The Weekly Bloom: Week of April 17

Flowering Almond

Suddenly, everything is popping, and there is much to see and enjoy everywhere you look. Here is just a taste of what is in bloom at the Gardens:

Forsythia

• Blossoms: Forsythia is glowing all over Denver now. View a particularly beautiful bank of these golden blooms in the Romantic Garden just next to the Waring Gate. You can’t miss the white flowers of Flowering Pear (Pyrus calleryana), one of the most popular street trees around here for its pear-shaped form, clean white blossoms, and gorgeous fall color. View a large specimen on the north side of the Japanese Garden.

Magnolia

• More Blossoms: Pink is beginning to make its entrance, much of it in the form of one Prunus or another. Prunus is the catch-all name for every kind of stone fruit, from cherries to apricots to peaches, plums and even almonds! See a gorgeous flowering almond, Prunus tenella, at the east end of the Rock Alpine Garden. In addition, all around the Gardens, the magnolias are just stunning. We haven’t had a frost in almost two weeks, giving these delicate beauties a chance to really show off.

Checkerbloom

• Bulbs: Many new bulbs have opened in the past week, including hyacinths and fritillaria, also known as checkerbloom. Carpets of Iris reticulata, Scilla and its relatives, and Muscari appear around every corner. New tulips are opening daily, in an astonishing array of colors.

Marsh Marigold

• Water Color: Take a look around our ponds and streams for the bright yellow Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris), an early bloomer which loves to have its feet wet. The stream in the Birds and Bees Garden has a fine clump.

Favorite lunch spot this week: Try a bench in or near the Water Garden Gazebo, where you can gaze out onto three Henry Moore sculptures and peek at our resident Canada Goose mother-to-be sitting on her nest.

Carpet of Color

Gardens to spend time in: The Perennial Walk sports new blooms daily, as does the Rock Alpine Garden, though there they can be more subtle. The All-America Selections Garden is all tulips and pansies just now—great colors! Though the lilacs in the Lilac Garden are not yet blooming, hundreds of daffodils at their feet are in full glory this week. And stop by the Himalayan section of June’s Plantasia to see dozens and dozens of red tulips opening.