A New Beginning
By necessity, as a botanic garden located in the high, arid west, we have specialized over the years in the art and science of making plants thrive in this challenging climate. Gardening in the Rocky Mountains is all about sustainability. It begins with choosing plants that will not wither in the summer heat or perish in our long, cold winters; that will thrive on little or no water and are still beautiful and easy to care for.
There is also the matter of water, our most precious resource. Many of our regional gardening techniques are geared toward using as little as possible and getting the most from every drop. Sustainability of ecosystems is a growing field of interest. A backyard is no longer just a pretty garden; it is a habitat, a place to feed, shelter and protect our native plants, pollinators, birds and other wildlife.
As we turn over a new leaf at Denver Botanic Gardens, we are also embarking on the discovery of new definitions of sustainability. People are discovering their local food web; the idea of sustaining themselves from their own gardens; how to live more lightly on the earth. With our colleagues at the Front Range Sustainable Landscaping Alliance, we are hosting a symposium (on Valentine’s Day, even) dedicated to understanding and then improving the sustainability of our landscapes. Titled “Passion to Action: Professional Practices for Now and the Future” we hope all the participants will arrive at new understandings of the green industry! Click here for more information or stayed tuned to this blog for updates.
So times are changing, and it seems local, organic and natural are our new values. Programs at Denver Botanic Gardens will explore questions of increasing relevance: Is it possible to eat local in Colorado? What is permaculture? Does green business make good business sense? How can we integrate nature into our urban spaces? Will global warming affect my food supply?
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As I read this entry, it really stuck me how large a turnaround gardens and sustainability have made. There was a time when gardens and landscaping were considered the taming of a wild frontier or of Americans “matching” Europe’s civilization. And later, the uniformity of evenly trimmed lawns in small towns was considered a sign of solidarity and equality. The sustainability that mattered was sustaining a way of life directly from the land.
Today, gardens are refuges from modernity, change and sprawl. Landscapes are used to soften or hide our walls, streets and walkways. Or, when we’re lucky enough to find a larger tract, landscaping is used to restore the wildness that was once everywhere. Sustainable still means continued livability, but it now implies in spite of human activity rather than through human works.
To those of us who garden regularly, there is no question that gardening is a good engagement, and we can make it as sustainable as we choose. For those growing our meals, we trade the use of water for fresh vegetables. For others, a xeriscape of low or no water is more sustainable because they have no time to harvest.
For some, the Denver Botanic Gardens Urban Homesteading class series will be perfect (under Life-Long Learning in the online class registration area). For others the Gardens Rocky Mountain Gardening classes will be a starting point. Check out - http://www.peopleware.net/index.cfm?siteID=361&eventDisp=08RMGCERT&branchExpand=E_08RMGCERT.
Finally, stay tuned for more classes that continue to address sustainability directly: both new and experienced gardeners who want to check their sustainability assumptions will benefit from them.