Every spring, I eagerly await the tulips blooming at the Gardens. Usually in April, the Annuals Garden and Pavilion explodes in color, cascades of beautiful tulips and complementary flowers officially ringing in the spring season. </p> Since I started at the Gardens, I have taken great pleasure in the tulips – until this year. Like most everyone, I spent this spring largely confined to my house, working from home for months while the Gardens was closed to the public and only essential staff were allowed onsite. Looking back at this unprecedented time now, I have realized that the Gardens has been more to me than an employer; it also helped me get through the first few months of pandemic-induced isolation and grief.</p> </picture> </div> </article> </p> The Gardens is celebrated as a place of healing, a beautiful oasis that offers space to breathe, reflect and connect with plants. While the Gardens was closed to the public, the therapeutic horticulture staff went to work to find ways to safely provide these restorative benefits to people in a time of great need. They created Therapeutic Thursdays, a regular web series led by the Gardens’ registered horticultural therapists utilizing techniques from the Gardens’ therapeutic horticulture programs. </p> On the recommendation of a coworker, I signed up for a Virtual Meditative Plant Walk, thinking it would be fun to see how other staff were navigating the online world into which we had all been thrust. As we followed a video of a quiet stroll through various gardens, I could feel my blood pressure lowering. The tulips in full magnificent bloom, the birds lightly chirping in the background, the shimmering reflections on Monet Pool, the shady stroll back through Gates Montane – all of it brought me back to the Gardens and the sense of peace it evokes.</p> </picture> </div> </article> </p> I soon signed up for another program on water lilies and grief. Below the surface, water lilies grow out of clay soil that other horticulturists typically avoid. On the surface, a beautiful bloom is visible, but—like people—it is hard to see what may be happening below the surface. </p> Grief was everywhere in the pandemic, from mourning projects and plans that had to be scrapped to grieving the losses and milestones we missed. I could look at the water lilies, however, and see a symbol for resilience, perseverance, and beauty out of the worst conditions, making a difficult time in life more livable. </p> I invite you to explore nature as healing yourself. The next Therapeutic Thursday</a> takes place September 24.</p> </picture> </div> </article>
The Colorado Mycological Society’s (CMS) Annual Mushroom Fair has always been a major summer event for Denver Botanic Gardens, sometimes drawing more than 2,000 visitors in a single day. While we were unable to see the usual crowds, the 43rd Annual Mushroom Fair still carried on, this year as the 2020 CMS Online Mycology Expo. The fair was a combination of live-streamed lectures featuring guest speakers and organizations, with a small in-person component for mushroom enthusiasts to bring their fungal collections to be identified and preserved by Gardens scientists and mycology volunteers.</p> The keynote speaker was Montana State University’s Dr. Cathy Cripps, longtime friend and colleague of CMS and Gardens staff. Gardens scientists and mycology volunteers lectured on topics ranging from tree identification to poisonous mushrooms of Colorado. Other speakers and organizations affiliated with CMS spoke on identification, cultivation and cooking of mushrooms.</p> A total of 170 specimens were brought in this year by about 10 collectors. Although it has been a very dry year for mushrooms, collectors had several successful forays and found a diverse collection of species. All specimens came from Colorado, and locations ranged from high altitude mountain zones to downtown Denver. Many of the specimens were featured live on assorted guest lectures, as many of the lectures took place at the Gardens. These specimens will be databased and find their new home in the Gardens’ Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi</a>, where they will be used for fungal research in biodiversity, morphology and genetics for years to come.</p> </p> This blog post was written by Gary Olds, Ph.D. student at University of Colorado Denver. Gary is interested in environmental science and biodiversity. His research focuses on fungal diversity in the Colorado Rockies.</em></p>
Although I didn’t know much about Denver Botanic Gardens, I was immediately drawn to a horticulture internship opportunity there. I envisioned a summer of exploring, enrichment and education. That is exactly what the Gardens’ provided. Even with all the national issues that have ensued, Denver Botanic Gardens has proven that in times of adversity, the culture that has been built here stands strong. The staff at the Gardens have a united goal of enriching the community through the power of plants. Throughout the summer I found that even though our internship was rearranged, and experiences had been altered, I was able to explore the multitude of careers within public gardens. </p> I was fortunate enough to become part of the plant records family for the summer and worked on mapping the gardens of the new Freyer – Newman Center. I had entered the position with background experience in herbarium record keeping and insect collection sorting at the Davey Research Institute; nevertheless, I looked forward to gaining practical experience with Auto-CAD. As they say, be careful what you wish for, but I had expected nothing less than to be pushed to the limit on my skills. All in all, I had the tools I needed and a team of people willing to answer any questions along the way. </p> In the plant records world, we not only work daily on the computer, but also with the horticulture staff, which help us navigate the numerous gardens with their varying plant material. We begin by mapping all the material that is readily identified by tags or labels, as well as plant material that has determinant growth such as trees and shrubs. We build this foundation so that when we map unidentified plants, we can ensure accuracy when placing the other masses of plant material on the map. Furthermore, we often take note of any new phenology or history offered to us by the staff to ensure those details are being recorded for the living collections database, which the public can access through Garden’s Navigator</a>.</p> I also worked with various staff members to learn about their positions and get hands-on training. These opportunities ranged from learning about water gardens to learning of the importance of future water conservation in the xeric gardens. Each new week I observed that it takes a village to keep the Gardens running and that everyone has niche skills that go hand-in-hand with building such a compact, diverse botanic garden. In addition, all of us as horticulture interns were consistently improving upon our plant identification skills through our weekly plant family classes that focused on those families that are the most dominant within Colorado and relevant within the horticulture industry. Lastly, we had video and discussion Fridays, which showcased horticultural films that broadened my perspective on the work being done within the industry. </p> Having had this experience, I feel that I can head into my next position with more knowledge of the processes behind the scenes of public gardens. Also, I take with me an appreciation for all that goes into maintaining a garden space and working with the community to create something that improves the city. </p> The job of a plant recorder is one that is quite diverse. I love being out in the field and getting my hands in the soil, but also having time to research and learn about plants and new emerging ideas. Additionally, I think it is fair to say that diversity is something that is deeply instilled within the industry; whether that be with the people you work with and meet, or the material and cultural practices you learn. It is something I have learned to love because it keeps us all on our toes and consistently evolving as horticulturists and humans. </p> I am thankful for my time here at the Gardens and their emphasis on educating the next generation of professionals. This post was written by Kasandra Hernandez, an undergraduate at The Ohio State University studying sustainable plant systems with an emphasis in horticulture. Being at the Gardens has helped Kasandra navigate her future career and solidify her passion for public gardens, education and outreach. </em> </p>
