Front Range Living

GARDEN

A FIRST GARDEN --To curtail global warming, here are the usual tips: ride a bike, use low-energy light bulbs, hang the wash outside, plant a garden. Not just any garden, but a garden that will feed you. A garden that is pesticide and chemical fertilizer-free not only will feed your body, it will feed your soul. And it may take the pressure off global farmers who now must feed their own people rather than ship produce to the United States and Europe.

Above: Scarlet Runner Bean, an old-fashioned favorite

Front Range Living guide books about Colorado--now available online, in bookstores, and retail shops along the Front Range.

BOOKS

"Colorado Antique Lover's Guide"--for those who love the past and collect for the future.

"Colorado Home and Garden Lover's Guide"-- Colorado cottages, historic homes and new houses made from recycled materials.

"Colorado Outdoor Lover's Guide"-- exceptional places, havens of solitude and sanctuaries for wild animals.

THE HERB GARDEN --While die-hard gardeners fiddle with finicky tomatoes and delicate eggplants, there’s another garden to be considered by those looking for sturdier, less demanding edibles. It’s one that cuts grocery bills substantially, provides perennials as well as annuals and grows vigorously with minimal time or effort from the gardener. This is the herb garden. Here, basil, parsley, cilantro and dill flourish in the vegetable garden. Thyme, lavender, mint and sage fit into a perennial garden. Garlic, as a bulb, is well worth growing but best set aside in a bed of its own.

Above: Thyme, lavender, mint, sage mixed with perennials

PLANNING A GREENS GARDEN FOR SPRING --February is the quiet month of the year for gardeners. We’ve perused the catalogues that arrived in January and wait for March to plant early crops. This is the month when we revise our original plans, look over last year’s notes and exchange seeds with fellow gardeners. February is the month when we decide what the first garden will be.

Planting guide for the Front Range

PHOTO SHOWS

WILDERNESS GARDENS OF COLORADO--is one of four photo shows for clubs, societies, gatherings. "100 Years of Colorado Antiques and Historic Homes" is perfect for those who want the personal stories behind 1890's homes and interiors. "Secret Gardens of Colorado" will amaze you with the remarkable retreats in our backyards. "Colorado 12 Months of the Year" will challenge you to travel our state and "Wilderness Gardens of Colorado" is filled with special microclimates in our region.

PHOTO PURCHASES

GARDENS, HOMES, WILDERNESS--If your company or organization would like to purchase photos specializing in nature, gardens, historic and new homes, interiors, antiques, travel and food, look through the gallery. All are book quality, digital and Colorado-based. Nearly every season, every corner of Colorado is available.

FREELANCE WRITING

COLORADO, THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION AND SOUTHWEST --If your publication specializes in the Rocky Mountain, Southwest or Colorado and covers off-the-beaten-track travel adventures, nature, spa destinations, homes, gardens, events, trends, cooking, collecting and profiles of interesting people, let us know.