No, not in pole-vault (with sunflowers) or fencing (with pruning sheers) or swimming (among the lilies), but as a part of an international exhibit of botanic gardens called  “Homes for plants, Gardens for humans” located at the Science & Technology Park at the Olympic Village, Beijing. This exhibit highlights what over 70 botanic gardens (including ours) are [...]

This Thursday night, Denver Botanic Gardens is hosting an independent film screening of the movie The Real Dirt on Farmer John. Acompanying this event will be a “Local Food Open House” featuring local farmers, farmer’s markets, co-ops, bakers, community gardening organizations and more. (if you’re coming, please pre-register! We’re expecting a full house).
A couple of [...]

Please join me in congratulating my University of Denver graduate student, Maggie Gaddis, on the successful defense of her masters thesis, “Environmental impact of restoration of riparian ecosystems: fitting Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) into the picture.” This research was funded by a grant to Denver Botanic Gardens by the Center for Invasive Plant Management [...]

Flowers don’t wave to gardeners. They grow, they bloom, they wave gently in the breeze, but they don’t wave to gardeners, even if gardeners wave first. They reserve their flirtatious side for pollinators. They only wave to catch the roving eye of insects.

  
Remember that photographic puzzler I posted? Well, yes, the answer seems to have been widely known: the Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden was undergoing its every-few-years renewal burning. The other, exciting picture above captures a bit of the day, and the other shows blackened swaths. The sedate pictures below reveal the exciting success of the burn.
    

Who was the best, most inspiring or thought-provoking speaker you’ve seen recently? I’m sure a couple of people stand out above the noise for each of you. We have the honor of hosting such a speaker next week. On Tuesday, April 1st at 7 pm, Rick Darke is promising us a provocative, edgy (his word) [...]

So I was walking through the Laura Porter Smith Plains Garden photographing something else and saw… What? Can you tell what is in the picture? Yes, its of a plant, but which plant, what part of the plant and why does it look that way?
Knowing its in the Plains Garden may give you a clue, but not [...]

During our recent stairwell work in the Boettcher Memorial Education Building, all of our staff and visitors had to avoid the public stairwell and use the elevator or the stairs near my office. One day, I found a child and chaperone looking for their school group. I volunteered to guide them to the classrooms to [...]

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 [...]