The heat of summer is finally here and with it comes the peak time to enjoy our extensive collection of aquatic plants. You will find diverse water gardens throughout our 24-acre York Street location. The walking tour below will guide you through each of these, beginning at the main entrance and working your way west to our largest water feature, Monet Pool.</p> Crossroads Pedestal: </strong>As you enter the Gardens from York Street, a pre-formed pond is displayed atop the pedestal in the Crossroads Garden. A colorful mix of tropical plants including Canna</em> ‘Bengal Tiger’, Canna</em> ‘Lemon Punch’, Canna</em> ‘Cleopatra’, Colocasia</em> ‘Black Coral’, Colocasia esculenta</em> ‘Elena’, Cyperus papyrus </em>‘Dwarf Form’ (compact giant papyrus) and Asclepias curassavica </em>(tropical milkweed) are surrounded by floating leaved Ludwigia sedioides</em> (mosaic plant) in this pond. Floating water lettuce (Pistia stratioites</em>) and Lysimachia nummularia</em> ‘Aurea’ (golden creeping Jenny) complete this small stand-alone feature, giving you a taste of the aquatic displays to come.</p> Ellipse Garden Pool: </strong>Strolling south from the Crossroads Garden, you will see Chihuly’s Colorado</em> sculpture towering in the distance. A mix of hardy and tropical waterlilies and petite marginal plants such as Canna</em> ‘Chiquita Punch’ and Colocasia esculenta</em> ‘Black Magic’ are displayed in the small pond at the base of this piece, complementing the sunset shades of the glasswork. Mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedioides</em>), a South American floating-leaved aquatic plant, also thrives in the warmth of this pool.</p> Romantic Gardens Pool:</strong> Continue west from the Ellipse garden and you will arrive at the Romantic Gardens, where a formal round pool displays a colorful array of “star waterlilies.” These tropical day-bloomers boast star-shaped flowers that are held high above the water’s surface. Hybrids displayed include Nymphaea </em>'Rhonda Kay', 'Carnea' (aka 'Orchid Star'), and 'Rhapsody in White'. Night-blooming water platters (Victoria</em> ‘Longwood Hybrid’) highlight the center of this pond.</p> Four Towers Pond (east side): </strong>Directly west of the Romantic Gardens, the Four Towers pond abuts the Science Pyramid on two sides. Intersubgeneric hardy x tropical waterlilies are displayed at the east end of this pond. Once thought to be an impossible cross, multiple hybridizers have now successfully created these hybrids which boast purple or bright magenta flowers on winter-hardy plants.</p> Four Towers Pond (west side): </strong>Continuing around the Science Pyramid pond, a variety of marginal aquatic plants including Canna</em> 'Blueberry Sparkler', Thalia geniculata</em>, Cyperus prolifer</em> and Hibiscus moscheutos</em> hybrids can be found growing in the west side of the pond along with Australian waterlilies and Victoria</em> ‘Longwood Hybrid’ plants.</p> Reflections pool: </strong>A display dedicated to taro (Colocasia esculenta </em>and hybrids) can be found in the next small pond to the west of the Steppe Garden. These water-loving marginal plants are commonly grown for their starchy edible corms. Many hybrids have also been developed for ornamental use and have leaves that range from deep, glossy black to chartreuse with splashes of deep purple. A mixture of hardy and tropical waterlilies are also grown in this pool surrounding the stone sculpture titled Reflections</em>.</p> Annuals Garden pools:</strong> Hardy and tropical waterlilies in the “Rocky Mountain Legacy Collection” are displayed in the next pond on our walking tour. This collection includes hybrids such as ‘Joey Tomocik’, ‘Colorado’, ‘Denver’s Delight’ and ‘Denver’ which were all tested for hardiness and performance in Denver’s unique climate and named by our former curator of aquatics. Marginal plants including White Rush (Schoenoplectus </em>‘Albescens’), Canna</em> ‘Belinda’, Lobelia</em> ‘Pacific Beauty’ and Hibiscus </em>‘Cherry Cheesecake’ also highlight these pools.</p> Monet Pool:</strong> Once you finish admiring the Annuals Garden and its ponds, stroll north until you reach Shady Lane. Head west on this path and you will come upon our largest display pond, Monet Pool. Victoria</em> 'Longwood Hybrid' waterlilies encircle a large red-stemmed thalia in the center of the pond. A wide variety of hardy and tropical waterlilies and marginal plants including lotus (Nelumbo</em> hybrids) are displayed in this pond as well.</p> Le Potager pool:</strong> We end our tour at the small pond connected to Monet Pool that sits in the middle of our Le Potager garden. Edible aquatic plants are displayed in this pool including lotus (Nelumbo</em>), water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis</em>), gorgon plant (Euryale ferox</em>), Santa Cruz waterlily (Victoria cruziana</em>), ornamental rice (Oryza sativa</em> ‘Black Madras’) and taro (Colocasia esculenta</em>).</p> If you live in the area, be sure to drop by throughout August and September to watch our tropical waterlilies and water platters grow in size and reach peak bloom!</p>
