ideas for you here at Timberline. See the fairy garden on display, or even better, build your own indoor container fairy garden in the class we offer Saturday, December 11, at 9 a.m. We supply the container, soil, houseplants and expertise while Mother Nature supplies the acorns, shiny pebbles, colored leaves, seashells, bark and feathers to adorn your unique creation.

If you build it, they will come! Those of use who “believe” can tell you about the lore of these little people, who go by many names such as elves, brownies, pixies, or gnomes. We are especially familiar with the flower fairies here at Timberline. These nature spirits are the ones you connect with every time you admire the color of a flower or its exquisite fragrance. We honor them by learning the best ways to care for our flowering plants.

A fairy garden in a wooded area, perhaps tucked into the roots of a large tree, will connect you with the tree spirits. This would be a place you could visit often with the children in your life, the destination of a leisurely walk in all seasons. Children are naturally drawn to trees, climbing in them, playing under them, drawing pictures of them. What better way to honor the spirit of the woods and enchant a child than to build a tiny house of bark and twigs and leaves, decorated with feathers and flowers and furnished with a tiny tea set made from acorns? These little gardens are not meant to be permanent, but are ever-changing, and the fairies themselves have been known to leave gifts there.

A sprinkle of fairy dust is a sure sign they’ve visited. And they enjoy an occasional treat from humans such as a drop or two of rum in a thimble, sweets, or bread with honey. They are also attracted by the sound of soft wind chimes or small bells. And they love to listen to stories or songs! So gather your little people around you and introduce them to the other “wee folk.” Then take a walk and who knows what you might encounter.

To read a full description of the Fairy Garden and our other holiday classes, visit this link today!

Rose Gets an Upgrade and Bob a New Overcoat

Drew Jaynes — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 01:11:41 +0000

One of the lesser known things about Timberline Gardens is that all of our greenhouses have names. It certainly adds a little charm to the place, but the main reason is for simplicity of location.

If you’re ever at Timberline and you overhear on an employee’s radio, “That’s in Lucy, or I’m in Ethel,” and you’ve wondered what in blazes we’re talking about, now you know. North to south, our greenhouses are named Rose, Lucy, Ricky, Grace, Otto, Bob, Rose 2, Fred and Ethel. Oh, and we can’t forget the cactus house across the street. Seems like a lot to keep track of right? Well that’s only because we’ve been slowly but surely expanding over the years.

What we alluded to in the title of this post were upgrades and overcoats, but in reality we’re just keeping you–our customers–in the loop. Rose, the greenhouse closest to the parking lot is getting an upgrade. She’ll be taller and wider, but most importantly, will be able to house all of our roses come next season.

As for Bob getting a new overcoat, well, that’s actually kind of an understatement. Bob is one of the oldest greenhouses (coldframes) we have at Timberline and he was getting a little long in the tooth. So we’ve torn apart Bob’s frame and will replace it with Rose’s old one. This will indeed only give us increased space for growing and acclimating plants to our Colorado climate.

If you’re interested in learning more about the different greenhouses and what we use them for, make sure to keep an eye peeled for the tour we offer once a season on the class list. Last season it was entitled Fred & Ethel Back Together Again. We hope you’ll join us and learn just a little bit more about your favorite Colorado garden center.

Fall Planting: Spicing Up Your Yard With A Splash of Color

John Navant — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:09:29 +0000

The summer is mostly over and we’re transitioning into fall planting season here at Timberline Gardens. Customers are filtering in to give their yards and gardens that last little bit of spice before the winter sets in. And there are a lot of great deals to be had.

Late summer into early fall can be be a great time to plant both trees and shrubs. This is because we normally have moderate temperatures right now, which allow plants to establish root growth before the winter months.

Fall planting also offers a fantastic opportunity to add some color to your garden before the end of the season. Simple shrubs can spice up a bare spot, or add a splash of color to the late-season green of your garden or planter. Some good choices are Dwarf Lilacs, Ninebarks, Blue Mist Spirea and our native grasses such as Little or Big Blue Stem and Switch Grasses.

If it’s trees you’re after, Northern Red Oak, Crabapples, Maples, Plums, Aspens and Pears can add a more significant vibrancy to your yard. Especially if you’re looking for that beautiful fall color year after year. If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, our Aspens and fruiting Pears are 50% off this month.

A lot of our customers have had a lot of success using Myke when planting, well, just about anything. Using Myke while planting in the fall only jump starts the process in advance of the following spring season.

