This week Denver Botanic Gardens hosted around 110 botanic gardens professionals from around the country as well as from England and Canada. Hosting the American Public Gardens Association’s (APGA) Plant Collections Symposium, all the attendees took away best management practices in collections care and priorities, ex situ</em> conservation and seed banking, plant labeling and databasing, and role of botanic gardens in climate change. The Gardens’ Horticulture and Research staff provided their expertise on these relevant topics through formal sessions and hands-on activities. Attendees included horticulturists, collections curators, plant recorders, research staff and directors. It was a great pleasure to host our colleagues from other institutions and to share ideas. Thanks APGA for selecting Denver Botanic Gardens as the venue for this amazing symposium! </p>
</p> What an amazing autumn! We almost always have had a dusting of snow by now, or light frost. But this fiery summer blazes on, especially in the many spectacular scarlet, crimson and fiery flowers around the Gardens. You can undoubtedly tell where I took the first picture (in front of the conservatory). I know, I know, many botanists have flocked to lump Zauschneria</em> into Epilobium</em>... and they undoubtedly have ample justification. But I figure, if hummingbirds can tell the difference, so can I! This giant burning bush from Arizona is one of the toughest xeriscape perennials and has been sold in Denver for decades, but you rarely see it. Of course, many years it gets frosted just before it reaches maximum conflagration, but not this year! Better mosey on down and check it out (bring your sunglasses to protect your eyes!).</p> </dt> Haemanthus multiflorus</dd> </dl> This little honey is South African, and no...Mike Kintgen does not believe it is hardy (he lifts the bulbs before hard frost): but what a spectacle this magnificent Amaryllid makes in the South African Plaza! I have seen Brunsvigia </em>and Haemanthus</em> in South Africa, where they can color the landscape for miles. Won't it be just peachy if we can eventually find some hardy ones to grow permanently outdoors? It's hard to believe this gem of a Salvia has proven so hardy in recent years: I have seen it thriving in many gardens. Even as an annual, it makes a spectacle worth the effort. Highly localized in northern Mexico in Nuevo Leon, this brings some Latin fire to the Darlene Radichel Plant Select garden...hurry on down and check it out (ten thousand hummingbirds can't be wrong!)... And finally, a picture I took last week at the Gardens at Kendrick Lake of a fine form of "California fuchsia" blazing there... One of these days the frost will come and extinguish all these flowers for the season: but not yet! Hurry on down and warm your eyes with the last best blazing colors of the season. When your hot, you're hot, and let me tell you Denver Botanic Gardens is still ablaze with color!</p>
</p> I realize it's a tad hard to convince our colleagues that we were hard at work when they see a picture of Mike Bone on a trusty steed, but believe me, riding that horse on the Djabagly Nature Reserve in Southern Kazakhstan turned out to be a good deal more exciting than we bargained on. It's been two weeks since Mike and I returned from an extraordinary 3 weeks traveling over much of Southern and far Eastern Kazakhstan. Those of you whose knowledge of that amazing country comes from Borat would be startled by the reality: the ninth largest country on earth (the size of half of Europe) is bustling, practically exploding economically and although the Kazakh are largely Islamic, women in Kazakhstan appear to be fully empowered. Young women in fashionable Western clothing could be seen strolling boldly through villages and towns day and night, grannies with grandkids can be found hitchiking and vodka and hard liquor was ubiquitous at restaurants and openly sipped by all and sundry. Fundamentalism has yet to cast its puritanical veil over this robust nation.</p> </dt> Great Fritillary on Azure Teasel (Dipsacus azureus)</dd> </dl> Politics were not the reason we came to Kazakhstan this year. Last year Plant Select sent the two of us to reconnoiter the Altai and Tien Shan, and we returned with enough tales and pictures to inspire a collecting trip this year. August and September turned out to be the perfect season for the widest spectrum of germplasm and we were surprised to find many plants still in bloom. This dazzling teasel (which did not seem to have the weedy proclivities of its invasive congeners) was one of many highlights of the trip. It may take many years to fully assess this and other collections to be sure they will not grow out of bounds in gardens, and that they do possess what it takes to be Plant Select worthy! This amazing plant was always sporting one or more butterflies, often this largest of Fritillaries. I suspect it will be attractive to American butterflies as well!</p> </dt> Campanula kapusii</dd> </dl> As a lover of rock gardens, finding little treasures that cling to rocks is always a highlight of a hike. This unusual campanula grew at almost 11,000' on limestone cliffs on the Upepr Kaindy pass in Djabagly, a spot of enormous biodiversity. Where to begin to describe the variety of plants and the majesty of soaring peaks and feathered steppe full of unusual bulbs and the quiddity of a country so much like Colorado, and yet twelve time zones away in either direction!