A 34-hour flight brought us 12 time zones away. We touched down in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on the golden, late-summer steppe, with foothills and mountains to our left. It felt like landing outside of Boulder. Throughout our trip, we were astounded by how a place could feel so strange and yet so much like home.</p> From August 15 to September 3, we travelled through Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan on a seed collecting expedition to expand the Middle Asian steppe collections of Denver Botanic Gardens.</p> The framework for this trip was laid in 2018, when the Gardens signed The Tashkent Accord, an agreement between five Middle Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and the Plant Collections Collaborative (an alliance between North American gardens to support important domestic and international collecting trips) to help facilitate exchanges of plant material, resources and education between our countries and botanical institutions.</p> In Kyrgyzstan we worked with Dr. Georgy Laskov of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. In Kazakhstan we worked with a team of botanists led by Dr. Gulnara Sitpaeva, the General Director of the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction in Almaty, Kazakhstan. These incredible scientists acted as our botanical and cultural guides, bringing us to and through a variety of experiences.</p> In both Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan we explored Middle Asian steppe in mountains, valleys, lakeshores, dunescapes, canyons and plains. On our first day, baking in the sun, we scaled the steep, sandy foothills of Kyrgyzstan’s Salt Valley, surrounded by grazing horses. On our second day we were in the cool, sub-alpine shrublands of Chunkurchak, bathing in the scent of wild oregano and dodging lightning storms. This geographic diversity is characteristic of steppe regions, and similar to terrain that one could find throughout Colorado and the Intermountain West. The flora of the countries was also synonymous to our own, both physiologically and taxonomically. The plant families of Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Poaceae and Apiaceae were abundant. We share genera like Artemisia, Clematis, Prunus, Stipa </em>and Allium</em>. We even share identical species like Epilobium angustifolium, Artemisia frigida </em>and Krascheninnikovia lanata</em>.</p> While in the field, we worked side-by-side with our guides. They often collected seeds for their own collections or whole plants to turn into herbarium vouchers. We ate meals together, usually something like a ploughman’s lunch, off the tailgates of trucks or spread out on plastic bags and scarves. At markets we bought strange melons to share; cantaloupes with watermelon skin, honeydew in the guise of deeply-lobed, green pumpkins. Once, a nomadic Kazakh herder gave our group a small pouch of kurt, a salty, chalky cheese meant to be carried in your pocket. These moments became ways that we could share what we couldn’t through our disjointed language. Work and sustenance became a shared space, botanical Latin and food our common tongue.</p> By the end of our trip we had made 260 collections. Following USDA-APHIS guidelines, we cleaned, inventoried, packaged and shipped our seeds directly to their ports of entry to be inspected for any pests or pathogens we might have missed while cleaning.</p> On our last night we walked the streets of Almaty, Kazakhstan, taking pictures of the stunning, Soviet-era Brutalist architecture, analogs to our own Boettcher Memorial Center and Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory. The cast concrete and heavy stonework made this faraway place feel familiar and made us consider how much a sense of place can influence our sense of home and how strangeness and familiarity can walk hand-in-hand.</p> This blog post was written by Denver Botanic Gardens' staff: Mike Bone, Curator of Steppe Collections and Kevin Philip Williams, Horticulturist</em></p>
To my friends in college I was always the crazy plant lady with a baby palm tree in her apartment, but I’ve found that here at Denver Botanic Gardens I’m the least “planty” of the plant people. I just finished my degree in Environmental Science & Policy at Chapman University in Southern California, with a special interest in urban planning, GIS and sustainable design. Searching for a way to combine my love of plants with my interest in spatial design, and also yearning to return to the Rocky Mountains (as the Utah native that I am), I was more than thrilled when I found out there was an internship at the Gardens in Plant Records and Mapping.</p> The Plant Records Department exists to maintain and nurture records of the massive living collection that is Denver Botanic Gardens. As a museum of living plants, we have tens of thousands of plants that each have their own accession number and corresponding record in our database, with information such as where they came from, where they’re planted, how long they’ve been there and what condition they’re in. Ideally, each of these plants also has a place on a comprehensive map of the Gardens—which is where I come in.</p> A normal day in the life of Jenny this summer started with coming in to work and checking my calendar to see what mapping appointments were scheduled. A mapping appointment meant I was out in a particular garden bed either with my awesome mentor Holly Parrott (plant mapping specialist) or with the horticulturist who maintains that garden, inventorying what plants exist in that bed and using a list of unmapped plants to pinpoint the locations of new ones. I’d print out whatever maps and lists I needed, load them up on a giant clipboard, slather on some sunscreen, grab my hat and my fanny pack full of erasable colored pencils, and head out for a few hours to draw maps and take inventory.