Water means life everywhere on Earth. But people in semi-arid regions understand this with a clarity born of living in time-step with the rhythmic greening and re-greening of the landscape around them. Anyone who has experienced the sepia-toned end to a Colorado winter has marveled that any flush of life could regenerate from such a hunkered-down thirst. And while our native plants are typically drought-tolerant, the human need of food, fiber, and an inviting shade tree, is less so. To meet these needs, early settlers in many parts of our state tamed the waterways with canals, moving water from mountain to plain, shortening the beat of time during which crops, street trees, and lawns had to go without water. Over time, plants, animals, and people have coalesced along these canals; these ramifying arteries that literally, and in many ways spiritually, sustain life along their banks.</p> The 130-year-old High Line Canal is one such artery, spanning 71 miles from the foothills to the plains, traveling through urban and suburban areas in Denver and the surrounding region. Since 1883, the Canal has been a part of the fabric of the region. The Canal draws water from the South Platte River, beginning at a diversion dam in Waterton Canyon near Littleton and running northeast to Green Valley Ranch. What results is a connective corridor that wends itself through various habitat types, from rugged and wild riparian stretches in the western canyon, to areas reminiscent of native shortgrass prairie in the east. The Canal corridor also passes through many highly developed areas, providing easily accessible green space to thousands of people. A pivotal point in the history of the Canal occurred in the 1970s, when Denver Water opened its maintenance roads, previously patrolled by early “ditch-riders”, to the public. The Canal trail now serves as a recreational hub for walkers, runners, bikers, and horseback riders in the region.</p> From a botanical perspective, the High Line Canal presents an interesting puzzle. Human settlement along the Canal has led to conversion of the surrounding native ecosystems to other land uses. Much of the Canal’s stretch runs through what was historically flat to rolling plains underlain by sandy to silty soils. The grasslands supported native shortgrasses such as blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis</em>) and buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides</em>) and a diversity of forbs such as sand lily (Leucocrinum montanum</em>) and scarlet globe mallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea</em>), to name a few. However, increasingly, the Canal’s greenway is surrounded by a built landscape of housing, businesses, and roads. And while there are often pockets of green space that punctuate the built landscape in the form of parks and gardens, these areas may be planted in monocultures (think Kentucky Bluegrass lawns) or contain cultivated plants that are not representative of the region.</p> The question then becomes, what exactly greens this greenway? Botanical staff and volunteers from the Gardens are spending more than 50 field days on the Canal this summer working to answer this question.</strong> (Look for us out on the Canal wearing blue “Researcher” vests, and feel free to stop and ask questions!) We are making plant collections and taking quantitative ecological data on plant communities along the Canal’s entire length from May to September 2018. The Gardens is working on behalf of our funding partner, the High Line Canal Conservancy, which will use the survey data to inform management decisions (see the Conservancy’s website</a> for more information on the Vision Plan for the Canal).</p> So far, our early spring surveys suggest that the flora along the Canal represents a mix of native and non-native plants. For example, it is typical to find native chokecherries (Prunus virginiana</em>), cottonwoods (Populus deltoides</em>), and coyote willow (Salix exigua</em>) mingling with non-native buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica</em>) or honeysuckle (Lonicera tartarica</em>) along the banks of the canal. There have also been some unexpected native gems, including the uncommon Blue Ridge carrion flower (Smilax lasioneura</em>), which is present in only a few counties in Colorado but was happily growing along the trail in Waterton Canyon! When the data are in, we expect to uncover interesting variation in the make-up of the Canal’s plant communities in relationship to both the west-to-east ecological gradient, and the wild-rural-urban matrix that surrounds the trail. Stay tuned for updates as the field season unfolds!</p> Excerpted and adapted from original publication in Aquilegia</em>, the quarterly publication of the Colorado Native Plant Society.</p>
Denver Botanic Gardens recently installed four solar-powered atmospheric water harvesters – three at York Street and one at Chatfield Farms. Using the power of the sun, these SOURCE units accelerate the condensation process to convert water vapor into water.</p> All but one of the harvesters, which are made by Phoenix-based Zero Mass Water</a>, are helping irrigate plants. The other offers visitors to the York Street location the opportunity to take a taste! Each SOURCE will generate between five and seven liters each day (not quite two gallons), storing up to 30 liters (almost 8 gallons) each in a built-in tank.</p> This is one example of many partnerships the Gardens has with entrepreneurs as well as government and corporate entities to showcase and test water-efficient innovations. These are the first SOURCE units to be incorporated into irrigation. The Gardens is showcasing this technology as a potential solution to growing vegetables in areas without reliable fresh water supplies.</p> Here is more information on other Gardens water-efficient partnerships, programs and initiatives</a>.</p>
