</p> Denver Botanic Gardens staff were among the thirty-six scientists who donated their time in the first Soapstone Prairie Natural Area Bioblitz, surveying all species in a 24-hour period. Ten scientist teams inventoried insects, mammals, fungi, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and of course plants.</p> Over fifty species were added to the list of known flora and fauna at Soapstone Prairie, including a mushroom (Amanita</em> sp) that may be new to science (see photo above)! This mushroom was found by Jack Jones and other members of the Colorado Mycological Society under mountain mahogany, Cercocarpus montanus</em> Raf. This association alone may give us a clue to its identity, since the shrub is known to have a mutualism with higher fungi. The specimen has been donated to our herbarium so further work can continue. Without the Bioblitz, these species might never have been known. Denver Botanic Gardens' Dina Clark said of the event:</p> “My parting image of the Soapstone Bioblitz was coming upon the beetle people … standing on a hill adjacent to a white sheet that had been strung between trucks, the bottom edge held down by rocks with a black light shining on the fabric. Not the average scene encountered at roadside. I slowed down and asked if they were the beetle people, and in return they replied in a nonplussed fashion that they were. I then told them to ask for Georgia Doyle back at base camp as she had some potentially interesting beetles in her shirt pocket. I thought afterward [of] the exchange that we had seemed so normal, but perhaps it would be unusual for the average person. That is too bad. What a true gift the Earth is with all of its creatures, and what an opportunity it is to encounter and work with the people who are interested in its diversity.” For more information and a complete species list, see their official website: http://www.fcgov.com/naturalareas/bioblitz.php</blockquote> This blog post was written by Anna Sher, Ph.D., former director of the Research & Conservation Department at Denver Botanic Gardens.</em></p>
I think sometimes we Americans take cuccooning a bit too far! You have</em></strong> to call friends ahead of time before you visit nowadays (was I the only one whose family would "drop in" on friends growing up?) preferably we make arrangements weeks</strong> in advance, we are so important you know...The Europeans believe in visiting one another unannounced. In Britain visiting gardens has been raised to a high art. You can buy a garden visit book at any newstand by the National Garden scheme (http://www.ngs.org.uk/) with descriptions and dates where you can visit over 3600 gardens during the garden year. This charity thereby raises enormous sums to support worthy causes. We have a similar organization. The Garden Conservancy was designed to preserve great gardens across America. This year Denver Botanic Gardens is helping support the autumn garden tours sponsored by GC: these include Randy and Marcia Tatroe's "Godwottery" in Centennial, Dan Johnson's Englewood extravaganza, the Mentor's expansive garden in Greenwood Village, Rob Proctor and David Macke's famous garden in Denver and Ann Weckbaugh's Denver jewlbox garden: these are among the most ambitious and accomplished gardens in our region. Check further details at: http://gardenconservancy.org/events.pl?ID=268 Take look around your garden and see if you could host a tour this autumn: if not, sign up for this tour: you can get tips on how to get your garden up to speed! More importantly, you can have an enchanting day in our most equable and wonderful season. Also, the night before the tour there will be a talks by the designers of these gardens and Lauren Springer Ogden. Who says autumn isn't for gardens? </p>
</p> Mount Goliath, the northern shoulder of Mount Evans and located within the Arapaho National Forest, takes my breath away each time I visit. Visitors to this fragile alpine environment can experience the highest cultivated garden in the U.S. (managed by Denver Botanic Gardens in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service), enjoy the Dos Chappell Nature Center or hike the M. Walter Pesman Trail. </p> As one wanders through the trail, one can witness numerous alpine wildflowers along with one of the most accessible stands of Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines (Pinus aristata</em>), some of them over 1,500 years old.</p> </p> If you haven’t been up to Mount Goliath, this is the perfect time to get up there. A Denver Botanic Gardens membership does not allow free access to the U.S. Forest Service Mount Evans Recreation Area. Visitors to Mount Goliath and Mount Evans need to pay the recreation area fee at the fee station. </p>
</p> </p> Yet another BRAND NEW experience is waiting for you at Denver Botanic Gardens. The Gardens has opened a new gift shop, Shop at the Gardens. The entire gift shop was re-designed from the ground up to offer our visitors the most sustainable, creative, unique garden and gift products in Denver.</p> </p> Come shop an extensive collection of gifts and toys for children, unique jewelry, garden and cook books, apparel, affordable gifts made from the most cutting-edge sustainable materials and packaging, plants and other items sure to be found nowhere else in Denver. Plus, you give back to the Gardens when you shop with us. Proceeds from the gift shop help fund Gardens' programming for the community.</p> Chuck McGlothlin (pictured above), is the shop manager and buyer. He and his very capable staff are here to help you select just the right gift for yourself, someone you love or for your home!</p> Shop at the Gardens is open year-round during regular Gardens hours and is located in the new Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center. Admission to the Shop at the Gardens and all parking is free.</p> We'll not only offer you the most unique gifts in the City of Denver, we'll make it easy for you to shop with us as well. Think all-natural gifts. Think plants and gardening supplies. Think affordable, relevant offerings. Shop over 10,000 items that have been personally selected by our staff to reflect the Gardens’ core values of sustainability, transformation, diversity and relevance. We look forward to seeing you soon!</p>
