Jim and I have been busy in the garden during the past few weeks doing the annual “Spring Clean-Up.” This included pruning some woody shrubs and trees and cutting back all of our ornamental grasses and perennial flowers. Hopefully, you have been able to take advantage of our few nice weather days this month and have been attending to some of these garden chores as well. (If not, then aim for a deadline of April 10th!) There are some woody plants that I will also cut back severely, but not for a month or so. These include: Russian sage (Perovskia), Powis Castle sage (Artemesia), butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), leadplant, (Amorpha canescens), and St. Johnswort (Hypericum). Although Hummingbird mints (Agastache sp) are an herbaceous perennial, they should also be cut back a bit later in the spring.
Now, what to do with all of the waste? Please, please, please don't put it out for the trash guy!
There are better alternatives than sending all of this organic matter to the landfill. One option is to compost it. Check out this CSU Extension Service page for complete instructions and troubleshooting tips. I compost garden waste and kitchen scraps on a regular basis, but my spring clean-up overwhelms my system and storage space. Therefore, I’ll go to Plan B…
...Take it to a recycler that will use it for their compost making business. Gather up your branches and bags of debris and head to Mountain States Wood Recyclers at 2300 W. Radcliff Ave (303-789-3356). There is a minimum fee (just like taking it to the dump, but cheaper!), but it’s worth it knowing that all that stuff will be recycled and “reborn” as compost, the gardener’s best friend!
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