</p> Each year, we enhance the winter wonderland of Blossoms of Light with more lights, new colors and innovative features. But there’s a lot more to the event than just the lights! After two record-breaking years of attendance, we spent the better part of this year making changes to the event that will improve our visitor experience for all.</p> More Time in the Lights!</strong> This year, the Gardens will close each day at 4 p.m., which will allow us to open the doors to Blossoms of Light at 5 p.m. – half an hour earlier than last year.</p> More Restrooms </strong> In addition to those in the Boettcher Memorial Center and Marnie’s Pavilion, the restrooms at The Hive Garden Bistro are now available all year long.</p> Early Exit Points</strong> Because the Blossoms of Light path is one-way, departing the event early has been a bit of a challenge. This year, we’ve added three early-exit opportunities to guests who need to leave the path for any reason.</p> Ticketing Changes </strong> Limited tickets each night will help us avoid over-crowding. While this does mean that our visitors will need to plan a little farther in advance, it should make even our busiest evenings feel less crowded. In addition, door pricing offers visitors an extra incentive for purchasing in advance – tickets are $5 less than if you purchase at the door the night you attend!</p> Skip the Parking Hassle</strong> We’ve partnered with Lyft to offer Blossoms of Light visitors two different discounts. New users save $5 off their first three rides with code GARDENS17. Existing users save 20 percent on a single ride to or from the Gardens with code BOL2017. And don’t forget: the Gardens is easily accessible by two RTD bus lines, has several Car2Go spots (for the smaller smart fortwo cars) and has a B-Cycle station just outside the main entrance.</p> Got a Question? Drop us a line!</strong> Send us an email at info@botanicgardens.org</a> or call us 720-865-3500 if you have any questions about the event or your tickets.</p> Blossoms of Light is open 5-9 p.m. every night from November 24 - January 1. Advance reservations are highly recommended: purchase in advance for the best price and to ensure admittance on your desired date. Get your tickets today!</a></em></p>
. . . and extreme ecological importance in high-elevation wetlands.</p>It’s likely that at some point, you have been out for a stroll and admired a pretty grass fanning gently in the wind…or maybe it was a sedge? Or a rush? It’s also likely that to solve this puzzle you looked musingly to the sky and recited to yourself: sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have knees that bend to the ground</strong>. And voila! You were botanizing, if only for a second, as you made your way in nature.</p>While the first and fundamental step of botanizing is naming what plant you have, the next is understanding how it shapes the ecosystem in which it occurs. With sedges, many of us know about the useful diagnostic clue of the angular stem. But less well known is that sedges of the genus Carex </em>comprise one of the largest plant groups in the world, with more than 2,000 species occurring worldwide. Many sedges have expansive circumboreal distributions spanning from Russia, to the Great Lakes, to Canada.</p>Carex </em>is also the largest genus of plants in Colorado, containing over 100 species. While sedges may not be showy, they are ecological superstars, forming the botanical backbone of one the state’s most important habitat types, the wetland. There are many types of wetlands including marshes, riparian corridors along creeks and streams and peatlands such as bogs and fens. Such habitats are oases in our otherwise semi-arid region, supporting a high diversity of plants and animals, many of which do not occur outside of their wetland refugia.</p>Importantly, wetlands cover only 3-6 percent of Earth’s land area, and they are increasingly threatened by land use change, invasive species, and altered temperature and precipitation regimes. Our hope of dynamically managing wetlands under future conditions rests upon knowing which species occur in the here and now, under contemporary conditions.</p>To contribute to this effort, a crew of staff and volunteers from the Gardens’ Research & Conservation Department made plant collections (to be curated for decades to come in our herbarium) at a high-elevation fen in Gilpin County, CO. From above, the fen glitters like a bright jewel, with a lush carpet of lime-green sedges punctuated by sun-lit pools of water.