</p> </p> Although the coronavirus is on the forefront of everyone’s mind, now is not the time to forget about climate change--especially since we're seeing improvements with our carbon footprint due to the limited number of vehicles on the road. We can remain vigilant in our sustainability efforts and still practice environmentally conscious behaviors.</p> If you’re working from home, now is a good time to “green-proof” it. Not only will this contribute to a healthier environment, it will also put money back into your pocket. The following are some easy guidelines to help you make your home more environmentally friendly.</p> 1). Unplug your electronics when not using. Many appliances consume energy even when we are not using them. So, unplug that coffee pot as soon as you’re finished drinking your morning cup o’joe.</p> 2). Green clean your clothes simply by using cold water for each load and drying on a rack. If you must use a dryer, consider looking at an Energy Star certified dryer that has sensor drying and options for low heat settings.</p> 3). Clean the coils on your refrigerator. Many people do not even think of doing this, and it is especially important if you have dogs that shed. Dirty coils force a fridge to work harder, resulting in higher energy costs.</p> 4). Invest in a low flow shower head to cut down on water consumption. Showers are typically the third largest water use after toilets and the average household could save more than 2,300 gallons per year by installing a low flow shower head.</p> 5). One of the easiest and quickest ways to save energy and money is to caulk, seal and weather-strip all drafts coming into your home. When the seals to your windows/doors wear down over time, this makes your HVAC system run harder to heat and cool your home.</p> 6). Switch to LED lighting in your home. A 10-watt LED bulb does the same work as a 60-watt incandescent bulb. LEDs emit very little heat. In comparison, incandescent bulbs release 90% of their energy as heat and compact fluorescent lamps release about 80% of their energy as heat.</p> 7). Plant trees around your home strategically to save on energy--especially around your AC unit for shade. This will help keep money in your pocket!</p> 8). Reduce/Reuse/Recycle. Did you know that the average American throws away 4.4 pounds of trash in a single day? Buy items with less packaging and make every effort to not purchase single use plastics. Have a garage sale. (Your trash is someone else’s treasure!) Use less and recycle more to save our planet. Recycling is one of the easiest ways you can make your home green. The key is to remember to recycle while you are throwing things away. A good tip is to place recycling stations in a couple areas of your home for ease.</p> Sustainability can be easy and inexpensive. Granted, at times it does require a bigger investment, but in the end, you will have more money in your pocket. Know that ANY effort you make helps keep our planet healthy.</p> </p>
</p> It’s safe to say that spring this year has been a bit of a shakeup in terms of our normal routines and day-to-day activities, and Spring Plant Sale is no different. This year, the sale will be operated online with a drive-thru pick-up. While this new technique brings a lot of “new” with it, there will be things that are still familiar, and one of those is our Grown at the Gardens division.</p> </p> What is “Grown at the Gardens” and what makes it so unique to Spring Plant Sale?</strong></p> Grown at the Gardens is just that! They’re plants our greenhouse production team has grown for public sales. The production team grows plants to be planted in the gardens at York Street and Chatfield Farms as well as sold during plant sales. A lot of the plants you’ll find in the Grown at the Gardens division often can’t be found at your local garden center.</p> </p> How are Grown at the Gardens plants selected?</strong></p> There are a few factors that go into choosing plants for the Grown at the Gardens Division. Our horticulture team will often pick staff favorites throughout the Gardens they want to share with the public. What makes the Grown at the Gardens division special is that a plant a visitor may see blooming in the Gardens may also be available for sale at Spring Plant Sale. The greenhouse production team also looks for “oddballs” you may not be able to find anywhere else. They also focus on providing a good selection of plants native to Colorado and plants that are water-smart.</p> </p> What is some advice you’d share with someone shopping Grown at the Gardens for the first time?</strong></p> There are many plants that will thrive almost anywhere in a garden. However, keep in mind some have specific needs such as location and type of water. Each plant listing in the online store includes planting notes to help them grow to their fullest potential. Don’t be afraid to try something new, though. One of the benefits of Grown of the Gardens is the learning experience. It’s a fun way to learn something new and expand your garden.</p> We want to thank our greenhouse production team and those dedicated to creating a grand selection of plants for our Grown at the Gardens division during Spring Plant Sale. We hope you’ll enjoy expanding your garden too with our new selections from Grown at the Gardens and the many other divisions available during this year’s Spring Plant Sale.</p> Online orders will be available for purchase April 28 - May 1. Find out more about Spring Plant Sale</a>.</p>
