FREE DAYS
Colorado residents can enjoy a special free day at the Gardens and Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield, thanks to funding from the SCFD.
Denver Botanic Gardens (York Street location): Wednesday, March 27
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield: Friday, March 1

MORDECAI CHILDRENS GARDEN
Marmots like Digger, the mascot for Mordecai Children’s Garden, hibernate over the winter to ensure they return the following spring refreshed and ready for the warmer weather. Mordecai Children’s Garden, weather permitting, is scheduled to reopen on March 1, 2013.

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 [1] for details.

GATES GARDEN COURT GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
 
COLEOPTERA & FRIENDS: PAINTINGS BY ROBERT SPELLMAN
Through May 12
Gates Garden Court Gallery
Denver Botanic Gardens
Robert Spellman uses color and texture to create enchantingly rich canvases. In this exhibition, the isolated, ethereal images of beetles and flowers feel simultaneously scientific and mystic. Often painting over old canvases and incorporating old fabrics in his surface treatments, the formal qualities of the images give way to an archaeology of layers and meaning.

2012 ORANGERY DISPLAY
Through April 28: Bulbs & Pelargonium display
 

EVENTS AT DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS
Our calendar includes many more events, classes and lectures.
Visit www.botanicgardens.org [1] or call 720-865-3585 for details.

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

BEHIND-THE-SCENES DAYS
Each Saturday
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Visitors will have the opportunity to experience behind-the-scenes areas of Denver Botanic Gardens. Members of the Gardens’ library, research, herbaria and laboratories will be on hand inside Gates Garden Court with displays on each of these important areas of the Gardens. In addition, mini-tours of these areas will be available every half hour to allow visitors even greater behind-the-scenes access.

NEW GARDENER BOOT CAMP
Saturday, March 2
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Botanic Gardens presents a full day event designed to help beginning gardeners get started on the right foot by offering the Gardens’ best beginner’s classes that are carefully designed to equip attendees master their garden once and for all.

Classes include:
STARTING YOUR GARDEN FROM SEED
SOILS AND COMPOSTING 101
GORGEOUS AND EASY CONTAINER GARDENS
BEGINNING VEGETABLE GARDENING
ANNUALS AND PERENNIALS FOR COLOR IN THE GARDEN

Lunch is included.
Cost: These classes combined usually cost more than $200, but with our daylong New Gardener Boot Camp, all of this information is available for only $60 for members / $80 non-members.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HOME GARDEN
Sunday, March 3
2 – 5 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Whether your home garden is 50 or 500 square feet, you can make the most of it.  Learn easy-to-use techniques for maximizing your vegetable production like creating a master plan, soil preparation, seed starting, succession planting and much more.
Cost: $35 members & non-members
Instructor: Sundari Kraft

GORGEOUS GRASSES
Tuesday, March 12
7 – 9 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
No other group of plants responds to light and movement quite like ornamental grasses do. These fabulous plants are finally getting the popularity they deserve; more species and selections are available than ever, and innovative design work is pioneering new ways of using them. Lauren will discuss a mix of lovely exotic and thrifty native North American grasses, and show inspirational examples of their incorporation in garden settings, including steppe and prairie-style plantings.
Cost: $25 members / $30 non-members
Instructor: Lauren Springer Ogden

BEGINNING ROCKY MOUNTAIN GARDENING
Wednesdays, March 13, 20 & 27
6 – 8 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
If you have never gardened before or are looking for more success, this is the class for you! Learn the basics of gardening in our finicky climate and the skills necessary to become an enthusiastic gardener. Annuals, perennials, and vegetables will be discussed; along with trees and shrubs for our climate, elevation, and varying soils. We will discuss plant selection, planting, and troubleshooting as we visit strategic areas of the Gardens. Leave with the knowledge and resources you need to plant the garden you have always wanted.
Cost: $78 members / $88 non-members
Instructor: Patti O’Neal

MEET THE SCIENTISTS
Wednesday, March 13
Noon – 1 p.m.
Gates Hall
Denver Botanic Gardens
Scott Bates - Diversity of Fungi
Visitors will have the opportunity to engage members of Denver Botanic Gardens’ Research and Conservation team for in-depth discussions about the research they do to document and protect Colorado’s natural heritage. These scientists play a critical role in the conservation, preservation and documentation of native Colorado flora by serving as an active center of biodiversity research for the Southern Rocky Mountain region. Each talk is included in Gardens admission.

CHILDREN’S CLASSES AND CAMPS
SEEDLINGS CLASSES FOR TODDELERS AND PRESCHOOLERS (AGES 18 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS)
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
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 importance. Each week brings a new theme filled with 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.  Visit http://catalog.botanicgardens.org [2] for more details.

18-24 MONTHS
Tuesdays 9:30 – 10:15 a.m. -OR- 10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
Stimulate the senses through hands-on experiences with nature.
Cost: $8 member / $10 non-member

24-36 MONTHS
Thursdays, 9:30 – 10:15 a.m. -OR- 10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
Experience nature through art, movement, songs, stories and the senses.
Cost: $8 member / $10 non-member

3-6 YEARS
Wednesdays, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. -OR- 11 a.m. – Noon
Dig deeper with fun activities and projects to take home.
Cost: $10 member / $12 non-member

WEEK-LONG CAMPS FOR KIDS (AGES 6-12)
Denver Botanic Gardens
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 to discover the world of plants through art, science, cooking, gardening and outdoor exploration.
Cost: $239 member / $259 non-member

Garden Explorers
March 25 – 29
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Get ready for a fun week of exploration, crafts and culinary arts as you spend your spring break taking advantage of all the Gardens has to offer. We’ll explore gardens around the globe, create our own container garden and use fresh ingredients to hone our culinary skills.

THE SCHOOL OF BOTANICAL ART & ILLUSTRATION
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 [3] or call the registrar at 720-865-3580.

CAFÉ BOTANIQUE
Every First and Third Thursday
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens
This lecture environment provides an atmosphere where botanical science, research and the arts come together for academia, artists and the general public to enrich understanding of plants, art and people and engage in community dialogue. There is no admission fee and pre-registration is not required. Refreshments will be provided. Visit www.botanicgardens.org [1] for details.

HELEN FOWLER LIBRARY & ARCHIVES
Our hours 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.

GARDENING HELP
We have answers to your gardening questions! Colorado Master Gardeners are available to answer questions.
• March 27, noon – 4 p.m. (Free Day)
Master Gardeners are also on site Tuesdays, noon – 4 p.m.
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 [4]

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