June 2026 E-Magazine: Greener Pastures

14 hours ago
3 min read

Just when you think it’s going to dry up and turn arid instead of semi-arid, Colorado’s weather surprises. Three days of steady, gentle rain and cooler temperatures in May transformed the dried out, dusty Front Range land here into green pastures. We even got ditch water at the end of the month which had been extremely doubtful. I take that as a reminder to stop assuming the worst and a metaphor for what’s possible. Though my generally optimistic outlook has been clouded by the reports of U.S. and world events that arrive daily in my inbox, the future isn’t set.

I look to the garden for inspiration. Despite our weird spring, plants I expected to struggle or disappear have done surprisingly well. Maybe it was our mild winter. So this month, instead of a bunch more words, I decided to share photos of some of the current stars in my garden. None of these are hard to grow. The climbing clematis are outstanding this spring. Everyone knows the dark purple jackmani, but there are tons of other clematis, including small bush types too. The single Meadow Arnica plant I bought at Desert Canon Farms in Cañon City a few years ago has become a thriving patch with less water than I’d imagined.

Front garden with Silvery Partridge Feather (tanacetum densum ssp. Amani), Scarlet Pineleaf Penstemon, Blue Flax (linum lewisii), Dwarf Bristlecone Pine, Mrs Perry Salmon Oriental Poppy and a rabbit hole in the middle.

Oriental poppy ' Mrs Perry'

I just picked up a nice selection of lewisias on sale at a small, seasonal, local nursery. This Western North American native is a great rock garden plant!

I’m including an article by Marcia Tatroe on night blooming Moon Gardens. As she says: “What better entertainment than to turn off the TV, the computers, and the phone, and go outside to sit and enjoy the aromas and sounds of the evening with a night show provided by flowers and moths.”

Keith Funk answers questions about fast growing vegetables you can plant now for a summer harvest, native plants for gardens, why some roses look different this year, and lilies that were hit by the freeze.

Check out the many garden tours happening this month that are listed in our Calendar. There are also a few more great plant sales this coming week and a special Garden Club of Denver day at Denver Botanic Gardens on Thursday, June 4 to celebrate 150 years of Colorado’s statehood.

Have a good summer,

- Jane Shellenberger

Gardening for Night Owls & Moths

By Marcia Tatroe

Disappearing honeybees and butterflies get a lot of press but other, less glamorous, pollinators are also in trouble. Pesticide use, habitat degradation, light pollution and predatory European wasps are all taking a toll on moths.

You might be thinking “good riddance.” After all, some of the worst garden pests belong to the moth tribe. But moths pollinate more flowers than do butterflies and are essential to the reproduction of many of our favorite wildflowers, especially those that bloom at night when butterflies and bees are not active—notably yuccas and evening primroses.

And however pesky, moths and their caterpillars are the main food that songbirds feed their young.

Moths can also be quite fascinating. I stopped killing tomato worms some years ago after discovering these are the young of hawk moths, hummingbird look-alikes that are almost impossible to distinguish from their avian counterparts when they come out at dusk.

June Gardening Q&A

By Keith Funk

Q: I read a lot about planting natives but they are difficult to find and not always that attractive, especially as a small plant in a pot in the nursery. How can I be environmentally responsible and still have a beautiful landscape?

In recent years native plants have garnered more and more interest for the home garden. Their resilience in local soils and climate and their unmatched value for wildlife, from fungi to insects to birds and other wildlife, is an important consideration in the home landscape.

However, straight species aren’t always suited to introduce into existing home landscapes, both culturally and aesthetically. So today’s breeders are introducing garden-ready native varieties and cultivars (Nativars) that adapt to a wider variety of environmental conditions with tidier habits, longer-lasting blooms or showier flowers and foliage. This helps natives move into the mainstream, managing ecological integrity while bolstering beauty and performance.

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