While most humans have slowed down and are staying at home, the plants in our invaluable living collections at Denver Botanic Gardens are continuing life as normal, including the cactus and succulent collection. In the greenhouse, many of the tropical cactus are forming buds and blooming, the aloes are waking up and blooming, and just about every plant is plumping up in anticipation of longer, warmer days. </p> To stay on the same page with my prickly friends, I have been repotting specimen plants, just started the fertilizing cycle for the active growing season and am snapping lots of photos of these beauties. In the coming weeks, I will also be giving a face-lift to the Cactus and Succulent House, located in the Rock Alpine Garden, including adding many more of the popular and beautiful Echinopsis </em>hybrids that are typically blooming away behind the scenes. So, things are staying busy with the cactus and succulent collection, and that’s a great thing. </p> Luckily, for our reimagined online Spring Plant Sale this year, we will have a nice variety of tender succulents, many of which I grow in the collection. These plants were all grown by Crump Greenhouse in Buena Vista, CO. Be on the lookout for our virtual Spring Plant Sale and do some succulent retail therapy—there’s some awesome plants to choose from! </p> Like all my horticulture colleagues, I am absolutely chomping at the bit waiting for our visitors to return to enjoy our hard work and the calming sense of beauty Denver Botanic Gardens provides. We hope to see you soon, and hopefully in time for the mid-May to Mid-June hardy cactus flower explosion! </p>
Earth Day is a day to celebrate the environment. This year is particularly special as it marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. Today, just as in 1970, Earth Day participants promote awareness of environmental issues such as climate change, air and water pollution, and the preservation of biodiversity. However, Earth Day 2020 is unique because of the global pandemic that we are currently living through. The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has rapidly spread and we are called to distance from our friend, families and places of work. So, how do you celebrate Earth Day and the environment while also staying home?</p> Luckily, there are several ways to engage with Earth Day from the safety of your own home!</p> Tune in to Earth Day Network</strong> activities. </strong>Earth Day Network is organizing 24 hours of global digital mobilization called EARTHRISE. To participate, share environmental issues that are important to you on social media using the hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE. Earth Day Network will also be providing a new, powerful way for you to drive change in your own community at the top of each hour for the entire 24 hours of Earth Day. Lastly, Earth Day Network is also organizing 22 daily challenges for the month of April that you can take on to fight climate change from your home. Each challenge is engaging, fun and worthwhile to implement in your home even after the month of April is over!</p> Discover citizen science.</strong> Through citizen science, anyone can participate in research by collecting and sharing environmental data. Research initiatives across the globe aim to answer several environmental questions and citizen scientists are needed to accelerate data collection for these studies. Use the apps Earth Challenge 2020 and iNaturalist</a> </a>to participate in citizen science initiatives.</p> Earth Challenge 2020</strong> empowers people around the world to monitor and mitigate threats to environmental and human health in their communities. The challenge’s mission is to collect billions of observations on air quality, plastic pollution and insect populations. These observations will provide invaluable insight into the environmental conditions in your own community!</li> iNaturalist</strong> is used by billions of citizen scientists around the globe to document biodiversity observations. In addition, iNaturalist helps you identify your observation so that you can learn about local biodiversity while you are observing it. Your iNaturalist observations can be of any organism – plant, animal, bird, mushroom, insect, fish and more! Each observation is an invaluable point of data that can be used to empower research and inform policies to drive meaningful change.