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>
The name of the Japanese Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens, 松風園 Sho-Fu-En, means ‘The garden of pine and wind’ and was inspired by the Rocky Mountain wilderness. </p> During our growing season, we often think of evergreens as a background to colorful flowers and leaves. Winter precedes the vivid colors of spring and summer which then fade away in the fall. Now the evergreens become the focus in the Japanese Garden as most plants go dormant until next spring.</p> December is a wonderful time of the year in the Japanese Garden. We welcome various shades of green against the greys and browns of the early winter landscape. The ancient ponderosa character pines display their movement and structure showcasing the rugged Rocky Mountain scenery. The pines cast their shadow on the lake and the water reflects gentle winter sunlight, changing its appearance throughout the day.</p> In the early morning after a cold and snowy December night, you will find the quiet beauty of 松風園 on the snowcapped flexible ponderosa pine branches. Snow flocks the juniper’s needled branches and the Russian hawthorn’s red berries. Atop the fresh snow we often find a variety of animal footprints, evidence of the mysterious activities of nocturnal creatures in the garden. These slowly melt away under Colorado’s bright winter sunlight.</p>
We all have favorite seasons. Mine has always been autumn, probably because it’s the time of year I wish would last twice as long. Everything seems mature in the plant world and determined to go out in a blaze of glory.</p> </p> Autumn at Denver Botanic Gardens has definitely reached a new level in recent years. We turn our eyes to Chatfield Farms, with a mind-bending Corn Maze and the down-home Pumpkin Festival. Now, York Street has Glow, along with Día de los Muertos and a variety of harvest classes and ghost tours. In other words, it’s very busy and all good fun.</p> Autumn also wraps a few things up. This year has been simply remarkable. Yes, the Walker exhibit was stunning. Yes, Chatfield Stables Pavilion is a wonderful new asset. And of course, the expansion of the Sensory Garden and the opening of the new Steppe and All-America Selections gardens are fantastic milestones.</p> Certainly, the refurbishment of the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory, in its 50th year, seems almost like a spiritual fulfillment.</p> All terrific. But the true test is right there in our mission – to connect people with plants, especially plants from the Rocky Mountain region and similar regions around the world, providing delight and enlightenment to everyone. Are we using a vast array of assets to make those connections in powerful, relevant ways?</p> You bet we are.</p> The Gardens’ Urban Food Initiatives is an obvious example. How about Dr. Sarada Krishnan’s wide-ranging work on behalf of the Crop Trust to support sustainable and genetically-diverse coffee production? Whole countries have economies based on coffee and they are simply too vulnerable. Did you know about the teamwork between Chatfield Farms and the Research and Conservation Department that is restoring the natural flow of Deer Creek through our southern property?</p> Then there’s therapeutic horticulture, children’s education (including classes at the Plains Conservation Center), yoga, cooking classes, tours, library programs, lecture series, new publications and botanical illustration – you get the idea.</p> The harvest season, in any culture, is when you take stock of good fortune and hard toil. Thank you to all the volunteers and staff, the donors and supporters, who made this year such a profound success.</p> The cycle of a year is a natural thrill ride, especially when your focus is on the natural world. Before everything gets tucked in for a long winter’s night, it’s a privilege to celebrate the culmination of summer’s dreams in autumn’s light.</p>
Welcome to the Steppe Garden. This unique garden showcases plants from steppe regions of the world. The featured steppe regions and associated continents are:</p> South Africa</strong>, which is divided into summer rainfall habitat, winter rainfall habitat and cultivated material.</li> Central Asia</strong>, which exhibits plants from all across Eurasia.</li> South America</strong>, which showcases plants from Argentina and more specifically Patagonia.</li> North America</strong>, which is largely showcased by the cottonwood habitat and the associated grasslands. There is also a section that showcases plants from the Intermountain West.</li> </ul> All of these areas have specific interpretation to assist you in discovering more about the steppe phenomenon.