</p> </dt> Allium fedtchenkoanum</dd> </dl> Kazakhstan may be the very center of the genus Allium</em>: we often found four or five species growing in the same vicinity, and many dozens of species over the course of our trip. Onions come in all shapes, sizes and habits: this alpine cousin to Chives is quite tasty, although it is such a truly lovely shade of golden yellow that I would much prefer to grow than eat it, wouldn't you? We are deeply grateful to Plant Select and the Gardens for making this trip possible. But without the guidance of our Kazakhstan guides, botanists and hosts across that great country we could never have seen literally thousands of kinds of plants in all manner of habitats in those almost mythical mountains: the Karatau, the Tien Shan and the Altai.</p>
Who isn't entranced by hummingbirds? This picture was taken and e-mailed to me recently by a visiting nurseryman, Erbin Baumgardner, last month in our new Darlene Radichel Plant Select Garden. You can still find hummingbirds buzzing the various Salvias and Agastaches in this garden almost any day of the week...and I've been thinking. I remember that one would see hummingbirds fleetingly in spring as they migrated to the mountains and again in fall when they migrate again to warmer climes. But during the great drought years of 1999-2003 one began to see hummingbirds midsummer when the diminished flowers in the parched hills gave out. Clever hummers realized that there was nectar to be found in the Front Range cities, mostly in plants recently introduced to horticulture by Plant Select. An interesting and unintended consequence of this program has been to provide a smorgasbord of plants terribly attractive to hummingbirds: red birds in a tree (Scrophularia macrantha</em>), almost all the Plant Select Salvias (Salvia darcyi</em> in particular, but also S. greggii</em> 'Furman's Red' and 'Wild Thing'), Zauschneria garrettii</em> 'Orange Carpet' and especially the tremendous palette of southwestern Agastache (aurantiaca, cana, rupestris</em> and multifarious hybrids) which were first introduced and promulgated by this program. These have all not just transformed our xeriscapes with their brilliant reds and oranges, they have provided a steady and reliable food source on the Plains for several of our most entrancing native bird species. Is that cool or what? I recommend planting both Salvias and Agastaches in the spring, but many more floral gems will be available at our annual </strong>Fall Plant and Bulb Sale</strong> this Saturday, Sept. 25 at our York Street site</strong>. [The sale will be located on our upper parking deck between Josephine and York. Admission is free. Member-only shopping is 8-9 a.m., open to the public from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.] Be there or be square!</p>
Last week was such an exciting week in the Children’s Garden! It was so nice to see so many friends come to visit the new garden.</p> I have been watching the final phases of the Children's Garden construction very closely. Pipsqueak Pond is starting to take shape. I can’t wait to explore this new environment! </p> I took a sneak peak of Sagebrush Stage this weekend and was delighted to see that the mini-amphitheater will be ready for stories and dress-up fun in the coming month. You can get a preview of some of the stories you might hear on Sagebrush Stage next time you visit the Children’s Garden. A variety of garden storybooks are available by the picnic tables in the Children's Garden. There is nothing better than enjoying a picnic lunch, resting and listening to a good story after exploring the Children’s Garden.</p> Volunteers have been busy the last few weeks in the Children’s Garden planting new things for me to explore and providing hands-on activities for visitors to enjoy. I watched visitors this week make planting pots out of newspaper, create bird nests, and even learn more about marmots just like me! </p> The Children’s Garden volunteers always look like they are having so much fun with the garden’s visitors. If you are interested in volunteering in the Children’s Garden, go here to learn more!</p> As cooler weather approaches, the Children's Garden is becoming a great place to visit all day long. I invite you to stop by after school to explore the natural wonders of the Children's Garden. Hope to see you soon!</p> Your Friend, Digger</p> </p>
