Greenhouse in Bloom
Greenhouse in Bloom
New life is in the air, winter’s white coat has been traded for a fresh light green blanket as the trees are budding, just a few miles away the Colorado river is rising as the snow is 
melting. Along the pastures edge wildflowers are springing up, Colorado’s state flower (Columbine) can be seen thriving in the meadow, in a few short days it will bloom displaying a beautiful array of pinks, blues, and purples. As the change happens to make the world new.
Second Greenhouse Added
New projects at the Ranch are underway, one of the most exciting ones is the greenhouse. Here at 4 Eagle Ranch we grow all our own flowers that will be potted and placed around the property for the summer. As you can imagine this takes a lot of work and space. The recently built second greenhouse boasts an assortment of beautiful flowers and vegetables. There are over fifteen different types of flowers all handpicked for our pots and hanging baskets. Flowers are growing at an incredible rate, it is amazing to watch the process from tiny seeds to mature plants, resulting in tiny blossoms bursting into spectacular flowers. Each flower is tended to with care and appreciation. Stepping inside the greenhouse is thrilling as the flowers display is impressive, here are a few interesting facts about some of the flowers.
Petunias are bright flowers that attract hummingbirds, there are 35 species of these little showoffs. In their plant family (Solanaceae) of nightshades this also includes tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco, and eggplants. This little flower is an annual, having many different shapes and sizes, some will even flower all year in the right environment. Having a variety of color, white, pink, purple, blue, red they have a five-lobed petal, often the petal can be ruffled around its edges.
More About Our Flowers
Another annual flower we are proud to grow is Cosmos, they are colorful, light pinks, dark pink, and white with bright yellow at the center accenting what petal color surrounds them. They are hardy and can survive poor soil, they attract birds, bees and butterflies. Just today walking through the greenhouse a beautiful bumblebee was busy at work. Cosmos need constant care, in order to keep them blooming for weeks. Cosmos are amazing flowers to accent any butterfly garden.
In an arid, high altitude climate not all flowers can thrive, our flower specialist knows this so each flower is chosen carefully to make sure these little beauties will not just survive but rather thrive. Some tips to keep in mind when growing a garden at high altitude. High elevations are quite harsh and with rough weather it is to consider what plant material would best survive these conditions. The soil unless cultivated is often low in nutrients and porous lacking the ability to hold water also within the climate there is the possibility of microclimates to remember with growing. With mountainous regions slopes are difficult to water properly due to erosion, so on top of it all the growing season is not long at all. So when planning a mountain garden careful planning as to, site and plant selection as well as winter protection for perennials are key. Some helpful plants to add color to your garden are Jupiter’s beard, yarrow, blanket flower, pasque flower, blue woolly speedwell, all these are hardy mountain flowers.
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