A. Winter Care of New Plantings-Mulching and watering are the things your new tree or shrub will need during winter. Mulch at the time of planting with about 3 inches of shredded bark or other mulch. Build a well to hold the mulch and water on top of the root ball. If there is no snow cover and day temperatures are above freezing for a week give the new plant some water. Keep an eye on the mulch and make sure it doesn’t all blow away.

A. Fall/Winter Care of Hybrid Roses-Hybrid Teas need to be cut back and mulched or covered for the winter. You may also need to water if winter is warm and dry. After a heavy frost 20 to 25 degrees, cut hybrid tea roses back to 6-8 inches in height, removing any dead or diseased canes. If canes are very dense remove a few at the base to open the crown up a bit. Pile mulch or leaves around the entire crown covering it completely. Keep an eye on the mulch and replace it if any blows away. Remove mulch in spring when new growth begins to appear.

A. Fall/Winter Care of Perennials-Most perennials prefer to keep their old growth through winter as self-mulching; therefore cutting them back is better left until spring. A new layer of mulch 1-2 inches thick is a good idea covering the entire bed. If winter is warm and dry they may need some water.

A. Fall/Winter Color-Most natural fall color on the Western Slope is yellow or gold and there are many things in this range to chose from. We are also able to grow a few things here that are in the red or purple range.

Fall Color Yellow/Gold Red/Orange Purple
Trees: Aspen Autumn Blaze Maple Autumn Purple Ash, Cottonwood Swedish Aspen Select Crabapples, Green Ash Group Sienna Maple Select Plums, Honeylocust Amur Maple, Willow European Mountain Ash, Linden Select Crabapples, Select Flowering Plums
Shrubs: Bog Birch Barberry Purpleleaf Sandcherry, Alpine Currant Chokeberry Dogwood, Elder Cotoneaster Select Lilacs, Twinberry Burning Bush Diablo Ninebark, Honeysuckle Amur Maple Purple Smokebush, Peashrub Common Ninebark Select Spriea, Rose Tree of China Canada Red Cherry Western Sandcherry, Willow Serviceberry Select Viburnum, Select Spirea, Sumac

Fall Color Yellow/Gold Red/Orange Purple
Vines: Honeysuckle Virginia Creeper Wintercreeper

Winter Color Evergreen Red/Purple
Trees: Fir Select Juniper, Spruce, Pine, Juniper, Arborvitae
Shrubs: Spruce Oregon Grape Holly, Pine Boxwood, Juniper Select Juniper, Yucca Creeping, Mahonia
Vines/Groundcover: Vinca Minor Kinnikinnick, Wintercreeper

A. Ripening Tomatoes Inside-Remove tomatoes before frost and bring in to a cool place in your home; the basement, garage or a root cellar. Dark or light, it doesn’t matter. You want to lie out tomatoes so they don’t touch, on newspaper or paper bags. Check on them every couple of days, removing ripe ones and turning the others over.