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Colorado State University Extension offices like the one in Clear Creek County bring the research and resources of the university within easy reach.

Mountain Gardening and Horticulture   arrow

Mountain Horticulture and High Altitude Gardening

Current COVID-19 Program changes – Due to COVID-19 in-person Horticultural/Master Gardener programming has been reconfigured. Some of our in-person programming has switched to a virtual format. We have a weekly eNewsletter with a “Garden Corner” topic, announcements for virtual events, and other gardening, lifestyle, and family activities. Sign up for the eNewsletter list, and view the email archive.

Volunteers at the entrance of the Native Plant Demo GardenMaintaining a garden in our Clear Creek communities presents its own unique challenges.  Our growing season is shorter than many other areas in Colorado, wildlife is abundant and elk, deer, and moose are known to wander through our garden and vegetable beds. Many plants simply can’t survive the high elevation conditions. As your local office of CSU Extension, we have numerous resources to answer your questions so you get the most out of your high altitude garden!

Clear Creek CSU Extension currently is unstaffed. If you have mountain gardening questions please direct them to our neighbors at Gilpin County CSU Extension.

Clear Creek Master Gardeners

Master Gardeners are a valuable resource to their Clear Creek community, answering gardening questions and maintaining our demonstration gardens.

Clear Creek County will not be recruiting any Master Gardeners in 2021. However, you may still register for the Colorado Gardener Certificate program and Green School Class (all of which are online) through the State Master Gardener Program.

Native Plant Demo Garden

Butterfly on purple flowersClear Creek CSU Extension and the Clear Creek Master Gardeners maintain a demo garden at the Georgetown Heritage Center – (809 Taos St, Georgetown, CO 80444). Expansion plans are in progress.  Visit our mountain garden demonstration garden to learn about plants that grow in our community.

Native Plant Demo Garden Brochure

Low-Water Native Plants for Colorado Gardens in Mountain Elevations 7,500’+

Vegetable Gardening in the Mountains

Mountain Gardening Basics

Colorado Wildflowers Fact Sheet

Download a list of nurseries and seed companies in Colorado that source Colorado Native Plants

Native Herbaceous Perennials for Colorado Landscapes

Native Grasses for Colorado Landscapes

Native Shrubs for Colorado Landscapes

Native Trees for Colorado Landscapes

Tour Ken Nelson’s 2019 private high altitude garden located at 8,519′ in Clear Creek County

Pruning Demonstration Video with Ken Nelson

Noxious Weeds of Clear Creek County

You can’t properly control a weed until you know what kind it is… When you are trying to identify a weed and are unsure of what you have, try to identify what time of year it grows, the flower size, structure, and color, and other factors so you are better able to research it, or present your problem weed to another person to try to get an ID.

Please download the PDF presentation and brochure for resources about noxious weeds that are found in Clear Creek County.

Seed Exchange

Clear Creek County Seed Exchange program brochure

Helpful Horticulture Resources

Keeping ahead of COVID-19

This rapidly evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) has imposed an unsettling, fluid situation upon our community and its businesses. While the team here still aims to maintain a “business as usual” approach, we are making a number of significant changes to our operations to account for a situation that is far from normal.