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Planting perennials in Colorado Springs
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Posted by
dinomac76 minnesota (
My Page) on
Mon, Sep 17, 07 at 19:53
| I live in MN and my son and daughter in law live in Colorado Springs. They just moved into a home that has NO flowers. I have a 1 acre of perennials. SO... this weekend I am digging up hostas, rudabeckias, stella-d-oro dayilies, coreopsis, ajuga (among other things) and haul them down and "spruce up their yard".
I know they have "sandy" soil as grass has a hard time growing. Is there something I should do or add when planting - or are these hardy plants going to work in the soil "as is"? The last week of September should be OK to plant/landscape, shouldn't it?????
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Planting perennials in Colorado Springs
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| I replied to this on the perennial forum |
RE: Planting perennials in Colorado Springs
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| I read plantlady's reply on the perennial forum, and she gave good advice, definitely ammend the soil when you plant. My concern is that you need to give the plants time to acclimate to the high altitude sun. It is much more intense, and even though everything you listed except the hostas and ajugas are sun lovers, they will need a gradual transition. Maybe you could provide some temporary shade for the plants. I often will place a lawn chair over new transplants for the first couple of days. |
RE: Planting perennials in Colorado Springs
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| I don't know about Colorado Springs, but last year our first frost here on the Wasatch Front were in late September. We're at about 4500' elevation. I'm planning to transplant some of my flowers in the next three or four days, but I am starting to worry that I won't be giving them much time to start growing their roots before the cold sets in. What do others think about the timing for transplanting from now through the end of the month? |
RE: Planting perennials in Colorado Springs
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| Steve, I'm at about 5,500' elevation and I planted up until October 20th last year. Out of the 50 plants I put in last fall, only two didn't make it, and they were mail order plants. Keep in mind that the ground temperature will stay warm for much longer than the first frost date, and the roots will continue to grow. |
RE: Planting perennials in Colorado Springs
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| Thanks so much for all your advice. Being born and raised in MN, all I know is what works here. It will be a joy to share my perennials with my son's family in Colorado. He is in Iraq right now and just bought the house for his family last November, so we thought we would landscape it before he gets home in October!!!!! |
RE: Planting perennials in Colorado Springs
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| I think this is a wonderful time of year to plant perennials. It isn't so beastly hot and things establish better. I believe our average date of first frost is around Oct 17th. However I've seen it as early as the first week of Sept and as late as after Thanksgiving. It's kind of a crap shoot. That's what makes gardening in the Rocky Mountain region so interesting. Whether you have sandy or clay soil, always amend it with organic matter. If you have a place with no landscaping, you can have compost hauled in by the truckload. The more you do for the plants, the more they will reward you. |
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