</p> I like the fact that bronze can look like stone, mineral, wood, fabric or plastic. It can become something else. -Yoshitomo Saito</strong></p> </p> Tokyo-born artist Yoshitomo Saito started working in bronze in 1983 while living in San Francisco. Based in Denver, Saito is inspired by natural forms with delicate lines and textures. The craftsmanship and painstaking attention to detail in his sculptures are an expression of the artist’s reverence and profound respect for the natural world. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Yoshitomo Saito, millionyearseeds</em> (detail), bronze, 2011-2021. ©Yoshitomo Saito. </p> Seeds are among the natural forms that fascinate Saito. His installation millionyearseeds</em> includes a variety of seeds, as well as banana peels, peppers, acorns and other small natural elements. In rendering these tiny pieces of nature, he celebrates the wisdom of life that is contained within each one. Seeds may be small and common, but each has a purpose for the creation and expansion of life. </p> In his work, bronze appears as a featherweight medium. The fine texture of the original object is evident, highlighting the care and attention given to each piece. This high level of detail is achievable through the process of lost-wax casting. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Yoshitomo Saito, Cheikh Lo</em>, bronze, 2020. © Yoshitomo Saito. </p> Lost wax casting </h4> The lost wax casting process, in use since 3,700 BCE, remains essentially the same today. The artist creates a “negative” plaster mold of the object they want to cast. The object is removed, wax is poured into the mold and dumped out, leaving a thin, hollow layer of wax around the perimeter. The artist adds thin wax sticks to the perimeter of the wax reproduction, creating channels for the metal to flow through and trapped gasses to escape. This wax form is then encased in a plastic or ceramic mold, and the wax is melted away.</p> Bronze is melted down at a temperature of 1,675 ˚F and poured into the plaster mold. This step requires safety precautions including goggles, a face shield, respirator, coveralls, apron, insulated gloves and shoe coverings. When the bronze has cooled, the plaster mold is removed or destroyed to reveal the cast bronze. The supports are removed and typically a polish or patina is applied. A patina can be created naturally through the oxidizing effect of the atmosphere or the artificial application of chemicals. Saito often uses patinas to emulate an object’s natural color – browns for trees and acorns, green for peppers, red for pomegranates and so on. One notable exception to Yoshi’s patination process is Gateway</em>, which is both painted and patinated. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Yoshitomo Saito, Gateway</em>, bronze, 2019. © Yoshitomo Saito.</p> Watch this video</a> about Saito’s bronze casting method.</p> Of Sky and Ground</em></a> is on view in the Freyer – Newman Center’s Kemper Family Gallery from July 24 – November 28, 2021. </p> </p>
Have you ever thought of your garden as a work of art? Maybe you spend months planning and plotting, considering what plants will look best where, or maybe you take a more abstract approach and scatter seeds like the paint in a Jackson Pollock painting. Whichever type of gardener you are, you are using visual thinking strategies, just like artists. Wander gardens and galleries this summer to learn more about the connections between gardens and art. </p> Start your explorations by visiting Blue Grass, Green Skies: American Impressionism and Realism from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art</a> opening June 7 </strong>in the Freyer – Newman Center. Impressionist artists were famous for painting en plein air</em> (outdoors) so they could directly observe the effects of sunlight on their subjects. What better place to paint outdoors than in a garden? Many American Impressionist artists were garden enthusiasts, including John Henry Twachtman, whose lush home garden became a painting destination for fellow artists, or Childe Hassam, who spent summers painting the seaside gardens on Appledore Island in Maine. </p> After browsing the exhibition, head into the gardens to discover gold frames highlighting garden compositions reminiscent of American Impressionist landscapes. Artists and gardeners think about the same things in their work—emphasis, patterns, color combinations, textures, shapes and more all play an important role in creating a beautiful, cohesive garden, just as they do in a work of art.</p> “Art, to me, is the interpretation of the impression which nature makes upon the eye and brain,” Childe Hassam once said. Nature and art go hand in hand, whether you’re a painter, a gardener, or just someone looking to spend an afternoon outdoors. </p> Full credit for "California Landscape"</em>: William Wendt, "California Landscape," oil on canvas, 1920. 31 5/16” H x 70 3/16” W. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Gift of James O. McReynolds, Robert Coulter McReynolds and Mrs. Edwin L. Harbach, in fond memory of their mother, Frances Coulter McReynolds and their father, Dr. Robert Phillips McReynolds. </p>
