Late autumn glory: crocuses and colchicums still at it!

Now Ellen! I don’t decry your lovely shots of snow, but flowers are still
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This Week at the Gardens: October 21st

Fall Colors

The first freeze of the season has come and gone. A few of our annuals have bitten the dust, but numerous perennials are absolutely sparkling in the crystal clear air that characterizes fall in Colorado. In addition,  
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The Weekly Bloom: November 4th

Sumac Collage

My meager photography skills are not equal to the tremendous vistas that await you this week in the Gardens! Do you remember last fall,when a mid-October hard freeze killed the leaves on the trees and left us with only crunchy brown for our autumn color?
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Root beer tree at the Gardens (Sassafras albidum)

Sassafras albidum (Nuttall) Nees in Sensory garden

Any tree lover who’s spent time in the Eastern woodlands knows Sassafras: it is an abundant tree, often in cleared fields. I know of only two specimens in Colorado,
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The Weekly Bloom: Week of October 9th

Salvia azurea

Now that the weather seems finally to be cooling down, take a stroll around the Gardens to catch the last of the late summer blooms and beginnings of fall color. A bit of each for you today:
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Don’t Miss It! Week of November 14th

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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Don’t Miss It! Week of October 17th

Ahh, Colorado! You gotta love it: 17 degrees last weekend, 70 degrees this weekend. This year, we did not go gently into winter cold—we were thrown in head first—and many of our plants are reflecting that. Still, there is plenty to enjoy on a crisp autumn day.

• You can still find flowers
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