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>
Saturday and Sunday, March 17 and 18, 2018 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day Mitchell Hall Included with Admission</p> For the first time in nearly a decade, the Denver Orchid Society will be bringing its spring show and sale to Mitchell Hall at Denver Botanic Gardens this weekend. Focusing on a theme of “Mother Nature’s Masterpiece,” exhibitors from the society will enter plants in a variety of categories for evaluation by accredited judges from the American Orchid Society.</p> Orchid Society members are eager to share their expertise and will be available throughout the weekend to answer questions and offer advice on how to grow these beautiful plants. While display plants will not be for sale, hundreds of plants from nurseries around the country will be available for purchase. Be sure to shop early for the best selection.</p>
</p> Right this minute, despite the cold snaps of recent days, the glorious Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas</em>) at Denver Botanic Gardens’ Romantic Gardens is shimmering with golden glory. It reminds me of Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II</a>,</em> and the tree has almost as rich and lurid a history as the painting looted by Nazis and featured in a recent movie (the painting, not the tree).</p> </p> What fascinates me about this tree is that it is so dazzling in bloom, so attractive all year in habit, leaf and bark, with blazing fall color. I only know of one other in a garden in Denver. We need to talk tree diversity, folks! The elms all go with Dutch elm disease, and we plant way too many ash trees. Now the Emerald Ash Borer is dooming these. What monoculture will we trot out to replace the millions that will come down, that will itself succumb? The cost for removing ashes may tally in the billions of dollars just for the state of Colorado. As the joke goes, if you think education is expensive, try ignorance!</p> 5th Tree Diversity Symposium 2018</strong></a></h3> Thursday, March 15 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.</strong></p> For five years the issues of street trees—what works, what doesn’t and what to do next—has been the subject of a day long series of incredible talks by tree experts from across the Continent (and the best locals too!) right here at Denver Botanic Gardens. A large percentage of Denver’s professional arborists attend regularly, yet homeowners can benefit enormously from the day’s presentations. Everyone says they love trees, but why then do we keep planting the same old, same old?</p> This year four stellar speakers—two from Arboreta in the Midwest and two from Colorado—will bring the latest information on issues we all face: what to pick, how to site, how to properly maintain these trees and what does the future hold for our tattered urban forest?</p> As I drive back and forth to the Gardens to work, I often marvel at Denver’s amazing urban tree forest: so many trees! And practically all of them a deliberate and conscious act on the part of a homeowner or landscape professional. These trees provide us oxygen, clean our air, lower temperatures dramatically (saving incalculably on air conditioning), provide food and habitat for pollinators and havens for birds. They suck up excess rain to help mitigate flooding. They stand, silent sentinels, like guardian angels watching us scurry by. We all say we love trees: we can do much better. Do sign up!</p> Nothing Gold Can Stay</strong> Robert Frost</strong></a>, 1874 - 1963 </strong></em></p> Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.</em></p>
Many of the beautiful places where we study plants and mushrooms are dormant and snow-covered this time of year, but the Research & Conservation department is still humming with activity! In the winter, our staff and volunteers identify herbarium specimens collected the previous year, analyze data, process samples, prepare publications and, of course, plan for the coming field season. As we look forward to the cactus blossoms we’ll find in May on the Western Slope, and the plump seed capsules we’ll find in September on the Front Range, we are also recruiting volunteers to help us with these research efforts this field season.</p>Our upcoming projects are all in the service of protecting and understanding the species around us. As part of a national undertaking by the Center for Plant Conservation</a>, we are planning trips to hunt down 24 rare Colorado plant species. A small quantity of their seeds will be collected and stored at the National Laboratory for Genetic Resource Preservation for future research and restoration. Some plant species’ seeds do not keep well in seed banks, losing viability in dry and freezing conditions. Instead, species with these ‘recalcitrant’ seeds can be preserved as plants in living collections. Quercus sadleriana</em> (Sadler’s oak) is one such species with recalcitrant seeds. We will be collecting its acorns from never-before sampled populations in Northern California and sending them to be grown in botanic gardens around the country, working with the American Public Gardens Association and US Forest Service.