I have fond memories of being a child and walking next to Grandpa as he rototilled the garden. There is something comforting about the smell and texture of newly tilled soil. As an adult, though, I’ve learned that leaves the soil exposed to wind and rain and the resulting erosion can be devastating. </p> The best way to prevent erosion is to “armor” the soil, i.e. keep it covered. Cover crops, as their name suggests, are a great way to do this. Plant some rye and vetch seeds in the fall as you are putting your garden to bed for the season. In the spring, knock down the growth or mow it and the residue will increase organic matter as it decomposes. The natural mulch will also shade the soil, keeping it cool and reducing evaporative water-loss. </p> </picture> </div> </article> Chatfield Farms CSA</p> The cover crop roots will produce exudates, or food for microbes and fungi in the soil. Those microbes and fungi are bringing nutrients to plant roots and establishing the foundation of a complex ecosystem in the soil. The result is a stable soil, full of spaces for new roots to grow, and allow water and oxygen to infiltrate. </p> Having a garden full of plants and living roots, instead of clean-looking, bare soil takes some getting used to. Especially if, like me, you have grown up tilling your soil every year, but the benefits are worth it. If you would like to learn more about soil health, look at the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Soil Health home page</a>; How to Create a Soil Community</a> from Rodale Institute; or this Planttalk</em>® Colorado</a></strong> from Colorado State University (CSU) Extension on using cover crops. </p> To see a variety of cover crops in a larger area, come down to Chatfield Farms where you can see sorghum-sudan grass, vetch, rye, winter wheat, crimson clover, buckwheat, pacific mustard and triticale, among others. Using cover crops at Chatfield Farms is part of our soil management plan but also has several other regenerative benefits including additional habitat for beneficial insect predators, pollinators and cover crops can provide competition to weed growth which helps farmers with the never-ending task of weed mitigation. </p>
The heat of June could be eclipsed by even more oven-like temperatures in July. But the Gardens will still beckon your visit. This month’s tour will help you find the coolest spots to hang out while enjoying some of July’s highlights in the Gardens. These shady spots feature benches where you can enjoy surrounding gardens, little known vistas and even a waterfall.</p> Shady Lane</a> – shade is in the name! This main path that runs from east to west when entering the Gardens can be found just beyond the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory’s dome and the entry plaza to Marnie’s Pavilion. Along the wide walkway lined with mature crabapples on the south side and younger ones to the north, look for secondary paths with benches. Here you can be bathed in shade by the Austrian pines (Pinus nigra</em>) behind you and the many varieties of fruiting crabapples in front, all while you sneak views of the perennials on the sunny side of the walkway and the Orangery plantings beyond. Several brightly colored lilies (Lilium</em> cultivars) can be seen blooming in July.</li> The next oasis is nestled in the back of Oak Grove</a>. Follow the mulch path from the rounded patio area and you will find several benches and chairs in the proximity of two spectacular trees: the fernleaf European beech (Fagus sylvatica </em>var. heterophylla </em>‘Aspleniifolia’)</a> and the Colorado state champion bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum</em>)</a>. The grey trunks of beech trees always remind me of an elephant’s stout leg, and the lacy leaves of this cultivar are likewise charming. The maple, tied for the largest of its kind in Colorado, is also a native tree species in Colorado.</li> Next head toward the western edge of the Gardens, perhaps first grabbing a cold drink at the Hive Garden Bistro or taking in the beauty of the brightly colored waterlilies in the Monet Pool along the way. The Gates Montane Garden</a> is always a favorite place to visit on a hot day as nearly the entire walkway is cast in shadow throughout the long days of early summer. This was the first garden established after the founding of the Gardens in its present-day location at York Street. Ponderosa pines and aspens are just some of the trees you can see in this native centric garden focused on Colorado’s montane environment. Benches along the main path offer respite, but for more adventurous visitors, the uphill loop on the east will bring you to a bench where you can hear rushing water and glimpse a waterfall that plunges to the pond below, as well as take in beautiful views of the Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden as the swaths of native grasses are hitting their stride in summer.</li> More shady spots can be found along the southern boundary of the Gardens. The first one you’ll encounter is a curved wooden bench on the west side of the moongate entry into June’s PlantAsia. Sitting under a majestic Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus</em>)</a> during a morning visit, you’ll be able to view the multiple colors of daylilies blooming in the Ann Montague Iris and Daylily Garden while staying in the shadows. Walk through the moongate and around the southern path of PlantAsia’s steppe-inspired area and you’ll find some stone steps leading to a mysterious chapel-like passage of bamboo</a> with a bench tucked just in the right spot to enjoy cool breezes that slip through the green and golden leafy poles.</li> The next garden east of PlantAsia is Woodland Mosaic. As the name suggests, you will find several shady spots to linger under the trees here. A rounded metal seating area overlooks a grand swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor</em>)</a> as well as the solarium, which also has seating near it as well as on the deck to the south.</li> </ul> Hopefully these tips will help you find a new enchanting spot to cool off during your next summertime visit to the Gardens. Do you have a different favorite shady spot?</p>