</p> Tour</h3> As you enter the garden from the main east/west path you are instantly greeted by a large rock mass. This, along with the other rock features, do several things for the garden. All steppes are influenced by geology, specifically the proximity to a greater mountain range that creates a rainshadow that influences when and how precipitation and water comes into the steppe. These rock massifs also help give a visual break and help to guide the visitor through the garden. The way that mountains erode influence the very soil structure and composition that are incredibly important aspects of the flora that grows there.</p> Entering the Steppe Garden you will notice three large stone structures. These curious objects are planters that all have specific uses and showcase important microcosms within the greater steppe biome.</p> One of the planters showcases plants that are called “living stones.”</li> The central planter has a small trickling fountain to illustrate the importance and scarcity of water in the steppe.</li> The last planter highlights cushion plants, an adapted growth form.</li> </ul> These planters were painstakingly constructed by the Gardens’ stonemasons and are not only works of art but are becoming living interpretations of specialty conditions and a unique way to grow plants from very specific ecological niches.</p> South Africa is one of the larger areas in the garden and rightly so as the flora of South Africa is one of the largest in terms of diversity and endemism (only found in one geographic region) of all of the regions. Plants from South Africa are incredibly important to our garden spaces and have been grown and hybridized for many years. Some classic examples of plants that are seen and used every day are Pelargonium</em> (geraniums in the vernacular), Gladiolus</em> and Delosperma</em> (ice plants). A major goal of the South African portion of the garden is to highlight plants that have been influenced by human selection or breeding and compare or contrast them next to plants that have been collected in the wild or are species that have not been manipulated by human influence.</p> Central Asia is the largest of the steppe regions and has been crucial to human movement and influence for many thousands of years. The great Silk Road runs right through the heart of Central Asia and was responsible for the movement of goods as well as plants. Many of the classic garden perennials owe their lineage to this vast part of the world. Some classic examples of plants from here are peonies, tulips and delphiniums. The collections in this part of the garden focus on plants from the western portion of the Eurasian supercontinent.</p> South America is a wondrous and fascinating part of the world. The plants that we grow from there are quite unique but have a sense of familiarity about them. Grasses dominate the massive expanse known as the Estepa Patagónica</em>. These grasses are the structural web that dominates the visual plane and gives home and protection to important flowering plants. The flora of Patagonia is the region that currently has the least amount of representation. Don’t worry: Gardens staff is working hard at acquiring plants through our network of colleagues and partners that we have been developing for many years. Keep your eyes on this area as there will be many new-to-cultivation plants grown specifically for this space.</p> North America is the part of the garden that we may be most familiar with. It is our home and our backyard stomping grounds. Much of the work of our research department takes place throughout the North American steppe. To understand what steppe is, one must study and learn about our own sense of place and all of the factors that bring us to call the Front Range of Colorado home. The plants of the great North American steppe are crucial to our way of life. Much of our native steppe has been replaced by monocultural farm lands or ranches grazed for animal production. Our steppe is imperiled. Learning about the native plants that grow there as well as having refuge for them to be protected is vital to working towards a healthy ecosystem.</p> No trip to the Steppe Garden can be complete without a stop in the Science Pyramid. This is a place to explore all of the elements that can help you find a deeper knowledge of steppe. The Steppe Garden and Science Pyramid are a central part of the gardens, both physically and institutionally. We are residents of the steppe and as we explore the similarities and differences of the great steppe regions, we gain both a sense of place as well as the ability to redefine what it means to garden here.</p>