</p>For the Colorado Mycoflora Project, we are using DNA sequencing to delve into the tricky problem of identifying the glorious diversity of Colorado fungi. While different species may look the same, DNA helps us to delineate the species based on genetics.</p>In one of our longest-running conservation projects, we are monitoring rare Colorado plant populations</a> to assess threats and inform management decisions. This involves returning year after year to the same spot to count and measure plants – we have been monitoring Astragalus microcymbus</em> since 1995, Penstemon harringtonii </em>since 1996, Eriogonum brandegeei</em> since 2004, and Sclerocactus glaucus </em>since 2007. This summer, we will be making three trips around Colorado to measure the plant populations.</p>Our floristics projects</a> use the systematic collection of herbarium specimens to create a permanent record of where plant species have occurred</a> - essential to understanding ecosystems and tracking change over time. Last year, in the Eastern Plains</a>, we collected specimens representing 50 new county records, species not previously recorded in a county. This region is surprisingly unknown territory, botanically speaking, and we will continue exploring the distribution of grassland plant species this summer.</p>Finally, our floristics team is embarking on a new, major effort to document plant diversity along the High Line Canal this year. Once used to move water from the South Platte to farms east of Denver, the canal is now a 71-mile recreational corridor, with green spaces and wetlands. We will share what we learn with the High Line Canal Conservancy</a>, which will help them manage the Canal for the benefit of the plants, wildlife and people that use it.</p>We could use some expert plant lovers to help with all this work! We are looking for new volunteer team members specifically for the High Line Canal plant surveys, long-term rare plant monitoring, and seed scouting. If any of these opportunities sound interesting to you, learn more and apply! Applications accepted until March 15.</strong></p>This blog post was written by Jessie Berta-Thompson, Ph.D., adjunct researcher with the Research & Conservation Department at Denver Botanic Gardens.</em> </p>
Things keep moving at the greenhouses at Chatfield Farms. This month at the greenhouse we sowed onions seeds for the Community Supporting Agriculture (CSA) farm</a> and market garden. 16,500 seeds of onions and their near relatives were sown in one week! We sowed eight varieties of onion, three varieties of leek and one variety of shallot. It was a busy few days planting some pretty small seeds. The onions will be distributed to members of the CSA farm that Denver Botanic Gardens manages, as well as being sold at farmer's markets in areas where fresh produce is difficult to find nearby</a>.</p> Onions are hugely important in the food we eat. While they’re not the most glamorous vegetable, they’re my favorite to cook with because of how they are used in many different dishes. From the base of so many soups and chilis, to slow cooked sweet caramelized onion dip, to crisp and bright macerated onions in tacos, the great Allium cepa</em> is in a lot of what we eat. Its large culinary profile is matched by a large profile in the growing season. We sow the seeds in early February for a harvest in late summer. That’s about six months of growing to make an onion! Luckily they store really well over the winter which is why we sow so much seed now.</p> The reason for the long growing season is because the onions first need to grow their foliage before long summer day lengths trigger them to begin storing sugars in their underground bulbs. If they haven’t grown large enough before then, the bulbs produced will be small. Seeds get sown in early February and grow inside until mid-April, when they’re planted outside. The cold tolerant seedlings survive outside and grow only foliage until long daylengths in June trigger them to begin forming their large bulbs. They are harvested in late summer and brought back to the greenhouse to dry and cure, which increases their storage life. The greenhouses smell amazing in the fall.</p> If you’re looking for more information on growing your own onions, here is a great CSU extension article. </a></p>
