Tribute deeply rooted

Betsy Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Friday, April 13, 2007

Colorado native Glenn Montague likes to garden, because it's a chance to get some fresh air along with a little exercise.

After 50 years of gardening, he's mighty good at it. His unblemished lawn and driveway in Littleton are bordered by vibrant flowers every summer.

"It's hit-and-miss," says the 72- year-old, who worked for his family's horticultural supply company before retiring. "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't."

Last spring, Montague added a replica of a mine tunnel to his back yard, with a stream of water flowing from its illuminated entrance into a small pond.

"I had this in the back of my mind for years, because my grandfather was killed in the Index Mine in Cripple Creek in 1926 when he ran into bad air underground. He was a mining engineer and they were inspecting the mine at the time."

Working weekends and evenings, grandson Josh Montague and friend Rylan Creedon helped with construction, while son David used a backhoe to dig out a foundation. Son Jeff provided a concrete bench and two concrete deer touched up with paint by neighbor Ginny Anstein.

• Garden began: 1986; mine added in 2006

• Cost of the mine: $12,000, including 72-foot-long retaining wall

• Biggest challenge: Digging and moving tons of dirt and rock in May, when it was hot.

• Three gardening tips: Montague uses three techniques to get great performance out of flowering annuals and perennials each summer.

• "You shouldn't plant the same variety of flowers every year, because you're liable to pick up a disease, so it's better to rotate."

• "You want good soil. You can't plant in the same soil over and over again. If you do, you should add to it - mulch along with peat moss and perlite."

• "Put Osmocote 14-14-14 underneath each plant when you first put them in the ground. After they are established and get over the transplant shock, you give them a shot of Peter's Liquid Fertilizer 20-20-20 sprayed on as a foliar feeder early in the morning so you don't burn the plant."

lehndorffb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2792