The Chatfield Farms Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program focuses on community and defining what that means in terms of regenerative agriculture. We cannot regenerate our system of growing food without a vibrant network of individuals who believe in our mission and help us along the way. </p> Locally owned Paonia Soil Company</a> is the definition of that type of community network that we are building. The company found a generous donor to help us purchase a large quantity of necessary nutrients and trace elements to improve our soil. They consulted with us, then created a customized mixture to optimize plant growth and yield, and to increase the building blocks of soil through microorganisms that help build organic matter. Paonia Soil Company is a living-soil expert, which emphasizes sustainable packaging and helps make soil that is alive. We’re grateful for the support and expertise of Bart Eller and his entire team, and to Frank Sinton, for his generous donation to our soil health program.</p>
Like many residents of the Front Range, I am converting my front yard, formerly Kentucky bluegrass, several tired junipers and a smattering of common garden weeds, into a more diverse plant community. The new landscape includes a mix of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses of varying heights, bloom times, colors and textures. The goals: to conserve water, to provide habitat for wildlife and to cultivate a small tract of nature in the middle of the city to enjoy, all while keeping the neighbors happy. </p> Landscaping is often an act of delayed gratification. I may never see the singleleaf piñon (Pinus monophylla</em>) I planted achieve its full stature or the Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii</em>) become old and gnarly. Even the shrubs and herbaceous perennials take time to fill out. While I wait, big stretches of rock mulch are present. Fortunately, these spaces can be niches for a variety of annual wildflowers, which provide almost instant gratification for the home gardener! </p> Not only do annuals grow quickly, but they often produce an abundance of seed that accumulates in the seedbank. Thus, even though they are annuals, their population will persist in your garden if conditions are favorable. What’s more, many annuals are ruderal species, meaning they thrive in disturbed sites (example: urban yards, which are subject to foot and paw traffic) and between events of disturbance. Finally, many are brightly colored and charismatic, attracting pollinators and turning heads of neighbors. Below is a list of several to include in your landscape.</p> Perhaps the most familiar annual wildflower for western landscaping is California poppy (Eschscholzia californica</em>), the state flower of California. The bright orange flowers and blue-green feathery leaves of this species pair well with the electric blue flowers of the lesser-known wildflower desert bluebells (Phacelia campanularia</em>). Both are easy to grow and naturalize quickly in the driest and sunniest areas of your garden. Look for California poppy in the Roads Water-Smart Garden</strong>; desert bluebells has been cultivated in both the lower and upper meadows in the Rock Alpine Garden.</li> Two other West Coast wildflowers to grow are coastal tidytips (Layia platyglossa</em>) and fivespot (Nemophila maculata</em>). Coastal tidytips has yellow ray flowers with white tips and works great in masses or planted with other colorful wildflowers. Fivespot has five white petals each with a purple spot at the tip. Both species have been cultivated in Desert Wash Garden (within the Rock Alpine Garden)</strong> and would add charm to urban landscapes.</li> A unique-looking annual wildflower is snow-on-the-mountain (Euphorbia marginata</em>). Sporting showy green and white bracts, or modified leaves, this species vaguely resembles its distant relative, poinsettia. Like poinsettia, the true flowers are inconspicuous. Snow-on-the-mountain grows in prairies and floodplains in central United States and Mexico and would thrive in urban yards. You will find this species growing in the naturalistic plantings on 11th Avenue near the parking garage</strong>.</li> A cheery, long-blooming annual with yellow and burgundy ray flowers is plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria</em>). In the wild, this species is commonly found in disturbed habitats including roadsides, fields, pastures and waste places. At the Gardens, it is found in the Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden</strong>. This species works well in mass plantings and makes an excellent cutting flower: add some purple asters (Aster </em>spp.), fringed sage (Artemisia frigida</em>) and blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis</em>) to your favorite vintage vase to create a beautiful, prairie-themed bouquet. </li> Finally, Rocky Mountain beeplant (Cleomella serrulata</em>) is a lanky annual up to five feet tall with long protruding stamens that form a halo around showy purple flowers. Well-known amongst wildlife gardeners and wildflower enthusiasts, this species attracts native bees, European honeybees, butterflies, wasps, ants and hummingbirds. Less known and grown is the more diminutive cousin with sunshine-yellow flowers, yellow beeplant (Cleomella lutea</em>). At the Gardens both species grow in Sacred Earth</strong>, where they provide bursts of purple and yellow between gray big-toothed sage (Artemisia tridentata</em>) and other dryland shrubs.