Posted November 24, 2009 by Anna Sher, Adjunct Research & Conservation Researcher
The new colleciton will be housed with the existing two herbaria, in its own case
Did you know that Denver Botanic Gardens is a museum accredited by the American Association of Museums? We are proud to announce the addition of an ethnobotanical herbarium to the list of official museum collections at DBG. The other collections are:
The 12th collection, the Ethnobotany Collection, documents those plants that are being used or have been used in the past by humans in our region. These include medicinals, plants used for spiritual purposes, plants used to track the seasons, aphrodisiacs and others. There are three main components of the collection: The Market Collection (specimens purchased at Botanicas and other Native and Hispanic markets), Colorado Native Plants (species that grow in our region that are used by people), and Plants Used by Native Americans. The collection will be a resource to educators, DBG staff, researchers, and the interested general public.
This newest collection is made possible by the donations and expertise of Dr. Don Hazlett, DBG Adjunct Researcher, who has volunteered many hours compiling and curating the collection. He has been aided by Virginia Till, another valuable DBG volunteer with particular interest in ethnobotany.
“We are very fortunate to have Dr. Hazlett doing this work” says Dina Clark, Curator of the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium who made the presentation of the proposal to the board last week, “The Ethnobotany Collection is a real asset to Denver Botanic Gardens that supports each of our core values of sustainability, diversity, relevance and transformation.”
For more information about our plant collections, visit our website, soon to be updated to include our newest collection.
Posted November 20, 2009 by Ellen Hertzman, Manager of Volunteer Experience
If you are as much a sun-lover as I am, you’ll find a winter home in the succulent jungle leading up the stairs to the Green Roof, as well as on the south-facing Green Roof deck itself.
• A Dr. Seuss World: An astonishing array of shapes, colors, and forms awaits you on this hidden stairway. For example, Encephalartos horridus is a cycad (palm tree relative) featuring twisted, pointy, blue/green fronds sprouting from a bowling-ball shaped trunk. The name—so evocative!—
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Posted November 18, 2009 by Lily Parra, Exhibitions, Art & Library Collections Admin Assistant
A Final Celebration of 50 Years at the York Street Site
Sharon Feder, Denver Botanic Gardens North, 24" x 36", oil on panel
Opening this Saturday, November 21 in Gates Garden Court Gallery is an art exhibition featuring the work of nine Colorado artists celebrating Denver Botanic Gardens’ unique architectural features. Working in a variety of media, artists in the group show include: Jamie Bolane (Boulder), Eric Dallimore (Denver), Sharon Feder (Denver), Amy Giertz (Lakewood), Dan Hartline (Erie), John Lencicki (Denver), Christopher Phelps (Centennial), Cheryl Price (Conifer), and Katharine Smith-Warren (Denver).
Be sure to visit the El Pomar Room to experience an exhibition component that explores the important design contributions of Victor Hornbein and Edward White, Garrett Eckbo, Koichi Kawana, Saco DeBoer and new structures by Tryba Architects.
A cell phone audio tour highlighting architectural details both inside and outside is available.
Posted November 13, 2009 by Ellen Hertzman, Manager of Volunteer Experience
Even as the season changes, there are still plenty of plants worth seeking out in the Gardens. Here are a few examples:
• My, You Have Great Berries: Botanical names, generally derived from Latin or Greek, can reveal a lot about a plant. Symphoricarpos, with a bit of translation, tells you what to look for when you are hunting down Coral Berries or Snow Berries. “Carpos”, from the Greek, refers to the fruit of a plant, generally used for berries. “Symphori”, as you might guess, refers to a clump, cluster or gathering (think symphony) of berries. This small shrub keeps its white or pink berries well into the winter. See a good pink example on the east side of the O’Fallon Perennial Walk.
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Posted November 13, 2009 by Josie Hart Genter, Children's Program Coordinator
Raspberries are a tasty way of adding some color to your clothes!
Ever wonder how to dye your clothing in a natural way? Kids love getting stains on their clothes anyway, right? Next Tuesday in our Seedlings weekly classes for kids 3-5, we will be making tie-dyed socks with berries. We will define what fruits are actually considered berries and which ones aren’t. Botanically, a blueberry is considered a false berry and a strawberry is an aggregate berry. So what actually is considered a berry then? You will be surprised to know that tomatoes and grapes are the most commonly eaten berries! Okay, so this is a bit high level for your four year old but they will love getting to taste different berries and then learn that they can change the color of their clothing as well.
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Posted November 13, 2009 by Gardens Ambassador Volunteer, Visitor Services
The cathedral-like arbor at the entrance to the Scripture Garden.
Ambassador Jan here! It feels so good to be back with you after a hiatus in October to clean up my own gardens and to get snowed in, LOL. I was at the Gardens last Saturday on an immaculate, crisp blue Colorado day. We had a lot of visitors on that day – so nice to see you!
What I notice most about the Gardens this time of year is the sculptural quality of it and also how I am able to get an “insiders look,” if you will. Look closer and
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Posted November 13, 2009 by Mike Kintgen, Senior Horticulturist
Autumn is never my favorite season but it is perhaps the season that I find myself savoring moments and days the most. Soon a bitter north wind will be blowing and the 2009 gardening season will be but a memory and photos. In the mean time there is much to admire on these balmy late autumn days.
Panayoti Kelaidis wrote about a nice array of fall blooming crocus last month
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Posted November 12, 2009 by Former Employees
Denver Botanic Gardens is pleased to announce that Swallow Hill Music Association is its new concert promotions partner for the booking and production of all Denver Botanic Gardens concerts, commencing in the 2010 season. This new partnership reflects recent changes in the Gardens’ strategy and direction, including a desire to better align itself with organizations that have a similar brand and common goals. The Gardens and Swallow Hill Music are a perfect match. Both organizations are well-known, respected nonprofits in Denver that serve a wide cross-section of the community with engaging educational programming. They are also committed to presenting the very best in regional and national musical entertainment to their patrons.
Swallow Hill Music promotes more than 200 concerts per year at its 71 E. Yale Ave. venue and other venues across the metro area, including the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Their focus on genres that include roots, folk and acoustic music is a perfect fit for the Gardens’ concert venues and serves similar audiences. As SCFD-funded organizations that complement each other, the Gardens and Swallow Hill Music are committed to building a collaborative, long-lasting relationship that assists with fulfilling each organization’s mission.
We are excited about the partnership and look forward to a great 2010 concert season! Welcome Swallow Hill Music!
Swallow Hill Flowers