</li> </ul> Participate in the City Nature Challenge. </strong>Denver Botanic Gardens is co-organizing the City Nature Challenge, a three-day-long bioblitz focused on the healing power of nature. Become a citizen scientist and document local biodiversity through the iNaturalist app between April 24-27. Observations will be identified and verified between April 28 – May 3.</p> You don’t have to travel to participate; you can document the biodiversity you see on your neighborhood walk, in your local park or in your own backyard.</li> Adding observations is easy. As long as your observations are taken within the Denver-Boulder metro boundary between April 24-27 and uploaded to iNaturalist by May 3, they will automatically be added to the City Nature Challenge. You can check research-grade identifications given to your observations later by visiting the City Nature Challenge page on iNaturalist</a>.</li> If you participate, please do only what feels safe for you and your family. Make sure you are in accordance with local regulations. Your observations will contribute to science all while you are embracing the healing power of nature in these unprecedented times.</li> To continue serving as a citizen scientists after the City Nature Challenge ends, consider joining the Denver EcoFlora Project</a>. As an EcoFlora participant, you can sign up to receive monthly EcoQuests</a>, which challenge you to observe and document biodiversity in new and different ways. </li> </ul> This Earth Day, remember that the world outside is still there and still in need of our attention. Engage with Earth Day 2020 by documenting local biodiversity and promoting environmental awareness to ultimately provide a platform for policy change. Here’s to celebrating Earth Day 2020, social-distancing style!</p>
Although it feels like the whole world has changed in the last month—and in a lot of ways it has—nature remains the same. The progression of nature carries on, plants keep growing and seasons are still changing. Spring is here and nature is beginning to wake up to show off its beautiful new growth. While everything else is unpredictable, this is one constant we can count on. When we begin to slow down and take the time to observe the beauty of the coming spring, we can begin to feel grounded in the chaos. As you prepare to go on your daily (socially distanced) walks try some of these techniques to practice walking mindfully and taking in the beauty of change.</p> As you walk, your body should reflect your inner sense of dignity. Elongate your back and allow your shoulders to relax, your arms by your side and swinging naturally. Keep your head comfortably held high to encourage deep breathing from the diaphragm. Gaze forward rather than looking at the ground. Go at a comfortable pace and simply bring awareness to your feet. Pay attention to the rocking motion of each foot and how each foot keeps us balanced, grounded, rooted to the earth.</p> While you walk, stop occasionally to take in the new growth all around you. Breathe in the newly formed green leaves, the blue sky and the birds chirping. Breathe out and give gratitude to all the beauty that nature sends us.</p> On your route pick a plant you would like to observe. Each day spend a few minutes with that plant and notice how it is slowly changing and waking up with the warmer weather. The buds on the trees start to swell and explode into fresh new leaves and the spring bulbs begin to unfurl their brilliantly colored flowers. Consider journaling or taking pictures of your daily observations of change.</p> When we stop to witness and appreciate the cycles of nature, we can begin to see change in a new light, as the start of something new and possibly beautiful.</p> Enjoy your walk.</p>
While the world outside has changed in so many ways, life in the Gardens’ greenhouses have followed a more predictable pattern. Spring remains a busy time indoors here, with many plants getting their start to the season as cuttings, seeds or divisions. Others, such as our carnivorous plant collection, enjoy life under the glass year-round. Here are a few highlights of the plants that are being cared for behind the scenes in our aquatic collections' greenhouse this spring:</p> Butterworts </strong>- Pinguicula</em> species - These colorful beauties are often called the African violets of the carnivorous plant world. The genus has a distribution throughout the northern hemisphere and down into Central and South America, with Mexico being home to the highest number of species. The Latin name Pinguicula </em>means "little greasy one" and is descriptive of the feel of the leaves, which are covered in tiny, sticky hairs that capture small insects such as gnats and fruit flies.