Need a few plants to fill in holes or interested in creating an all new garden this year? Frank Haas, CMZ’s
Horticulture Curator, shares three key factors to consider when
picking plants.
-
Hardiness – A plant is deemed hardy if it can survive the cold
we have in the winter and come back the following spring. If you want plants to
come back year after year, select plants rated to do well in
your hardiness zone. Colorado Springs
is rated Zone 5, whereas slightly higher (and thus colder) elevations
west of the city would more likely be rated as Zone 4.
-
Water requirements – Group plants with similar water requirements
in the same planting area. It is often easiest to place plants with the highest
water needs closest to the house, where you have ready access to a hose, and place plants with lower water requirements farther away. If you group plants by their water needs, you'll not only save water, but also make
it easy to keep your plants happy.
-
Sun or shade – While selecting plants for your garden, take into
consideration how much sun or shade the plant needs to thrive. While many plants
can withstand some variation, too much sun
can scorch the leaves of shade-loving plants and too much shade
will cause sun-loving plants to go into decline.
The
zoo's Annual Plant Sale website is a great resource for growing information. Click
here to learn more at https://store.cmzoo.org/SearchResults.asp?Cat=109
Finding
extra space for growth and new structural additions can be a challenge at
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Sometimes that darn mountain gets in the way! The
CMZoo’s culinary team took this particular challenge on and designed a unique
enhancement to their cooking operation. Without leaving the foot print of the
Grizzly Grill, a rooftop garden was created. Through partnerships with 
Much
of this produce can be grown at home and the chefs are happy to answer any
questions you may have. Expect the produce to start showing up around the zoo
in the middle of June.
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