</p> Last Monday, after several years of planning, the Mordecai Children’s Garden had its grand opening. Over the past week, the new Children’s Garden has been filled with the joyful sounds of imagination and discovery as children and grownups alike are reconnecting with nature. I am one happy marmot, enjoying the company of my many new friends. Melissa Gula, our Children’s Garden Program Coordinator, convinced me that I need to blog to let you know about all of the fun things that are going on at this new Children's Garden. Come and join me on a journey through this amazing new garden.</p> The Children’s Garden provides a place for our youngest visitors to put their curiosity to work as they observe plant patterns, pick up and take a close look at pinecones and seed pods, and weave natural materials to create a nest for a bald eagle. A favorite among visitors has been the Mist-ery Forest, where children have been using their muscles to dig through our giant digging pit. Also a favorite in the Mist-ery Forest is Springmelt Stream, which provides an ideal place to cool off on a hot summer day. Children of all ages have enjoyed taking off their shoes and getting their toes wet as they splash about in the cool stream water. The stream provides endless opportunities to experiment with sinking and floating objects and redirecting the flow of water.</p> </p> Along with these everyday adventures you find in the Children’s Garden, daily drop-in programs are available for you to investigate natural processes even further. Last week, visitors had the opportunity to learn why different birds have different beaks, how a tree grows, and what the insides of a plant look like. More fun is scheduled to open late in September when Pipsqueak Pond and Sagebrush Stage will be open for exploration!</p> Location: </strong>York Street On top of the parking structure Hours: </strong>9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily Admission:</strong> Free for Members Included in regular admission for non-members</p>
</dt> Orostachys iwarenge</dd> </dl> This time of year there is no end of vibrant, glorious color at Denver Botanic Gardens. May I remind you that green is also a color? Few plants exemplify the paradox that gardens are not just about showy flowers than these modest succulents from East Asia: Orostachys</em> are closely allied to Sedum</em> (and have been classified as such) although they suggest hens and chicks (Sempervivum</em>) more to my eyes. The flowers are actually miniscule...but everyone loves and appreciates these accommodating succulents. I find they grow best on shallow soils or in pots: quite a number of species and hybrids will be coming into bloom over the next month or so. At DBG check for them in the Rock Alpine Garden (although finding them in that treasure trove of gems could be a challenge!)</p> </dt> Orostachys spinosa in a trough</dd> </dl> You know you have succeeded when you are copied: this picture (or something like it) has shown up in books, in nursery catalogues, on advertising flyers and in other people's talks: people just love the way the gray trough seems to morph into these gnarly, symmetrical globules of succulence. So they steal my image and use it without permission...(I admit I am flattered...). Where is the flashy red or yellow? You do not need garish color to delight. When you have seen this wondeful little plant growing literally by the millions across the mountains and steppes of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, a trough like this is hopelessly evocative. Who needs petunias? OK, OK, before you get all huffy, I confess I like petunias too, and grow quite a few (albeit mostly in containers as well...)</p> Perhaps the most widespread Orostachys</em> in cultivation is this munchkin from Japan (I believe) which has been sold over the years under a plethora of names. It seems to be settling down to this epithet, although one still encounters O. furusei</em> in some nurseries. If you can make it happy (which is not hard: part shade or sun on shallow soil in a rock garden or container) it will form wide masses of tiny pagodas that are irresistibly cute this time of year...Here it is growing on top of a rock in the Snyder's awesome Littleton garden, proving (irrefutably), once and for all, that less is more!</p>
Coinciding with the 20th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Denver Botanic Gardens broke ground for the new Sensory Garden today, a garden created specifically for people with disabilities. Accessible to all populations, the development of the design for this garden was truly a collaborative community effort, with involvement from organizations such as the City of Denver’s Office of Disability Rights, the Mayor appointed Commission for people with Disabilities, and University of Colorado Denver’s Landscape Architecture Department. The new Sensory Garden located just north of the Bonfils Stanton Visitor Center, replaces the old Picnic Garden. Integral in the design and development of the landscape plan for this garden were graduate students from the University of Colorado’s Department of Landscape Architecture. During the design phase, students were on site getting a feel for the topography of the site and experiencing first hand how someone with a specific disability would navigate through the garden by blind-folding themselves or by being wheelchair bound. The Sensory Garden will combine architectural features and plants selected to stimulate all the human senses: smell, taste, touch, sight and sound. Adaptive gardening techniques will be demonstrated throughout the garden utilizing structures that minimize barriers and maximize people’s abilities. Many of the garden’s design elements will also aid in Sensory Tours and Horticultural Therapy activities. Some of the design features include:</p> Activity area – This shaded area will provide a comfortable space to facilitate Horticultural Therapy activities. </li> Vertical growing wall – Will allow visitors to interact with the plants at eye level while sitting or standing.</li> Roll under raised beds – Will enable front wheelchair access to gardens with leg clearance. </li> </ul> Garden installation is tentatively scheduled to begin in August.</p>