</p> Victoria</em></strong> 'Longwood Hybrid' </strong>- Our popular Victoria</em> waterlilies (also known as water platters) are sent to us as seeds the size of peas from Longwood Gardens each fall. In the spring, they are placed in heated tubs of water (88-90 degrees F) to germinate. This year, our seeds got a quick start, taking less than a week to germinate. They will remain in the aquatic’s greenhouse until mid to late June, when they will be planted outdoors in the display ponds. Tiny thorns are already visible on each seedling.</p> Mosaic Plant </strong>- Ludwigia sedioides</em> - This floating-leaved aquatic plant is native to warm, still waters in South America. It is happiest in a water bowl or small water feature in full sun. Cuttings will be taken from our plants in the greenhouse and planted in containers of heavy clay loam in mid to late June. These will then be submerged in water 6-12 inches over the top of each container in our Ellipse garden pool for the summer months.</p> Gorgon Plant </strong>- Euryale ferox</em> - Also known as prickly waterlily, this floating-leaved plant is covered in thorns which line the top and bottom of each leaf as well as the stems and even the flower sepals. Native to Eastern Asia, it can grow almost as large as a Victoria</em> waterlily, but the flowers are much smaller and often open under water. The seeds, known as fox nuts or makhana, have been used as a food source for centuries as well as for religious offerings and medicinal purposes.</p> Spring Plant Sale</strong></a> – A selection of more than 60 types of aquatic plants were ordered as bareroot starts in early March. These were potted up and are now growing happily in the greenhouse. Take a look at the list of available varieties</a>.</p> While you’re staying home, you can learn more about our water gardens</a> and see them in full bloom with this short video.</p>
The Shop at the Gardens has great gift ideas for the mother(s) in your life. We feature local artists, sustainable practices and many items have a botanical theme. Gifts range from home decor, bath and body, candles, fashion accessories, garden pots and vases to books and more. There is something for every mother and every budget. </p> The Shop is open daily, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. through May 11. On Sunday, May 12, the Gardens moves to summer hours of 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Gardens admission is not required to visit the Shop.</p>
Sustainability is not only a core value at the Gardens, it is the compelling issue of our time. Simply put, sustainability amounts to survival, thinking long-term and doing work today that will benefit generations not yet born.</p> That is why we devote substantial resources to critical research and conservation. Our teams stretch out across the southern Rockies to preserve and protect rare and endangered plant species. Others span the globe, studying steppe regions and leading the effort to protect the diversity of crop genetics. Of all the problems facing the planet today, we are particularly suited to lead on issues related to plants, water and soil.</p> There is yet another, more important step: regeneration. When an ecosystem is restored, change can happen quickly. Take, for example, the work we have done along a section of Deer Creek at Chatfield Farms. Decades ago, the Army Corps of Engineers channelized countless creeks and rivers across the country as a method for controlling water flows and reducing flooding. While effective for some purposes, it fundamentally altered ecosystems, usually for the worse. A few years ago, our team staked out a section of Deer Creek, removed invasive species and planted native ones. They added sod plugs in the creek itself to mimic the impact of beaver dams and to restore the old oxbow, a section of the creek that overflows an area when water levels are high.</p> The impacts have already evidenced themselves. Plants have roared to life, native birds and insects are returning—even the sounds have changed. What’s more, in late August 2018, after only two years, Deer Creek was dry throughout much of the Chatfield Farms property but in the restoration area, water still percolated throughout. That is a perfect example of not only sustainability, but of regeneration. Imagine a world where we repeat that transformation over and over.</p> Imagine the vitality and health we can pass along. We intend to help in every way we can to transform general horticultural expressions in public spaces, to bring back a more appropriate aesthetic that showcases native and adaptive plants. We are already working with numerous cities and counties with the goal of taking this effort statewide.</p> Don’t be surprised if Denver Botanic Gardens shows up in a neighborhood near you. And when we do, I hope you’ll join us.</p>