Throughout the nursery department this month our trees and shrubs are all 30% off, save for the character pines. If you’ve been waiting this year to get your trees and shrubs, now is a great time to do it. Come in and see me, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.

Planting Pointers for the Dog Days of Summer

Karen Haataja — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:38:35 +0000

Think there’s no color during summer’s sizzling dog days? Wrong!

From low creepers to the very tall, Xeric, to shade, there are many varieties and colors of blooms that will brighten up your hot summer garden. Many bloom for a couple of months and others will go until frost. Xeric plants love the heat and will show you their true colors. Those needing more moisture we call garden perennials. Planting any of these will surely add a pleasant burst of color to any garden.

Please don’t hesitate to call us at (303) 420-4060, we’ll do our best to help you answer any questions you might have.

Also, as of August 1st, 2010, all of these perennials will be on sale for Buy 2 Get the 3rd Free, so hurry in for the best selection.

From short-to-tall, here are some examples that we carry. Click the small images for a larger view.

Xeric Plant Examples
	Variety	Colors
Click to enlarge	delosperma (ice plants)	Pinks, whites, magentas
Click to enlarge	cotula	Round yellow buttons
Click to enlarge	sedum	Yellow, pink, white and burgundy
Click to enlarge	snapdragons	Apricots, yellows and rose
Click to enlarge	agastache	Apricots, peach, lavenders, raspberries
Click to enlarge	hollyhocks	Whites, reds, pinks, deep purples
Click to enlarge	gaillardia/blanket flower	Reds, golds and lavenders
Click to enlarge	penstemons	Pinks, blues and purples
Click to enlarge	verbena	Reds, yellows and lavenders

Garden Perennial Examples
	Variety	Colors
Click to enlarge	thyme (blooming)	Whites, lavenders
Click to enlarge	daylilies	Apricots, golds, oranges and pinks
Click to enlarge	geraniums	Lavenders, blues and rose
Click to enlarge	shasta daisies	Whites, pale yellows
Click to enlarge	balloon flower	Whites, blues
Click to enlarge	heliopsis	Deep golds, yellows
Click to enlarge	solidago	Golden red
Click to enlarge	tall phlox	Hot pinks, rose and whites
Click to enlarge	scabiosa	Lavenders, pinks
Click to enlarge	veronica	Lavenders, blues

What’s in Bloom: June/July

Mary Lilja — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:39:37 +0000

Planting a garden is most often about the end result. The blooming flowerbed, fall colored leaves on the trees, or waves of plants blooming as if on a schedule. What’s in Bloom highlights plants that already are in bloom, or will soon. So if you’re looking for that instant end-result of having flowers in bloom, we’ve got some great suggestions for plants you can use to give your garden or garden a bright summer boost.

Garden Perennials

Achillea (all varieties) 4.5″ pot
‘Moonshine’
‘Gloria Jean’

Nepeta ‘Joanna Reed’ 4.5″ pot

Geranium ‘Tiny Monster’ 4.5″ pot

Lychnis ‘Red Maltese Cross’ 4.5″ pot

Scabiosa ‘Butterfly Blue’ 4.5″ pot

Xeric Plants

Agastache (many varieties) 4.5″ pot

Gaillardia ‘Arizona Sun’ 4.5″ pot

Penstemon
‘strictus’ 4.5″ pot
‘digitalis Dark Towers’ 4.5″ pot

Salvia nemerosa
‘BlueHill’
‘Lubeca’ 4.5″ pot &1 gal.

Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’ 2 gal.

Verbena bipinnatifida 3.5″ pot
‘Dakota Vervain’

Many cacti varieties

Rock Garden Plants

Delospermum
‘Tiffindell’ 3.5″ pot
‘White Nugget’ 3.5″ & 4.5″ pots

Sedum
‘Bronze carpet’ 3.5″ pot

Helianthemum
‘Single Yellow’ 4.5″ pot
‘Ben Moore’ 4.5″ pot

Limonium binervosum
‘Rock Sea Lavender’ 4.5″ pot

Sempervivums
‘Hens & Chicks’ 4.5″ pot

Shade Plants

Alchemilla erythropoda
‘caucasus lady’s mantle’ 4.5″ pot

Foxglove ‘Pam’s Choice’ 4.5″ pot

Aguilegia (Many varieties) 4.5″ pot

Irish/Scotch Mosses 4.5″ pot

Persicaria ‘Himalayan Border Jewel’ 3.5″ pot

Ornamental Grasses

Pennisetum ‘Karley Rose’ 4.5″ pot

Calamagrostis ‘Avalanche’ 4.5″ pot