</li> </ul> For the ambitious plant nerd seeking more ideas, other annual wildflowers to try include butter daisy (Verbesina encelioides</em>), annual buckwheat (Eriogonum annuum</em>), large-flowered collomia (Collomia grandiflora</em>), blue gilia (Gilia capitata</em>) and birds-eye gilia (G. tricolor</em>). Currently, one of my favorites is Dahlberg daisy (Thymophlla tenuiloba</em>), which is native to southern Texas. Hopefully this delicate yet cheery wildflower will become a mainstay in my naturalistic landscape!</p>
August is a great month to take a walk around the water gardens to see our aquatic plants in their full glory. </p> Begin your stroll at the small pool in the Ellipse garden, home to the Chihuly sculpture, Colorado</em>. A unique plant displayed in this pond is mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedioides</em>). This South American native thrives in warm water, making this pool the ideal spot for it to show off its intricate pattern of tiny floating leaves arranged in a mosaic pattern on the water’s surface. Hardy and tropical wa-terlilies (Nymphaea </em>hybrids) including ‘Albert Greenberg’, ‘Wanvisa’, ‘Sunfire’ and ‘Laydekeri Ful-gens’, along with Colocasia esculenta</em> ‘Black Magic’ and Canna </em>‘Chiquita Punch’ round out the display in this pond.</p> Next, head west to the Romantic Garden pool, where you will find a display of star waterlilies. These waterlilies are named for the shape of their blooms, which are stellate and held high above the water’s surface. One waterlily species, Nymphaea gracilis</em>, has been used by hybridizers to create cultivars of star waterlilies with flowers in a rainbow of colors. N. gracilis</em> is native to Mexi-co and has solid white blooms and green leaves. Cultivars displayed in this pond include the pink flowered ‘August Siebert’, ‘Rhapsody in White’, which boasts white blooms and mottled leaves, and ‘Rhonda Kay’ which rounds out the collection with purple flowers. A pair of Santa Cruz water platters (Victoria cruziana</em>) surround a recirculating pottery fountain in the center of this pond.</p> Continuing to the west, you will find the Four Towers Pool. This pond borders the south and west sides of the Science Pyramid and showcases a collection of hardy intersubgeneric waterlilies (crosses between hardy and tropical waterlilies that have proven to be winter hardy here in Denver) as well as hardy waterlilies, tropical waterlilies, and an assortment of marginal plants (plants that grow in shallow water around the margins of a pond) including Canna </em>‘Flirtini’, Canna </em>‘Belin-da’, red stemmed thalia (Thalia geniculata </em>f. rheumoides</em>), swamp hibiscus (Hibiscus ‘Berry Awe-some’ and ‘Heartthrob’), and Mexican petunia (Ruellia simplex</em>). Water platters (Victoria </em>‘Long-wood Hybrid’) grown from seed each spring in our greenhouse complete this display.</p> Before you continue west, peek at the El Pomar Waterway to the east of the Science Pyramid. This long, shallow canal is planted with a repeating pattern of Egyptian papyrus (Cyperus papyrus</em>) and tropical waterlilies (Nymphaea </em>‘Foxfire’) this summer.</p> The next pond on our tour can be found at the west end of the Steppe Garden just as you enter the Annuals Garden. This pool is home to the Rocky Mountain Legacy Collection – waterlilies that have been tested for performance at the Gardens over the years and have historical signifi-cance. This collection includes the hardy waterlilies ‘Colorado’, ‘Denver’, ‘Denver’s Delight’, ‘Joey Tomocik’, ‘Bea Taplin’, ‘Attorney Elrod’ and ‘Cynthia Ann’. Tropical waterlilies in the collection include ‘Stan Skinger’, ‘William McLane’ and ‘Bob Hoffman’.</p> Continuing downstream, our Annuals Garden ponds feature a display of night-blooming waterlilies this year including ‘Texas Shell Pink’, ‘Missouri’, ‘Antares’ and ‘Rosa de Noche’. If you are visiting the gardens in the evening or early morning hours, you can find the blooms of these lilies fully open before they close for the day.</p> North of our outdoor café, the Hive Garden Bistro, the Monet Pool stretches north and west to the border of the Japanese Garden and is our largest display pond and the final stop on our tour. This water garden features hundreds of hardy and tropical waterlilies, water-loving Canna </em>hybrids, aquatic Iris </em>and other marginal plants including pickerel plant (Pontederia cordata</em>), lizard’s tail (Saururus cernuus</em>), and powdery thalia (Thalia dealbata</em>). Stands of lotus (Nelumbo </em>cultivars) are displayed throughout the pond as well. These begin blooming in mid-July and continue into August before dropping their petals to reveal showy, decorative seed pods. </p> Photos by Tamara Kilbane</em> </p>
