Bryan Fischer
Bryan has had a passion for plants for as long as he can remember. Fueled by juicy-imaged garden books and weekends on a fifth-generation family ranch in the Colorado Rockies, he landed his first job as soon as he could drive, working in a dry-bean breeding program. His experience now includes both academic and applied work in horticulture with Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens, and the Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he currently serves as curator of plant collections. Bryan holds a B.S. in horticulture from Colorado State University, and his work for Fine Gardening draws upon his education, his intensive home gardening, observations of plants in nature, and two decades of experience gardening in the Rocky Mountain region.
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Mountain West Regional Reports4 Tips for Getting the Garden Through Drought Sustainably
On a recent hike in the foothills just southeast of my house, I couldn’t help but notice crisped, curling leaves on big flower cinquefoil (Drymocallis fissa) and the drought-tolerant mountain…
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Mountain West Regional ReportsTips for Designing a Meadow Lawn
I’ve designed, installed, and continue to manage two meadow lawns to date. Through these gardens, as well as my own study in nature and research in references, I’ve learned a…
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Mountain West Regional ReportsAnnuals for a Cut Flower Garden in the Mountain West
Annuals are a topic that elicits strong responses from many gardeners. With the word come visions of manicured plantings, most frequently including foliage obscured by a lavish floral display. While…
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Mountain West Regional ReportsHow to Manage Flea Beetles: The Cutest Pests You’ve Never Heard Of
Late spring sees me watching and waiting, breath not quite bated—and certainly not baited—to find out my fate for the season with one garden critter in particular: the flea beetle.…
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Mountain West Regional ReportsGuidelines for Building a Rock Garden
Last fall, this column featured Showy Native Plants for Rocky Soils. Not included in that plant palette were rock gardens. While similar in that the plants for such spaces require…
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Mountain West Regional ReportsPlants That Take Sun and Shade for the Mountain West
1. Creeping Oregon Grape Name: Mahonia repens syn. Berberis repens Zones: 5–8 Size: 1 to 2 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide Conditions: Full sun to full…
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Mountain West Regional ReportsTomatoes for Mountain West Gardeners
Despite working predominantly in ornamental—especially naturalistic—horticulture, I hold an “interdisciplinary minor in organic agriculture” from Colorado State University. Early in my career I worked primarily in food crops, and before…
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Mountain West Regional Reports3 Warm-Season Ornamental Grasses That Excel in the Mountain West
My career in ornamental horticulture has led to the development of a working theory: Ornamental grasses are an acquired taste for most gardeners. This theory grew from personal experience (my…
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Mountain West Regional ReportsHow to Pick the Best Mulch for Your Mountain West Garden Beds
Since entering horticulture professionally over a decade ago, I’ve noticed a correlation on the Colorado Front Range between wood mulch (also called arborist chips) and water-wise gardens. A beautifully designed…
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Mountain West Regional ReportsWith Winter Pruning on the Mind, Avoid Cutting on These Woody Plants
Winter is, broadly speaking, the ideal time to prune most trees and shrubs. Deeply dormant, these woody plants experience less stress when pruned in the winter months, and with cool…
Fine Gardening Magazine
