For the last two summers, Denver Botanic Gardens has been conducting a floristic inventory of Denver Mountain Park’s newest property, Axton Ranch Mountain Park. Just what is a floristic inventory? Well, it is simply a list of all the plant species in a given place at a specific point in time. Although simple in design, these inventories provide a baseline of biodiversity, and are important resources for land managers to inform best conservation practices.</p> We discovered that Axton Ranch was home to a diverse array of plant communities – lodgepole pine/spruce forests, aspen groves surrounding wet meadows, rocky outcroppings, lakes and small streams within forests. Ultimately, through surveying all these different plant communities, our inventory of Axton Ranch resulted in the identification of 319 unique plant species. In other words, approximately one in every 10 plant species present in Colorado was found within this 450-acre property! We even found two plants listed as rare and tracked by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program</a> – Asplenium septentrionale</em> and Senecio rapifolius</em>. All specimens collected for this floristic inventory are now part of the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium of Vascular Plants</a>, and all plant observations are available on iNaturalist</a>.</p> Overall, we found that Axton Ranch consisted mostly of intact ecosystems that have not been (or minimally so) degraded or altered by human stressors. Nearly 90% the plant species found were native to Colorado, with only seven noxious weeds located on the property. One of the most unique plant communities at Axton Ranch were the two wet meadows which supported approximately 10% of the plant species overall, including numerous sedges, buttercups, willows and even marsh arrowgrass (Triglochin palustris</em>). We also noted a remarkable number of orchid species at Axton Ranch – eight different species in all, and one of which (Corallorhiza wisteriana</em>) that is uncommon in Colorado.</p> Although we were there for the plants, we also documented several animals at Axton Ranch as well. Moose made common appearances in the meadows. Hummingbirds flew through the meadows, stopping at the red paintbrushes for food. And one of our favorite discoveries was that of a lake dominated by western tiger salamanders in their larval form. </p> Axton Ranch Mountain Park is an incredible property with a diverse array of plant species and communities, intact ecosystems and evidence of good land stewardship by the Axton family. The benefits of this inventory extend far beyond just an inventory of the property. Through this project, we were also able to provide immersive research opportunities for six high school students. None of this would have been possible without the generous support from the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation, Denver Mountain Parks for their assistance, the Axton family and everyone who helped collect and process plant specimens. We look forward to our next floristic inventory project, who knows what treasures we will find! </p>
The historical Hildebrand Ranch</a> area at Chatfield Farms</a> includes an orchard and various heirloom gardens. Most of these areas are dedicated celebration spaces to honor loved ones and are an excellent reminder of the stages of life. The Mary Washburne Orchard</a> was established in 2011. Washburne was a longtime supporter of Chatfield Farms. Within the orchard is a vast array of fruit trees and trellises planted with Vitis</em> x ‘St. Theresa Seedless' grapes. These areas of fruit production are adjacent to an acre of vegetable production fields. </p> The Celebration Garden on the east side of the ranch is dedicated in memory of Matt Jones with plantings of colorful perennials and annuals.</p> The front of the Hildebrand house is a mixture of ornamental vegetables and flowers dedicated in the memory of Liz Ann Dierksmeier. Her family helps to plant and maintain this seasonal garden each year. This allows them to foster beauty in remembrance of their loved one.</p> The woodshed garden behind the Hildebrand Ranch house is very personal to the staff at Chatfield Farms. It is dedicated to Colton Sell, whom many had the pleasure of working with at the farm. His family has maintained this garden for six years along our Chatfield Farms staff in tribute to him. This garden is set beside shaded Deer Creek with seating for reflection and healing for all visitors. </p> Each year immense planning goes into the designs of these Celebration Gardens at Hildebrand Ranch at Chatfield Farms. This year some of the fruit trees were replaced due to disease. The Chatfield Farms horticulture staff works tirelessly to provide quiet, beautiful spaces to remember our loved ones. </p>