The geographic distributions of plants that we see today provide a glimpse of the past. They are snapshots in a much longer story driven by major events such as the formation of mountain ranges, glaciation, and global shifts in climate.</p> One distribution pattern has drawn the attention of botanists like Asa Gray for centuries: North American plants with close relatives in eastern Asia. This includes plants native to the Southern Rockies of Colorado like Physocarpus </em>(Cambess.) Raf., also known as ninebark, a flowering shrub in the rose family (Rosaceae). A study completed in 2005 determined that Physocarpus </em>most likely originated in North America before migrating to eastern Asia. But the timing of this disjunction (or geographic separation) – and therefore the major events driving it – remains unknown. As a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Denver’s Department of Integrative Biology, I will be working on this biogeographic puzzle using Physocarpus</em>. </p>
Sarada Krishnan, Ph.D., is a singular figure in horticulture worldwide. Denver Botanic Gardens has benefitted from her expertise, talent and vision for 16 years as she led not only a team of outstanding horticulturists at our York Street site, but she also created and led the Center for Global Initiatives. </p> Sarada was raised in southern India and had a passion for climbing trees, eating fresh mango and learning about the importance of crops to feed people and to underpin vulnerable economies. Her family owned a coffee plantation, which echoes in her career. She received her Bachelor of Science in horticulture in India, her Master of Science in horticulture from Colorado State University and doctorate from the University of Colorado, focused on conservation genetics of wild coffee.</p> Sarada has always been inspired by the work of her legendary uncle, M.S. Swaminathan. He was the main architect of the Green Revolution in the 1960s that saved India and Pakistan from certain famine through changes in public policy and the development of high yields of rice and wheat.</p> Sarada is a role model and a groundbreaker. One of her passions is to support women and girls worldwide. This led her to serve on the board of the Women First International Fund, which provides long-term partnership grants for women’s economic empowerment in East Africa and India. While juggling so many responsibilities, Sarada added yet another role as executive director of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance. </p> One of the great joys of working at Denver Botanic Gardens has been to see Sarada’s leadership at work and to hear of her many adventures. During one leadership meeting, Sarada called from Madagascar. Her first line was “I’m okay.” Putting the phone on speaker, we all heard of her trek to find a particular critically endangered tree species, collecting germplasm and, while crossing a stormy lake, that her boat capsized. She found herself in the water for 45 minutes, all the while holding her samples safely above the choppy waves.</p> It always struck me how fortunate we were to have Sarada on the team at the Gardens, and that one day, she would take on a new role with international implications. This summer, Sarada will move to Bonn, Germany, to serve as director of programs for Crop Trust. She will lead at a critical time to conserve crop diversity and use it to ensure global food and nutrition security.</p> For me, the opportunity to share in Sarada’s journey has been a privilege, and I will always be grateful. No doubt, Sarada’s work will benefit humanity in countless tangible ways. For now, I’m thinking about the power of her example and the young women who will continue to be inspired by her to see themselves as leaders in science and creators of a better world. </p>
With all the spring flowers blossoming and that sweet scent filling the air, have you ever thought about how those blossoms might taste? Flowers are a traditional element for weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, graduation parties and beyond. What would it be like to extend flowers from their beautiful bouquets or from the gardens into your glass? Some flowers are edible and make incredible additions to beverages. </p> Let’s talk about mocktails. Mocktails are beverages that are just as crafty as cocktails, but without the booze. They are an excellent alternative to cocktails and perfect for parties for all ages. </p> Visit our Lavender Garden and Herb Garden at Chatfield Farms to see some of the herbs that are commonly used for making simple syrups, bitters and other floral extracts. Two of our favorites are lavender and rosemary. Get tickets to Lavender Festival</a> for the option to purchase some lavender for yourself! </p>
