Understanding and Conserving Genetic Diversity in Native Plant Restoration
Last month I had the pleasure of moderating a symposium at the Society for Ecological Restoration North American Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The theme of the conference was Cross-Biome
Making the Most of Rain and Snow
Directing the flow of water isn’t a new idea. Humans have been changing the flow of water for thousands of years for our benefit, and oftentimes to our failure. Water is never truly wasted though, it
Naughty or Nice? Monitoring the Gardens’ Watch List Species
It can be easy to think of a garden as separate from its surrounding environment. After all, the plants in a garden are predominately selected, grown and managed by human hands, a far cry from the
Where East Meets West: Native Trees and Japanese Techniques
Three Google searches. That is all it took. Next thing I know, I am driving three days to get to Denver to spend my summer working as the Bonsai and Shofu-en Japanese Garden Intern. My internship at
November Walking Tour – Mono no Aware: Appreciating Transience in Shofu-en
As we move from October to November, we see the end of many of our visitors’ favorite time of year at the Gardens. With fall color fading and Halloween displays ending, we see gardens and gardeners
Rocky Mountain Gardening Certificate Core Series
Have you heard about the Rocky Mountain Gardening Certificate Core Series? This is a comprehensive study of specific gardening practices for our unique Front Range region offered by the Gardens
Celebrate Night at the Museums
November —the weather gets colder, the days shorter, leaves fall and plants go dormant. You may think this is a time when botanic gardens slow down for the season, but did you know there is so much
Cultivating Crops and Curiosity at the Community Garden
In the foothills of Colorado where I live, growing a vegetable garden with the intent of eating any of the harvest for yourself would make you an optimist. That is unless you had installed a sturdy
Denver Botanic Gardens' Haunted History
Local legends abound surrounding the history of Cheesman Park as an unkept and crumbling cemetery that was later transformed into the recreational area it is today. Before its green fields were dotted
Designing Fall Container Displays
Fall is finally here, and at Chatfield Farms we take that seriously. In Colorado, fall is a very precarious time. While we have been having unusual heat this year, we have had hail, frost and snow as
History of Mushroom Toxicology
Mushrooms can be poisonous. That is one of the first things we are taught as kids. Even though plants produce more detrimental toxins than mushrooms, society, rightly or wrongly, tends to teach the
The Waterlily Weigh-Off
The Waterlily Weigh-Off, led by Denver Botanic Gardens, challenged an impressive list of public gardens and zoos around the U.S. and across the pond in the U.K. to see how much weight their Victoria