Plant Select is a unique program that brings plants to the consumer market that are good for the Colorado Front Range steppe environment. Plants from the Plant Select® program are integrated into many of the gardens and can be found throughout Denver Botanic Gardens.</p> As you enter the Gardens and make your way to the Crossroads Garden</strong> you will see some classics from Plant Select. In the beds leading to the main building you can see Delosperma </em>spp., commonly known as ice plants. Ice plants are a hardy groundcover from southern Africa and grow well in Colorado. Over the years Plant Select has introduced and recommended more than a dozen selections and species of Delosperma</em>. Also in the Crossroads is Epilobium canum</em> ssp. garrettii </em>‘PWWG01S’, commonly known as ORANGE CARPET® California fuchsia. This plant stands a little taller than the ice plants but is still considered a ground cover. These plants are very sought after by hummingbirds. You can often find these energetic birds fighting over these plants and all the nectar they produce. </li> Continue to the west down the main path and in the planters on the top of the ramp on each side you will see lovely specimens of Picea glauca </em>‘Pendula’. At the base is Oenothera macrocarpa </em>ssp. incana </em>SILVER BLADE®. This low water combination shows off the beauty of silver foliage and the Oenothera</em> is a very prolific blooming plant. Flowers are a soft yellow and open in the late afternoon to evening. This feature is where it gets the common name silver evening primrose. Silver foliage on plants is often a protective feature some plants develop to survive in very high light conditions as well as a way to preserve water in the plant. </li> Now continue on west through Roads Water-Smart Garden and keep going into Shady Lane</strong>. Planted along the Shady Lane in the southern beds are examples of Daphne </em>× burkwoodii</em> ‘Carol Mackie’. This variegated shrub looks great all year long and in protected locations like Shady Lane the plant will be evergreen. About this time of year, the plant will be covered with intensely fragrant white flowers. Plants that thrive in dry shade can be a challenge to find but this is one of the very best of them. </li> Once you have taken in the fragrant blooms of Daphne</em>, continue west to arrive at the Darlene Radichel Plant Select Garden</strong>. This garden is designed as a showcase for the Plant Select program. Here you will find almost every plant that Plant Select has introduced and recommended. There are plants from the very first year of introduction to plants that won’t be available to the public until the following growing season. This garden showcases the different ways you can use and display plants from this program.</li> </ul> Plant Select has brought to the market more than 175 unique plants and many of them are Colorado and regionally native plants. With long seasons of interest and the ability to thrive in Colorado’s steppe climate, these are the plants that can help you transform your landscape into a beautiful, diverse, pollinator-friendly oasis.</p> Please visit plantselect.org</a> for more information on this program and where you can find the plants to purchase.</p>
Mushrooms can be poisonous. That is one of the first things we are taught as kids. Even though plants produce more detrimental toxins than mushrooms, society, rightly or wrongly, tends to teach the latter as being more dangerous. While attitudes toward mushrooms have been changing, the history around mushroom poisoning shows growth in understanding all the ways eating them can make people sick. </p> At Denver Botanic Gardens, Dr. Sam Mitchel</a> was perhaps the most central figure to expand mycology and knowledge of mushrooms of the Southern Rockies. He is not as well known for his role as a medical doctor and as a trained diagnostician. However, this dual perspective gave Dr. Mitchel the ability to merge his passion for mushrooms and medicine to produce an understanding of how they might poison people. </p> Along with other Denver-based doctors Drs. Barry Rumack and Manny Salzman, Dr. Mitchel coordinated efforts to understand and educate medical professionals about mushroom poisons in the 1970s. These efforts primarily took place in Colorado around the mid-70s when the Aspen Mushroom Conference became one of the first to train doctors from across the country. This conference gave doctors skills to ID mushrooms and diagnose mushroom poisonings, and included training on the variety of toxins that mushrooms can produce, how they affect the people who consumed them, and how doctors can treat their patients. </p> In general, there are seven poisoning “groups” that mushroom toxins can fall into: Cyclopeptide poisoning, Monomethyldrazine poisoning, Coprine poisoning, Muscarine poisoning, Ibotenic acid – Muscimol poisoning, Psiocybin-Psilocin poisoning and Gastrointestinal irritants. In 1977, Dr. Mitchel teamed up with the late celebrated mycologist Gary Lincoff to write “Toxic and Hallucinogenic Mushroom Poisoning: A Handbook for Physicians and Mushroom Hunters,” which details each of these poisonings and how to treat them.</p> Today these efforts to understand mushroom toxicology continue in Colorado. Dr. Rumack, with the assistance of Gardens volunteers Ed and Ikuko Lubow, continues to train doctors on identifying mushrooms and the poisons they produce. Nationally, the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) has an active Toxicology Committee that continues to offer aid and assistance in identifying toxic mushrooms and advising doctors and poison centers on how to diagnose poisonings.</p> Internationally, Dr. Mitchel’s work has reached across the Pacific to Borneo where medical professionals in Malaysia came together for a Mushroom Toxicology workshop in 2019. There the doctors learned about the mushroom poisonings above, as documented through the work done here in Colorado. </p>