</p>Take flight over the fen yourself! </a>The abundant sedges, along with water-loving wildflowers like grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris</em>) and elephant’s head (Pedicularis groenlandica</em>), root themselves into deep, peaty substrates that take thousands of years to accumulate. (The slow work of peat formation makes fens extremely hard to restore and much of our team worked from the upland sidelines during collection.) </p>While some sedges grow in drier habitats, they often prefer or are restricted to wetlands. Because of this affinity, sedges speak volumes about wetland type and health. For example, “obligate wetland” species are just that—obligated to grow in wetlands—so their presence helps to define wetland boundaries and suggests a relatively intact hydrologic regime.</p>Our survey of the Gilpin County fen turned up 11 species of Carex,</em> five of which are obligate to wetlands and four of which highly prefer them (these being “facultative wetland” species). The presence of another beautiful sedge, Eriophorum angustifolium</em>, told tale of the ecological integrity of the fen. This species, sometimes called cottongrass for its fluffy shock of snow-white seed heads, is dependent on relatively pristine wetland habitat to survive. We were happy to include it on our plant list of 160 species found at the site this year!</p>In closing, let’s return to the first and fundamental step of botanizing: naming what you have. Sedges are an extremely difficult group to get to know. Sedges having edges is the tip of the diagnostic iceberg (with even this well-known ID hack having many exceptions), and taxonomically defining this one slice of the botanical menagerie is a feat. Luckily for folks who botanize in Colorado, Dr. Janet Wingate has just made the world of sedges more accessible with her illustrated publication titled Sedges of Colorado</em>. Check it out and make room for it in your backpack on your next hike!</p>
It’s a little hard to believe, but fall truly is upon us. The days are shorter, the air is crisper and, any day now, the trees will let go of their leaves and keep us busy raking until November. During this time of the year, many visitors ask if there are still plants worth seeing in the outdoor displays. Certainly, many flowers are still putting on a show. The easiest way to find them is to follow the hordes of bees and butterflies collecting the last bits of pollen to aid in their journey south or to prepare for their winter break. However, fall is also the best time to appreciate some of the plant features that are overlooked in the warmer months. Among these are berries, evergreen foliage and interesting bark patterns.</p> The snowberry shrub (Symphoricarpus albus)</em>, so called because of the many clusters of small, white berries, is a plant that becomes more beautiful as its leaves begin to drop. Most seasons, the berries persist through the winter providing food for foraging birds. A large group of these shrubs can be seen along the Monet Pond as you enter the Japanese Garden.</p> Another group of plants with a spectacular late-season fruit set are the prickly pear cacti (Opuntia spp.</em>). Throughout several of our gardens, including Water-Smart Garden and Dryland Mesa, Opuntia phaeacantha</em> are covered in fruit that is not only beautiful, but also quite delicious once all the spines are removed!</p> In addition to thriving in dry conditions and producing a gorgeously scented bloom in late spring, the semi-evergreen foliage of Daphne ‘Carol Mackie’ (Daphne x burkwoodii </em>‘Carol Mackie’) also provides an interesting texture to the fall landscape. Deciduous evergreen shrubs are somewhat hard to come by in Colorado; for some of the best examples at the Gardens, check out the Romantic Gardens.</p> My last suggestion for appreciating the Gardens in fall is to admire the tree bark that is so often overshadowed by leaves and flowers during the growing season. That being said, my number one recommendation happens to be the bark of an evergreen tree, Pinus bungeana, </em>or the Lacebark Pine. You must make a visit to the Birds and Bees Walk to see the camouflage-like bark of this gorgeous specimen!</p>
