FREE DAYS
Free days for Colorado residents are held throughout the year at both Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield, thanks to funding from the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
 
Free Day at Denver Botanic Gardens takes place on Thursday, July 26.
Free Day at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield takes place on Friday, July 6.

EXHIBITS & ART AT THE GARDENS
Denver Botanic Gardens is one of the premiere locations for world-class art, special exhibits and innovative programs.
Exhibition details subject to change. Visit www.botanicgardens.org for details.

ART AT THE GARDENS

Signature Exhibition:
KIZUNA: WEST MEETS EAST
Through November 4
Denver Botanic Gardens
This season Denver Botanic Gardens proudly unveils the new Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion and Tea Garden with an expanded Japanese Garden (Shofu-En). Kizuna, meaning “the bonds between people” in Japanese, celebrates the profound influence Japan has had on the West by presenting large site-specific art installations in bamboo by internationally-known artists Tetsunori Kawana and Stephen Talasnik. Explore bamboo’s power and versatility in a variety of forms, including living plant displays.

Tetsunori Kawana is a contemporary Japanese installation artist and ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) master. His bamboo installations have been exhibited internationally at institutions including the New York Botanical Gardens, the Moscow National Museum of Russian Fine Art, the 1996 Arte Sella Biennale (Italy), and the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. Kawana has long held natural materials close to the heart of his artistic practice. A student of Hiroshi Teshigahara, third grand master of the progressive Sogetsu School of Ikebana, Kawana’s background in living materials and responsiveness to the rhythms of nature lent itself naturally to sculpture with similar sensibilities. Kawana translates the philosophy of ikebana into architecturally-sized bamboo sculptures emphasizing the beauty, strength and flexibility of the medium. With acute sensitivity to both the drama and subtlety of nature, he transforms poles of bamboo into breathtaking structures of energy and power. His works not only engage an individual’s five senses, but also harness the principles of godai, the Japanese philosophy of five elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Void (sky). Kawana works in green bamboo, which he splits, bends, and manipulates into surprising forms that are individually designed for each site.

Stephen Talasnik is a critically-acclaimed draftsman, sculptor and installation artist whose work reflects a conversation between fine art and architecture. Featured in the New York Times and in Sculpture magazine, Talasnik has exhibited internationally at institutions including Storm King Art Center (NY), Marlborough Gallery (NYC), the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Germany). His work is held in the permanent collections of institutions throughout the world, with notable collections including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; the Metropolitan Museum (NY); the British Museum in London; the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.; and the Albertina, Vienna.

A graduate of the famed Rhode Island School of Design, Talasnik spent several years teaching in Tokyo and studying architecture before moving to New York in 1991. Talasnik draws on many influences, ranging from 1960s futurism to urban planning and visionary architecture. Also present in his work are the fluid forms of nature and the exacting skill of both Piranesi and Brunelleschi.

In 2000 Talasnik began producing both large- and small-scale bamboo sculptures of the same complex, visionary structures that seem to hang weightless in his drawings. Forms meander like rivers or appear to float in space. After an intense design process, Talasnik uses hundreds of bamboo poles to construct large, site-specific structurally-transparent sculptures

EXHIBITION GUIDED TOURS

KIZUNA: WEST MEETS EAST TOURS
Celebrate art, culture and garden tradition through marvelous bamboo displays, the Japanese Garden complex and other standing focal points for Kizuna, our 2012 signature exhibition. Gardens docents will take you on guided tours through our grounds to discover western and eastern bonds between people, art and plants. 

Drop-in tours are available on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. Free with admission, dependent on guide availability.

Tours can be scheduled for groups of 10 or more with three weeks advance notice.

For more details about guided tours, contact tours@botanicgardens.org or 720-865-3539.

GATES GARDEN COURT GALLERY EXHIBITIONS

KENICHI NAGAKURA: FLUID DUALITY
Through August 5
Gates Garden Court Gallery
Denver Botanic Gardens
Nagakura expands the Japanese tradition of bamboo baskets, moving beyond the functional into the realm of abstract sculptural forms. Using splitting and plaiting techniques learned from his grandfather, the artist creates forms that are bold and expressionistic. Organized in collaboration with Tai Gallery, Santa Fe.

Unaffiliated with any of Japan's craft arts organizations, Nagakura is the first recipient of the Cotsen Bamboo Prize, awarded in 2000, and an esteemed independent artist for more than 20 years.

Nagakura’s organic, contemporary pieces are rooted in the functional baskets made for centuries for flower arranging at Japanese tea ceremonies but also borrow from wide-ranging sources, including European sculpture, the American pop art movement, indigenous Japanese forms, and cord-patterned clay work from the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. His fine plaiting mimics complex line drawing and the graceful shapes of his vessels are inspired by human form and by objects from the natural world, such as fallen leaves, emerging shoots, and cocoons.

EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMS

JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY
Sunday, July 1, 8, 15, & 29, 10 a.m. – Noon
Saturday, July 7 & 28, 10 a.m. – Noon
Ella Mullen Weckbaugh Tea House
Denver Botanic Gardens
For centuries, the tea ceremony has been considered the epitome of Japanese life, based on harmony, respect, purity, tranquility and elegant simplicity. Come experience the real thing – a traditional ceremony inside our authentic Japanese Tea House in Shofu-En, the Japanese Garden. Please bring a pair of white socks, and jeans. Shorts or short skirts are not permitted.
Cost: $25 member, $30 non-member.
Instructor: Tokiyo Imanaka.

JOURNEY TO JAPAN SUMMER CAMP
July 16 – 20
Denver Botanic Gardens

TANABATA DAY
Saturday, July 7
Denver Botanic Gardens
Tanabata, also known as the “star festival,” is a Japanese tradition wherein people write their wishes on tanzaku papers (colorful, small strips of papers) and hang them on bamboo branches. People also decorate bamboo branches with various kinds of paper decorations and place them outside their houses. Visit the Gardens to enjoy volunteer-led children’s activities.

2012 ORANGERY DISPLAY
SPECIALTY ANNUALS DISPLAY – through August
A variety of annuals will be on display in our new Orangery. Come walk among the bright, sunny colors of summer.

 
EVENTS AT DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS
Our calendar includes many more events, classes and lectures.
For more details including class listings and/or to register, visit http://catalog.botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-3580.
 

KUNDALINI YOGA
Monday evenings
6 – 7:30 p.m.
Morrison Center
Denver Botanic Gardens
The ancient and sacred practice of Kundalini yoga is the oldest form of yoga, kept secret by advanced yogis until recently. From your very first class, you'll reap the rewards –  including relief from back pain, stress, addiction, depression and insomnia, and weight control. Kundalini yoga promises you peace of mind. Elevate and experience yourself through this ancient science! All levels welcome; no experience required. Please bring water and a yoga mat.
Cost: Single session: $8 member, $10 non-member/drop-in rate.
Instructor: Chris Anne Coviello

SUNRISE T'AI CHI IN THE GARDENS
Tuesday mornings
7 – 8:30 a.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
T'ai Chi classes will be offered by the T'ai Chi Project of Denver. Come learn why The T’ai Chi Project has been successful in its mission of teaching T’ai Chi to so many. Participation allows the learning of the most ancient part of the preparation for T’ai Chi with a session of active learning. All fitness levels are welcome.
Cost: $8 member, $10 non-member.
Instructors: Joe Brady and Jacqui Shumway

SUNRISE VINYASA YOGA IN THE GARDENS
Thursday mornings
7 – 8:30 a.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Vinyasa yoga classes will be offered at the beautiful Denver Botanic Gardens. Vinyasa yoga is a style of yoga where asanas (postures) are linked with breath, creating beautiful movement and flow from one posture to the next. The challenge of the postures and the sense of peace and calm that is cultivated by the end of each yoga class can improve posture, flexibility, and endurance. Beyond the physical benefits, yoga has the ability to positively affect all aspects of life. All levels welcome. Please bring a mat, a towel and water.
Cost: $8 member, $10 non-member.
Instructor: Blake Burger

CHILDREN’S CLASSES AND CAMPS
SEEDLINGS CLASSES FOR TODDELERS AND PRESCHOOLERS (AGES 18 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS)
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning mid-January
Denver Botanic Gardens
Seedlings classes offer a fun, hands-on way for young children, ages 18 months to six years, to explore the plant world while developing an understanding and appreciation for plants and their impor¬tance. Classes include interactive explorations, nature walks and stories for children and their caregivers. Seedlings programs are offered for three different age groups and are modified to fit the developmental needs of each group.

18-24 months, Tuesdays 9:30-10:15 or 10:45-11:30
Stimulate the senses through hands-on experiences with nature.
Cost: $8 per class for members; $10 per class for non-members.

24-36 months, Thursdays 9:30-10:15 or 10:45-11:30
Experience nature through art, movement, songs, stories and the senses.
Cost: $8 per class for members; $10 per class for non-members.

3-5 years, Wednesdays 9:30-10:30 or 11:00-12:00
Dig deeper into the subject with fun activities and projects to take home.
Cost: $10 per class for members; $12 per class for non-members.

GARDEN CAMPS FOR KIDS (AGES 6-12)
Denver Botanic Gardens

WEEK-LONG CAMPS
Grow your mind, plant a new friend and dig into the Gardens with our week-long day camps. Each camp contains a variety of activities that allow you discover the world of plants through art, science, cooking, gardening and outdoor exploration.
Cost: $239 members, $259 non-members. Scholarships are available, call for details.

