Great Denver Gardens-Off Season Preparation is Essential to Having a Great Garden.

Great Denver Gardens - Off Season Preparation is Essential to Having a Great Garden.

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

Denver’s is snow finally melting and temperatures are forecasted to stay in the 40’s and 50’s for the next week or two. Now is a good time to get the rest of the leaves cleaned up in your garden. Some bushes need to be rejuvenated or just cleaned up. Adding mulch to your garden will make your yard have color during the bleak days ahead until spring. A little extra care now can make your Denver garden healthy and vigorous this growing season.


Plant growth is stunted when disease is present. Many plant pathogens over winter in the leaves of the plants they effect. Removing these leaves from the garden will seriously decrease the risk of pests and diseases being present this next gardening season. With perennials last years leaves have lost their color and began new basal growth (new lush green growth at the bottom or base of the plant). These plants need to have the old growth of the plant cut off and removed from the garden. Remember, most perennials die back to their base and begin new growth for the next season. Bushes are similar, yet are more specialized since their growth produces lignins which strengthen the previous years growth.


Shrubs are also termed as a “woody plant” since these chemicals produced affect the strength of the shrub, usually allowing it to grow much larger than a perennial. They also will produce new buds towards the end of the growing season which are where the new leaves or beautiful flowers are produced for the following Denver spring. It is important to understand the bushes characteristics, such as whether the buds will be flowers or leaves, before pruning any branches of shrubs in your garden. If necessary it is important to revitalize the shrub when growth gets too old or to remove any spent flowers such as rose hips or other seed pods created last year. Branches that cross each other and which might rub together should be removed as well. All debris such as branches and the extra leaves stuck between newly branches should be removed to give your garden a wonderfully clean look.


When the garden is clean of all leaves and debris, mulch should be the next consideration. There are a few varieties of mulch to choose from. Shredded cedar and bark mulch are the by far the most popular selected. They add a lovely touch to any home or business in Denver or Greenwood Village. Various people also appreciate a more recycled and colored mulch. Metro mulches are produced from construction waste, tree limbs and other recycled products. These woody materials, once recycled and steam treated to reduce weed seeds, are stained different colors to accent your house or commercial building. Mulch beautifies your property and by helping to retain water in the soil, enriches the life of all plants in your garden.


Great gardens, whether in Golden, Denver, Lonetree or Greenwood Village, are based upon the preparation provided when plants are not visibly growing. Your garden‘s, whether residential or commercial, risk for disease is reduced as leaf debris and pruning debris is removed. A well groomed woody plant or shrub, from pruning, makes for healthy, vigorous growth in the upcoming spring season.
Mulch will give some color to the bleak winter days where your garden plants sits seemingly idle. If these items are out of your skill range or if you just do not have the time, give us a call (303) 433 - 3750 and we can help you have A Better Garden.

Winter Garden Maintenance - Things to do in January in your Denver Garden and across Colorado’s Front Range.

Winter Garden Maintenance - Things to do in January in your Denver Garden and across Colorado’s Front Range.

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

In Denver there are many things which still need to be done in your garden. Dormant pruning is much needed in most gardens in the Denver Metro area. Topdressing new organic mulch is something which can be done to help retain moisture and enhance the color of the garden. Some things such as watering and finishing clearing out leaves from your garden can only be done when snow is not covering your garden areas.




Some bushes or shrubs sometimes need to be trimmed in the fall or winter to allow them to grow properly the next year. Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia davidii), Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris candensis), Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), and other shrubs which just finished blooming later in summer and fall need to be cut back to approximately three inches (3”) off the ground. Be careful not to prune bushes such as lilacs (Syringa spp.) or forsythia (Forsythia spp.). Some shrubs such as Red or Yellow Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea or Cornus sericea flaviramea; repstectively), need to have the old wood carefully removed from the bush to allow new colorful growth.