Colorado is known worldwide for its lush mountain habitats with towering forests of pine, fir and aspen. This grand topography, tied to a romantic history of silver mining and pioneer grit, shapes much of the state’s identity. Yet it is only one part of Colorado’s unique ecological and human story.</p> The Eastern Plains of Colorado comprise 40 percent of the state’s land, boasting their own natural beauty and rich history of people forging close ties to the land. In an age when people are aggregating in cities and, some might argue, losing touch with the faraway lands that provide their food and fiber, rural landowners are becoming critical stewards of our ecological treasures.</p> Cattle ranching is a major part of the agricultural economy on the Eastern Plains. In contrast to planting crops, which is a (necessary) land use that displaces native plants and animals, grazing can support diverse and ecologically important habitat. This is because sustainable cattle grazing mimics historic conditions, when bison roamed the prairies feeding on native grasses. The result is that many ranchers in eastern Colorado steward healthy grassland habitats that reduce soil erosion, filter water and enhance groundwater recharge, and support abundant wildlife. Now consider two things: private grazing lands cover nearly one-third of the nation, and many of these grasslands are woefully under-studied from a botanical perspective.</p> Botanical inventories form the foundation of plant biodiversity research, which aims to understand where different species occur and why. Such understanding has far-reaching applications, from documenting where medically important plants occur, to determining how species will respond to global change. During a botanical inventory, individuals of different plant species are collected and accessioned into a herbarium, where both the specimen and its associated data are curated in perpetuity.</p> At Denver Botanic Gardens, we have more than 60,000 plants accessioned in the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium. We are still growing the collection to expand knowledge about Colorado’s plant communities. A look at the numbers reveals a striking gap in what we know about grasslands: of more than half a million plant collections made in Colorado since the early 1700s, less than 30,000 (5 percent) are from the 14 counties that make up the state’s rural Eastern Plains. This lack of data represents a serious challenge to conserving one of the nation’s major ecosystems.</p> This past summer, staff and volunteers from the Gardens had the opportunity to survey well-stewarded, private grazing lands in Kiowa County, which is in the southeastern corner of the state on the border of Kansas. Unbroken (never ploughed or tilled) grassland habitat provides the closest representation of pristine prairie available to researchers today. We surveyed beautiful sandhill sage prairie habitat on the properties of Cardon G. Berry and Cathryn Anderson, both of whom have long-time family ranches.</p> If you have not seen sandhill sage prairie, Go East, young men and women! This habitat occurs on deep, sandy soils associated with dune systems and ancient floodplains. Sandhill sage (Artemisia filifolia</em>) shrubs have thread-like silvery leaves filled with aromatic compounds that perfume the sun-warmed prairie air. A sea of visually and taxonomically diverse grasses, including blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis</em>), sand bluestem (Andropogon hallii</em>), and western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii</em>), grow within the shrub matrix. During the team’s September survey, many of the grasses had dehisced (let loose) their anthers, presenting an explosion of miniature yellow, magenta, and orange streamers to those with a keen eye. Several species with showy flowers streaked the prairie with late-season color. One of our favorites of the trip, a golden beauty of the daisy family, Pectis angustifolia</em>, smelled of the freshest lemons in Italy when crushed (true to one of its common names, Limoncello).</p> Despite the lure of so many olfactory and visual distractions, the field team, led by Dr. Janet Wingate, collected over 48 county records in Kiowa this year! This fact is both inspiring and sobering: inspiring because our own backyards still hold the promise of fresh discovery; sobering because until we document what is in our own backyards, we cannot hope to conserve them for future generations. We thank the private landowners who helped us explore another corner of the world this field season!</p>
August and September are prime months to see the water gardens in their full glory. This is the season that every water gardener daydreams about during the winter. The design and planning of the displays during those cold, dark months, along with the work of propagating and planting during the spring, have paid off with a colorful rainbow of aquatic blooms.</p> Tropical waterlilies (Nymphaea</em> hybrids), Water Platters (Victoria</em> ‘Longwood Hybrid’ and Victoria</em> cruziana</em>) and marginal aquatic plants (named for their growth along the margins of a pond in water-logged soil or shallow water) including Canna </em>hybrids and Red-Stemmed Thalia (Thalia geniculata f. ruminoides) </em>are all at peak growth and bloom. Hardy waterlilies also continue to flower during this time.