If you are thinking about proposing this holiday season, we have a beautiful, private spot where you can pop the question surrounded by merriment and love. During Blossoms of Light</a>, you can reserve the Victorian Secret Garden for your proposal with our Merry & Bright engagement package</a>. The Victorian Secret Garden is a secluded gazebo just off the main path with a fantastic view of the incredible light display. Twinkling lights, snow flurries and the aroma of hot chocolate in the air, holiday cheer all around…what better place to propose? </p> The Merry & Bright engagement package includes the following: </p> Two tickets to Blossoms of Light </li> Private reservation for 30 minutes in the Victorian Secret Garden </li> Permission to bring one bottle of champagne</li> Professional photography of the engagement (see webpage for details)</li> </ul> Start a lifetime of happiness by proposing at a spectacular spot in our gardens! Reach out to our York Street team at 720-865-3551 or private.events@botanicgardens.org</a> to book your engagement. Our proposal reservations are now open! </p>
The “Flora of Colorado, Second Edition” release is just around the corner. You’ll be able to get your copy mid-November at the Shop at the Gardens. With the first edition published in 2015, it was definitely time for a revision. The second edition is chock full of updates and more informative content to help you identify plants confidently and as easily as possible. You will find numerous tools to help you in your identification journey – from updated nomenclature reflecting our most current phylogenetic knowledge, to more informative dot-distribution maps (instead of county-level distribution maps), an updated introduction detailing the different plant zones in Colorado and much more. An additional 400 color photographs, for a total of nearly 1,300 color photographs representing more than 40% of the flora are also included!</p> I am often asked what goes into writing a “Flora.” The process is certainly time-consuming and a labor of love. The first thing you need when compiling a “Flora” is a list of all species present in the area you are covering. I use a database to keep track of all the species present in Colorado. In this database, I can also keep track of any updates in nomenclature, as well as rare or endemic status, flowering times and elevation ranges. Herbarium specimens are vital to this database and form the foundation for the list of species in Colorado. For the second edition, I used the SEINet portal to look for species that were new to the state either from a range extension, a new invasive species or a new species to science, resulting in over 100 species added to the “Flora.”</p>
The American West is a shrubby place. Our region’s arid climate and ecology limits the growth of trees, leaving grasslands and shrublands to reign supreme. Our dry shrublands are alive with varying shades of silver, blue, seafoam green and camo green, often demonstrating their beauty through textural displays, sinuous forms and persistent fruits or seeds rather than showy flowers (although some have these, too). Early autumn is a great time to behold the glory of our wild shrublands and to consider how these plant communities can be used as inspiration for our gardens.</p> Here are a few places at the Gardens where you can experience shrub-forward plantings, inspired by the shrublands of western North America.</p> Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden</strong></p> From the Gates Montane Garden, take the boardwalk path over the stream</strong> to the west end of the Plains Garden. As you walk along the path adjacent to the pond</strong>, notice the rocky ledge plantings to your left. Leadplant (Amorpha canescens</em>) rises up among a mix of bunchgrasses, yucca and white sage. Cooler temperatures will ensure that the golden currant (Ribes aureum</em>) and skunkbush (Rhus aromatica </em>var. trilobata</em>) will have turned bright red.</li> Further along the path</strong>, see the spherical fruit of buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis</em>) and colorful stems of red twig dogwood (Cornus alba</em>) thriving in the wetter soils alongside the pond. </li> Head east at the intersection of the path.</strong> Notice the fine texture of sand sage (Artemisia filifolia</em>) rising up through prairie grasses to your left. This plant’s display of arching inflorescences is mesmerizing in mass plantings. </li> Once you reach the eastern entrance to the Plains Garden</strong>, look across the path to see a heavy crop of red fruits amid the evergreen blue-green foliage of Fremont’s mahonia (Berberis fremontii</em>).</li> Now head east</strong> toward the Hive Garden Bistro and Sacred Earth. </li> </ul> Sacred Earth</strong></p> Begin at the entrance</strong> to Sacred Earth across from Dryland Mesa and stroll through a quintessential western landscape of rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa</em>) and big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata</em>). The stiff upright forms of rabbitbrush—still likely covered in sulfur yellow flowers—and twisting forms of silver sagebrush are a simple but visually striking combination.</li> Moving along the path</strong>, to your left skunkbush (Rhus aromatica</em> var. trilobata</em>) will likely be ablaze with red fall foliage. More subtle fall colors will be on display with chartreuse leaves of desert olive (Forestiera pubescens</em>) as you round the corner along the water feature.</li> Head towards the aspen tree covered berm to the east. </strong>Here, layers of shrubs ramble through the understory in a riot of forms and textures. Keep an eye out for snowberry (Symphoricarpos oreophilius</em>) and whitestem currants (Ribes inerme</em>). Creeping Oregon grape (Berberis repens</em>) will be abundant with heavy clusters of blue berries and seasonally deep purple to red foliage. This plant is a staple for tough dry shade locations and will naturalize under most garden conditions.</li> </ul> The Gardens has great examples of shrubland-inspired gardens that aren’t exclusively native and xeric. Make sure to check out the Roads Water-Smart Garden </strong>to see how low-water shrubs can be integrated into a compelling design with regionally appropriate perennials. The Steppe Garden</strong> is great place to see shrubs from semi-arid regions similar to Colorado from around the world. See my colleague’s blog post</a> about shrubs with silver foliage in the Steppe Garden.</p>