Be sure to stroll the paths of the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory where you can enjoy plenty of non-orchid tropical blossoms. Although we are often focused on beautiful flowers, tropical foliage can have its own special appeal. While stopping to “smell the roses,” why not give a little attention to plant foliage too.</p> One of the first plants you might notice as you enter the Tropical Conservatory from our main lobby area is Codiaeum variegatum </em>var. pictum,</em> also known as croton. Crotons are native to southern India and are a great houseplant for high-light areas. There are many crotons on display throughout the Tropical Conservatory with varying leaf forms and color combinations, however the plant by the front entrance may be my favorite. It was added to the Gardens' collections in February of 1965 and was a gift to the Gardens from the Missouri Botanical Garden for inclusion in the first plant displays in our Tropical Conservatory when it opened in 1966.</p> As you make your way deeper into the Tropical Conservatory you will notice several banana plants. The most impressive may be Musa itinerans </em>var. guandongensis, </em>a banana native to the Guandong province of southeast China. While the size of the leaves and the height of the growths are impressive, perhaps the most dramatic feature of this banana is its aggressive suckering growth habit. Be sure to look at the base of the plant and you’ll see why we planted it in a contained area.</p> Another plant with striking foliage is Calathea lancifolia</em>. This plant belongs to the family Marantaceae, or the prayer plant family. This common name was given because many species in this plant family have leaves that fold upward in the evening hours as if folded in prayer. This particular species is from Brazil and has spectacular foliage. Be sure to look for other Calathea</em> throughout the Tropical Conservatory.</p> In the southwest corner of the Tropical Conservatory you will find a ficus tree with amazing foliage. Ficus aspera </em>is native to Vanuatu and is easily recognized by its amazing variegation – even the fruit is variegated. Take a moment to appreciate the tree’s contorted trunk form as well.</p> As you enter Marnie’s Pavilion at the west end of the Tropical Conservatory, you will see another unusual ficus – Ficus americana</em>. This large tree may look like the more familiar Ficus benjamina</em>, but as the name implies, F. americana</em> is native to Central and South America while F. benjamina </em>is native to tropical Asia and northern Australia. Did you know that ficus flowers are all pollinated by wasps?</p> Notice the beautiful complimentary foliage colors as well as the orchid blossoms in the Orangery. See hundreds of exotic blooms at the Orchid Showcase</a> in the Orangery through February 20 – included with admission to the Gardens. The Showcase is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily. Don’t forget to look through the glass to see the more unusual orchid blooms on display in our collection greenhouses.</p> We hope you enjoy your visit!</p>
While things are mostly quiet in the Gardens this time of year, there’s plenty of work going on backstage in the greenhouses. Down at Chatfield Farms we have two large production greenhouses where we also store tender plants over the winter. Many of the large containers of tropical or other non-hardy container plants that you see in the York Street Gardens during the summer spend their winter vacation resting at the greenhouses at Chatfield Farms. Since these greenhouses are not open to the public, I thought I would share the wintertime lives of these tropical plants.</p> </p> We keep the greenhouses cool to reduce the pest and disease pressure, and to keep the plants growing slowly. At night the greenhouses can get as cool as 45 degrees F. Their watering is also reduced to keep them dormant, and many of them are cut back to conserve space. While the relatively cold temperatures and hard cutbacks might seem harsh, it is important in order to keep these plants healthy and looking good during the summer.</p> Even though tropical plants aren’t adapted to winter-summer seasonality, they still experience seasons in their native habitats with wet-dry seasons. The plants from these climates go through a reduced growth dormancy during the dry season much like temperate perennials. If we kept these plants growing through the winter when light levels are low we would end up with flimsy, leggy plants come spring.</p> </p> Large bananas (Ensete ventricosum</em> ‘Maurelii’) from the Victorian Secret Garden at York Street are cut back and stacked to conserve space. They are kept dry to keep the plants dormant. The plants are placed on plastic grates to keep them from rooting into the gravel.</p> </p> The beautiful succulent tray (Echeveria setosa)</em> that was on display in the Sensory Garden at York Street under a kaleidoscope has had most of its rosettes removed, so the only growth is tiny buds on bare stems. By spring this basket will have flushed with growth, and will be healthier than if we had left it alone. We potted up the removed rosettes to bring to the Grown at the Gardens division of Spring Plant Sale.</p> </p> While not tropical, the large Agave</em> americana</em> are not quite hardy. The plants are huge, nearly six feet across, and have hooks all along their leaf margins. Moving them and watering around them can be an adventure. They can be seen on display outside the Chatfield Farms Earl J. Sinnamon Visitor Center during the summer. The several different cycads (Encephalartos</em> spp.</em>) are displayed in the South African Plaza and Steppe Garden at York Street during the summer.</p>