This past year I was the recipient of a Chanticleer Garden Scholarship awarded to professionals in Public Gardening, in my case to do a floristic and cultural comparison of two mountains in Greece and Turkey which have both been called Mount Olympus in past centuries. As often occurs, I encountered some wonderful things en route that are well worth sharing…in my case, a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland on my way to Europe.</p> As a young man, I envied my friends who flew the old Icelandic Air and had stopovers on that island. The new Iceland Air has renewed this option, and I hopped on the chance to spend a day in the capital city. The airplane arrived about 6 a.m. Being June 27, it was bright as mid-day at that time! I had almost 18 hours (all in full daytime) to explore, and naturally, I went straight to the Botanical Garden which is a short bus ride from the downtown area.</p> Needless to say, I felt right at home when one of the first plants to greet me was a superb specimen of Colorado Columbine in glorious peak bloom! The rock garden at this garden is situated right at the front gate, and it is perhaps their best garden feature—wonderful use of stones, and a mind-boggling collection of choice alpine plants, many of which I’d never seen before.</p> I have never seen the rare European yellow columbine (Aquilegia aurea</em>) anywhere else in cultivation in any public or private garden, except for a brief appearance here in Denver several decades ago. Seeing this made me determined to find seed and grow it in Denver once again (see the gallery featuring images of all of these plants).</p> I was also deeply impressed by a wonderful spread of the golden saxifrage (Chrysoplenium tetrandrum</em>) an unusual circumboreal alpine. I have seen this in a few gardens before, and I’ve found it growing wild in Kazakhstan. What galled me, however, finding this here was that this is one of the few native Colorado wildflowers that I’ve never seen growing in nature in Colorado, although it has been found several times just an hour or so drive from Denver proper (on Mount Evans for instance). And here I’m finding it first in a garden in Iceland. You can see why I was a tad jealous!</p> Few people would mistake this for a Saxifrage—this strange group of “rock breakers” are found mostly in the Himalayas where come in other colors and strange forms. I find this to be fascinating, and am determined to find it in one of its dozen or so Colorado locations in the summer of 2016.</p> Another old friend I never expected to find in Iceland was the miniature yellow ice plant—not the familiar D. nubigenum</em>, but a more congested, high alpine species that is going about under various names. I now think the best name for it may be D. congestum</em>, since it seems to most closely fit the description of that species.</p> This bloomed for us in Denver in April, ending in early May—so it speaks volumes about the climate in Reykjavik that it was still blooming there at the tail end of June.</p> One plant you will NOT find blooming at Denver Botanic Gardens is the blue poppy. They had many fine specimens of this famous and spectacular alpine at Reykjavik Botanic Garden. We have coaxed a bloom or two on these in Denver, but they resent our summer heat. Iceland suits them to a “T” and they were nearly 4’ tall, with glorious blue color. I believe this is Meconopsis grandis</em>, or more likely a hybrid of it—this is one of the few specimens without conspicuous labels at this wonderful garden.</p> I should have expected to see a lot of willows—the genus Salix</em> is especially diverse in cool, moist climates. I did not expect to see dozens of species, nor to see Salix lanata</em> used as a hedge in the downtown shopping areas or along city streets! The catkins were in perfect bloom during my visit!</p> This last shot captures something of the remarkable magic of the climate in Iceland: the weather is cool enough that tulips are still in full bloom at the end of June, but warm enough that South African bulbs like Crocosmia</em> ‘Lucifer’ are thriving and blooming alongside the tulips.</p> There are many scenic and cultural wonders in Iceland as well…but I heartily recommend a visit to their gem of a public garden if you happen to take Iceland Air up on their stopover offer!</p>
