Windsor Life
Page 6
Zones Rule
We will be buying and planting new shrubs and perennials very
soon, and it is important to know the plant zone where we live when
choosing plants. Some might be tempted to buy and plant azaleas,
for example, and then notice a tag on the plant that says Zone 9.
This zone reference is to the Plant Hardiness Zones established by
the USDA, which offer 10 basic classifications, Zones 1-10, to help us
growers know what we can plant with some success.
The zones are based on annual minimum temperatures. Colorado’s
Front Range is predominantly Zones 4-5. At Zone 5, the average
minimum temps are -20 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit. The mountains
are in Zone 4 at -30 to -20 in contrast. Colorado’s fruit growing region
near Grand Junction crosses into the warmer Zones 6-7.
Getting back to the azaleas, I wouldn’t even consider a Zone 9 plant for
our community. However, the USDA does say that we can sometimes
try a plant one zone warmer than recommended. We have tried this
here with some success, but we always look for a microclimate where
the plant is protected from the harsh cold, such as along a warm south
facing wall. I think it is important to mention that these zones are
guidelines not guarantees, and many factors including soil conditions,
drainage and exposure to sun and high winds will also impact plant
health.
Let’s consider our fruit trees – the crabapple, apricot and peach varieties
– that do grow successfully in Zone 5, but they will only produce fruit
three or four years out of ten. Often we get a late spring frost that
freezes the flower buds and kills any hope of the tree producing fruit. An
example of when warmer Zone 5 conditions can dip into colder Zone
4 conditions was the sudden November 2014 freeze that devastated
many well-established plants all along the Front Range.
Another thing to beware of is the label “perennial”. Many plants with
this label come from warmer zones where they truly are perennials.
But in Colorado these plants such as mums and verbena become
annuals.
Colorado State University has been testing plants for many years
and has produced a list of the best performers called “Plant Select”.
These plants are developed specifically for Colorado’s harsh growing
conditions, and include low water requirements most of the time.
Not only are these plants well suited to Colorado, the Plant Select
information always includes the optimal plant zone for each plant.
I think the best advice we can follow when choosing plants is to stay
in our zone, be aware of the variations in conditions we want to plant
in and use “Plant Select” plants as much as we can. We want to be
cautious, but also take an occasional risk because those risky plants
could be the plants that make you stop and really notice the landscape.
I really hope everybody can find a plant or two to appreciate in the
choices we try this year, and that we can enjoy them for many years
to come.
Down to Earth
From Dana Cusack,
Grounds Maintenance Supervisor
This time of year we get numerous calls concerning the “air
conditioner” in the hallways. First of all let’s make it clear that we
do not have air conditioners in our hallways. We do however have
evaporative cooling units that our hallway air passes through.
Evaporative coolers do cool the air, but they are not like an air
conditioner. An air conditioner has a thermostat and will cycle on
and off to keep the air a consistent temperature. Our evaporative
coolers do not have thermostats.
The evaporative cooler does increase the humidity in the building.
You may notice your wooden doors closing tighter when the
evaporative coolers are functioning.
At best if we can reduce the hallway temperature by 15 degrees
compared to the outdoor temperature our system is working as
good as can be expected. If the outdoor temp is 100 degrees, the
hallway temp should be somewhere around 85 degrees.
If the humidity outdoors is high on a hot day, the evaporative cooler
will not work as well as it may on a dry, hot day. The hot humid
scenario is when we receive most of our calls/complaints.
We have some residents that open windows and doors in storage
and laundry rooms. When this happens the apartments are being
cheated of air circulation, so please keep the windows in the
storage and laundry rooms closed.
Tip: Keeping good air flow under your door will help cool your
apartment.
Until next month – be cool.
Maintenance Matters
From Bill Walsh,
Facilities Maintenance Manager
Air conditioned hallways?
Not at Windsor Gardens.
Solids down the disposal
lead to sink backups
We would like to remind everyone to please minimize or eliminate
disposing of any solids down your kitchen drain. We are continuing
to have kitchen sink backups
on the first floor due to use of
garbage disposals in upper
floor apartments.
Junk Removal - Cleaning Services
Hoarding Help
Senior Discount Available