</p> While this is a great time to enjoy the fruits of their labor, there is still work for our horticulturists and volunteers to do in the summer months to ensure the display ponds look their best.</p> Grooming</strong></h3> Volunteers and staff work in the ponds three to four days a week performing general maintenance. This includes removing aging leaves as they begin to turn yellow and decay, as well as removing spent blooms, which last an average of three days for most waterlily varieties. This routine grooming accomplishes three goals – it keeps the water garden displays looking their best, prevents older plant growth from decomposing in the ponds (which would feed algae), and it ensures that the plants are able to put all of their energy into producing new growth, rather than seed pods if the blooms have been pollinated.</p> Fertilizing</strong></h3> Along with grooming the plants weekly, volunteers and staff also fertilize all of our aquatic plants twice a month from early June through late August. The exceptions to this schedule are the Water Platters and Gorgon Plants (Euryale ferox</em>), which are fertilized weekly with increasing doses of fertilizer as they grow through late September.</p> Specially formulated aquatic plant fertilizer tablets called Pondtabbs (10-14-8) are used to feed all of our aquatic plants. Each of our plants grows in its own container of soil, and the tablets are pushed into the soil around the root system of each plant at a dose of one tablet per gallon of soil, with a higher dose given to our Water Platters and Gorgon Plants.</p> We stop fertilizing our hardy aquatic plants in late August in order to encourage them to taper off their growth and begin preparing for winter dormancy. Tropical waterlilies are encouraged to form tubers in the soil by also discontinuing their fertilization in late August. These tubers will be harvested in October and stored for use in subsequent seasons.</p> Other Routine Maintenance</strong></h3> In addition to grooming and fertilizing the plants, the Gardens also performs routine maintenance of the water in the ponds. A non-toxic, food-grade black dye is added to the ponds weekly as needed in order to maintain the dark coloration seen throughout our displays. This dye performs multiple tasks - it blocks out sunlight to deter the growth of single-celled and string algae, hides the planting containers and creates a reflective surface that makes the aquatic plants stand out even more.</p> Beneficial bacteria is also added to the waterways weekly as needed. These microscopic organisms work to break down excess nutrients in the water, which in turn keeps the growth of algae to a minimum.</p> Another part of our routine maintenance is “tweaking” the displays as the plants grow throughout the season. With each plant in its own container, it is easy to move plants to keep them from growing into or over each other. Water gardeners are also able to move plants to the ponds’ edges as they come into peak bloom so visitors can get a better view.</p> We hope you will take the opportunity to visit in the coming weeks while the water gardens are looking their best. Stay tuned for a fall update detailing our work preparing the aquatic plant collection for the upcoming winter months!</p>
</p>On select evenings each summer, the Gardens transforms into one of Denver’s most unique outdoor venues for the Summer Concert Series. Concert-goers carve out their favorite spots on the grassy slopes of the UMB Bank Amphitheater, wander the Gardens as twilight sets in, and enjoy intimate performances from their favorite artists in the shadow of the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory.</p>For a behind-the-scenes look at how these artists get to the stage, we talked to Roger Menell, the concert director/talent buyer at Swallow Hill Music, for insights into the process that leads up to the line-up announcement each year.</p>How far in advance of the first concert does Swallow Hill begin the search/booking process for artists?</strong>As soon as the Summer Concert Series ends, we earnestly start the booking conversations for the following summer, but it can sometimes start even earlier. I can think of one instance where we confirmed a booking for the following year while the current season was still underway. It usually takes a few months of back and forth communication with talent representatives before the shows start confirming.</p>What are the most important factors you consider when you are booking the Summer Concert Series?</strong>There are so many factors to consider! However, the most important ones are:</p>Can the artist fill the amphitheater with fans?