FAMILY FUN NIGHTS
Mordecai Children’s Garden
Denver Botanic Gardens
Gather the family together on the first Saturday of each month, April to October, for a unique opportunity to explore nature at night in the Mordecai Children’s Garden. Each month brings a new theme with performers in Sagebrush Stage, snacks by the campfire, moon gazing on Marmot Mountain and other fun night time activities. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy in the Children’s Garden. For updated information, please visit our website and let your family’s nightlife bloom.

Cost per night: $20 member for a family of four, $3 for each additional person. $25 non-member for a family of four, $4 for each additional person. Children two and under are free of charge.
 
Pond Dippers – July 7, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
Through September
Denver Botanic Gardens
Situated inside the gates of one of the nation’s top botanic gardens, the 2012 Summer Concert Series at UMB Bank Amphitheater at Denver Botanic Gardens will offer an unrivaled ambience of thousands of blooming plants and the crystal clear music of some of the world’s most sought-after artists.

The 2012 Summer Concert Series, Presented by UMB Bank.

CHATFIELD CONCERT SERIES
Through September
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
The amphitheater at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield will offer the crystal clear music of some of the world’s most sought-after artists in a country setting.

GUIDED WILDFLOWER TOURS ON MOUNT GOLIATH
Tuesdays, Thursdays and some Saturdays, Late June through early August
Discover the life cycles and lore of the alpine tundra and the intense beauty of a natural garden that lasts only 40 frost-free days on a guide-led interpretive tour on the M. Walter Pesman Trail at Mount Goliath. The hike is a moderately difficult, 1.5-mile downhill trek from an altitude of 12,152-11,540 feet. Mount Goliath, a mountain peak section of the Mount Evans area, is 17 miles from Idaho Springs and located within the Arapaho National Forest. The wildflowers, ancient bristlecone pine trees and awesome vistas make for a delightful hike in one of Colorado’s most beautiful natural areas. Hikes begin at 9 a.m.; please allow time for travel to the meeting location. Directions and instructions are available upon registration.
 
Reservations are required and must be made at least a week in advance. Mount Goliath tours are open to adults and children 10 and older.

MORDECAI CHILDREN’S GARDEN
FREE DROP-IN PROGRAMS
Mordecai Children’s Garden
Denver Botanic Gardens
Guests can enhance their visit to the Mordecai Children’s Garden with one of our free drop-in activities. Drop-in activities are offered daily (April through October) and help connect children to the wonders of the natural world. Activities are free with admission and do not require any advanced reservation. Activities are led by volunteers and are weather dependent. Occasionally, they may be cancelled due to inclement weather or volunteer unavailability.

AMERICAN GARDEN AWARD
June – First Frost
Denver Botanic Gardens
Gardens’ visitors can help choose the most popular flower in the United States. Denver Botanic Gardens is one of 28 public gardens in the country participating in the “American Garden Award” competition. Located at the All-America Selections (AAS) Garden, visitors, patrons and gardeners can cast their vote for their favorite flower in the competition by sending a text message, dialing a toll-free number, or mailing in a pre-paid postcard. Signage at the garden will coach people through the voting process.
 
Plant entries in the 2012 competition are:
Angelonia angustfolia ‘Serena Blue’
Begonia Boliviensis 'Santa Cruz Sunset'
Gazania ‘Big Kiss™ White Flame’
Petchoa x Hybrida 'SuperCal Pink Ice PPAF'
Petunia ‘Surfinia® Deep Red’
Sunflower 'Goldie' F1

Voting is open June 1. Winners will be announced in September.  After votes have been counted in the fall, three American Garden Award winners will be announced as the sovereign ornamentals, chosen by popular vote.
 
 
BOTANICAL ART & ILLUSTRATION CLASSES
Art meets science in this certification program for the dedicated illustrator, as well as the devoted amateur. With more than150 classes and workshops offered, artists combine scientific accuracy with an aesthetic vision to create beautiful botanicals. Whether you have painted for years or did your last great work in grade school, our instructors will meet you where you are to begin your botanical art journey.
To register for a class, visit http://catalog.botanicgardens.org/Default.aspx?tagid=10 or call the registrar at 720-865-3580.

