</p> I like the fact that bronze can look like stone, mineral, wood, fabric or plastic. It can become something else. -Yoshitomo Saito</strong></p> </p> Tokyo-born artist Yoshitomo Saito started working in bronze in 1983 while living in San Francisco. Based in Denver, Saito is inspired by natural forms with delicate lines and textures. The craftsmanship and painstaking attention to detail in his sculptures are an expression of the artist’s reverence and profound respect for the natural world. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Yoshitomo Saito, millionyearseeds</em> (detail), bronze, 2011-2021. ©Yoshitomo Saito. </p> Seeds are among the natural forms that fascinate Saito. His installation millionyearseeds</em> includes a variety of seeds, as well as banana peels, peppers, acorns and other small natural elements. In rendering these tiny pieces of nature, he celebrates the wisdom of life that is contained within each one. Seeds may be small and common, but each has a purpose for the creation and expansion of life. </p> In his work, bronze appears as a featherweight medium. The fine texture of the original object is evident, highlighting the care and attention given to each piece. This high level of detail is achievable through the process of lost-wax casting. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Yoshitomo Saito, Cheikh Lo</em>, bronze, 2020. © Yoshitomo Saito. </p> Lost wax casting </h4> The lost wax casting process, in use since 3,700 BCE, remains essentially the same today. The artist creates a “negative” plaster mold of the object they want to cast. The object is removed, wax is poured into the mold and dumped out, leaving a thin, hollow layer of wax around the perimeter. The artist adds thin wax sticks to the perimeter of the wax reproduction, creating channels for the metal to flow through and trapped gasses to escape. This wax form is then encased in a plastic or ceramic mold, and the wax is melted away.</p> Bronze is melted down at a temperature of 1,675 ˚F and poured into the plaster mold. This step requires safety precautions including goggles, a face shield, respirator, coveralls, apron, insulated gloves and shoe coverings. When the bronze has cooled, the plaster mold is removed or destroyed to reveal the cast bronze. The supports are removed and typically a polish or patina is applied. A patina can be created naturally through the oxidizing effect of the atmosphere or the artificial application of chemicals. Saito often uses patinas to emulate an object’s natural color – browns for trees and acorns, green for peppers, red for pomegranates and so on. One notable exception to Yoshi’s patination process is Gateway</em>, which is both painted and patinated. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Yoshitomo Saito, Gateway</em>, bronze, 2019. © Yoshitomo Saito.</p> Watch this video</a> about Saito’s bronze casting method.</p> Of Sky and Ground</em></a> is on view in the Freyer – Newman Center’s Kemper Family Gallery from July 24 – November 28, 2021. </p> </p>
I have fond memories of being a child and walking next to Grandpa as he rototilled the garden. There is something comforting about the smell and texture of newly tilled soil. As an adult, though, I’ve learned that leaves the soil exposed to wind and rain and the resulting erosion can be devastating. </p> The best way to prevent erosion is to “armor” the soil, i.e. keep it covered. Cover crops, as their name suggests, are a great way to do this. Plant some rye and vetch seeds in the fall as you are putting your garden to bed for the season. In the spring, knock down the growth or mow it and the residue will increase organic matter as it decomposes. The natural mulch will also shade the soil, keeping it cool and reducing evaporative water-loss. </p> </picture> </div> </article> Chatfield Farms CSA</p> The cover crop roots will produce exudates, or food for microbes and fungi in the soil. Those microbes and fungi are bringing nutrients to plant roots and establishing the foundation of a complex ecosystem in the soil. The result is a stable soil, full of spaces for new roots to grow, and allow water and oxygen to infiltrate. </p> Having a garden full of plants and living roots, instead of clean-looking, bare soil takes some getting used to. Especially if, like me, you have grown up tilling your soil every year, but the benefits are worth it. If you would like to learn more about soil health, look at the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Soil Health home page</a>; How to Create a Soil Community</a> from Rodale Institute; or this Planttalk</em>® Colorado</a></strong> from Colorado State University (CSU) Extension on using cover crops. </p> To see a variety of cover crops in a larger area, come down to Chatfield Farms where you can see sorghum-sudan grass, vetch, rye, winter wheat, crimson clover, buckwheat, pacific mustard and triticale, among others. Using cover crops at Chatfield Farms is part of our soil management plan but also has several other regenerative benefits including additional habitat for beneficial insect predators, pollinators and cover crops can provide competition to weed growth which helps farmers with the never-ending task of weed mitigation. </p>