Now is the time to plan your holiday party! Celebrate this year’s accomplishments by spending time laughing, connecting and sharing with your colleagues. </p> The Gardens has multiple outstanding spaces</a> that are sure to impress your attendees with an unforgettable experience. Blossoms of Light</a> makes gatherings at the Gardens extra special during the holiday season. Select sites have views of the lights, and guests can stroll the path to experience a truly magical winter wonderland. </p> Celebrate this holiday season surrounded by gorgeous lights and great people. To book a date at our York Street location, call 720-865-3551 or email private.events@botanicgardens.org</a>. You can also fill out our rental inquiry form</a> for pricing and date availability.</p> Dates fill up quickly--book yours today! </p>
In soil, there is a natural storage of seeds—known as the soil seed bank—even in urban areas. These soil seed banks can serve as a potential source of species diversity for plant communities, particularly in areas undergoing disturbance. </p> For my master’s thesis research, I am investigating the soil seed bank in a one-mile section of the High Line Canal that has undergone recent developments to become a green stormwater infrastructure (GSI). The increase in water expected from this GSI implementation will likely cause a disturbance to the plant community here. </p> Disturbance is a shifting of ecological conditions that may cause plant communities to change. Those changes might be ecologically beneficial, such as an improvement in community resilience with species that can handle the wetter conditions and do the work of GSI. On the other hand, the changes could lead to a degraded plant community that can’t handle the new conditions and doesn’t function as desired. The seed bank impacts what change could come, and by exploring its composition, I can try to anticipate what that change will look like. </p> We bagged soil samples, and I attempted to identify the germinants that came up. While I was working on identifications, a mysterious beauty caught my eye. A single white flower with a fused corolla and bright yellow nectary guides popped up out of the greenhouse trays to say hello. The fused white corolla reminded me of a potato flower or a field bindweed. I brought the specimen to the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium</a> and chatted with all the awesome plant experts we have on staff to no avail. I reached out to the horticultural staff in case this enigmatic germinant might be a garden escapee, unfamiliar to those of us who primarily focus on the wilder species. Eventually the email chain found its way to a Colorado Master Gardener</a> who happened to recognize this beguiling mistress. “Check out Leucophysalis grandiflora</em>!” she said.</p> To confirm, I checked out-of-state keys and even went to the Black Hills State Herbarium</a> in South Dakota, where they had a specimen, to make a comparison. But the identification only made things more curious as there is no known record of L. grandiflora </em>in Colorado. The native range of this species is near the Great Lakes, and even then, it’s rare! The closest known populations on record were in South Dakota in the Black Hills. Since there are no records past the 1942 in South Dakota, it is likely extirpated from the state. Even her established range in Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Canada, appears to be shrinking. </p> What further deepens the mystery is the pattern of survival and reproduction (aka “life history”) for L. grandiflora</em> is unusual—she prefers disturbed areas, such as an area with a recent burn or flooding. Following the disturbance, after the plant community begins to stabilize, she leaves. This ephemeral quality makes it challenging to know much about this species. </p> This identification and subsequent information raises questions: Why is this species here? Would she have germinated on her own, if not for the warm, wet greenhouse conditions? Are there more seeds in the soil along the Canal? Could there be an established, but undocumented, population of L. grandiflora</em> in Colorado? Could a migrating bird have dispersed her berries from a great distance while visiting the Canal? How long was this seed in the seed bank? Is someone, somehow, using this pretty flower as a garden cultivar and she made a run for it?</p> Alas, without further information we can only guess. Until then, she can keep her secrets. For my study, this unique find sheds light on the possibilities that can be found in the soil seed bank. By exploring the potential change it harbors, we may find unlikely fellows. </p> This post was contributed by Graduate Student Alissa Iverson.</em></p>