For most horticulturists, winter is the time to prepare new planting schemes and dream of greener pastures. Of course, you could be fortunate enough to be able to work in a conservatory, where you are surrounded by colorful flowers and foliage year round, even in the dead of winter. The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory is home to a large portion of Denver Botanic Gardens’ Tropical Collection and educates guests about one of the most ecologically diverse climate on earth.</p> An important plant family housed in the Tropical Conservatory is the palm family (Arecaceae). Palms are prevalently located in tropical regions of the world and are used as a source of food, clothing, and building material. All palms highlighted in this tour are marked and mapped on the Gardens Navigator website</a>.</p> </p> Kerriodoxa elegans</em></strong> – When you first enter the Tropical Conservatory, you are greeted with the most elegant palm Denver Botanic Gardens has. Kerriodoxa elegans</em> stands out despite being an understory palm because it grows large, fan-shaped fronds to catch as much sunlight as it can beneath larger trees in its natural habitat. What makes the foliage also eye-catching is the coloration; the top side of the leaf is a glossy green, underside is a pale white, and the petiole (stem of the leaf) is a dark purple. As you walk by, you’ll also be able to notice the inflorescence and seeds at the base of the plant.</p> </p> Dypsis lastelliana </em></strong>‘Darianii’</strong> – In the bed next to the Kerriodoxa elegans</em>, you’ll find a palm with fuzzy copper colored palm sheaths (the base of a palm frond petiole). As the plant continues to grow, the sheaths of older leaves can remain on the plant longer than the leaf itself, so the upper trunk of the palm has both great color and an interesting texture.</p> </p> Aiphanes horrida</em></strong> (</em>syn. A. aculeata)</em> – As you walk up the south side path you’ll notice a terrifying stalk covered in grotesque spines. Obviously, this is not a pleasant plant to work with, having spines everywhere including the leaves. To make matters worse, this palm self-seeds constantly. I consider this plant as a “highlight” because unlike the far more pleasant palms we have, this one allows for plenty of character building as you weed these spiny seedlings in the nearby beds.</p> </p> Chamaedorea metallica</em></strong> – As you continue down the south path, you’ll find one of my favorite palms before the stairway to the treehouse. This palm is gaining popularity as a houseplant because of it being a compact size plant that thrives in shade. The fishtail-shaped leaves are in a beautiful grey/blue color. Along the trunks are adventitious roots which allows us to cut and replant a plant if it gets too top-heavy.</p> </p> Coccothrinax crinata</em></strong> – You’ll find this bizarre palm in the southwest corner of the Tropical Conservatory. Its leaves and inflorescence aren’t anything that stands out. The real interesting characteristic is its woolly fibers all along the trunk. I don’t like to use plant common names, but the name “old man palm” is very appropriate to use.</p> </p> Areca vestiaria</em></strong> – You’ll find this palm on the north side of the Tropical Conservatory, or if you head up the treehouse, you’ll be at the perfect height to admire this standout plant. It has bright red fruit and a colorful crownshaft, adding some color to the canopy level of our Tropical Conservatory.</p> </p> Carludovica palmata</em></strong> – You’ll find this along the Tropical Conservatory north path, next to the Areca vestiaria. </em>This palm was part of Denver Botanic Garden’s Tropical Collection when the conservatory first opened in 1966. The leaves of the plant are used to make Panama hats.</p> </p> Zombia antillarum</em></strong> – located in the northwest corner, Zombia antillarum</em> is an endangered palm native to Hispaniola. This palm has spines arranged in an interesting manner. Unlike the spiny Aiphanes horrida</em>, the spines on Zombia </em>palms are only found on the trunk.</p> </p> Ravenala madagascariensis</em></strong> – Despite having the common name of “traveler’s palm,” Ravenala madagascariensis</em> is not a palm. It is actually in the bird-of-paradise family (Strelitziaceae). It’s a beautiful plant with 5’ broad leaf blades in a fan arrangement and white bird-of-paradise flowers. It’s a good lesson to not be reliant on common names, as they easily mislead people into wrongly identifying plants.</p>