The heat of June could be eclipsed by even more oven-like temperatures in July. But the Gardens will still beckon your visit. This month’s tour will help you find the coolest spots to hang out while enjoying some of July’s highlights in the Gardens. These shady spots feature benches where you can enjoy surrounding gardens, little known vistas and even a waterfall.</p> Shady Lane</a> – shade is in the name! This main path that runs from east to west when entering the Gardens can be found just beyond the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory’s dome and the entry plaza to Marnie’s Pavilion. Along the wide walkway lined with mature crabapples on the south side and younger ones to the north, look for secondary paths with benches. Here you can be bathed in shade by the Austrian pines (Pinus nigra</em>) behind you and the many varieties of fruiting crabapples in front, all while you sneak views of the perennials on the sunny side of the walkway and the Orangery plantings beyond. Several brightly colored lilies (Lilium</em> cultivars) can be seen blooming in July.</li> The next oasis is nestled in the back of Oak Grove</a>. Follow the mulch path from the rounded patio area and you will find several benches and chairs in the proximity of two spectacular trees: the fernleaf European beech (Fagus sylvatica </em>var. heterophylla </em>‘Aspleniifolia’)</a> and the Colorado state champion bigtooth maple (Acer grandidentatum</em>)</a>. The grey trunks of beech trees always remind me of an elephant’s stout leg, and the lacy leaves of this cultivar are likewise charming. The maple, tied for the largest of its kind in Colorado, is also a native tree species in Colorado.</li> Next head toward the western edge of the Gardens, perhaps first grabbing a cold drink at the Hive Garden Bistro or taking in the beauty of the brightly colored waterlilies in the Monet Pool along the way. The Gates Montane Garden</a> is always a favorite place to visit on a hot day as nearly the entire walkway is cast in shadow throughout the long days of early summer. This was the first garden established after the founding of the Gardens in its present-day location at York Street. Ponderosa pines and aspens are just some of the trees you can see in this native centric garden focused on Colorado’s montane environment. Benches along the main path offer respite, but for more adventurous visitors, the uphill loop on the east will bring you to a bench where you can hear rushing water and glimpse a waterfall that plunges to the pond below, as well as take in beautiful views of the Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden as the swaths of native grasses are hitting their stride in summer.</li> More shady spots can be found along the southern boundary of the Gardens. The first one you’ll encounter is a curved wooden bench on the west side of the moongate entry into June’s PlantAsia. Sitting under a majestic Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus</em>)</a> during a morning visit, you’ll be able to view the multiple colors of daylilies blooming in the Ann Montague Iris and Daylily Garden while staying in the shadows. Walk through the moongate and around the southern path of PlantAsia’s steppe-inspired area and you’ll find some stone steps leading to a mysterious chapel-like passage of bamboo</a> with a bench tucked just in the right spot to enjoy cool breezes that slip through the green and golden leafy poles.</li> The next garden east of PlantAsia is Woodland Mosaic. As the name suggests, you will find several shady spots to linger under the trees here. A rounded metal seating area overlooks a grand swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor</em>)</a> as well as the solarium, which also has seating near it as well as on the deck to the south.</li> </ul> Hopefully these tips will help you find a new enchanting spot to cool off during your next summertime visit to the Gardens. Do you have a different favorite shady spot?</p>
Queer /kwir/</p> differing in some way from what is usual or normal</li> of, relating to, or being a person whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual and/or whose gender identity is not cisgender</li> </ol> Those who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community have long been labelled as being abnormal or queer. While many of us have since claimed the term and use it with pride, it still carries the weight of a history of being outcast and labelled as ‘unnatural.’ Isn’t it strange, though, that nature doesn’t seem to be at all concerned with what we as humans find natural or not?</p> There are hundreds of documented cases of homosexual behavior in animals. Hermaphroditic animals are plenty as are transsexual animals. And just last year at the Denver Zoo, a Komodo dragon</a> laid a clutch of eggs resulting in two baby dragons all on her own through an asexual reproduction process known as parthenogenesis. All these occurrences might be considered unnatural by certain human values.