What makes a plant “water smart”? There are plenty of plants that tolerate periodic drought, and many of them are old favorites that your grandmother probably grew: shrub roses, lilacs, oriental poppies, bearded iris and even hostas. These were classic mainstays of the traditional garden for a reason. While they may get a little stressed during dry stretches of weather, it doesn’t take much to get them through until the next good rain comes along, and they usually multiply enough to pass along to friends and neighbors as well.</p> But some plants just like</em> it dry, thriving in that spot that you thought was hopeless precisely because</em> it has lean soil and never stays wet for long. These are plants that would actually resent the frequent watering that most gardens rely on. The Roads Water-Smart Garden can go for weeks or months without any supplemental water, and this is in a hot, south-facing location against a building! It is never watered more than once a week during hot, dry weather and never more than a dozen times a year—often less.</p> There are dozens of real gems in this garden from arid regions around the world. Here are some of the stars:</p> Salvias</strong>: S. microphylla</em>, S. coahuilensis</em> and S. greggii</em> (hybrids and cultivars include ‘Wild Thing’, ‘Mes Azur’, ‘Furman’s Red’). These are loosely referred to as “autumn sage” and many other species and cultivars exist. Hailing from central Texas and throughout the Southwest and Mexico, these like plenty of sun and good drainage. Trim down to about 4 inches each spring and they will do the rest. Their vibrant colors will attract hummingbirds for months!</p> Wild buckwheats: </strong>The genus Eriogonum</em> is especially abundant in the western U.S., often favoring dry slopes and poor soils that other species find less appealing. Eriogonum umbellatum</em> is a variable native species. Its vast range (Alaska to Mexico!) results in many regional forms, and one of the best is from right here in western Colorado. The Plant Select®-honored ‘Psdowns’ KANNAH CREEK® grows as a short, wiry shrub with glowing lemon-yellow clusters of flowers in late spring into summer. Its dried rusty-hued flowers persist into fall and winter.</p> Penstemon</em>: </strong>This could be a long list, as this genus is at its best in the Southwest. A short “you must grow” list would include P. barbatus, P. pinifolius, P. grandiflorus, P. eatonii, P. pseudospectabilis, P. palmeri </em>– okay, there is no such thing as a “short” list of good penstemons! Using multiple species from the high, dry Southwest can extend your flowering season from May to October, in heights from 6 inches to 6 feet, and all these tubular flowers are irresistible to hummingbirds!</p> Delosperma</em>: </strong>Commonly known as ice plants, the hardy Delosperma</em> were unknown in cultivation until our own Panayoti Kelaidis began to experiment in the 1990s with an obscure purple species (D. cooperi</em>) from South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains. Superbly adapted to Colorado conditions, they now come in a rainbow of colors and are a mainstay of xeric gardens across the nation. Several are scattered through the Roads Water-Smart Garden, but be sure to see the dazzling carpets of them in the Steppe Garden, Plant Select Garden and elsewhere. Standouts include Lavender Ice, GRANITA® Raspberry, and MESA VERDE®, all with shimmering flowers that nearly obscure the plants when in bloom.</p> Bulbs: </strong>This is a broad category, but so many are perfectly adapted to Colorado conditions that a few have to be highlighted. Those that thrive have a few things in common: They take advantage of abundant seasonal moisture, producing their leaves and flowers during our wettest season (April-early June). Their foliage dries out and disappears as our season gets warmer and drier. They all tolerate long periods of cold, dry conditions. Bold and colorful choices include foxtail lilies (Eremurus</em>), ornamental onions (Allium</em>) and the smaller “species tulips” and crocus—these are the original forms that most hybrids were developed from, and they are especially durable and resilient for many years in the right conditions.</p> Keep in mind that the Roads Water-Smart Garden alone has hundreds</em> of other species that create a year-round progression of color and texture, drawing on plants from similar climates around the world. The extended list would be very long indeed: Yucca</em>, Agastache</em>, Dianthus</em>, Acantholimon</em>, Ericameria</em>, Opuntia</em>, Hesperaloe</em>, Iris</em>, Arctostaphylos</em>, Sedum</em>, Lavandula</em>, Thymus, Papaver, Crambe</em> . . . you get the idea. This theme is echoed in the Steppe Garden, Dryland Mesa, Sacred Earth, the Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden, Plant Select Garden and parts of the Rock Alpine Garden. Visit us often to see what each changing season brings!</p> </p> Note: </em></strong>Not everything featured in this blog post or gallery is in bloom now, but should be throughout the month.</em></p> </p>