Mirroring the natural alpine and woodland habitats that the Rock Alpine Garden is inspired by, spring is a great time to walk through this garden. Both alpine and woodland plants bloom early in the year in response to the physical restraints of their native environments.</p> Alpines are programmed to bloom as soon as the snow melts in their native environments. Plants you might find on Loveland Pass or Trail Ridge Road blooming in late June or July bloom in Denver in April.</p> One of the best areas to see true alpines in the Rock Alpine Garden is the crevice garden on the south side of the main path — Draba</em>, Potentilla</em> and Erigeron</em> bloom in tight north facing crevices. Additional areas to see true alpines are in the various troughs scattered through the garden — Silene acaulis</em>, Polemonium viscosum</em>, and Hymenoxys grandiflora</em> should flower by the end of the month. The north side of the Cactus and Succulent house is another great place to focus on the early flowers of Draba</em> from Eurasia, and the mat and cushion forming plants that creep and crawl amongst the rocks.</p> One of my most favorite “secret areas” in the Rock Alpine Garden is the far southern path that takes visitors along the far southern edge of the garden along the perimeter fence. It passes through some of the best woodland areas in the rock garden. Take time to enjoy the full variety of plants in the densely-planted area. If one enters the path near the crevice garden at the east entrance near the South African Plaza and you continue on this path, it will take you into more woodland areas of the rock garden which rarely get the visitation they deserve. Passing down a slight slope take in the various Lenten roses (Helleborus</em>) and woodland sweet peas (Lathryus vernus</em>) along the path.</p> A spectacular show awaits visitors in the far southwest corner of the Rock Alpine Garden along the stucco wall at the boundary with the neighbors. Here a beautiful display of Helleborus</em>, Corydalis</em>, wind flowers (Anemone</em>), bloodroot (Sanguinaria</em>) and violets (Viola</em> odorata</em>) create a tapestry of color in April. Many woodland plants are programmed like alpines to bloom during a short season. Unlike plants high on top of a mountain which are delayed until warm temperatures melt the snow, woodland plants bloom in early spring before the trees above leaf out and block out the sun. This means the woodland areas are at their best in April as well.</p> I hope you can make it to the Rock Alpine Garden in the month of April. While you are at the Gardens make sure and check out the alpine section of the Mordecai Children’s Garden</a> — it should be in prime color as well.</p>
Visitors walking in the Gates Montane Garden may notice something strange through late spring: black velvet bags on the tips of one tree near the Cheesman Park gate. It is not trash or a new art installation — the Gardens' horticulture staff is attempting to propagate the tree, a bigtooth maple, which has recently come under attack by our local squirrel population.</p> The bigtooth maple Acer grandidentatum</em> is a Colorado native that thrives in dry conditions and tolerates heavy soils much better than other maple species. It’s a smaller tree that can have either a tree-like or shrub-like form and has excellent fall color.</p> This specific tree was collected near Logan, Utah because of its good fall color and more tree-like form. In an effort to save the genetics of this tree from marauding squirrels, we are using propagation techniques pioneered by researchers at Utah State University. This species is usually very hard to propagate by cuttings, but by placing dark bags over the stems, the tree is forced to grow in darkness — a process called etiolation. Cuttings taken from this etiolated growth root much easier than cuttings taken from stems that grew in full sunlight. The bags will be removed after the tree begins growing in late April or May.</p> If successful, the propagated clones of this tree will be planted in other locations at the Gardens. Perfecting vegetative propagation of bigtooth maple will allow us to provide trees with a predictable habit and fall color, since trees grown from seed take a long time to grow and can be very variable in their appearance.</p> If this experiment is successful we hope to propagate more bigtooth maples in the future to make them available at the Grown at the Gardens division of the Spring Plant Sale.</p>
</p>With over a dozen unique venue spaces, most of which can be booked in any season, Denver Botanic Gardens hosts hundreds of private events each year. Most of our venues are tucked in corners around our 23 acres, but one of the most versatile sits right at the heart of the Gardens: the UMB Amphitheater Tent</a>.</p>A vast canopy with a spacious interior, the UMB Amphitheater Tent is our largest single rental space, offering endless flexibility for hosting a variety of events. It is a beautiful venue for daytime or nighttime events and features twinkle lights across the ceiling and open-air sides that can be opened or closed as needed.</p>The tent has the ability to host groups of different sizes ranging from a seated reception for 600 guests, a ceremony or graduation for 1,200 guests, or a cocktail reception for 1,200 people. Smaller-scale events can also use the tent for multiple functions; clients can easily host both a wedding ceremony and a reception under the tent without resetting any furnishings between them.</p>Guests can mingle during a cocktail hour or can enjoy al fresco dining surrounded by views of the Gardens in their peak. Add in acoustic music, delicious food prepared by one of our preferred caterers and your own decorative touch, and this space will transform your event into a truly breathtaking experience for your guests. Whether you are hosting a wedding, a corporate event, a non-profit fundraiser or gala, the UMB Bank Amphitheater may just be the venue you are looking for.</p>Contact our Private Events team for more information at private.events@botanicgardens.org</a> or 720-865-3551.</p>