</p> Denver Botanic Gardens and University of Denver (DU) are currently collaborating to conduct research that documents climate change effects on native flora in Colorado. We have been using preserved specimens from the Gardens Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium and other regional herbaria to determine if flowering time has changed over the last 100 years. A preserved plant with reliable label data is proof positive that it existed in a specific place at a specific time in the state it is shown. Such specimens show that some Colorado species were blooming on average as much as three weeks later 100 years ago than today-- a reflection of warming temperatures that are causing earlier springs. Amelia Bowman, '09 University of Denver (DU) graduate, first discovered this trend investigating a set of six early blooming species that were collected in Colorado since the late 1800's as a part of her Biology Honors thesis. These were species suggested by Gardens curator Dina Clark, as those that were likely to have flowering cued by temperature and or moisture. Climate records show that both have increased in Colorado over the last 100 years. Although there is much year-to-year variability, there is a significant change overall, and it appears more dramatic here in Colorado than has been reported in places like Massachusetts.</p> This summer, Francesca Aguirre-Wong ('10) with DU undergraduates Ryan Whittney and Rob Robinson are working on an expansion of this project, doing the painstaking work of verifying each record and finding geographic coordinates for each specimen collected. They are also joined by volunteer Eliot Jackson, a Denver native and granddaughter of Lainie Jackson, longtime and celebrated volunteer at the Gardens. Their focus is currently on rare and endangered plants.</p> This latter phase of the project is supported by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, and by a DU Helen Pustmueller fellowship. The findings will assist efforts to develop management plans for imperiled Colorado species in the context of climate change. Whether a change in flowering time is "good" or "bad" depends on various factors, including behavior of pollinators. That some species can adapt to a changing environment can be good, however, if pollinators for a specific species are cued by day length (which hasn't changed) while the flower is cued by temperature and moisture, there could be a disconnect that will harm both. For more information about the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium, please see our website. For those interested in climate change and phenology, please check out the National Phenological Network and their citizen scientist program.</p> </p> This blog post was written by Anna Sher, Ph.D.</em>, adjunct researcher and former director of the Research & Conservation Department at Denver Botanic Gardens.</em></p>
It is no secret in horticulture and gardening that plants need water and who knows this better than Joe Tomocik, curator of water gardens, whose waterlilies hardly spend a day out of it.</p> Once the threat of frost subsided, the empty water beds throughout the garden beg for some flair, and Joe knows just the trick. Calling upon the intern staff to help him out early one morning, he layed in front of us a large bag of waterlilies, some containers of varying sizes (from which we must choose wisely), a pile of clay soil, and told us to have at it.</p> </p> The interns, ready to go.</em> </p> </p> In intimate detail, we learned the proper way to pot these plants: newspaper in the bottom to prevent soil leakage, slow-release fertilizer for an added kick, and just the right amount of compaction to keep the plant from floating away but not so much as to inhibit root growth. A carefully placed brick on top sealed the deal.</p> Potting them was half the battle; the rest was sinking the plants into the displays. A certain level of care was needed as to not knock loose any of the work we just did. Joe once again taught us the best way to do it:</p> </p> "Tilt it but don't </em>tilt it"</em></p> Many of the species we planted were of tropical origin, so they should love the warm climate that we introduced them to for the summer. And just like these plants will enjoy their watery bed, so too did we have fun in the process:</p> </p> Waders never looked so good</em></p> Check back soon for updates on the beautiful blooms we hope (expect!) to get!</p>
