While things are mostly quiet in the Gardens this time of year, there’s plenty of work going on backstage in the greenhouses. Down at Chatfield Farms we have two large production greenhouses where we also store tender plants over the winter. Many of the large containers of tropical or other non-hardy container plants that you see in the York Street Gardens during the summer spend their winter vacation resting at the greenhouses at Chatfield Farms. Since these greenhouses are not open to the public, I thought I would share the wintertime lives of these tropical plants.</p> </p> We keep the greenhouses cool to reduce the pest and disease pressure, and to keep the plants growing slowly. At night the greenhouses can get as cool as 45 degrees F. Their watering is also reduced to keep them dormant, and many of them are cut back to conserve space. While the relatively cold temperatures and hard cutbacks might seem harsh, it is important in order to keep these plants healthy and looking good during the summer.</p> Even though tropical plants aren’t adapted to winter-summer seasonality, they still experience seasons in their native habitats with wet-dry seasons. The plants from these climates go through a reduced growth dormancy during the dry season much like temperate perennials. If we kept these plants growing through the winter when light levels are low we would end up with flimsy, leggy plants come spring.</p> </p> Large bananas (Ensete ventricosum</em> ‘Maurelii’) from the Victorian Secret Garden at York Street are cut back and stacked to conserve space. They are kept dry to keep the plants dormant. The plants are placed on plastic grates to keep them from rooting into the gravel.</p> </p> The beautiful succulent tray (Echeveria setosa)</em> that was on display in the Sensory Garden at York Street under a kaleidoscope has had most of its rosettes removed, so the only growth is tiny buds on bare stems. By spring this basket will have flushed with growth, and will be healthier than if we had left it alone. We potted up the removed rosettes to bring to the Grown at the Gardens division of Spring Plant Sale.</p> </p> While not tropical, the large Agave</em> americana</em> are not quite hardy. The plants are huge, nearly six feet across, and have hooks all along their leaf margins. Moving them and watering around them can be an adventure. They can be seen on display outside the Chatfield Farms Earl J. Sinnamon Visitor Center during the summer. The several different cycads (Encephalartos</em> spp.</em>) are displayed in the South African Plaza and Steppe Garden at York Street during the summer.</p>
For most horticulturists, winter is the time to prepare new planting schemes and dream of greener pastures. Of course, you could be fortunate enough to be able to work in a conservatory, where you are surrounded by colorful flowers and foliage year round, even in the dead of winter. The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory is home to a large portion of Denver Botanic Gardens’ Tropical Collection and educates guests about one of the most ecologically diverse climate on earth.</p> An important plant family housed in the Tropical Conservatory is the palm family (Arecaceae). Palms are prevalently located in tropical regions of the world and are used as a source of food, clothing, and building material. All palms highlighted in this tour are marked and mapped on the Gardens Navigator website</a>.</p> </p> Kerriodoxa elegans</em></strong> – When you first enter the Tropical Conservatory, you are greeted with the most elegant palm Denver Botanic Gardens has. Kerriodoxa elegans</em> stands out despite being an understory palm because it grows large, fan-shaped fronds to catch as much sunlight as it can beneath larger trees in its natural habitat. What makes the foliage also eye-catching is the coloration; the top side of the leaf is a glossy green, underside is a pale white, and the petiole (stem of the leaf) is a dark purple. As you walk by, you’ll also be able to notice the inflorescence and seeds at the base of the plant.</p> </p> Dypsis lastelliana </em></strong>‘Darianii’</strong> – In the bed next to the Kerriodoxa elegans</em>, you’ll find a palm with fuzzy copper colored palm sheaths (the base of a palm frond petiole). As the plant continues to grow, the sheaths of older leaves can remain on the plant longer than the leaf itself, so the upper trunk of the palm has both great color and an interesting texture.</p> </p> Aiphanes horrida</em></strong> (</em>syn. A. aculeata)</em> – As you walk up the south side path you’ll notice a terrifying stalk covered in grotesque spines. Obviously, this is not a pleasant plant to work with, having spines everywhere including the leaves. To make matters worse, this palm self-seeds constantly. I consider this plant as a “highlight” because unlike the far more pleasant palms we have, this one allows for plenty of character building as you weed these spiny seedlings in the nearby beds.</p> </p> Chamaedorea metallica</em></strong> – As you continue down the south path, you’ll find one of my favorite palms before the stairway to the treehouse. This palm is gaining popularity as a houseplant because of it being a compact size plant that thrives in shade. The fishtail-shaped leaves are in a beautiful grey/blue color. Along the trunks are adventitious roots which allows us to cut and replant a plant if it gets too top-heavy.