Basalt Flower Shops

Basalt CO News

Jul 26, 2018

Gardening: Spangle-area gardener receives June garden of the month honor

Mica Peak," she said. "That didn't happen until late May!" Then there was figuring out what USDA zone her basalt rock microclimate was in. "I grew all kinds of citrus trees in Indio." But garden she did, and she recently won the June Garden of the Month contest from the Inland Empire Gardeners. The Nesbitts' garden has sweeping views of the basalt outcrops and swales of still-green grass and gnarly pines characteristic of the channeled scablands. Building off the natural landscape, Carolyn filled the beds around their house with perennials and wildflowers with a few trees and shrubs thrown in for interest. In beds right off her deck, Johnny jump-ups were filling the spaces left from the Oriental poppies that bloomed earlier in the season. At the back of the bed, several clematis climbed a fence that backed into her greenhouse, a gift from her husband so she could extend her seasons. Along the north fence, Carolyn built a dry creek garden filled with colorful drought-tolerant plants. "I just laid out the hose and let the water make a channel down the slope and built the creek bed where it went." The blue-purple of lavender mixed happily with the yellow flowers of sedums. A barrel-chested blue spruce and clumps of blue fescue ornamental grass cooled the scene with their smoky blue needles and blades. The creek ended in a small water feature planted with some cattails and pond plants with a few gold fish swimming about for color. "The birds love having the water," she said. Continuing around the yard, a huge peren...

Mar 16, 2017

Home Front: fountain class, flower arranging

It's easier than you may think. This presentation will guide you through creating a pondless water feature, using a natural basalt column as an example. Lyngso's water feature specialist, Jake Persichetty, will demonstrate each step from start to finish. Learn how to choose the right pump and basin, get installation tips, and take away some fresh design ideas. Go to lyngsogarden.com to register. Lyngso is located at 345 Shoreway Drive, San Carlos. FLOWER ARRANGING ... Learn how to create a flower arrangement for your next special occasion meal, from intimate and formal to festive and free--wheeling, with the right display of flowers and table settings. On Saturday, April 1, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. instructor Wendy Morck will demonstrate creating arrangements and then matching them with beautiful table settings. Then create your own arrangement to take home and enjoy. To register go to filoli.org. The fee is $130 for members and $155 for non-members. Fee includes all plant materials and containers. --- Follow the Palo Alto Weekly/Palo Alto Online on Twitter @PaloAltoWeekly and Facebook for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more. (Palo Alto Online)

Jul 14, 2016

Bismarck Lake hike has flowers and forest

The soggy basin is surrounded by aspens, basalt boulders and fields of wildflowers in the shadow of Arizona's highest peaks. The trek to Bismarck Lake in the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff weaves in and out of pine and aspen forest. (Photo: Mare Czinar) Although this is a satisfying turnaround point, it's easy to cobble together a longer trek. Just pick up the path on the western edge of the lake and hike 0.2 mile to the Bismarck Lake Trail junction. From here, it's 0.4 mile to the Arizona Trail Passage #34 where you can go right and hike 3.5 miles (8,880-9,000 feet elevation) through magnificent aspen forests to Aspen Corner on Snowbowl Road or go left for for a 3.7-mile (8,880-8,280 feet) for a downhill trek through spruce and fir to Forest Road 418. Length: 3 miles from the spring to the lake and back. Rating: Moderate. Elevation: 8,300-8,800 feet. Getting there: Little Spring Trailhead: From Flagstaff, travel 19 miles north on U.S. 180 to the upper loop of Forest Road 151 (Hart Prairie Road) near mile marker 235. Turn right and drive 1.6 miles to FR 418. Veer right to stay on FR 151, set your odometer and continue 2.4 miles to FR 418B and a sign indicating Little Spring on the right. You can drive FR 418B up to 0.25 mile, but it’s narrow and nasty. Find a place to park before the “road closed” gate. Details:www.fs.usda.gov/coconino. Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/29cLjbl Recommended article from FiveFilters.org: Most Labour MPs in the UK Are Revolting. (azcentral.com)