BOTANY FOR THE BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATOR
Monday – Friday, July 23 – 27
2 - 5 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
The science of the subjects you draw determines what you see! Take a close look at plant anatomy and learn to recognize botanical details that will make your drawings more accurate and realistic.
Cost: $192 member, $245 non-member
Instructors: Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Renee Jorgensen, Libby Kyer

COMPOSITION FOR BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION
Tue., July 3
6 – 9 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
The arrangement of line, shape and color in artwork is an art form in itself. Learn how to use compositional elements and principles in your art.
Cost: $192 member, $245 non-member
Cost: $205 member, $260 non-member.
Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt

THE ELEGANT LINE: CALLIGRAPHY II
Thursday, July 5, 12
1 – 4 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Whether working in a formal or an informal script, the brush is natural for creating elegant letterforms. Learn how to maneuver the lively springy character of the brush to bring life to letterforms and decorative strokes. Explore media other than black ink to add the final, personal touch to every artwork.
Cost: $192 member, $245 non-member.
Instructor: Renee Jorgensen

MATTING AND FLOATING ARTWORK
Friday, July 13
9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Preparing your work can be fun and affordable if you know the tricks and techniques. This one-day workshop covers mat-cutting and inexpensive framing options.
Cost: $80 member, $110 non-member.
Instructor: Susan Rubin

FRAMING BOTANICAL ART
Saturday, July 14
9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Get your work off the drawing board and onto the wall! This one-day workshop covers the options that will help you to present your art to its best advantage. Learn the steps to the conservation techniques that preserve your pieces in an acid-free environment.
Cost: $80 member, $110 non-member. No prerequisites
Instructor: Susan Rubin

 
2012 BONFILS-STANTON LECTURE SERIES
Keep up with current trends and innovative gardens by attending lectures by renowned speakers from around the country. Here is your chance to learn from the best.
To register, visit www.botanicgardens.org and click on the “programs” link, e-mail registrar@botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-3580.

2012 BONFILS-STANTON SERIES
BEYOND BARK: PLAYING, LEARNING, GROWING IN DENVER’S CANOPY
A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.
John Muir

In this Year of the Tree, we are reminded of what these magnificent creations mean to us and what their very idea has (and will continue to) conjured up and stirred within each of us.

Our 2012 series will feature a variety of speakers who have each been immensely inspired by trees and the natural world. Their inspirations have led the speakers to diverse expressions from the building of fantastical tree houses, to creating a miniature depiction of nature with bonsai, to seeing beyond the ordinary and capturing the uniqueness and beauty of bark on camera.

A parallel series of smaller more intimate workshops will accompany the lectures and provide personal opportunities to create, to grow and to experience. Be sure to visit the Bonfils-Stanton Series page on our website for more information on the series and speakers.

JULY LECTURE
BEAUTIFUL, EDIBLE TREES
Nan K. Chase
Thursday, July 19
7 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Mitchell Hall
To honor the Year of the Tree, Chase focuses on an often overlooked role of trees in the edible landscape. A single nut tree or fruit tree in the garden may be just a happy accident but Chase suggests a more intentional approach and choosing from a wide range of trees for your own landscape – be it a townhouse balcony, a suburban yard or amidst farm acreage.

Your edible landscape will provide you with landscape beauty across several seasons, fruits and nuts for the longest time possible each year and surplus food production for winter use.

Nan K. Chase has been gardening for 30 years in western North Carolina, and now specializes in perennial ornamentals and in native Appalachian trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, as well as fruit and vegetable crops. Her latest book, Eat Your Yard!: Edible Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Herbs and Flowers for Your Landscape, was published in 2010 by Gibbs Smith. Freelance journalism credits include The New York Times, Washington Post, Southern Living, and Smithsonian Magazine. She is founding president of the Asheville E-Z Gardeners club and serves on the Board of Governors of the Daniel Boone Native Gardens, in Boone, North Carolina, and the Buncombe County Historic Resources Commission, in Asheville, North Carolina.

*Related Workshop*
Harnessing Garden Food Power, with Nan K. Chase
Friday, July 20
Here’s a chance to maximize the economical, nutritional output of any edible landscape using methods like canning, freezing, dehydrating, pickling, and fermentation (cider, perry, and garden wines). Learn the basics of these techniques as they apply to fruit, vegetables, herbs and nuts. Enhance the year-round usefulness of your garden.

*Related Tour*
A Tree Expert Opens His Edible Yard
Saturday, July 21
10 a.m.
We will travel to Fort Collins to tour the private orchard of Scott Skogerboe, a recognized historical tree expert. Scott’s three-acre property boasts well over 150 different edible fruits, nuts and berries that create a magnificent edible landscape.

HELEN FOWLER LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
Enjoy extended hours to support the novice and professional plant enthusiast. Make use of journals, books, and video resources. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Friday.
 
View the online catalog at www.botanicgardens.org.
 
GARDENING HELP
We have answers to your gardening questions! Colorado Master Gardeners are available to answer questions on July 26, noon – 4 p.m. (Free Day). Master Gardeners are also on site from noon – 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Access our experts the following ways:
• In-person at the Gardens' Helen Fowler Library
• By phone: 720-865-3575
• Via e-mail: gardeninghelp@botanicgardens.org

Gardening Help is a joint program of Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and Denver Botanic Gardens.