Have you ever wondered what really happens within plants to help them carry on through the winter? As autumn approaches, the sun begins to set closer to the horizon, leading to cooler nights and shorter day lengths. This sends a warning signal to plants that winter is soon approaching and that they need to get ready to go into dormancy, which is similar to hibernation in animals. During dormancy, the plants stop growing,
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As a botanic garden we get a few calls each week from the public wanting to donate yet another house plant that has outgrown their house. As an accredited living museum, we are very selective in accepting donations. Guided by a Collections Policy and a Collections Plan, we accept only plants that fulfill our collections priorities thereby maintaining the integrity of our collections. So, a few weeks ago when I received an e-mail from Australia inquiring whether we’d be interested in acquiring a Wollemi Pine that was to be displayed as part of an exhibit at the Denver Gem & Mineral Show, I jumped at this opportunity to expand our collections. Though we already had two other specimens in our collection (one though in declining health) the opportunity to acquire another one was not to be missed.
Of all nature’s wonders, one of the most fascinating phenomenons is the annual migration ritual performed by Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in North America. What is amazing is how these tiny creatures, four or five generations removed, return year after year to the same overwintering grounds in Mexico. Millions of monarch butterflies during fall make the trip from the eastern United States and Canada each year to Mexico’s southwestern flank of the Transverse Neovolcanic Mountains congregating in the oyamel fir (Abies religiosa) forest, ten thousand feet in elevation. No other butterfly performs such an arduous migration feat as the monarch with some individuals traveling up to 2,000 miles.
“Then all of a sudden I had the revelation of how enchanting my pond was. I took up my palette. Since then I have hardly had any other subject.” Claude Monet, 1924
Built in 1999, the inspiration for the creation of the Monet Garden was the “Impressionism: Paintings Collected by European Museums” exhibit at the Denver Art Museum which included five paintings by Impressionist landscape painter Claude Monet (1840 – 1926). Monet was also a great gardener and at his home in Giverny, France, he grew formal beds of flowers and fruit trees and built an elaborate water garden, from which he drew inspiration and spent 20 years of his life painting waterlilies.
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Typically plants fall at the bottom of the food chain, eaten by almost all other creatures. The exceptions to the rule are the carnivorous plants, displaying a role reversal from prey to predator. These plants have developed evolutionary mechanisms to trap insects and digest them in order to survive in the nutrient poor habitats they grow in. There are about 600 species of carnivorous plants belonging to 7 families and 15 genera. Carnivory in plants are exhibited by two types of trapping mechanisms – active trapping and passive trapping. The Venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipula) fall under the active trapping category and the pitcher plants (Nepenthes spp. and Sarracenia spp.) fall under the passive trapping category.
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Though seasonal displays can be seen throughout the Gardens, the only significant display of annuals at Denver Botanic Gardens is found in the AAS Garden. Featuring premier annuals from the All-America Selections program, this garden is in spectacular form at this time and was artistically designed by Senior Horticulturist Maria Bumgarner. Through trials throughout the country, the AAS program each year introduces superior varieties proven to be excellent garden performers throughout North America. The AAS Garden features latest and past years’ plant introductions, which includes bedding plants and vegetables.
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L to R: Monica Pell, Tyler Johnson, Aaron Sedivy, Sharon Haan, Kate Watson, Jessica Wright
Each summer, the horticulture department hosts interns who are horticulture students from all over the country. During the ten weeks of their internship, these students become part of our horticulture family getting involved in all departmental activities learning the ins and outs of public horticulture. During the internship each student is assigned a staff mentor and a specific project. In addition to working on their specific projects, they also work in individual gardens, perform group projects, and attend special classes and fieldtrips. Our horticulture internship provides a well-rounded educational experience for horticulture students as they prepare for the next phase of their lives, transitioning from students to professional horticulturists.
Mount Goliath, the northern shoulder of Mount Evans, located within the Arapaho National Forest, takes my breath away each time I visit. Denver Botanic Gardens has been offering guided hikes of the M. Walter Pesman Trail for many years. In addition, we maintain the highest constructed alpine rock garden at this location. As one wanders through the trail, one can witness numerous alpine wildflowers along with one of the most accessible stands of Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines (Pinus aristata), some of them over 1,500 years old.
If you haven’t been up to Mount Goliath, this is the perfect time to get up there before winter sets in the alpine tundra. Denver Botanic Gardens offers free weekly guided tours to Mount Goliath and this week is the final week of tours. The last one will be offered on Thursday, August 6. Please call ahead (720-865-3539) to make reservations.
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