Jan 8, 2016

Shirley Maye Darien

Shirley Maye Darien of Basalt, Colorado, passed away at her home on December 27, 2015. Shirley was born in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on October 28, 1932, the firstborn child of Margaret and Ben Darien. After graduating from Basalt High School she attended Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley (now UNC) where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in education. She went on to receive a Master’s Degree in education from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. She began her teaching career in Santa Maria, California, and later returned to her home state of Colorado. She taught in Grand Junction for a year before accepting a position as a first grade teacher for Re-1, a position she held until her retirement after 34 years in the teaching profession. She was an accomplished bowler, an avid bridge player, loved arts and crafts, and in later years kept her mind and fingers sharp by playing every challenging game she could find on her iPad. Not only was she a cancer survivor, but for the past 15 years... (Glenwood Springs Post Independent)

Dec 23, 2015

Gift ideas for the garden

LED underwater lights are huge hits as gifts.  A ‘vanishing water’ feature, with water bubbling up through pre-drilled basalt stones, is a big thing.  A pump and kit that houses this beautiful patio feature makes a wonderful gift to be enjoyed for years. Research has revealed that of all the gifts people receive, flowers make folks the happiest.  Long-lasting and perfumed Christmas bouquets with seasonal fragrant greens are a real treat anytime over the Christmas season. Gardeners love plants best of all, and there are some wonderful new hardy plants they can enjoy in the late fall and winter.  The new ‘Gold Collection’ Christmas rose (Helleborus niger), winter-blooming jasmine, viburnums and winter-blooming sasanqua camellias are fabulous. Peeling bark maples, coral bark maples and contorted filberts and willows are a joy in winter.  Everbearing raspberries like the new ‘Raspberry Shortcake’, the new improved haskap berries, figs and dwarf fruit trees will be the ‘hottie’ items for food gardens in 2016. By stepping out of the box a wee bit, there are some wonderful European garden tours being offered. Garden makeovers are all the rage today, and a gift certificate for a quality garden designer is also a wonderful gift. Tickets to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle this coming February 17-21 would be a treasured gift.  Tickets can be purchased online or at certain local garden stores.  Tickets or season passes to some of our wonderful Lower Mainland or Vancouver Island gardens would also be a splendid idea. Most gardeners appreciate something unique and different.  Quality and usefulness are perhaps the two most important criteria to keep in mind.  I hope this helps. (Chilliwack Progress)

Sep 28, 2015

Gardening: Spring flowers all about one thing

Prune Fijian hibiscus now that the risk of frost has gone, as flowering happens on new growth. Sprinkle basalt rock dust around their roots for a mineral boost, and they'll be away. Every couple of years I prune our hibiscus hedge hard back to thick stems to encourage lush new foliage. Flowering will occur later in the season, but the hedge will be much easier to clip the following year. The trimmings are spread underneath the hibiscus, helping feed the soil as the leaves break down. Prune straggly tall salvias if you haven't already, down by at least of the previous year's growth. Cut out spindly stems and old wood entirely. Prune mophead hydrangeas if you didn't in autumn. Cut last year's flowering stems hard back to fat buds. Cut new stems back a third - these will produce this year's flowers. Retaining Water Soil moisture levels are already low for this time of year, so take measures now to prevent the "big dry" in summer at your place. Start by mulching well around fruit trees, shrubs, perennials and flower gardens to keep the soil moist as we head towards summer, reducing the need to water. As mulch is broken down, it keeps the soil ecosystem kicking and your plants healthy. Arborists can supply bulk truck loads of mulch, so it makes sense to share with a neighbour. Now is also a perfect time to put in some rainbarrels or a tank. One year's seeding makes seven years weeding Tackle weeding now, as it is much less tiresome when the soil is soft and they're easy to dig out. You'll also be removing the weeds before they seed. Weeds are a good addition to the compost. If yours are seeding already, put noxious weeds in a garden refuse bin. Put less troublesome weeds in a barrel of rainwater and allow to rot instead. The resulting slurry can be poured on the soil as a fertiliser in around 6 months. Use this technique for Kahili ginger. Rampant grass weeds such as kikuyu and couch are best allowed to dry completely. Fill a large bag (old wool bales are good) and leave in a dry spot under trees, then use the resulting "hay" as a dry, carbonous layer in the compost. Fleshy Tradescantia makes good compost, too. (New Zealand Herald)