</p> </p> Coccothrinax crinata</em></strong> – You’ll find this bizarre palm in the southwest corner of the Tropical Conservatory. Its leaves and inflorescence aren’t anything that stands out. The real interesting characteristic is its woolly fibers all along the trunk. I don’t like to use plant common names, but the name “old man palm” is very appropriate to use.</p> </p> Areca vestiaria</em></strong> – You’ll find this palm on the north side of the Tropical Conservatory, or if you head up the treehouse, you’ll be at the perfect height to admire this standout plant. It has bright red fruit and a colorful crownshaft, adding some color to the canopy level of our Tropical Conservatory.</p> </p> Carludovica palmata</em></strong> – You’ll find this along the Tropical Conservatory north path, next to the Areca vestiaria. </em>This palm was part of Denver Botanic Garden’s Tropical Collection when the conservatory first opened in 1966. The leaves of the plant are used to make Panama hats.</p> </p> Zombia antillarum</em></strong> – located in the northwest corner, Zombia antillarum</em> is an endangered palm native to Hispaniola. This palm has spines arranged in an interesting manner. Unlike the spiny Aiphanes horrida</em>, the spines on Zombia </em>palms are only found on the trunk.</p> </p> Ravenala madagascariensis</em></strong> – Despite having the common name of “traveler’s palm,” Ravenala madagascariensis</em> is not a palm. It is actually in the bird-of-paradise family (Strelitziaceae). It’s a beautiful plant with 5’ broad leaf blades in a fan arrangement and white bird-of-paradise flowers. It’s a good lesson to not be reliant on common names, as they easily mislead people into wrongly identifying plants.</p>
</p> Ditch the boardrooms and ballrooms for your next gathering and replace them with the breathtaking surroundings of Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street. With horticultural curiosities and stunning natural backdrops around every bend, your event will be the Instagrammable envy of all.</p> With over a dozen rentable spaces, the Gardens offers a variety of indoor and outdoor venues for events large or small at any time of year. From engagements to weddings, baby showers to bar mitzvahs, company meetings to company holiday parties, our Private Events team will work with you to find the perfect space or combination of spaces that will form the foundation of the memorable moments your guests will cherish for years to come.</p> 2018 dates are on sale now (and going quickly!) and our 2019 rental calendar opens on January 8, 2018</strong>. So don’t delay – tell us what kind of event you want to create, and we’ll help you find a place to create it!</p> To learn more and to set up a tour appointment, contact us at private.events@botanicgardens.org</a> or call 720-856-3551.</p> Looking for a site that is nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains? Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms provides visitors with rustic mountain charm just minutes from the city. We are booking now for 2018 and 2019. </strong>Contact us at chatfieldrentals@botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-4339.</p> Photo courtesy of John Johnston Creative</em></p>
This summer, in addition to interns from around the country, we are hosting international interns from Argentina.</p> Three students enrolled in the horticulture program at the University of Rio Negro in Bariloche, Argentina joined us in late June and will be spending time with us through early September learning propagation and production techniques. Post-internship, they will be able to take the techniques learned here and apply them in their country.</p> The three interns are Irene Edwards, Ramiro Lincan and Lucas Vignera. They have been blogging about their experiences and we would like to share these here on our blog as well. Enjoy their blogs (which will be in Spanish) and experience the horticultural journey through their eyes.</p> Here are the three students in our tissue culture lab learning tissue culture propagation techniques. </p> </p>
Here at Denver Botanic Gardens there are several different gardens whose purpose is one that many don’t associate with the Gardens: producing food. The Gardens grows produce for a variety of purposes, but eventually this food will get donated to great organizations like S.A.M.E. Café or even used here in The Hive Café. The donations are given from:</p> Le Potager garden</li> The Home Harvest Garden in the Mordecai Children’s Garden (which is an amazing educational experience in itself)</li> The Mariposa Urban Farm, located in a newly renovated part of town near Mariposa Street and 11th Avenue</li> </ul> In all the produce gardens, especially the ones located at Denver Botanic Gardens, their purpose is not simply to grow food efficiently to donate it, but to make a public example while doing it. The garden Le Potager is named very specifically and is French for “the kitchen garden.” This has a different meaning than La Potager, meaning “the vegetable garden.” This adds even more to the significance and purpose to the garden itself, making it an example for those who find the idea of growing their own food and giving them ideas for it to do this.