Mikl’s Articles – blog
GOOSEBERRIES IN THE GARDEN
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Most of us think of gooseberries as the small, green, sour fruits in a gooseberry pie. I remember, as a kid, thinking that they were only fit for a goose. But now I have had the pleasure of eating several varieties that are delicious, right off the bush, when fully ripe. Europeans have had a [...]
PLANTS IN HIGH TEMPERATURES
Tuesday, January 15th, 2013Plants have evolved to time their seed germination, flowering and fruit/seed formation within particular temperature ranges (often regulated by day length). Their distribution geographically is also limited by high and low temperatures. Extreme conditions affect plant performance, survival and reproduction. In 2012, in the Denver-Boulder area, we had record-setting high temperatures: We tied the all-time [...]
GOT SILVER?
Saturday, September 1st, 2012In the mile-high, sunny and dry west, silver is more valuable in the garden than gold. Gold and variegated foliage effects may be a gardener’s delight in the moist, shady and cloudy east and northwest, but here many of those leaves burn while silver leaves reflect heat and ultraviolet rays. The silver color of [...]
BIOLOGICAL FARMING & GARDENING
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012by Mikl Brawner A newer science that’s not tied to petroleum profits is emerging to challenge the industrial approach to agriculture and gardening. Enormously powerful, politically connected giants like Monsanto, Bayer, and Dupont will continue to make money, but after 60 years of dominance, the “Better Living Through Chemistry” model can no longer hide its [...]
GROWING AGAVE IN COLORADO
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011Most of us in Colorado know that Agave is the source of tequilla and Agave sweetener, but fewer have seen it growing here. Even more rare is the sight of Agave in bloom. The Century Plant doesn’t really take 100 years to bloom, but it does seem to take forever. After 13 years, my Agave [...]
2011 PLANT SELECT WINNERS
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011Plant Select is a 25 year old cooperative program combining the efforts of Denver Botanic Garden, Colorado State University and some members of the local green industry. Their intention is to chose, propagate and promote plants that are well-adapted to Colorado conditions, colorful and are either little known or underutilized. The 2011 choices are a [...]
WILL THE NEW LAWN BE A MEADOW ?
Saturday, June 4th, 2011I used to be prejudiced against grasses because I associated grasses with the American monoculture of Kentucky Bluegrass that we all know as “the lawn”. But after testing many kinds of xeriscape plants for over 20 years I finally realized that most sustainable ecosystems have grasses mixed with the other plants. And I also came [...]
WHAT IS TRANSPIRATION? AND WHY SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT IT?
Sunday, February 13th, 2011by Mikl Brawner Plants have many important functions, like making leaves, making flowers and seeds, growing, storing starches in the roots etc, but we humans are usually unaware of the vital function of transpiration. It is estimated that 98% of a plants energy is used in the work of transpiration. How does this process work? [...]
PLANT FOR THE BEES AND OTHER POLLINATORS
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010By Mikl Brawner “You can join the fight to save the honeybees by planting a pollinator-supporting garden.” This is a recommendation made by a Penn. State Master Gardener program. Is this weird? Not at all. The European Parliament has approved creating bee “recovery zones” across the Continent. These recovery zones will provide bees with [...]
GARDENING WITHOUT CHEMICALS
Saturday, April 24th, 2010GARDENING WITHOUT CHEMICALS How can we deal with all the bugs and diseases without using toxic poisons, and how can our gardens really produce without high-powered chemical fertilizers? Many people wanting to garden sustainably are asking these questions. And it is not easy to find the answers, partly because the answers are not simple. [...]