Everyone’s life is marked with memories that stay with us forever. Some of my most cherished plant memories come from discovering the stunning world of cacti and succulent plants that are housed in the Cactus and Succulent House located in the Rock Alpine Garden. </p> I had the privilege of taking over this collection and replanting the display house during the summer of 2021. Now, after three years of care, the plants have really filled in and grown fantastically. I invite you to see what’s growing and blooming inside the Cactus and Succulent House during the height and blight of winter. One reason these plants are so popular and sought after is because the leaf forms are often so pretty that the flowers simply become a bonus or means to produce seed. In their natural habitat most of the succulents from the Southern Hemisphere do their growing and blooming during the winter months. Some of my favorites this year are: </p> Ceropegia cimiciodora </em>– A creeping, leafless stem succulent with super-cool flowers that blooms almost all year-round. You would be hard pressed to find a cooler flower.</li> Stapelia schinzii </em>var. angolensis </em>– Fuzzy maroon flowers that smell like rotting flesh! What could be better?</li> Haworthia emelyae</em> var. comptoniana</em> – A solitary species with a very small natural range in the Cape Province of South Africa. It is prized and known for its beautiful white markings on the leaf surfaces, slow growth and difficult propagation.</li> Haworthia arachnoidea</em> var. setata </em>– In its native South Africa, it is known as papierrosie</em> (paper-rose) or spinnekopnes</em> (spider’s nest). Sign me up!</li> Haworthia </em>hybrid – </em>A special blend of species created by me, formulated for your enjoyment!</li> Albuca spiralis –</em> A bulbous curly leaf plant. Give your curly leaf bulbs as much light as you can during the growing season.</li> Albuca hallii</em> – Another curly-leaf plant, the spring leaf plant has a pair of cork-screwed shaped leaves.</li> Trichodiadema </em>sp. – A beautiful plant that gets covered in purple blooms, reminiscent of summer-blooming iceplant (Delosperma</em>), during the winter months. </li> </ol> I have been collecting these plants for 21 years and I am still finding the next amazing thing I have to have. If you need some plant inspiration while your own garden is sleeping this winter, come visit our collection of unique cacti and succulents in their full glory. </p> Gallery photos by Scott Preusser </em></p>
A hidden charm sprinkled into private events at Chatfield Farms are several specific botanicals that you will find nestled within the landscaping of our venues and historical buildings. These special plants enhance the spaces through their symbolism and uses for wellbeing. </p> Near the Green Farm Barn</a>, you will find firecracker penstemon, Penstemon eatonii</em>, a native wildflower. This botanical symbolizes luck, just like the hummingbirds who frequent this venue throughout the summer. Firecracker penstemons also represent celebration and prosperity, a lovely combination to evoke for wedding celebrations and corporate events. Species of penstemon were historically used by Native Americans to treat a range of ailments, including sun burns, migraines and snake bites. </p> The Polly Steele Center</a> is a beautiful venue surrounded by a cottage garden. This is a favorite spot for birthdays, elopements, micro weddings and celebrations of life. Growing under some of the trees is lady's mantle, Alchemilla vulgaris</em>. Lady's mantle symbolizes protection and comfort, seen through the cloak-like shape of the leaves. Its Latin name translates to “little alchemist”, named after the morning dew that collects within its soft leaves, which represents transformation in alchemy. Medicinal uses of lady’s mantle for women's health have been noted, particularly within western European traditions. </p> There is an abundance of medicinal plants around the Chatfield Farms property. To view medicinal plants formally, visit our herb garden, adjacent to the historical Hildebrand Ranch house</a>. As you continue to expand your plant knowledge, we invite you to come out for a venue tour with our private events team</a> and see if you can identify additional botanicals within the space that can enhance and provide greater meaning or fun for your event. </p>