Iris 'Lady Beatrix Stanley'</p> As I was driving home yesterday I passed a house which boasted a narrow bed along its north side with hundreds--maybe thousands of snowdrops. I began looking intently (through Capitol Hill mind you--one of Denver's most plant-dense neighborhoods). Surely there must be more bulbs out? A block or two later I saw a fabulous stand of crocuses in the corner of one lot, then nothing in the way of bulbs the next mile or so home.</p> Friends: Denver is BULB country: Denver Botanic Gardens is positively LOUSY with bulbs right now...let's take the reticulate iris as a case in point. They're called netted iris, by the way, because their bulbs are swathed in a netted tunic--although some think it's because their flowers are often netted with fine lines of color. The picture above shows a wonderful stand of Iris</em> 'Lady Beatrix Stanley' positively GLOWING in the Plant Select Garden. Don't miss it! This is a hybrid of the next species, and it has become widely (and cheaply) available in recent years. There's no excuse for us not to have it in our gardens except sheer laziness! (I better get on the stick and order some this spring</a> so I can be even more self-righteous NEXT</em> year!) Since it is missing from my own garden...(oh yes, the title: I am NETtled that more NETted iris are not ordered over the interNET!!)</p> Iris histrioides 'Major'</p> This is a tale of woe! Once widely available in the Dutch bulb trade, the family that grew this commercially ceased to do so decades ago. You'd be hard put to find this nowadays. This plant has persisted in this one spot in the Rock Alpine Garden since 1984. That's 30 years worth of flowers! Perhaps our meritorious staff in that garden may want to think about dividing and spreading this about in this vicinity this summer? (hint hint)...</p> Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin'</p> I remember when this was a fabulously expensive bulb a few decades ago (1970's to be more precise). I have rhapsodized about this amazing plant</a> at length elsewhere. Suffice it to say the several dozen bulbs I planted in my rock garden a few years ago all perished the winter before this one when we had our disastrous April freeze. The ones at the Botanic Gardens came through unscathed. Not that I'm bitter or anything. See these now in glory in the O'Fallon Perennial border.</p> Iris 'Harmony'</p> Harmony indeed! Just LOOK at that clump--this one is in the upper meadow of the Rock Alpine Garden. I have not often seen these iris clump up so thickly! When they do, however, they become susceptible to Ink blight--a dread fungus that loves to do in reticulatas. It will be interesting to see if these come back NEXT year...the bulbs are so inexpensive, it's almost not worth the effort to divide these. I have done so right after they bloom when their in full leaf and find it works well.</p> Iris 'George'</p> I should have put a ruler next to this monster--it's almost a foot in height! Tucked at the back of the Rock Alpine Garden, George loves this spot and is the largest of its kind I've ever seen. It is (like 'Lady Beatrix Stanley' and 'Katharine Hodkin') likely a hybrid of the true Iris histrioides</em>: which is not available in commerce at all (and may never have been). Except for 'Major', that is: the Dutch select all of these plants for their vegetative vigor: they're all reproduced form bulb divisions.</p> The bulbs that do this best are generally sterile hybrids--as a consequence none of these reticulate irises seem to set seed in Colorado. There are a few wild forms in cultivation (I have a few in my house), and these might actually reproduce from seed in our conditions. Which I would love to see happen. As long as we grow these mules, we shall have to divide them on a three or four year sequence to keep them from overcrowding and dying.</p> Iris 'J.S. Dijt'</p> I finish with another classic: the deep purple form of Iris reticulata</em>, growing in the Lilac Garden. These were planted ten or more years ago, and are still thriving.</p> Reticulate iris have been put in their own genus by the great Russian botanist, Rodionenko: Iriodictyon</em>. I have a hunch he's correct. They are as easily grown as crocuses, and far less often seen. I think we're missing out by not planting these on a massive scale throughout our region where they do so well.</p> Once you have several hundred (or let's say a THOUSAND) of your generic, Dutch hybrid reticulatas scampering all over your garden...then and ONLY then you can click on the U.R.L.</a> and see that a vast universe of hybrids is being generated by a mad Canadian I met decades ago when he (and I) were mere babes in the woods horticulturally. I'm speaking of Alan McMurtrie. Some day I'll blog about him more fully.</p> Until then, come wander through the Gardens and marvel at our bulbs, and jot down the ones you would love to see in your garden next spring. Denver Botanic Gardens has online bulb pre-ordering happening now!</strong></a> Here is a catalog of the bulbs that are for sale and how you can order.</a> Get a jump on your spring gardening. Place your bulb order between now and June 22, 2015 to reserve them for easy, hassle-free pick up in September!</p>