</p> Then I’d head back inside, hop on BG-BASE, BG-Map and AutoCAD, and process everything I’d recorded. This was ideally a quick process, looking up plants by their accession number and updating their record and location. More often than not, it involved some serious mystery solving when accession records for individual plants were unknown. In these cases, I would identify the accession by using any information I could find concerning the source and age of the plant and any possible prior locations to pinpoint it in our database, ensuring that every plant is accounted for.</p> I got the opportunity to map a large variety of garden beds, but my main project was mapping the new Secret Passage garden bed in the Welcome Garden, just south of the Visitor Center. This garden bed was newly installed in 2018, and though it’s a vibrant and beautiful garden in person, in our mapping database it apparently contained only seven plants. After four weeks of regular mapping appointments, lost accession tags, hesitant plant ID-ing, several messy maps covered in colored lines and numbers, and A LOT of mystery solving in our database, the Secret Passage went from having seven plants mapped to having over 150! Contrasting this project with other efforts of mystery solving in older and more mature garden beds, the importance of starting out with accurate and thorough records was really driven home.</p> Though perhaps still the least “planty” of the plant people, I was embraced as an important part of the Gardens this summer and will never forget all the things I learned and the people (and plants) I got to interact with. Who knew record keeping could be so fun?</p> This blog post was written by Jenny Gritton. Jenny is originally from Utah, and graduated in 2019 from Chapman University in Southern California with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science & Policy. She loves cats, has a baby palm tree, is a certified Zumba instructor and is pursuing a career in urban planning and sustainable design.</em></p>
</p> The family Bromeliaceae offers some fascinating plants, a variety of which can be found in the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory. Though the Gardens is currently closed due to COVID-19, you can learn about some of these plants now—and go on a mini scavenger hunt to find them when we re-open to the public. </p> Tillandsia tectorum</em></p> Picture a 100-legged silver tarantula, as sparkly as a Christmas ornament—except cuter than that sounds. This is Tillandsia tectorum</em>, one of the crown jewels of the Tillandsia</em> world (or as I call it, the “Tilly” world). This species is native to Ecuador and Peru, where it grows on cliff faces and rock outcroppings between 3,000 and 8,200 feet in elevation. It evolved its silvery splendor out of necessity due to high exposure to light, UV rays and an arid climate. The intensely dense trichomes serve as its sunscreen and its way of catching moisture and nutrients from the air. This spectacular species is on display at the top level of the treehouse of the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory. When you can return to the Gardens, take a look: You can’t miss it!</p> Tillandsia usneoides</em></p> More commonly known as Spanish moss, Tillandsia usneoides </em>is a classic case of a common name creating misinformation and confusion. It is neither from Spain nor a moss. Rather, it is native to Mexico, Bermuda, Bahamas, Central America and the southern U.S.</p> This plant is the smallest member of the family Bromeliaceae but has long been characterized as a plant that grows so thickly that it strangles and kills trees—which is entirely untrue. It can, however, grow densely enough to shade out portions of the tree, thereby slowing its growth rate.</p> More than 100 years ago it was used for all sorts of interesting things: building insulation, mulch, mattress stuffing and padding for car seats. None of these uses apply today. Tillandsia usneoides</em> grows in the Tropical Conservatory and in the display windows of our greenhouses.</p> Quesnelia</em></p> Quesnelia</em> is a small, lesser-known genus in the family Bromeliaceae. All 22 species are endemic (native) to the eastern swamps of Brazil, with most growing terrestrially. The genus is named after French businessman and patron of botany Edouard Prosper Quesnel.</p> When grown in cultivation these plants prefer cooler growing conditions than most of the other genera. Plants produce flower spikes of incredible colors but are very short-lived for a bromeliad, with each one only lasting about a week. The most sought-after species of this group is Q. marmorata</em> ‘Tim Plowman’, which has beautifully curled leaf tips. </p> </p>
Denver Botanic Gardens plays a critical role in the research and conservation of plants and their ecosystems. While many of our research and conservation efforts focus on stream sites throughout Jefferson County, rare plant populations on the Western Slope and seeds of native species throughout all of Colorado, our efforts also play out at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD).</p> Our partnership with UCD has brought to life a graduate program, through which four research staff members are affiliate faulty. As faculty, our staff members advise graduate students in a wide variety of biodiversity sciences – including plant conservation and fungal systematics. We currently have six early-career scientists in our graduate program:</p> Ph.D. student Katherine Fu is planning a career in plant ecology and conservation. She has led common garden experiments</a> at Chatfield Farms to investigate how seed source affects the success of plants in prairie restoration.</p> Ph.D. student Gary Olds is studying fungal diversity in the Colorado Rockies. Specifically, he is looking at the systematics and diversity of the genus Lactarius</em></a>.