A beloved plant is showing signs that they have reached the end of their life span. You check your local nursery and can’t find an adequate replacement, nor any seed pods for your plant. What do you do?</p> This is where vegetative cuttings come in handy. Vegetative cuttings are a type of clonal propagation where a piece of the original plant is removed and rooted to create a new plant identical to the original. There are three main factors to consider when propagating with vegetative cuttings that are critical to your success: health, heat and hydration.</p> When considering health, choose a branch that is free from disease and that has healthy new growth. If you are taking cuttings from perennials, it is best to take them when the new growth has just matured, and the leaves have fully expanded. A general rule of thumb for herbaceous plants is to take the cutting from the end of a branch and to cut where the stem bends. Cutting where the growth is still soft will speed along the rooting. If you are propagating a woody plant, take the cuttings in the spring when the new growth has emerged, but not hardened off. Look at the color of the growth, if the first several inches are lighter or greener than the rest of the branch, you have fresh growth. Cut where the color changes from green or light brown to the color of the rest of the branch.</p> For heat, the soil needs to stay between 65 and 75 degrees and the air temperature needs to remain in a similar range. To achieve this in your home, find a bright window space in a room that stays warm and not a cold, drafty window as this will slow down rooting. If your cuttings are in a pot, you can place a clear plastic bag over the pot to trap heat around the cutting. If the cuttings are in a plastic tray, you can purchase clear plastic domes that fit over the tray to create a greenhouse effect.</p> When handling hydration, keep the plant hydrated until it can grow roots. Cuttings can take in water from the air through pores in the leaves called stomata. To trap humidity, plant your cuttings in wet soil, use a spray bottle to mist the leaves, and cover them with clear plastic as described before. Then, place your cuttings in a warm spot. The heat will evaporate water in the soil and trap it within the plastic covering, creating a warm, humid microclimate perfect for rooting cuttings. If you notice your cuttings wilting, use the spray bottle to mist the leaves. After a few days, they should not need to be misted anymore. </p> By following the three principals of health, heat and hydration and experimenting with different plants you will be on your way to successfully propagating your own cuttings at home.</p> </p> This article was contributed by Emily McAuley, horticulturist (green house production - Chatfield Farms) and first appeared in Life on Capitol Hill.</em></p> </p>
Even though our team continued to navigate a “post-pandemic” world in 2021, we were excited to tackle new and ongoing projects as well as launch in-person outreach programing. Our Science: Year in Review highlights our botanical adventures, expanded projects, our graduate training program, our pilot intern program, rare collections and ways we connected people with plants. </p> In 2021, our new spaces within the Freyer – Newman Center allowed us to host eight high school interns over the summer. Our experts introduced them to scientific careers, specimen collecting & processing and DNA extraction as part of our commitment to training and diversifying the next generation of scientists. We welcomed back many of our volunteers and connected with the public, students and scientists through herbarium tours, all while implementing museum best practices through refined protocols and existing workflows. </p>
Mid-April is the time we start planting spring vegetables in Le Potager. All the vegetables have been propagated from seeds during the cold winter days in our greenhouse by our talented propagation team – there are so many baby vegetables waiting to be planted outside!</p> We grow two types of crops in Le Potager:</p> Cool season vegetables (such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, kale and spinach), which love cool weather in the spring and fall.</li> Warm season vegetables (such as tomato, eggplant, pepper and squash), which love the warm temperatures from late spring to summer.</li> </ul>
It’s no secret that organic food is trendy. But why? Consumers believe that organic is better for the environment and better for their health. In some cases, this is true, in others, not so much. Buying lettuce from your local grower will almost always have a lower carbon footprint than buying certified organic lettuce in the supermarket. But while you’d need to talk to (and trust!) your local farmer to find out if they used synthetic chemicals to grow your lettuce, that little green label—USDA Organic—assures you that the grocery store spinach was grown without these harmful chemicals. </p> This is not to say that certified organic food is “better” than locally grown food. In fact, often times locally grown food IS organically grown, it just isn’t certified. However, organic certification enables farmers to have a competitive marketing advantage and provides consumers with guarantees on how their food was produced. For these reasons, I believe that regenerative agriculture should have an established definition as well. </p>