Color and texture is also added by installing or topdressing mulch in your gardens. Mulch has many beneficial effects and can be detrimental if not used properly. Mulch helps retain water and keeps the soil cooler beneath the mulch layer. It also protects plants from this harsh Colorado climate. Remember, mulch should only be applied to a depth of no more than four inches (4”). When more than four inches of mulch is applied other issues may occur. Things such as locking up nutrients, not allowing air to enter into the soil and absorption of water by the mulch can occur when too much mulch is applied. Adding mulch is a hugely beneficial aspect and should not be neglected in the Denver Metro Area.




When mulch is applied it is a great time to water the areas to help add weight to the mulch, evenly distribute the mulch and add water to the soil. Deeply watering trees, shrubs, perennials and even your lawn will dramatically effect their growth in the spring and summer. Deep watering during the winter and early spring, when sprinkler systems are shutdown, allows roots to penetrate the soil. Deeper roots means more root area, which allows plants to absorb more water & nutrients which increases survival in Denver’s semi-arid climate. (***Remember water should only be applied when there is no snow covering the ground and the temperature is above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.)




Get out in your garden and get prepared for the upcoming gardening season. What is done now dramatically effects the health of your garden. Help your Denver garden get started growing the right way this spring by watering, leaf cleanup, adding mulch to the proper depth and pruning your garden correctly.




A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC is here to provide assistance or to fully take control and help you have A Better Garden. Call us today, (303) 433 - 3750, to setup a Garden Maintenance Contract or Lawn Maintenance Contract for your Denver Area business or home garden. Remember we also offer snow removal services including Snow Plowing, Snow Shoveling and De-icing Services.

Fall Clean Ups

By:Whitney Gronseth

A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

Fall Clean-Ups

With the onset of autumn comes football, baseball playoffs, Halloween and fall garden and yard clean ups. In order to keep your garden and yard healthy and safe throughout the winter months and beautiful and ready to go in the spring time, your yard needs a full fall clean up. This includes cleaning up all the leaves in the yard, pulling dead or dying plants, wrapping up fruit trees and young trees, pruning up trees and trimming hedges and bushes. Doing so protects your yard and garden from disease and the harsh and ever changing winter weather.


As we all know, raking and gardening can be back breaking and time consuming work. At A Better Garden we take this off your hands and professionally and efficiently get the job done. This gives you the time to enjoy your time, spending your time on what you actually should and want to be doing. Call us at 303-433-3750 to schedule your fall clean today. You can also contact us through our website at www.abtrgarden.com.

Mulch - Mulching and it's Effects

Mulch - Mulching and it's Effects

By:Jonathan Manning, CLT
A Better Garden Maintenance, LLC
Denver, CO

Mulch can be divided into two categories; Inorganic and organic mulch. Rocks, or rubber chips would be consider to be inorganic mulch. Bark chips, western shredded cedar, Idaho Shredded Cedar, Metro Mulch (colored recycled chips) and any other form of mulch which biodegrades would be considered organic mulch. Both sources have a positive effect on plants & soil.



Mulches allow water to be dispersed or more has a dampening effect. Rainfall or any water causes compaction as it hits open ground. Mulch allows a cushion and protects the soil structure from compaction or crusting. Both organic and inorganic mulch allows water to be retained in the soil and heat to be moderated. This will reduce the amount of water which needs to be supplemented.



Not only do mulches affect water and soil temperature, but they have a direct effect on your garden. Mulches cover up and help prevent germination of weed seeds. It also allows for easier weeding as the increased water retention makes it easier to get the whole root structure.



The choice of which mulch you utilize is up to you. You need to decide whether you want to see white rocks, dark shredded cedar, large bark chips or even a brightly colored red mulch. The benefits of inorganic mulch is it does not decompose. This means you will not have to top dress, unless you just want to add some fresh color. But at the same time, if the mulch does not decompose, organic matter is not added to the soil profile.



Organic mulch is lost throughout the season from decompostion. This is a great benefit to any garden as organic matter increases the water retention capacity of the soil. With natural mulch, the garden will need to be topdressed regularly to ensure the benefits are being received. Be careful, the addition of more than about 4 inches of mulch can actually cause disease, absorb the water, and even not allow air to the roots.



Just remember, we provide all gardening and mulching services. Contact us today and we can get a gardener out to provide cleanup, pruning, weeding or mulching services. We hope this help you have A Better Garden.