</p> Ditch the boardrooms and ballrooms for your next gathering and replace them with the breathtaking surroundings of Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street. With horticultural curiosities and stunning natural backdrops around every bend, your event will be the Instagrammable envy of all.</p> With over a dozen rentable spaces, the Gardens offers a variety of indoor and outdoor venues for events large or small at any time of year. From engagements to weddings, baby showers to bar mitzvahs, company meetings to company holiday parties, our Private Events team will work with you to find the perfect space or combination of spaces that will form the foundation of the memorable moments your guests will cherish for years to come.</p> 2018 dates are on sale now (and going quickly!) and our 2019 rental calendar opens on January 8, 2018</strong>. So don’t delay – tell us what kind of event you want to create, and we’ll help you find a place to create it!</p> To learn more and to set up a tour appointment, contact us at private.events@botanicgardens.org</a> or call 720-856-3551.</p> Looking for a site that is nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains? Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms provides visitors with rustic mountain charm just minutes from the city. We are booking now for 2018 and 2019. </strong>Contact us at chatfieldrentals@botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-4339.</p> Photo courtesy of John Johnston Creative</em></p>
'Tis the season for holiday baking and stove top simmers that fill the home with the rich and cozy smells of allspice, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove and citrus. All of these wonderful flavors and aromas come from plants! The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory is home to a few that you can see during your next visit.</p> Vanilla</strong></p> Did you know vanilla is a member of the orchid family? While our Vanilla imperialis </em>produce pretty flowers, they rarely (if ever) produce fruit (vanilla pods) because in the wild, the flower must be pollinated by a specific bee native to South America (Melipona</em>) or hummingbirds within the first day of blooming. After the flower is fertilized, a vanilla pod will begin to grow. The photo featured in the photo gallery below was taken in our Tropical Conservatory and shows where flowers were and where the pods would develop if pollination occurred. Vanilla is the second-most expensive spice after saffron because the fruit production is very labor-intensive. You can find this plant on south wall of the Tropical Conservatory across from the bridge near west entrance.</p> Cardamom</strong></p> The Tropical Conservatory features the E</em>lettaria cardamomum </em>(Ceylon cardamom), a member of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family. Cardamom species are native to India, Bhutan, Indonesia and Nepal. Our plant is currently not producing fruit, but you can see its large, long leaves just south of the west entrance to the Tropical Conservatory. Similar to vanilla, the seed pods are where the flavor and fragrance exist. Cardamom is the world's third-most expensive spice.</p> Allspice</strong></p> Unlike vanilla and cardamom, the leaves of allspice also contain fragrance, but the dried berries are used for seasoning. The name "allspice" was coined as early as 1621 by the English, who thought it combined the flavor of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The plants are native to southern Mexico and Central America. Our allspice has a zesty twist! It is Pimenta dioica </em>Lemon Scented Form. The leaves smell very much like lemon balm while the berries still produce the spicy flavor we love. You can see our allspice tree on the north side of the west Tropical Conservatory entrance.</p> The Tropical Conservatory also features several ginger varieties, however none are edible.</p> And of course, chocolate is a favorite treat this time of year. You can find our cacao trees on the south side of the Tropical Conservatory near the east entrance. Look up to see the pods!</p> Here is a simple simmer pot recipe to fill your home with holiday fragrance:</p> 5 cups of water Orange peels 3 cinnamon sticks 3 star anise 1 teaspoon-sized knob of fresh ginger 1 teaspoon cardamom pods 1 teaspoon whole cloves 1 teaspoon allspice berries</p> Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low heat until simmering. I have kept this going for a few hours, adding additional water when needed. You can also throw everything in the crockpot and set it on low with the top off.</p>