</p> Q: What do you get when you set loose over three dozen passionate biologists who study animals, plants, and fungi in a nearly pristine ranch in Southeast Colorado for a 24 hour period?</p> A: A BIOBLITZ! Last week was the first ever comprehensive biological survey of JE Canyon Ranch, an area east of Trinidad, Colorado. The primary organizers were Dina Clark, Curator with Denver Botanic Gardens, and Renée Rondeau of the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. Jerry Wenger, the owner of the ranch, hosted the event, opening his amazing property to the 50+ individuals who participated, representing (in no particular order): Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), the Division of Wildlife (DOW), Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO), Colorado State University (CSU), Nature Serve, University of Colorado (CU), Colorado College (CC), University of Denver (DU), and the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT). Individuals from these organizations, who included academic scientists, students, museum curators, ranchers, and other volunteers, documented 920 species, including bats, other mammals, fish, insects, plants, fungi, amphibians, and reptiles. The "moth folks" alone documented 181 spp, some expected to be quite rare and likely to be the first time they have been documented in the state. Mr. Wenger was an important sponsor of the event, including providing catered meals and an ENT (I don't think he was needed, thankfully). Participants were also grateful to Fat Tire Brewery, which donated six cases of beer.</p> </p> An overview of the findings: · Plants: 322 · Mammals 20 · Birds: 62 · Amphibians and Reptiles: 18 · Fish: 3 · Moths: 181 · Butterflies: 29 · Other Insects: 280 The following was written by Renée Rondeau of CNHP about the event highlights:</p> PLANTS: Located Allionia incarnata </em>a plant that has only been collected in Colorado 4 other times, this plant is in the Four O'Clock family and the species is common in the Sonoran and Chiuhuahan Deserts. Located Soapberry, Sapindus drummondii</em>, a rare tree in Colorado, known from fewer than 10 locations in Colorado, another plant that is common further south. VERTEBRATES: 20% of all of Colorado's vertebrates were found on this ranch! Colorado has roughly 500 native vertebrates, so the fact that we found 20% (100) of these on one ranch speaks highly to the diversity and function of the ranch. BIRDS: 24 percent of Colorado's breeding birds were documented on the ranch. Hepatic Tanager, a rare bird in Colorado, was located in the pines. This species is another species that reaches its northern range in southern Colorado. Gray Vireo, an unusual bird for the eastern plains of Colorado was also located in the pines. AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES: 25 percent of all of Colorado's amphibians and reptiles were found in spite of the hot and dry nature of the bioblitz. The triploid checkered whiptail is endemic to this area and was abundant throughout the ranch; the plains leopard frog was observed in many locations, a species that has been declining in other areas. Most notable was the lack of the introduced bullfrogs, one of the Plains Leopard frogs enemies on the Purgatoire tributaries, however, someone did note that they heard bullfrogs calling on the Purgatorie River-reason to be diligent about future monitoring. INVERTEBRATES: Nearly 500 insects were documented, but Boris Kondratieff, one of Colorado's invertebrate experts, believes the ranch could hold as many as 2,000 invertebrates! FUNGI: Although only 9 fungi species were documented, the leading expert, Vera, believes they would have found many more species if it had not been so hot and dry. She documented some very old micorbiotic crusts that will be identified later; one of these she believes could be hundreds of years old! MAMMALS: Two large herds of big horn sheep were observed in the canyons, a very fast swift fox was observed running across the prairie, and a juvenile mountain lion skull that was apparently killed by the jaws of another large male lion and left above Johnson Canyon where a biologist stumbled across it. This opportunity brought many diverse folks together to study a diverse landscape for a mere 24 hours. That we found as many species as we did documents the ecological importance of the area. We are positive that if we get the opportunity to conduct a fall bioblitz we will increase the number of species significantly. We (Jerry Wenger, Renée Rondeau of CNHP, and Dina Clark of Denver Botanic Gardens) thank all of the folks that participated in this event. Special thanks to Jerry and Sonja Wenger for their generous nature and inherent interest. Ranch managers Ralph and Curtis Tichnor sweated the details, figured out how to get the biologists around as well as keep them comfortable when they weren't looking for species (they also made sure Dina and Renée had all the help they needed in preparing for this event); the Denver Botanic Gardens assisted with travel resources for scientist, and Jim Davis, Cam, Shane, Kari Wenger, and Chris West (CCALT) shared ranch knowledge and assisted in driving biologists to the nooks and crannies of JE Canyon. And where would we have been without Chef Ralph! We are sure that this event is the beginning rather than the end of more good things to come.</blockquote> This blog post was written by Anna Sher, Ph.D., adjunct researcher and former director of the Research & Conservation Department at Denver Botanic Gardens.</em></p>