Bulbs are one of my very favorite flowering plants. Maybe my favorite. It’s hard to commit to only one favorite. But if a plant has an underground storage organ holding the entire life cycle of the plant inside it, I’m probably going to like it.</p> In the Central Asian section of the Steppe Garden in April the primary blooms you will find include fritillaries, corydalis and tulips.</p> Fritillaries are in the lily family and have muted or earthy colored flowers that usually nod and emit a skunky odor. Some are small and delicate, like Fritillaria ruthenica</em>, while others are larger and more vigorous like Fritillaria sewerzowii</em> ‘Black Bear’. Other fritillaries you will find here include F. pallidiflora, F. bucharica</em> ‘Nurek Giant’, F. eduardii, F. raddeana and F. sewerzowii.</em></p> Corydalis are in the poppy family, found throughout the northern hemisphere, and some have tubers or rhizomes. These delicate looking plants are quite tough and natively grow in somewhat challenging conditions. For example, Corydalis ruksansii</em>, named after bulb expert Janis Ruksans, originates from the steppe of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan where it grows up to 8,000 feet, Corydalis schanginii </em>ssp. ainii</em> is native to the Kara Tau Mountains of Kazakhstan and Corydalis angustifolia</em> is native to the Caucasus, Turkey and parts of Iran.</p> Up to fifteen different types of tulips could be blooming here at any one time in April. Most of these are like species or wild tulips and less like the more hybridized tulips you find in a bouquet at the florist. Some are quite small with very thin leaves and might not even look to you like a tulip. These include the yellow Tulipa sylvestris</em>, T. dubia </em>Beldersai, T. tarda</em> and the white T. turkestanica</em>, T. biflora</em>, and T. bifloriformis</em>. Greigii tulips have the larger flowers and wider leaves that seem more typical of tulips. They grow wild in the Tien Shan mountains of Kazakhstan at higher altitudes on hot dry slopes. They are especially known for the purple mottling on their leaves and their large vibrantly colored flowers, most notably red! Tulipa</em> ‘Toronto’ and Tulipa</em> 'Casa Grande' are examples here. In the wild, Tulipa praestans</em> grows in the Pamir-Alay mountains of Central Asia on rocky slopes and the yellow Tulipa praestans</em> ‘Shogun’ is planted here.</p> As you continue to stroll around the gardens look for the many more spring bulbs that you can find blooming.</p>
</p> Passover is this month and I, like millions of Jews worldwide, will clear my house of every last bread crumb and gather with friends and family to retell the ancient story of the Hebrew’s liberation from slavery in Egypt. Pesach, as it is also known, is one of my favorite celebrations. I love the abundance of quirky symbols and traditions that have been picked up over thousands of years, not to mention it is mandated that everyone drink four glasses of wine.</p> On the first night it’s tradition to share a feast of mostly edible food, called a Seder. Most often, a Seder table consists of six or seven separate items, each a representation of part of the Passover story. While it’s not uncommon for there to be lively debate over the true symbolic meaning of each component, a few years ago I grew curious about one in particular: the matzah.</p> If you ask why we eat matzah—a large, crunchy, and mostly flavorless type of flatbread—it is likely you will get a response along the lines of, “The Israelites fled Egypt in such a hurry they didn’t have time to let their bread rise.”</p> This is a perfectly valid explanation, brimming with imagery of a people rushing for their chance to escape oppression. But, as I learned, it turns out there are also practical explanations, that much to my delight have to do with the biology of fungi.</p> Passover is the first of three annual harvest festivals, during which the ancient Israelites would all travel to Jerusalem (Shavuot and Sukkot being the second and third). Pesach celebrates the first harvest of barley, and prior to their first haul, farmers and shop keepers would sweep out the previous year’s remaining grain. But along with all that old grain went something else: yeast.</p> Yeast is a fungus, just not the type that forms mushrooms, like those housed in the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi</a>. Strains of the microscopic organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em> hang out on fruits and grains, feeding on their sugars, a process known as fermentation. Without plentiful yeast floating around, the first batches of bread made from freshly harvested barley wouldn’t rise, thus resulting in a flat unleavened loaf.</p> Over time practices have changed, new traditions and rules have taken hold. Matzah is mostly mass produced and made from wheat, rather than barley. The first harvest festival eventually became the time to reflect on freedom and how the Jewish people have overcome so much. But whenever I crunch into a piece of matzah, I am humbled and reminded by how much of impact an invisible fungus can have on our culture and customs.</p>
