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On this Thanksgiving Day as I ponder all the things I am thankful for, one that comes to the forefront is how fortunate I am to work at the Denver Botanic Gardens. With a mission of connecting people

During my current visit to Madagascar, I had the enviable opportunity to visit the unique spiny desert ecosystem, located in the south and southwestern part of the country. What amazing diversity! Hot

Is it a coincidence that Walt Whitman named his revolutionary collection of poetry "Leaves of Grass"? Grass is the dominant vegetation in our region, and ornamental grasses have revolutionized

Early this spring around mid-March, the native Plains Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens underwent a simulated version of a vital ecological process of the shortgrass prairie -- FIRE. Fire is important

This is a question I get asked quite frequently. To me as a horticulturist and a plant lover, it is a very complex question to answer. It is like asking a mom to choose her favorite child. Each plant

Just an update: I thought it was finishing (first photo above), this green-blossomed liana of a legume shows that it has the long haul in mind. I've discovered that there are several more inflorescences on the jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) and that you might be able to see it bloom either upstairs or down in the Conservatory. The staff and volunteers at the Information Desk assure me they have people come and ask about the "green flowers" or "every-nine-years vine," so I know people are interested. Just to clarify, it took nine years of growing before it bloomed. Will it bloom next year? We have to wait and see.

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.

The jade vine is in full bloom! There are two long, hanging columns of flowers right now, with a few more to go. Green flowers have the reputation of being subtle, but this is really wild! I was up on the mezzanine, and a cluster of garden visitors was exclaiming over it. We agreed that describing them as "green just doesn't really cover it." It is really a tribute to the Conservatory team's perserverence that we have a blooming Strongylodon macrobotrys to show Denver.

We’ve had the poison dart frogs here in the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory since early November when they were still pretty young. Conservatory staff members have been raising fruit flies