</p> As one walks through this garden there are examples for gardening in any home situation, from container gardening in an apartment setting to what you can do in a small backyard if only a self-sustaining harvest is needed. This is exemplified by the sectional star, which can be made of many different types of materials, string and stakes, recycled boards, or even more pleasing to the eye, a wicker-like material similar to what is shown in the gallery below. Some people may even do a flower border, filling the insides with harvestable plants. Other ideas in Le Potager include alternatives to trellising and staking your tomatoes and what you can do to easily protect the plants from animals.</p> The Home Harvest Garden is one that does an excellent job displaying raised beds to help make an easy pros-and-cons list when considering this for a local yard. The ease of access in height for children and the way the vegetables are attention-grabbing and attractively on display are pros when considering them here in the Gardens setting. If a visitor walks through on a future visit, they will notice that the produce sometimes has been rotated out. This is yet another example of a good tip given to the visitors of the Home Harvest Garden, giving them good rotation times for their own vegetable gardens according to the time of the year. For example, what to add when the lettuce season is coming to an end and when peppers may be getting closer to being harvested, even when it is finally safe to start planting tomatoes.</p> Crop production from the Gardens is not something that many people know about, or that they could come here hoping to get some their questions answered or innovative ideas, however it is a program that deserves to be highlighted! Next time you are on the lookout for different garden ideas, take a stroll through the Gardens and it may give you a great new concept to try out on your own!</p> About the author: My name is Amanda Williams and my internship title is Urban Ag and Community Development. This year I am spending my summer working as an intern at Denver Botanic Gardens with four other young women</a>. I am originally from South Dakota and I’m loving my time here in Denver. My internship has been an enabler towards enhancing my knowledge about crop plants and public gardens, while opening a door to future opportunities that I am passionate about in the field of horticulture.</em></p>
Spring is the universal time of rejuvenation. For myself, it represents the time of year where I can get back to my roots. This means returning to California to re-connect with my fungal family (figuratively speaking) in mid-June to enjoy the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.</p> The Sierra Nevada Field Campus (San Francisco State University) is a remote educational field station managed by San Francisco State University. It offers liberal arts courses in science and art throughout the summer months, and the first week’s offerings has nearly always included the Spring Fungi course instructed by my original mentor in mycology, Dr. Dennis Desjardin.</p> June is a unique time to observe fungi in the mountains. In order to produce mushrooms, fungi require the right levels of moisture and temperature. With the rising temperatures of spring, comes the melting of snow and the warming of the ground that has been uncovered. This nexus of conditions brings fourth a variety of familiar fungi such as the very common “orange peel fungus”, Caloscypha fulgens</em>, to the gastronomic delights of the “spring king” porcini, Boletus rex-veris</em>.</p> This year’s Spring Fungi course, held June 11-16, 2017</strong>, was preceded with much optimism. After many years of severe drought in California, the rain and snowfall that accumulated in the Sierra Nevada promised a relative bounty of fungal diversity. However, the weather turned out to be more eccentric than anticipated.</p> The weeks leading up to the field course were warm and dry, which is a good mushroom suppressant. Then, the temperature dropped the night before the course began, resulting in an inch of snow accumulating overnight. (Images 1 and 2 in the photo gallery)</p> The erratic weather caused some concern. The available sites where we would collect without dealing with snow patches ended up being too dry for fungi to produce mushrooms. The recent drop in temperature had the potential to shut down shut down the ‘fruiting’ of many kinds of fungi. Fortunately, these concerns were somewhat alleviated.</p> While the relative abundance of any individual mushroom species could not be described as ‘plentiful,’ the number of different species to find was still there for those that were willing to look hard enough.</p> There were several puffballs out, including the iconic Calbovista subsculpta</em> (Image 3), with its football-sized fruit bodies covered in pyramidal warts. On the more diminutive and elegant end of the spectrum there were the 1-3 mm orange cups of Dasyscyphus bicolor</em> (Image 4). The outer surface of these cups is covered in white hairs giving it a cute and fuzzy quality. On the other hand, the funnel shaped Arrhenia obscurata</em> (Image 5) lives up to its “obscure” name due to its small stature and coloration. This makes it blend into the ground so well that by the time you notice your first patch you’ve already trampled on several others.