Where do plants go when they die at the Gardens? Most, as you might expect, go to the compost pile, but a select few get a lucky break: a chance to be displayed again.</p> Each fall, armfuls of cuttings are hung and dried in our tool room for winter arrangements. These are what we call “everlasting plants,” varieties that stay crisp and colorful long “since sunshine fed them, or the showers,” as English author Walter Thornbury so sweetly put it.</p> Only the most resilient plant stems, flowers and seed pods make the cut. They not only have to hold their form or color for months after they’re pulled, but they have to take a good battering from the weather.</p> This year, we take you on a tour of more than two dozen winter outdoor containers, from classic elegant designs of cut evergreens, grasses and dried flowers to quirky new displays that depart from the traditional bouquet.</p> We start at the parking garage by the York Street pedestrian crossway, where grasses take center billing in two lively bouquets that move at the touch of breeze. Plumes of pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana</em>) tower above the rose-pink blades of little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium</em>) and wheat-like flowers of Karl Foerster feather reed grass (Calamagrostis</em> x acutiflora </em>‘Karl Foerster’). Lacy umbels of Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum</em>) and balls of dried hydrangea Annabelle (Hydrangea arborescens</em>) add a playful contrast, while slender stems of Japanese rose (Kerria japonica</em>) give the bouquet a zing of spring green.</p> </p> Crossing York to the front of the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center, red twig dogwood shrubs (Cornus sericea</em>) frame the front doors, their limbs angled skyward in grand gestures of hello. Among these living bushes are some of the largest and toughest flowers you can dry, each held high on stems of wood and wire -- giant sea holly (Eryngium giganteum</em>) sprayed white, hydrangea Annabelle tinted chartreuse, moon carrot (Seseli gummiferum</em>) colored red and -- the Cinderella of the bunch -- teasel (Dipsacus</em>), sprayed green.</p> </p> Passing through the Visitor Center and into the Welcome Garden, two large branches arc around the video screen, their bark lightly glazed in glitter. Dozens of ornaments made almost entirely from plants dangle from nooks in the branches, while bundles of dried flowers define tips of the branches with punches of red, green and white. Do you recognize the painted pods of evening primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa</em>)? Or the maple seeds wired into flowers? What about the seed shell from false indigo (Baptisia australis</em>) that’s become the face of a dancing sprite?</p> </p> Turn to your left and you’ll find two garden trellises at the bottom of the stairs that long to be holiday trees. Each is entwined in false spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia</em>) stems and adorned with reddened stonecrop (Sedum</em> sp.), white statice (Limonium sinuatum</em>) and the dried fruits of teasel sprayed chartreuse. Pine cone ornaments and miniature wreaths of dogwood hang from horizontal wires and cuttings from spruce branches add softness to the display.</p> </p> Next, take a stroll down O’Fallon Perennial Walk to the Romantic Gardens, where the tradition of outdoor arrangements at the Gardens was born. Here, more than a dozen urns arranged by Denver Botanic Gardens Guild volunteers are scattered in beds and gazebos. Evergreen boughs, dogwood stems, hydrangea blossoms and branches of rose hips combine with classic elegance. Scattered among them are wands of pussy willow, ripe with catkins - a whimsical nod to spring - and dried cuttings of dusty miller (Jacobaea</em>), that lend a frosty contrast to deep green needles. Dried flowers, from statice (Limonium</em>) to yarrow (Achillea</em>), punctuate the bouquets with color.</p> </p> Straight ahead in the Ellipse, oversized pine cones and diminutive plants transform urns at the entry into magical little gardens. The cones sit on their ends at playful angles, while red pansies shimmer in the sunlight. Boughs of juniper, speckled with icy-blue berries, and Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum</em>) peek out at the edges. Nearby, perched on a stone railing in front of Waring House, are four more adorable urns. Each contains a single large pine cone nesting among holly grape (Mahonia haematocarpa</em>), rose-colored barberry (Berberis</em>) and yellow-green arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis</em>).</p> </p> Taking a turn west, head down the path past the Herb Garden to the Fountain Beds and Ornamental Grasses Garden, where two little Colorado spruce (Picea pungens</em>) pay tribute to my favorite Christmas book, Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree</em>, about a tree cut down to its tiniest and trimmed by woodland creatures. Each is wrapped in a garland of red strawflowers (Xerochrysum bracteatum</em>) and topped with a large seed head of white-washed dill (Anethum graveolens</em>). Bells in acorn shells add jingle, while bleached pine cones lend a frosty touch and sprigs of hawthorn berries, a bit of merriment. This one also includes umbels of moon carrot posing as giant snowflakes.</p> </p>
