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1 week ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
Our backyard flooded last summer. Over the winter, we secretly hoped the yard fairy would sprinkle magic dust over the situation and make it go away. Unfortunately, the little pixie must have been hibernating. We were staring at the same sopping wet mess this spring. We hired a contractor. The plan: remove the top twelve inches of soil, re-grade the area, install a French drain, layer rocks over the subsoil and pipe, lay down geotextile fabric over the entire yard, add top soil and new sod.
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2 weeks ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
I have always admired those horticulturists that are like walking encyclopedias. You can ask them almost anything and they will answer immediately. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. My brain has a cram and dump function that does not allow for easy retrieval. I can usually find the answer, but it takes more than a New York minute. Because I opted out of arboriculture in graduate school, I have occasionally enlisted the help of a professional arborist.
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3 weeks ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
I get excited when I read about scientists studying the health benefits of plants. In this case, researchers believe a compound found in rosemary may be beneficial for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This compound, carnosic acid, is an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a key component of cognitive decline.
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1 month ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
Typically, once spring officially arrives here on the Front Range, we have another month or so of weather that oscillates between sunny warm days and outright winter. Believe it or not, we usually receive the most snow in March and April out of all of the winter months. This week, I was surprised and delighted to see tiny leaves unfurling and flower buds swelling with life.
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1 month ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
I recently checked out a library book on essential oils. Since I have accumulated quite the collection over the years, I thought it was a good time to refresh the little gray cells on their many uses. Even though I lost most of my sense of smell about 20 years ago, I still enjoy seeing the oils on the wall-mounted spice rack in my bathroom and use them regularly. I like to mix essential oils, like lavender, chamomile or lemon balm, with castor oil and rub the concoction on my feet at bedtime.
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1 month ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
Most of my driving entails toodling around country roads and small towns, rarely exceeding 40 miles per hour. However, once a week, I make a trip down I-25 to Denver. Yesterday, there must have been a monster truck rally in town because numerous oversized pick-up trucks were weaving in and out of traffic. I drive in the right lane with the other slow folks.
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1 month ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
Last summer, we had a leaking sprinkler valve but did not realize it until weeks after the fact. Our turf in the backyard looked the best it ever had. It was thick, lush, green and growing like crazy. I thought for sure my husband had over-fertilized it, but he swore he had not. One day, I noticed it was squishy. The next day, I was standing in pooled water in certain areas, which eventually became most of the yard. We consulted with multiple landscaping contractors about the issue.
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2 months ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
Recently, I saw good news and not so good news regarding the current state of respiratory illnesses going around the country. Thankfully, the bane of our existence during the pandemic has taken a back seat this winter dropping to much lower levels. Unfortunately, influenza is off and running. Since I would rather spend time and money on prevention than a cure, I have beefed up my immune-boosting herbs this winter.
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2 months ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
One of my favorite ways to interact with plants on a daily basis is through making tea or tisanes. When I was a youngster, the only tea we consumed was sweet and iced. It was a combination of orange pekoe tea bags and a whole lot of sugar. I blame my obsession with steeping plant parts from a single cup of tulsi tea. That one cup was so warm and pleasing that I started having tulsi every afternoon. Now, decades later, I drink four to six cups a day of a wide variety of plants.
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2 months ago | 
broomfieldenterprise.com | Kelley Rawlsky
Today’s topic is about some of the edible plants that commonly pop up in various and unusual places, like sidewalks, rock borders and turf. Plants we typically call weeds. My definition of a weed is a plant growing where it is not wanted. Dandelion (Taraxacum spp.) is perhaps one of the most common. The settlers brought dandelion to the Americas in the 1600s. They grew this plant in their gardens for both medicinal and edible purposes.