</em></p> Master’s student Emily Orr studies how genetic analyses of plant populations</a> inform conservation management strategies – from habitat conservation to collecting seeds for future restoration.</p> Master’s student Mandi Miller is pursuing conservation and restoration ecology. She is researching restoration of rangelands on plots installed at Chatfield Farms.</p> Having just defended his thesis in February, master’s student Liam Cullinane has spent the last two years studying pollinator health and sustainability within urban environments. His research focuses on urban ecology, as well as pollinator diversity and health in Denver</a>.</p> Set to defend her thesis this April, master’s student Margo Yousse (Paces) has spent the last two years studying stream restoration along Deer Creek</a> at Chatfield Farms. Her research quantifies plant communities along the riparian corridor to gauge the effectiveness of restoration efforts.</p> We are proud to take part in training the next generation of scientists and look forward to expanding our partnerships with UCD and other local universities. Learn more about our graduate program and student research</a> and look out for posts from students on our blog!</p>
In a complex world, a simple cycle like the return of spring can be reassuring. Nothing beats spring in the Rock Alpine Garden; rock gardens are traditionally at their best in spring as the residents are often native to high elevations and keyed to bloom during the brief alpine summers found around the world.</p> Since I am not able to share the garden with you in person, let’s take a virtual tour.</strong></p> Starting at the east entrance of the Rock Alpine Garden, the crevice gardens to our right and left are filled with a wide variety of mats and cushions from the world’s steppe and alpine areas. Some years Iris iberica</em> blooms; maybe this will be such a year.</li> The troughs on the left side of the path with Primula </em>in yellow and lavender and Draba</em> in yellow bring some of this delicate beauty closer to the eyes.</li> Continuing our virtual ramble down the main path into the Rock Alpine Garden proper, a multitude of Muscari </em>(grape hyacinth), Phlox</em>, Pulsatilla </em>(pasque flower) and assorted mustards (Alyssum </em>and Draba</em>) paint the scene blue, pink, purple, white and yellow.</li> In the upper meadow and lower meadow, species tulips brighten the scene in yellows, magenta and orangey reds—these are the wild relatives of cultivated tulips native to the steppes and high mountains of Eurasia.</li> To the west of the meadows, another crevice garden holds more moisture-loving plants than the one at the entrance. Here Aethionema</em>, Erysimum</em>, Draba</em>, Veronica</em> and Primula</em> are some of the first flowers of the season, creating a vignette of spring pastels in lavender, pale pink, blue, yellow and magenta.</li> Strolling the path along the lower section of the meadow along the stream, the north ledge is full of pink and magenta Erica</em> (heather) and pale purple Pulsatilla</em>, and perhaps even the fuzzy yellowish flowers of several low-growing Salix </em>(willows).</li> Another small crevice garden in this area will be ablaze with color from a wide variety of Primula </em>in yellows, pink and dark violet and Saxifraga </em>in shades of white, pink, magenta and yellow by the end of the month and into May—this comparatively small vignette is one of my favorites in the entire garden.</li> </ul> Spring is truly a special time in the Rock Alpine Garden, but really it is a garden that is beautiful and ever-changing throughout the entire year. I hope to see you soon in the garden.</p>
Believe it or not, this fall marks 10 years of growing plants in our new greenhouse facilities. The upgraded systems have impacted the quality and range of plants we can successfully cultivate, and this is especially noticeable in the orchid collection. Orchids are one of the largest plant families and occur naturally in a wide variety of climates all over the world. Prior to the renovations, the orchid collection was housed in one large greenhouse. While microclimates within that space allowed horticulturists to grow plants from various climates, there were strong limitations on the variety of species that could be successfully grown.</p> In the new facilities, the orchid collection is housed in three separate compartments, each with its own environment and climate control systems. The plants are housed mainly by temperature requirements but light and humidity can also be adjusted. This has greatly improved the Gardens’ ability to grow plants with cooler temperature requirements (the cool orchid greenhouse can drop into the upper 40s at night). Masdevallia</em>, Dracula</em> and Lycaste</em> are just a few of the genera that have shown improved vigor in their new home.</p> A bit of advice for you home orchid growers: If your plant is not happy, do a bit of research and change its environment accordingly. Small changes can make a big difference in a plant’s health and happiness.</p>
