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gardeningrocks

Rocky Mountain Gardening Magazine or Blog?

GardeningRocks
12 years ago

I subscribe to Sunset Magazine (supposedly the mountain edition). I was just thumbing through my September 2011 issue trying to find something pertinent other than delicious looking recipes. After slogging through many articles about beach landscaping, beach decks, digging for shellfish, etc, I finally turn to page 64 and find it devoted to "What to do in the Rockies" (gardening-wise) in September.

It shows a very generalized climate zone map which is 90% zone 1a to 2a. Granted, there are many more pockets of warmer zones in this four state map than this page shows. According to more detailed maps, I garden in zone 4, but I try to choose plants that will survive in zone 3 to be on the safe side.

Anyway, this same page introduces us to the stunning Juno Iris which is very exciting possible addition to us Rocky Mountain gardeners' vocabulary until one goes to the cited source, mzbulb.com, and finds out that this iris only grows in zones 5-8! The author must have made the same mistake I have made before: A plant with Juno in the name must be hardy, right? Hope springs eternal!

Well, OK...what about the only other plant mentioned on this page: the lovely Azure Sage? I look it up online and can only find mention of it doing well from zone 4 onwards. It will do well for many of us, but it would help if that hardiness specification was pointed out in the article instead of riding a rollercoaster of high hopes and dismal frustration!

This forum is the best source of information about mountain gardening I have found. Is there a magazine or a blog that is devoted to Rocky Mountain gardening (new plants, gardening calendars, tips and successes, etc)?

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