This winter, make your holiday gathering truly unforgettable by hosting it during Blossoms of Light®</a>, Denver’s beloved holiday tradition—now celebrating 40 sparkling years. With more than a million twinkling lights illuminating winding pathways and winter gardens, the event offers an enchanting backdrop for celebrations of every kind</a>. Whether you’re planning a lively company party or an intimate reception, our experienced event team</a> will ensure your evening shines as brightly as the lights themselves.</p> For the first time ever, the historical Waring House great room and library is available for private holiday events. Nestled along the Gardens’ southeast edge, this beautifully restored Beaux-Arts residence invites guests in with rich woodwork, artisan glass and early 1900s charm. The setting is perfect for seated dinners up to 40 guests or cocktail receptions up to 75—and just beyond the windows, Blossoms of Light transforms the landscape into a wonderland of color and glow.</p> Availability is limited, and dates fill quickly—reserve early and dazzle your guests amid the lights. Email us at </span>private.events@botanicgardens.org</strong></a> or call 720-865-3551. Book today!</span></p>
Last August, the Research and Conservation Department received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library</a> Services (IMLS) to “advance the North American Botanic Garden Strategy for Alpine Plant Conservation” (MA-255890-OMS-24). The Alpine Strategy</a> is a document that was published in 2020 by the Gardens and Betty Ford Alpine Gardens to serve as a blueprint for protecting alpine plants and ecosystems in North America. The funded project will support a nationwide endeavor to document and preserve the natural heritage of vulnerable and treasured plant species, specifically targeting the role that botanic gardens play in advancing this mission. The objectives of the project will engage the botanic garden community and those working in alpine plant conservation, while moving us closer to our goal of understanding and conserving alpine habitats and plants in North America. </p> Changing environmental conditions threaten plant communities worldwide, with alpine plant species being particularly vulnerable. Temperature fluctuations are projected to be most severe at high elevations and species will be displaced to higher and higher elevations, or highly restricted microsites, until there is nowhere left in which to migrate. The limited space for plants to migrate to track suitable environmental conditions, coupled with the potential inability to adjust traits or phenology, may increase extinction risk. Alpine species are in desperate need of conservation action. </p> Understanding seed dynamics is arguably the most important piece of ex situ (outside of the natural habitat) seed conservation. Successful management of ex situ seed collections relies on understanding seed quality, viability and seed banking behavior. Prior to seed banking, it is important to have an estimate of the quality of each collection so that resources are not wasted on a non-viable collection and to understand how viability may change throughout the duration of storage. The most efficient and least destructive way to assess seed quality is through x-ray imagery. X-ray imaging is especially appropriate for small seed collections or for those of globally threatened species so as not to destroy any of the seeds in the collection. X-raying allows the inspection of the inside of the seeds, providing images that show whether a seed is filled with an embryo/endosperm, empty, or predated upon by an insect. With this information we can have an initial estimate of seed collection quality, which is impossible with visual inspection alone. </p> The funding from IMLS allowed us to purchase a Kubtec X-ray to image all our alpine seed collections, which ranged in collection year from 1988 to 2025. Overall, our alpine seed collections are of good quality, with 87% of the collections having above 70% estimated viability (filled with viable tissue and potentially capable of germination). </p>
A new school year has arrived, the light is changing, and the final days of summer are coming to an end, which means autumn is around the corner. When people think about autumn in Colorado they think of the hillsides covered in brushstrokes of gold, but there is so much more to the changing of the seasons here if you take a closer look. There is no better place to see these colors in a landscape than at Denver Botanic Gardens. </p> Luminescent Perennials</h3> Begin on the path in the O’Fallon Perennial Walk and notice the luminescent color of the Salvia azurea</em> var. grandiflora</em> (pitcher sage) which shines amidst a backdrop of our native Juniperus scopulorum</em> (Rocky Mountain juniper). Within this garden, you will see many other perennials and grasses donning their yellows and oranges of the season.</p> Follow the path to the Fragrance Garden and search for the Buddleja alternifolia</em> (fountain butterfly bush). This shrub begins stunning our visitors in the spring with fragrant, lilac-purple flowers, but the weeping, fountain-like shape and the soft green and grey leaves are just lovely. A cool fall day is the perfect setting for a mindful stroll through this garden. </p> Unexpected Color</h3> Keep walking west and you won’t have to go far to see the unexpected colors of the late-blooming dahlias in the bed on the south border of the Four Towers Pool. This garden has many blooms that may offer you a warm feeling, but nothing says “pumpkin spice latte” like Dahlia </em>‘Brown Sugar’. This garden is another perfect spot to enjoy some solitude, listen to the sound of the fountain and reflect on the goodness gardens have to offer. </p> Gorgeous Grasses</h3> Right next door you will come across the Ornamental Grasses Garden, which offers a pleasing palette year-round. During the autumn months the colors and seedheads of the grasses are works of art that shine the brightest. A few that will catch your eye first are Helictotrichon sempervirens</em> ‘Saphirsprudel’ (blue oat grass), Deschampsia flexuosa</em> (wavy hair grass) and Calamagrostis </em>× acutiflora </em>‘Avalanche’ (feather reed grass). Mixed among the grasses is another masterpiece called Sedum </em>‘Dark Magic’ (dwarf stonecrop). This stonecrop is a lovely contrast to the grasses and is easy to find with its purple-black foliage and deep pink flowers. Not only do all of these plants provide seasonal interest, but they also offer food for wildlife. </p> Living Art</h3> Make sure to look through the oversized gold frame on the corner and you can imagine this landscape as an Impressionist painting. This frame is one of several at the Gardens and is part of our Blue Grass, Green Skies: American Impressionism and Realism</a> exhibition. If you want the perfect social media photo op, this is the spot! To everything there is a season and just like the disappearing blooms and falling leaves of autumn, the exhibit ends on September 14 and the frames will be removed over the following weeks. </p> International Inspiration</h3> One garden that inspires you to slow down and enjoy autumn is June’s PlantAsia just down the sidewalk. This garden is full of trees and shrubs that offer up an endless display of colors and textures; from the beautiful evergreens like Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> (Douglas fir) and Pinus nigra</em> (Austrian pine) to the colorful maples. Wander past the ting, a Chinese pavilion, and find the Acer japonicum</em> ‘Vitifolium’ (full moon maple) as it begins to turn yellow and red throughout the coming months. </p> Maybe you need inspiration for your own home landscape, or you would like an invitation to be more mindful. Whatever it is, the Gardens has a lot to offer this autumn – cozy, colorful and comforting.</p> </p>