</p> The Gardens has never looked better. So much is in bloom thanks to all of the recent rain and the expertise of our horticulturists. Although it may look like things are not fully open at the Gardens when you drive by our entrance on York Street! Rest assured we are open with over 100 new parking spaces available on the lower level (enter on York Street) in our new parking garage with free parking. The parking structure will be opened in phases. The second level, with another 100 spaces, is expected to open in the next few days. Gardens’ staff members and landscape contractors are in the process of planting 6,853 plants, including trees, vines and shrubs, on both sides of and throughout the structure. </p> The Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center is absolutely stunning. When you enter, you can purchase your tickets to the Gardens on your right. Very soon you will be able to purchase your Gardens entry tickets using our new ticketing kiosks.</p> The new Shop at the Gardens gift shop is to your left. You’ll find all-natural gifts, plants, gardening supplies, books, and tons more--even dinosaur slippers for the kids. </p> Come visit soon. Entrance into the Visitor Center is free. </p>
</p> According to Botanic Gardens Conservation International, botanic gardens are defined as “institutions holding documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education.” Plant collections form the heart and soul of a botanic garden and how we care for them determines our integrity and credibility as a botanical institution. So, how are we caring for our collections during all our current construction projects?</p> At Denver Botanic Gardens, all our plant collections are documented in a database with date acquired, provenance, location where planted and other pertinent information. Records are updated as plants are lost or moved from one garden location to another. As part of a botanic garden collections, more value is placed on plants that are wild collected than those purchased from commercial sources. During our current construction projects, as gardens were slated for change, decisions were made on what was worth saving based on their history, provenance status and whether or not they were easily available in the green industry trade. All plants worth saving were moved to another garden location or potted up and saved in the nursery or propagated for future planting. A few trees, including a Bosnian Pine champion tree was relocated using a 100 foot tree spade. In preparation for demolition of our existing greenhouses and construction of a new greenhouse complex, horticulture staff has been busy moving our collections, which includes orchids, bromeliads and other tropical plants, and production and nursery operations to our newly built Chatfield Greenhouses. Planning for this move started over a year ago and the whole moving operation has been carefully orchestrated by our greenhouse team led by Nick Snakenberg, Curator of Orchids and Tropical Collections and Mike Bone, Senior Horticulturist and Propagator. Please see the June 30 Denver Post article, which featured the move. Staff will be commuting between the two locations for the next year, but we can be assured that the integrity of our displays and collections will be maintained with care from our talented and dedicated staff. We look forward to settling in our new greenhouse facility within the next year and the opportunity it offers in expanding our public horticultural programs. </p> </p>
</p> </p> </p> Denver Botanic Gardens is home to over 300 taxa (which includes hybrids and cultivars) of about 69 species of Iris</em>. This diversity is distributed throughout the Gardens, though a majority is displayed in the Lilac Garden. Situated almost in the middle of our grounds, the irises in this garden are currently at their peak flowering stage. A few lilacs that did not get zapped by our late spring frost are also in bloom. Renovated and replanted in 2006, it is amazing to see how this garden has matured in just 3 years. Showcasing our lilac, iris and daylily collections, the Lilac Garden is in color throughout the season, transitioning from one plant type to another.</p> The original Lilac Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens was planted around early to mid 1970’s with the oldest recorded lilac in the garden dating back to 1974. The garden was renovated in 1984-85 and again in 2006 to incorporate irises and daylilies. Our collections of these three genera have increased significantly through collaborations with the International Lilac Society, American Iris Society and Mile High Daylily Society among others.</p> Ann Montague, Horticulturist who maintains this garden, has developed a section in this garden devoted to showcasing local Colorado hybridizers. Numerous varieties developed by local hybridizers were donated by Long’s Iris Garden and Iris Colorado in 2007.</p> Stop by within the next week to see irises of all colors and sizes planted aesthetically in this garden. Not to worry if you miss the irises, this garden will be transitioning to daylilies shortly.</p>
</p> Forty years ago, a family physician named Dr. Sam Mitchel turned a hobby into a real scientific endeavor by establishing a "mushroom collection" at Denver Botanic Gardens. The fungal collection at the Gardens is now the largest actively curated herbarium of Rocky Mountain fungi in the world, with over 24,000 specimens representing over 2,000 taxa. Preserved collections of plants and fungi are called herbaria (herbarium is singular), and are an essential resource for scientists, land managers, botanical illustrators, horticulturalists, explorers, historians, educators, and others needing documentation or records about plants and fungi. </p> To honor its founder, the Gardens has established an endowment to help support scientific use of the collection, and thanks to the many contributors, we have reached a landmark goal that will be commemorated by naming the collection for Dr. Mitchel. In the words of Vera Evenson, current curator of the collection and apprentice of Sam Mitchel: "Always a great nature lover, on one of his family campouts with his boys, Kirk and Scott, in 1960 he discovered an abundance of beautiful mushrooms in Colorado’s high country. Right then and there he decided to try to identify them. Finding little help locally, he began his own studies, eventually founding an Herbarium of Fungi here at the Gardens a few years later as well as a mushroom study club. That club turned into our own Colorado Mycological Society, one of our most active plant societies here at Denver Botanic Gardens. "</p> Dr. Mitchel was not paid for his mycological service - it was simply his passion. A favorite quote: "I practice medicine to make a living and study mushrooms to make living worthwhile."</p> An official naming ceremony and event are being planned for October.</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>
</p> What threatens Sclerocactus glaucus</em>? Installation and maintenance of huge pipelines that move oil and gas from the well pads miles and miles to the collection facilities; roads; browsing and trampling from livestock; weeds; and people who collect them from the wild to name a few. Why are we doing something about it? Just look at the beautiful landscape and plant community. Do you want to lose that? Neither do we.</p>