What will the future hold for the rare and imperiled plants of Colorado? </p> When projections are dire, efforts can be made to protect a species in several ways: • It could be petitioned to be added to the Endangered Species Act list of threatened or endangered species. • Federal land managers that steward populations may increase efforts to remove threats such as noxious weeds and create a buffer from development or recreation. • Members of the Center for Plant Conservation</a> (including Denver Botanic Gardens) may collect and store seed that could be used to bolster declining populations or bring a species back from the brink of extinction. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Image caption: Monitoring Astragalus microcymbus</em>, a species we have been monitoring for 25 years.</p> Prioritizing and determining needed actions to conserve a rare plant species takes a lot of data and a large effort to create thoughtful and meaningful management plans, which often include modeling populations and climate. Species respond to environmental changes, interactions with other species and past conservation actions by expanding or contracting their ranges as conditions improve or decline.</p> Understanding how rare plant populations respond to variable environments and pressures combined with our best understanding of future climate predictions allow us to make a prediction of how a species will respond to future conditions and which possible actions may be most effective to reverse downward trends. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Image caption: Eriogonum brandegeei</em>, a species we have been monitoring for 13 years.</p> Though somewhat hampered by the current pandemic, Denver Botanic Gardens continues to collect annual data on how several rare Colorado endemic plants are faring over increasingly variable climates. Visiting the populations to take data on hundreds of individual plants is a time consuming and thoroughly enjoyable part of the process but there is also beauty in the resulting models and predictions we can make. Additional data makes the predictions stronger, allowing us to plan and practice better conservation of these rare plants. </p>
Less than a year and a half ago, I stumbled into hobby gardening as a distraction from stress. My fascination with the alchemy that is plant science and development grew, and I switched my major from biomedical engineering to horticulture halfway through the summer on an impulse. In my first lecture I heard horticulture described as both a science and an art. At that time, this was an abstract concept to me, though I had an intense desire to learn more about this interaction. </p> Less than a year from that day, I sit writing this having developed both as an artist and scientist through an internship with Bonsai Specialist Larry Jackel in the Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion. </p> As an intern specializing in Bonsai Collection Management and Curation, I spent a significant portion of my time photographing the entire bonsai collection for our plant records database, in order to monitor changes in the health and styling of the trees over time. Though this was the main project I had to complete, most of my internship was spent learning the methods, techniques and design concepts for bonsai culture in an apprenticeship format. This included the development and understanding of three concepts. </p> The first of these concepts was “to achieve horticultural mastery of plants in pots.” This scientific base allows the art to exist; in the words of my mentor, “A dead tree in a pot is not bonsai.” Horticultural mastery includes frequency and quality of watering, in-depth analysis of the benefits of porous and highly inorganic substrates and soil components, as well as common fertilizing practices. </li> The true fusion of science and art happens through the management of new growth, which was the second concept. This included learning several skills unique to bonsai culture, plus a few universal skills: fine pruning as a method to improve artistic elements of the design (such as negative space and asymmetry); wrapping copper wire tightly around branches to allow for the bending of these branches into positions that suit the design; “jinning,” or pruning in such a way that the pruned cut appears as a natural dead snag; and repotting, which reduces the root system to allow the tree to restore its original vigor. </li> Developing an understanding of design, which immersed me fully into the artistic side of horticulture, was the final concept. This included learning to analyze trees using the principles and elements of design, with a specific focus on space, balance, movement, form and unity. From there, it was a matter of learning to use the skills of pruning, wiring and repotting in order to make the starter material resemble a memorable tree in miniature. Most often this meant creating an environmentally driven form, or a tree that has been shaped by years of wind, snow, lightning and unfavorable placement. This only scratches the surface of design concepts within bonsai. </li> </ul> These skills culminated in the development of several of my own trees, from start to finish. The most remarkable of these was a Panchito manzanita (Arctostaphylos </em>× coloradensis </em>‘Panchito’) that I styled in the semi-cascade form, resembling a tree hanging horizontally from a cliff face. In addition to this, I gained experience through the restyling of a larger ponderosa pine, and through a project in which I was given the ability to choose which trees to present from the collection, and where to situate them within the pavilion for the appropriate emphasis, visual movement, variation and light requirements. </p> Although bonsai culture seems niche within the whole realm of horticulture, it has changed the way I think about plants and the interaction between art and science. While I am now certain my interest is in public horticulture, I hope to practice bonsai for years to come, whether as a hobby or an occupation. I’m incredibly grateful to have had this unique internship experience, and for the opportunity to connect and learn from top-tier horticulturists with a large diversity of passions and interests. </p> This post was written by Bonsai Collection Management and Curation intern J. Henry Basile,</em> a junior at Kansas State University studying general horticulture and minoring in Spanish. </em></span></span></p> </p>
