KUSA - As summer heat builds, pansies go into decline. Bred from English wildflowers, pansies and their smaller sibling violas can tolerate extreme cold but they can't handle heat. They do best in the early part of the gardening season, or in cooler...

KUSA - 9NEWS Gardening Expert Rob Proctor visited 9NEWS Thursday morning to point out one important thing.

KUSA - If you have a wheelbarrow, wagon or cart, you can turn it into a garden. With a garden on wheels, it can be moved to catch more or less sun, depending on the weather conditions. It can also be wheeled to safety if severe weather threatens.

KUSA - As the temperatures climb to summer-like levels, the care of plants becomes more critical. Some plants need more attention than others and are more vulnerable to hot, dry conditions.

KUSA - It's challenging to grow plants in the space between two buildings. Urban areas present different conditions due to shade, wind or heat. Roof tops and high rise balconies also have unusual conditions. Each situation is unique.

KUSA - Not all the flowers we plant at the beginning of the season thrive all summer. As the heat builds, pansies, primroses and lobelia start to fade. Their spring freshness can be replaced by bold tropical plants that prosper in hot weather.

KUSA - It used to be that the main options for shady containers and beds were coleus, begonias and impatiens. They still are. Breeding advances have provided many new varieties of these stalwart shade plants that thrive in shady beds and containers.

KUSA - One of the most aggravating garden problems is lawn grass invading beds and borders. Grass can outwit any barrier we devise - except one.

KUSA - All a tomato plant needs is sun, heat, fertile soil and moisture.

KUSA - Warmer days and especially warming soil conditions make this a prime weekend for planting warm season vegetables.

KUSA - To keep the beautiful flowers you just planted on your patio or deck healthy and blooming, start treating them right. This includes regular watering, fertilization and dead-heading.

KUSA - Denver residents are encouraged to 'purge the Spurge' this summer as part of a state-wide effort to control Myrtle spurge, a highly-invasive plant species that is invading natural areas throughout Colorado.

KUSA - My garden "to do" list has grown to three pages. Some days I barely know where to start. That's when I go shopping.

KUSA - Many books have been written about color in the garden. I'll boil it down.