</p> When the weather is warm and dry, it can be hard to locate mushrooms. One strategy when hunting them is to tear open decaying logs. Fungi are one of the most efficient recyclers in nature.</p> Better than any other organism, fungi break down and decay woody debris, returning the carbon locked up in this material back into nature. Rotting logs are rotten because fungi make their way into the crevasses in the wood and secrete extracellular enzymes to digest it externally. This increases the wood’s porosity and softens it to the point where other organisms can begin to work at it too.</p> Acting as one of these organisms, I will tear into these soft logs, looking for the wood that has become sponge-like and moist. It is in these hidden places that I enhance my chances of finding a mushroom buried deep and protected in the damp and humid confines of the rotting wood.</p> This is how I stumbled upon Resupinatus applicatus</em> (Image 6), lining a cavity with its tiny gray-brown fruit bodies. Imagine if you will, a mushroom that grows no larger than 1.5 millimeters across. It will produce hundreds of little structures growing wood that are literally the size of a sesame seed. Producing structures of this size makes sense when considering the space limited environment that you find it in. It is the “little” discoveries like this that bring into sharp relief the wondrous diversity contained within the kingdom Fungi.</p> Fortunately, following the early snow, warmer weather and sunnier days graced the course as the week progressed. (Images 7 and 8) Students in the Spring Fungi course learn how to observe a mushroom’s features from the macroscopic perspective of the naked eye, as well as the ornate cellular characteristics of different mushroom parts through the benefit of a microscope. This part of the course usually happens midday and is preceded by a lecture and field collecting in the morning and followed by a seminar in the evening. The evening seminar is held after dinner and is usually a time to talk about fungal diversity and tell stories about fungi.</p> I gave a lecture on Tuesday. It was based on my previous research on the ecology and evolution of the mushroom genus Laccaria</em> and discussed how I intend to expand this research in my position at Denver Botanic Gardens and the southern Rockies.</p> The next evening, my friend and colleague Dr. Brian Perry (California State University East Bay), gave a fascinating talk about the diversity of soil and endophytic (plant inhabiting) fungi of the Hawaiian Islands. (Image 9)</p> Despite the progress in the weather, and the success of our discoveries, we were still concerned that this was going to be one of the lower diversity years. For 21 years the course has kept a species list that accounts for the diversity of fungi collected and identified.</p> Due to the slow start we had gotten off to earlier in the week, we were currently trending behind the curve in the species count. In fact, we had yet to encounter the orange peel fungus Caloscypha fulgens,</em> which was so abundant last year that you couldn’t avoid stepping on it. And last year the course only recorded 112 species; the lowest biodiversity since the course began keeping records.</p> So we had reason to be concerned for our species count. But we doubled our efforts in searching for fungi and found many interesting things, some of which have never been recorded in the class before. In the end we collected a total of 128 species over the week of the class.</p> While we don’t expect a parade for this achievement, we were happy to have found the diversity we did, and to take success wherever it may present itself – especially if success is measured in terms of selling Sam Mitchel Herbarium’s 50th Anniversary t-shirts. (Image 10)</p> Which I do.</p>
</p> Whether you are hosting a wedding, a baby shower or a holiday party, planning an event is a lot of work! Large or small, lavish or modest, it can be overwhelming to select and coordinate caterers, florists, entertainers, photographers, rental companies and other vendors involved in your event. Fortunately, we have some insider tips for booking these event professionals to help make your event a success!</p> Venue</strong></h3> When to Book</p> 9-12 months in advance, 12-18 months in advance for popular dates.</li> Find out when a venue opens their calendar for the following year and if they have a wait list.</li> </ul> Major Factors to Consider</p> The venue you select will influence the look and feel of your event more than anything else. In fact, we encourage you to find the venue with the right “feel” before you settle on a date.</li> Make sure you have room for the number of people you expect to RSVP, with room to grow or shrink if your guest list changes significantly.</li> Most venues should have staff onsite the day of your event, but they typically do not offer event planning services.</li> </ul> Questions to Ask</p> Are there dressing rooms or green rooms?</li> Where will your guests park?</li> Does the venue have exclusivity contracts with caterers or rental companies?