</li>Is the artist a good fit for the venue? Will their sound work in this unique environment?</li>Will the Denver Botanic Gardens/Swallow Hill community want to support this artist?</li>Does the booking compliment the rest of season? We try to book a mixture of musical styles and also try to balance familiar names with some fresh faces.</li></ul>How are opening acts selected? Are they typically part of the tour, or do they book separately?</strong>It's about half and half, but some shows have no opener at all. Usually, about 40% of the headliners will bring an opener as part of their tour, 40% of the openers are booked separately by Swallow Hill, and 20% of the shows have no opener. If you attend a show called “An Evening With…”, there is no opener for that show.</p>What are the biggest challenges to booking the Summer Concert Series?</strong>The greatest challenge is competition with other venues; there are lots of places to play in Denver in the summer. Dates are always a huge challenge, as well. A tour may be coming through Denver at a time that falls outside the time frame of the concert series, or the tour may occur on dates that the Gardens are unavailable.</p>How many Swallow Hill team members does it take to run a concert at the Gardens? </strong>At the show, we'll have around six staff members from Swallow Hill on site. However, this doesn't include our contracted employees who take care of the technical aspects of the production, such as lighting and sound. We're also backed up by our administrative teams in finance, marketing etc. back at our office. Denver Botanic Gardens also provides a team of staff for each concert to manage setup, security, visitor entry, VIP reserved areas, and more. It takes lots of people to produce these concerts!</p>Are there any shows you think we shouldn’t miss?</strong>Sure! You shouldn't miss The Mavericks (July 28) or Herbie Hancock (August 14). However, those shows are already sold out! We only have tickets remaining for 3 of the 15 shows at the Gardens: Randy Newman (August 7), Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home “Love and Comedy” Show (August 13 at Chatfield Farms) and Lucero with special guest Paper Bird (August 27).</p>The Summer Concert Series, presented by UMB Bank, is produced as a partnership of Denver Botanic Gardens and </em>Swallow Hill Music</em></a>.</em></p>
Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you.</p> This simple, well known love poem may bring a smile or cringe to your face. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and for better or worse, it causes us to think of those we love, lost or hope will someday love us. The rose is an oft-used token of love, but plants and Valentine’s Day may have more in common than you think. Plants like to get it on and can also help you get in the mood.</p> Did you know that many plants have or produce fruits with aphrodisiac properties? Cacao – used to make chocolate – grow in pods on Cacao trees. The aroma of vanilla, derived from some orchids, is very sensuous. Mint has long been considered a sexual stimulant. Basil is associated with the voodoo love goddess Erzuli and has been used in love spells for divination and ensuring fidelity. Believe it or not, garlic has been used as an aphrodisiac since the Ancient Egyptians. A combination of apple cider vinegar and honey is said to stimulate the production of sex hormones in both women and men, and doubles men’s stamina.</p> The Gardens’ has several Valentine’s Day-themed programs that are sure to educate and possibly arouse feelings of romance. We also a kid-friendly Valentine’s Day program!</p> Orchid Showcase</strong> Through February 20, 2017 Spend some time with your love while strolling through the display of exotic orchids in Marnie’s Pavilion and the Orangery. Included with admission.</p> Orchids 101</strong> February 4, 2017 Orchids, just like all exotic and mysterious things, can be challenging to deal with. Never fear, Orchids 101 class is here! Learn about basic orchid biology, ecology, cultivation and propagation, with demonstrations of proper watering, repotting and mounting techniques.</p> Love Potions from the Vine Tour</strong> February 10, 11, 12 and 14, 2017 The steamy jungle has no shortage of plants thought to have powers to inspire or sustain desire. This docent-led tour through the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory features plants that may be used as aphrodisiacs and also reveals the secret romantic lives of tropical plants</p> Seedlings: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue</strong> February 8-10, 2017 Children ages 18 months – 6 years old can discover the sweet scent and beautiful colors of these famous February flowers.</p>
