Mountain West Regional Reports

  • Mountain West Regional Reports

    4 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…

  • Mountain West Regional Reports

    Tips 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…

  • Mountain West Regional Reports

    Native Plants for Summer Interest in the Mountain West

    Firecracker penstemon  Penstemon eatonii  Zones: 4–9 Size: 18 to 36 inches tall and 10 to 15 inches wide  Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; dry, well-drained soil   Native range:…

  • Mountain West Regional Reports

    Annuals 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…

  • apple flea beetles
    Mountain West Regional Reports

    How 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.…

  • Mountain West Regional Reports

    Guidelines 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…

  • Five Petal Cliffbush
    Mountain West Regional Reports

    Plants 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…

  • Mountain West Regional Reports

    Tomatoes 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…

  • Table Mountain ice plant
    Mountain West Regional Reports

    Shopping-List Plants for the Mountain West

    If you’ve run into a garden rut, we’ve got you covered. It’s time to start planning for your first trip to the local nursery or garden center. What plants will…

  • large garden bed full of warm-season ornamental grasses
    Mountain West Regional Reports

    3 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…