</li> What rules or regulations does the venue have for private events?</li> </ul> Caterer</strong></h3> When to Book</p> 6-9 months in advance.</li> </ul> Major Factors to Consider</p> Formal dinners, passed appetizers, multi-station buffets, and traditional buffets can all work well, but each will create a different mood at cocktail hours and meals.</li> Check out reviews to evaluate reputability. The Knot and Yelp are great places to start, and Preferred Caterer lists at local venues are good indicators of reliability.</li> If you are considering ethnic food, make sure that is something your caterer can accommodate.</li> </ul> Questions to Ask</p> Does the caterer cook onsite?</li> What additional charges should you expect?</li> Will the event designer be on site for the entire event, just setup, or setup and service?</li> Will there be any extra fees added on that are not included in the initial proposal?</li> </ul> Florist</strong></h3> When to Book</p> 3-6 months in advance. Allow more time if you want elaborate floral arrangements.</li> </ul> Major Factors to Consider</p> Know the venue rules regarding cut flowers, potted plants, vase materials, etc.</li> The time of year will affect the availability and cost of your flowers significantly.</li> </ul> Questions to Ask</p> Is the florist familiar with your venue?</li> Does the florist have access to a local greenhouse?</li> </ul> Photographer</strong></h3> When to Book</p> 3-6 months in advance</li> </ul> Major Factors to Consider</p> Know what kind of look you want. Browse photo galleries on the photographer’s website to get a sense of their style and approach.</li> Provide a list of the photos you want to prioritize. If you’re not sure where to start, your photographer should be able to provide you a list of recommended shots.</li> The more comfortable you are with your photographer, the more genuine your finished photos will look.</li> </ul> Questions to Ask</p> How long will the photographer(s) stay at your event under their base fee?</li> Do you get the rights to the photos after the event?</li> Will the photographer bring an assistant? If so, will that person be of the opposite sex to make “getting ready” shots more feasible?</li> How long will it take to get the final, edited photos? (6-9 months is normal.)</li> Will you get a batch of “social media” photos earlier than the rest that you can share?</li> Do they offer videography services?</li> </ul> Entertainment</strong></h3> When to Book</p> 3-6 months in advance</li> </ul> Major Factors to Consider</p> Do you want background music, a show, or someone who can function as an emcee?</li> Make sure you are aware of venue rules regarding amplified sound.</li> If your event is outside, some instruments cannot be safely used if the air is below 50 or 60 degrees.</li> Be honest about songs that you do want to hear AND songs that you don’t want to hear.</li> </ul> Questions to Ask</p> Will they need a green room?</li> Will they bring all their own materials, or will additional rentals be required?</li> Do they plan to tap into the sound system at the venue?</li> Have they worked at your venue before?</li> How much time will they need to set up?</li> </ul> General Tips</strong></h3> Have frank conversations and don’t be afraid to ask questions!</li> Evaluate all your contracts carefully BEFORE you sign them to avoid surprises on event day.</li> Book professionals who are familiar with your venue. They will already know the rules and regulations and will already know the best spots for photos, challenges with setting up and tearing down, and more.</li> Build a Pinterest page or “vision board” and provide it to all your event professionals to help ensure a cohesive look.</li> Know which rentals are included and which ones you need to book on your own.</li> Factor break times into your schedule for those folks working several hours at your event.</li> Most importantly, ENJOY YOUR EVENT. Too often, you may spend weeks or months planning an event that is over in an instant. Take as many moments as you can to relish in the celebration you’ve put together for your friends, family, loved ones or colleagues.</li> </ul> Contact Us</h3> Interested in booking a private event at the Gardens? Contact us for more information and rate details. York Street: private.events@botanicgardens.org</a> | 720-865-3551 Chatfield Farms: chatfieldrentals@botanicgardens.org</a> | 720-865-4339</p>
The Gardens is more than just a pretty place. Behind the paths and petals, there is research going on both inside the gates and beyond. Due to more international communication through Botanic Gardens Conservation International’s (BGCI) PlantSearch and the ability of researchers to find out about our collections from our online collections database, Gardens Navigator, we have fielded a much higher number of requests in recent years including sharing of leaf or seed samples for genetic research, and live plant or seed sharing to enhance collections of other botanical institutions. In some cases, we can host a researcher for more than just a one-day visit as they do their work on site.