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Joan Franson and Cistus laurifolius Joan Franson, long time volunteer and champion of Denver Botanic Gardens, passed away on Thursday, October 17. Her obituary in the Denver Post provides more

Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition' on left I'm talking about the OTHER kind of grass, incidentally. The orange Agastache on the upper right of this picture is also a Plant Select choice: Agastache

On August 5, 2014, Denver Botanic Gardens conducted its second trial evaluation day for the York Street Trial Garden. Located right outside our main entrance gate, visitors can get a look at various

Delosperma floribundum 'Starburst' There have been a veritable flood of hardy ice plants on the market in recent years, to the point where we have forgotten about some of the worthy old timers. This

Red birds in a tree Native plants usually summon up images of wispy, finely textured grasses or suchlike--hardly a glamorous novelty like red birds in a tree ( Scrophularia macrantha). This gorgeous

Hydrangea quercifolia This time of year I am amazed to see spectacular mounds of Hydrangea 'Annabelle' glowing around the metro area. That is one cultivar that has certainly made its mark, although

Winecups in Watersmart Garden Strolling around York Street gardens this time of year, you are apt to see a bright rose red plant that resembles a geranium in many gardens. It is apt to be winecups (

Claret cup cactus Earlier this year, the Colorado Legislature passed a bill designating Echinocereus triglochidiatus the official state cactus of Colorado. I'm one of those people who'd find it hard

Purple Mountain sun daisy at City and County Building For over a decade the Master Gardeners of Denver and I maintained a low water garden in front of the City and County Building in the Civic Center

Corydalis nobilis Fumewort may happen to be the accepted common name, but most of us prefer to call them by their Latin name: Corydalis. Some put the accent on the antipenult, others on the penult

Pasqueflower There are pasqueflowers throughout Denver Botanic Gardens this week--especially in the rock garden. I have observed many interesting phenomena in my long career at Denver Botanic Gardens

By Colleen Smith, Guest Blogger Colleen Smith writes and gardens in Denver. She’s the author of Glass Halo and Laid-Back Skier. We humans are no more exempt than the bees and butterflies and