Jane on Tarzan Swing In Costa Rica
This year marks 15 years of publishing Colorado Gardener. At the beginning, once we finished the layout of each issue, we copied the files onto Zip discs, and later CD’s, which I hand-delivered to the printer in Denver. Today it’s an upload. We didn’t have an online edition or even a website, and social networking still meant working a cocktail party.
Today, as magazines fold and newspapers shrink, there still seems to be a place for niche publications, (even the permaculture community still has a print magazine, The Permaculture Activist), but they better be at least as valuable as the stock they’re printed on. The U.S. lags in use of recycled paper, and electronic devices, with extremely high hidden environmental costs, aren’t yet a much “greener” choice.
I feel fortunate that Colorado Gardener remains popular with readers and supported by quality advertisers who are important local and regional resources for gardeners. It has always been about the plants, the western gardeners and plant people who grow them, and an awareness of what’s going on in the natural environment. Plus, it’s “Still Free.”
The Education issue offers an opportunity to present new ideas. This time the topic is a view of biology where microbes rightfully take center stage. Microbes predominate everywhere, including in our bodies and in soil; in fact, they are soil, according to the new science. Be sure to read both Mikl Brawner’s piece on Biological Farming and Gardening, (this year marks the 20th anniversary of his Harlequin’s Gardens Sustainable Nursery in Boulder), and Gary Raham’s tribute to pioneering biologist, Lynn Margulis. With her astronomer husband, Carl Sagan, Margulis wrote; “Life did not take over the globe by combat, but by networking.”
Panayoti Kelaidis of Denver Botanic Gardens writes about horticulture trends over the last few decades, including: the replacement of seed-grown plants with tissue culture clones in the trade; the explosion of vegetable gardening; and the gradual emergence of a regional, Colorado-style to replace what had long been the dominant, water-thirsty aesthetic of green lawns with conifers and English garden plants.
Wendy Underhill gives an update on the CSA model, which has morphed in creative ways as local farms and food-growing operations continue to proliferate.
It’s time to start seeds indoors for spring gardens, but for those itching to grow something easy and healthy with quick results, Larry Fontana from Colorado Springs explains how to grow sprouts of all kinds, including wheatgrass.
After high winds that roar through like freight trains and early, heavy snows, advice on pruning should come in handy; look to Kelly’s Q & A. Kelly Grummons is another stellar western plant pioneer. His nursery, Timberline Gardens, is in Arvada.
Eva Rose Montane of Durango contributes our gardener profile. Karen Fuller’s garden at over 7000’ contains natives and western-adapted plants, but wasn’t easy to establish on heavy clay.
Also check our extensive Calendar of late winter/early spring events, classes, workshops, and symposiums. There’s plenty of opportunity for learning and mingling!
For many of us, the gardening season starts long before May. You can plant out perennials, shrubs, and cool-season vegetables in March or April along the Front Range; early spring snows won’t hurt them. When buying seeds and plants, always shop
independent Colorado and regional companies first. They make an educated effort to offer the best plants and products for our climate and conditions.
This past year I lost two family members. It happens more and more the older we get and each sad loss helps us cut through the trivial clutter that usually occupies our thoughts. I think gardening holds such rich appeal because it features life, death, growth, transformation, and amazing transitory moments, gently reflecting our mortal predicament.
As an antidote to grieving my daughter and I traveled to Costa Rica in December for a change of scene and mood. Though the country has definitely been “discovered,” adventure and wild nature still abound. When I noticed a zip-line canopy tour that included a “Tarzan swing” finale (I’ve been told, “Me Tarzan, you Jane” all my life) we simply had to do it. You can see how much fun that transitory moment was from the photo.
Last year I also finished my book (Yay!), Organic Gardener’s Companion, Growing Vegetables in the West. Check out Fulcrum’s ad for the book on page 13. I’ll be signing copies at Peak to Prairie Landscape Symposium, The Tattered Cover, Boulder Bookstore, and other places. Visit coloradogardener.com, Facebook, and Twitter for details.
Finally, any current subscriber who would like to attend our 15th Anniversary Celebration March 1st in Denver please email us at cogardener@gmail.com by Feb. 16.
Jane Shellenberger