My name is Kathryn Overman, and this fall I will be starting my senior year at New Mexico State University studying horticulture.</p> As the Seed Collections & Greenhouse Production Intern at Denver Botanic Gardens, I focused on three goals for my project over the summer. First, I entered wild collected seeds from Lesotho and Argentina into BG-BASE</a> for entry into the seed herbarium. Second, I developed a protocol for digitizing the seed herbarium collection and began this by taking images of the entries. Third, I collected seeds from plants in the gardens for entry into the seed herbarium as well as short term storage in the event a plant in the collection needs to be replaced.</p> I learned a great deal during this internship, from both hands-on experience and through the classes I attended, such as learning about Colorado ecosystems and some of the most common plant families in the region. I gained experience in greenhouse production with various methods of propagation as well as caring for plants in the greenhouses and the nursery. I learned how the Gardens keeps records on its seed collections and how seed herbarium entries are created and had the opportunity to begin digitizing the seed herbarium collection for the creation of an online reference resource.</p> One of the most exciting aspects of this internship has been the opportunity to collect seeds from plants in the Gardens. There are a lot of unique and interesting plants in the collections that I was excited to learn more about. The biggest challenge I faced was the fact that many plants don’t have mature seeds available for harvest until later in the fall, months after the end of my internship. However, I was able to create a target list of plants that will be valuable to collect seeds from in the future.</p> In addition, I gained experience in a variety of other fields, from aquatic gardening to therapeutic horticulture and plant mapping. Having the opportunity to work with several horticulturists in several different locations has helped me to expand my knowledge of my fields of interest for my future career.</p> This post was contributed by Kathryn Overman, the 2022 Seed Collections & Greenhouse Production Intern.</em></p>
Pencils and paper out! It’s time for a pop quiz! What kind of critter would you guess pollinates a plant that blooms at night? If you guessed a moth or a bat, you get an A. </p> One of my favorite plants that I display every year is the night-blooming Peruvian cactus (Cereus peruvianus</em>). Cereus peruvianus </em>are native to the desert regions of South America, usually growing just east of the Andes Mountains range. This cactus has a gray green to blue, cylindrical stem, or trunk, sometimes branching out to resemble a tree or candelabra. Sometimes the trunk of the cactus will start growing in a spiral—these are highly sought after by growers. The stem will usually have five to seven rounded ribs with wide-spaced, small areoles running vertically down them. The areoles are where you will find the protruding gray spines. The rounded edge of the rib is also where the flower buds develop. </p> The large, creamy white flowers open wide and bloom for one night only. Local bats and moths seek out these fragrant flowers as a food source and in doing so, pollination is completed. After pollination, the flower dies, but the base of its stem swells into a round, sweet fruit with deliciously crunchy seeds that in turn supplies the pollinators and various birds with another food source. The fruit also has tremendous health benefits because it contains high amounts of Vitamin C, beta-carotene and fiber. The shape and color of the fruit is the reason the cactus also goes by the common name of the Peruvian apple cactus. </p> Another interesting fact about this cactus is that it has been known to grow to the height of 110 feet, if supported by scaffolding, technically making this the tallest cactus plant in the world. We have several Cereus peruvianus </em>displayed at the Gardens. The largest is located by the Science Pyramid and there are several displayed on the West Terrace, including one spiral form.</p> This post was contributed by Horticulture Coordinator Mike Holloway.</em> </p>
Creating compost is an important, yet often overlooked part of the growing process. Onsite agricultural compost has the potential to make a huge impact, not only on our plants’ health, but also on our planet's health. </p> Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms</a> started an onsite compost program in 2021. This year, the compost program was awarded grant funding through the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Front Range Waste Diversion program (FRWD). This funding is being put toward compost-specific machinery and educational outreach. </p> Chatfield Farms is building a demonstration site of small-scale compost methods for farmers. Most methods displayed at Chatfield Farms are static, or “no turn” systems. When properly aerated, static piles produce high-quality, fungal-dominant compost with little labor. Static piles can be aerated passively through airhole “vents” or actively with an electrical air pump. Worm bins are also used at Chatfield Farms, breaking down organic material and naturally aerating compost. </p> Chatfield Farms also shares techniques with visiting farms on compost tea and compost extract production. Large shipments of compost can be expensive for small-scale farmers. Compost tea and extract can make a little compost go a long way. With compost “liquids,” just a few pounds of high-quality compost can be spread over an acre, providing disease protection and improving nutrient cycling via soil microbes. </p> Grant funding from CDPHE and FRWD has already increased compost production at Chatfield Farms. In 2022, we have already diverted more than 50 tons of organic waste from the landfill, surpassing last year’s total of 35 tons. Denver Botanic Gardens’ role in the agricultural community, however, has the potential to improve agricultural compost production in farms across the Front Range. We thank our partners at the CDPHE and FRWD for giving us the opportunity to make positive changes in our agricultural community. </p>