If you’ve recently found yourself in possession of a lot of free time and the need to stay close to home, this is the perfect opportunity to start your vegetable garden off on the right foot. Here is your checklist for March and April:</p> Garden cleanup: If it didn’t happen last fall, clear out any remaining vegetable debris. Remove weeds that might already be sprouting; start with the pesky perennial weeds, like dandelions and mallow. </li> Freshen your soil: Winter weather can introduce exposed soils to compaction and cracking, which makes sowing seeds and transplanting difficult. If you put off bed prep until the spring, now’s the time to mix in a bit of compost and turn the soil. Prior to direct sowing any seeds, smooth out the surface of the garden bed using the back of a straight rake.</li> Start seeds indoors: Warm season plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants should be started indoors from seed in mid to late March. Wait until late April if you are going to start cucumbers, squash and pumpkins. Successful indoor propagation relies on a strong light source (an LED or fluorescent grow light left on for 14-18 hours a day is ideal), germination media with small particle sizes, consistently moist conditions and a space with temperatures ranging from 65-75°F.</li> Sow seeds: Cold-tolerant seeds, like lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, radish, carrots and beets, can all be directly sown into the garden late March through the end of April. Germination on peas can be increased by soaking them in water or placing them in a wet paper towel for 4-12 hours prior to sowing. Wait until early May to sow more tender seeds like bush and pole beans, squash, corn and melons. Just like starting seeds indoors, good germination relies on consistently moist soil.</li> Inspect your tools: Rust can be removed from pruners and other tools by soaking overnight in a half and half solution of vinegar and water and then scrubbing with steel wool or a wire brush. Remember to oil the metal with WD-40 or mineral oil after it dries. Other tool maintenance activities include sanding and sealing wooden handles, checking for loose screws on long handled tools and sharpening shovels, hoes, pruners and other cutting tools.</li> </ul> Don’t forget to involve the children in the garden, as well! Introduce toddlers to earthworms and other soil critters, let them use the watering can on newly planted seeds and use the garden as a space to observe birds and other urban wildlife. Older kids will enjoy helping to turn the soil and plant seeds. Nothing tastes better than a bean or tomato you helped grow.</p>
While Denver Botanic Gardens may be temporarily closed, there are still plenty of ways to experience the Gardens digitally. Here are a few ideas for how to explore the Gardens from the safety of your home. </p> Online education classes and workshops</a> for adults and children.</li> From collection insight to gardening tips and botanical fun facts, our blog archives</a> from 2008 to the present offer plenty of reading material and inspiration. </li> View curated playlists on our YouTube</a> channel. Topics include science and conservation, art exhibitions, beauty at the Gardens and Chatfield Farms. </li> Break open the colored pencils or crayons and enjoy the soothing exercise of coloring our past submissions for Color Our Collections</a>. You can print four botanical illustration coloring pages. </li> Explore our preserved vascular plant collection</a>, fungal collection</a> and arthropod collection</a>. These digital databases allow you to look at thousands of natural history specimens from our herbaria. </li> Access Gardens Navigator</a> to learn what is blooming now in the Denver-area and to explore plant collections in our gardens. </li> Members of the Gardens can check out e-books from the Helen Fowler Library</a> on a variety of topics including plants, fiction, cooking, herbalism, children’s stories, the environment and more. </li> While they're home from school, keep your kids busy with these activities for children</a>. </li> And of course, we will continue to share interesting and beautiful content on Facebook</a>, Instagram</a> and Twitter</a>. </li> </ul>
Imagine having your body frozen and being revived decades later to continue your life in society. Would it be expected that you should easily integrate despite the drastic changes that have taken place? Would you have health effects that could limit your quality of life? Conserving seeds in seed banks is essentially the same concept – seeds are stored at subzero temperatures to slow the internal functions and loss of viability, which allows the seeds to be used in future restoration or reintroduction projects. But in the same way that we would expect a human to have side effects from being frozen or have trouble adjusting to life decades later, we might expect the same of a seed.</p> Seeds of some species can survive for hundreds of years in a seed bank with no reported ill effects on germination, growth or survival. However, many species can’t survive for extended periods of time, or even at all, in a seed bank. The Gardens collects seeds of native Colorado flora to conserve species ex situ (outside of the wild) and in recent years have made a concerted effort to include alpine species in our seed collections.</p> However, recent studies from Italy and Australia have shown that alpine species are short-lived in seed banks compared to low elevation species. Through an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, I am using accelerated ageing experiments to determine if alpine species in Colorado exhibit this same behavior. Seeds are placed in an airtight box with a lithium chloride solution, which is used to raise the relative humidity of the seeds at a high temperature (113°F). This process accelerates the loss of viability of the seeds, simulating storage time in a seed bank. Seeds are taken out at regular intervals over the course of 100 days and placed in previously determined germination conditions</a>. The results can then be compared to species with known longevity in a seed bank, which allows us to understand if species are short-lived or long-lived in ex situ storage conditions (-4°F).</p> If we do discover that Colorado alpine species are short-lived in seed banks, we will want to determine how we can better conserve these species. This may mean taking the seeds out of the seed bank every few years to grow them up and rear the plants in the greenhouse or outplant them to their native habitat.</p>
