Author - The Journal

Making a gardener’s Christmas list, checking it twice

I know that finding the perfect gift can be a challenge. Everyone has “that” person on their holiday gift list, the one who has everything. The one who is impossible to buy for. ...

DATE: Apr 30, 2018 | CATEGORY: Living

Gail’s Garden Winter watering is crucial this year

Happy New Gardening Year! Even though it’s not planting season, there is still a gardening chore you need to be doing right now and that’s watering. One of the most common causes ...

DATE: Apr 30, 2018 | CATEGORY: Living

Unraveling the mystery of the Christmas cactus

It’s the holiday season and some of the most appreciated gifts are poinsettias or Christmas cactus. Yet one of the questions we hear most often at the garden center this time of ...

DATE: Nov 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: Living

Ornamental grass adds grace, motion to landscape

Today is windy, and as I am writing the plume grass outside my window is catching the golden light of an autumn day. Swaying the breeze, this gentle plant is a reminder to me that sometimes ...

DATE: Oct 10, 2017 | CATEGORY: Living

Gail’s Garden Divide and conquer the unruly perennial

Has that day lily or iris you planted a few years ago gotten huge this summer? With the great moisture last winter, my perennials took off this year and have now outgrown their space. ...

DATE: Sep 27, 2017 | CATEGORY: Living

Get a jump on spring planting in September

Although it has been unusually warm, cooler weather has arrived in some spots in the high country, and it’s time to begin to think about wrapping up the summer growing season and preparing f...

DATE: Sep 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: Living

Hungry for a taste of fall? Plant a fruit tree

A backyard orchard can be a most rewarding and fun gardening project and may be easier than you think, and fall is the perfect time to start. Because the ground is still warm, tre...

DATE: Sep 3, 2017 | CATEGORY: Living

Tomatoes take a beating this year in Montezuma County

I ran into a friend the other day, and she said to me, “Oh, I’d be so embarrassed to show you my garden this year. It hasn’t done well at all!” I started laughing and said, “Welco...

DATE: Aug 1, 2017 | CATEGORY: Local News

Gail’s Garden: Beat the heat with these tough flowers

It seems as if the summer has been unusually hot this year and not only on people: The garden has been taking it on the chin as well. With the hot temperatures and dry breezes, i...

DATE: Jul 18, 2017 | CATEGORY: Living

Hot weather brings summer pests

The arrival of summer this week and the extreme heat brings a new set of issues in the garden – namely bugs. The relatively mild but wet winter means that the pests are out in force this yea...

DATE: Jun 20, 2017 | CATEGORY: Living

Gail’s Garden Prepare perennials, and they’ll provide a big return

There’s a lot of confusion in the garden center each spring about which plants are perennials and which are annuals. A simple rule to remember is that the annuals have to be replanted annual...

DATE: May 11, 2016 | CATEGORY: Living

M-CHS landscaping shows a respect for our area

When I first read the architect’s landscape description for the new Montezuma-Cortez High School, one word came to mind: “respect.” Respect for the environment, our area, and the ...

DATE: Aug 11, 2015 | CATEGORY: Local News