Posted June 29, 2009 by Sarada Krishnan, Director of Horticulture
My favorite garden this week is the Schlessman Plaza and Fragrance Garden, which along with the El Pomar Waterway and the O’Fallon Perennial Walk constitutes the Romantic Gardens. This garden is currently at peak bloom and the newly painted stucco walls provide a bold background that helps the plants pop out in the beds. This garden was designed as a traditional pleasure garden providing a romantic setting for weddings and other events. Artful plantings provide beauty and fragrance as you stroll through the curving walkways, arches, gazebos and columns.
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Posted June 22, 2009 by Sarada Krishnan, Director of Horticulture
Denver Botanic Gardens’ Japanese Garden is an authentic traditional Japanese garden reflecting the unique environment of its Colorado setting. The garden is named Sho-Fu-En, meaning “garden of the pines and wind,” both of which are typical of the natural environment of Colorado. The main feature of this garden is the abundant use of beautifully aged character pines, Pinus ponderosa, collected and donated by members of the Rocky Mountain Bonsai Club. The boulders used in the garden came from the mountains nearby.
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Posted June 17, 2009 by Sarada Krishnan, Director of Horticulture
Standing as testimony that gardening in Colorado does not have to be dull and boring is the Roads Water-Smart Garden, which is currently bursting in color. Bursts of yellow, purple, pink, orange and white are dotted throughout this garden. Meticulously cared for by our Curator of Native Plants, Dan Johnson, this garden is a showcase of what a garden could look like in Colorado with the selection of the right plants for our semi-arid climate.
Featuring drought tolerant plants from around the world, the Water-Smart Garden is typically watered only twice per month in the summer, and also only if conditions become extremely dry. Plants currently in bloom include various penstemons, delosperma, thyme, horned and California poppies, yucca, prickly pear cactus, gaillardia, salvia and yarrow among others.
Posted June 9, 2009 by Anna Sher, Director of Research & Conservation
One of the rare Penstemon species tested
“It might be used for medicines some day” is an often-cited justification for protecting imperiled plant species when scientists are pressed to justify our work to protect species that have no perceived “use.” And yet, it appears that no one has specifically looked at the likelihood that this is true… until now. Dr. Don Hazlet, Adjunct Researcher with Denver Botanic Gardens and ethnobotanist, will be submitting a report to the Colorado Natural Areas Program this week of the results of his studies on the biochemistry of 80 of Colorado’s rarest plants.
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Posted June 6, 2009 by Sarada Krishnan, Director of Horticulture
Denver Botanic Gardens is home to over 300 taxa (which includes hybrids and cultivars) of about 69 species of Iris. This diversity is distributed throughout the Gardens, though a majority is displayed in the Lilac Garden. Situated almost in the middle of our grounds, the irises in this garden are currently at their peak flowering stage. A few lilacs that did not get zapped by our late spring frost are also in bloom. Renovated and replanted in 2006, it is amazing to see how this garden has matured in just 3 years. Showcasing our lilac, iris and daylily collections, the Lilac Garden is in color throughout the season, transitioning from one plant type to another.
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Posted June 4, 2009 by Cindy Tejral Newlander, Plant Records Manager
image and location of Meconopsis
Meconopsis ‘Lingholm’ is currently in bloom in the garden on the north side of the Education Building (adjacent to the temporary visitor parking lot).
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Posted June 3, 2009 by Jennifer Ramp Neale, Conservation & Research Associate Director
Do you miss the beautiful orchid displays from the Cloud Forest Tree? In order to satisfy your orchid fix before the new greenhouse complex is complete and the orchids return to display, come see many of them as preserved specimens in the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium.
Volunteer Eleanor Von Bargen has worked tirelessly over the last 2 years to carefully preserve over 560 specimens of our orchid collection. Each specimen is carefully chosen to capture optimal flowering by Von Bargen and curator Nick Snakenberg. Many of the orchids retain their original beauty in preserved form creating valuable scientific documentation of what the species look like in flower. These specimens add to the wealth of cultivated plants which have been added to our herbarium collection by volunteers in recent years.
Please visit the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium to see these beautiful orchid specimens in person.
Posted June 2, 2009 by Allison Yentsch, Special Events Coordinator
Available for purchase at Garden Grapes & Hops
Yesterday, beautifully decorated flower pots flooded the Gardens in anticipation of Garden Grapes & Hops. This is the first year the Gardens will auction off flower pots. Here is a sneak peak of what you will find at the event, Friday, June 12 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Along with food, beverages, and live entertainment, browse 40 whimiscal, unique, and one-of-a-kind flower pots made for this fun event. Tickets are available online ( http://tinyurl.com/oumont) and will be available or purchase at the door.
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