</p> That is the case this week. An odd-looking, but fascinating research project is currently happening throughout many of the native gardens at York Street. Joe Anderson, a British research associate from Uppsala Universitet in Sweden, is collecting the scent of our Penstemon</em> flowers</strong>. This research is part of a project lead by Dr. Amy Parachnowitsch to determine how the species has evolved in regards to pollination. Their four aims in conducting this research is to:</p> “Assess floral scent diversity across transitions between insect and hummingbird pollination to elucidate the role of scent in speciation."</li> "Compare transitions of scent loss in selfing species with hummingbird pollination to assess whether shifts in floral scent are generalizable."</li> "Determine geographic variation and co-variation of floral scent and other floral characters a single species in the context of specific plant-animal interactions and local adaptation."</li> "Quantify the underlying genetic architecture of floral scent and how it relates to shifts between pollinator groups.”</li> </ul> Modified plastic oven bags with attached tubing and a battery-operated pump are placed over a few Penstemon</em> flower spikes for about 4 hours. Scent is then captured in the bag and data is recorded. Joe is also photographing the flowers and will view them from under a spectrophotometer to analyze fine details of the flower color in hopes to determine a correlation between color and fragrance, in addition to collecting nectar from individual flowers.</p> So far, Joe has looked at P</em>. degeneri</em>, P</em>. pseudospectabilis</em>, and P</em>. pinifolius</em> and he has plans to continue sampling two or more species per day until he departs. This research is largely non-destructive, meaning that the plants and their flowers are not harmed and remain for our visitors to enjoy after the plastic bags are removed, other than the collection of a few flowers for the spectrophotometer work.</p> Why did they decide to do research at the Gardens? One of the species they are tracking, Penstemon</em> digitalis</em>, is found in the eastern US and is common in cultivation, but we have a large collection of many other species native to the western U.S. Joe also plans to conduct research in the Rocky and Sierra Nevada Mountains.</p> We are currently the only botanic garden participating in the project, though collections in Europe may be tapped for follow-up research. Having multiple documented species in one location also makes this sort of research more cost-effective and easier for the researchers. The value of our plant collections continues to grow through our participation in projects.</p> If you visit in the next few days, you may come upon this research in action!</p>
Every year Denver Botanic Garden's Horticulture Department welcomes a handful of exceptional horticulture students from across the country to study with us in a project-based, 10-week internship.</p> Each intern brings a wealth of passion and experience to our team and we’re very excited to introduce you to our 2017 horticulture interns:</p> </p> Left to right: Chloe Reeves, Amanda Williams, Kristina Gehrer, Olivia Fiala and Nurani Illahi</em></p> Chloe Reeves - University of Tennessee, Knoxville</strong> Plant Records Curation and Mapping</em> A plant science major, Chloe is led by her passion for the outdoors and will be starting the UT landscape architecture program in the fall. During the school year, she works as an intern for the UT Gardens.</p> Amanda Williams - South Dakota State University</strong> Urban Agriculture and Community Engagement</em> Amanda is studying horticulture with an emphasis in food production and Spanish at South Dakota State University. She loves to travel and has studied food production methods in Honduras. Other than plants, her passions include language, coffee and being outdoors.</p> Kristina Gehrer - Kansas State University</strong> Therapeutic Horticulture</em> Kristina was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. She graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in horticulture, landscape design and is currently pursuing her horticulture therapy certificate. Her passion is being outdoors and finding health and rejuvenation while being immersed in nature. She wants to use her talents to help everyone through horticulture.</p> Olivia Fiala - University of Nebraska, Lincoln</strong> Propagation, Production and Seed Herbarium Maintenance</em> Olivia is currently a junior at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, majoring in horticulture with a plant science option. In her free time, she is a member of UNL's horticulture club and enjoys staying active in slow pitch softball and flag football. Her past experience includes work as a farm hand and as a research technician at Bayer Crop-Science.</p> Nurani Illahi - University of Maryland</strong> Japanese Garden Character Pine Project</em> Nurani is a rising junior at the University of Maryland pursuing a horticulture degree and a potential creative writing minor. Since 2015, Nurani has worked as a databasing and collections employee for the University of Maryland herbarium. She is most excited about plant conservation and educating the public on environmental issues. Aside from garden work, she loves dogs, poetry, painting and napping.</p> Check back throughout the summer for updates from the interns.</p>