</p> </picture> </div> </article> Bonobos, commonly known to exhibit homosexual behavior. Source</a> </p> Plants also have a variety of sexual forms and states. A single plant can have both male and female sexual organs, while other plant varieties have separate plants that hold each type of sexual organ. Some plants reproduce sexually through pollination while others reproduce asexually through vegetative propagation, fragmentation, or spore formation. In 2019 it was discovered that Solanum plastisexum</em>, a species of bush tomato, exhibits “breeding system fluidity,” or sexual fluidity: at times the same plant might exhibit only characteristics of the female reproductive system and at others will have only the male reproductive system. What a weird and beautiful plant.</p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> McDonnell AJ, Wetreich HB, Cantley JT, Jobson P, Martine CT (2019) Solanum plastisexum</em>, an enigmatic new bush tomato from the Australian Monsoon Tropics exhibiting breeding system fluidity. PhytoKeys 124: 39-55. Source</a> </p> “Nature” has often been used as the justification for the ostracism and animosity hurled at those in the Queer community. Queer ecology, a fairly recent ideology, attempts to break the understanding of nature that humanity has created, and instead allow nature to just be what it is. Stemming from Queer Theory which challenges the notion that heterosexual desire is “normal,” Queer ecology is about “letting go of the idea of what is natural and acknowledging the diversity of the natural world.” “Natural” is a completely human defined term, and so long as we continue to view nature through our limited understanding of what it should be, it’s likely we will never fully understand it.</p> </picture> </div> </article> Denver Botanic Gardens participating in Pride, 2019.</p> The queerness of humanity and the natural world outside of us provides a beautiful backdrop of diversity. Perhaps we should embrace the Queer.</p> Learn More!</h4> The Helen Fowler Library has many books on environmental justice and topics like Queer ecology. The collection is always growing!</p> "The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World" by Andrea Wulf contains ideas about the interconnectedness of nature similar to Queer Ecology.</p> </p> More Resources</h4> Nothing more queer than nature</a> | Brigitte Baptiste | TEDxRiodelaPlata</li> Queering Botanical Science: A Recap</a></li> How to Queer Ecology: One Goose at a Time</a></li> Feminist and Queer Ecology Reading List</a></li> </ul> </p>
Succulent plants have fascinated gardeners for many decades, and this trend shows no sign of slowing. There are many attributes that make them a great choice for Denver, and although delving into growing them can be frightening, I’m here to give you the 411 on making them thrive as you impress your friends and neighbors.</p> Let’s go over a few definitions and ground rules. Technically speaking a succulent plant is any plant that has ability to store water for later use. Generally, they want a lot of light and a little water. I know, easier said than done. For me, keeping the Gardens’ indoor collection of succulent plants from around the world requires diligence, attention to detail and of course, my trusty old crystal ball. </p> Here are some tips to keep your plants healthy and happy. Keep in mind these are generalizations; not meant to take the place of looking up individual plants for specific details.</p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Echinofossulocactus multicostatus</em></p> Planting Outside</h4> The general timeline that frost-sensitive plants can be grown outside in Colorado is from Mother’s Day to early October. When it’s time for the plants to fledge your nest, they must be carefully acclimated to brighter light or they will scar, burn or worse! One trick is to put them in partial shade under a tree, etc., or under shade cloth. Try to increase the light steadily for about a week.</p> Containers</h4> Keep it tight, pack it full of plants; it will be easier and prettier. I like pots that are more wide than deep.</p> Soil</h4> Bottom line: Just make it drain well without too much organic matter. Succulents would much rather have lean, fast-draining soil than that rich chocolate cake you grow your other plants in. There is no one good mix for everything. I take regular bagged topsoil (about 50%) and add ingredients like charcoal, perlite, sand and gravel (other 50%) to “chunkify” it to my liking.</p> Watering</h4> Best advice I can give: When in doubt, do without. This is and was the hardest thing I struggle not to do, 18 years into collecting. I love succulent plants and I still tie a ribbon around my finger to not love them to death. Plants grown outside, I water thoroughly once per week. The cycle of soil moisture should look something like this: totally wet for one day, medium moisture for 3-4 days and almost totally dry for 2-3 days.</p> Times of Trouble</h4> Things to look for that will require immediate action are stretching or discoloration. If your once nice, tight, red plant is stretching in every direction and turning green, it needs more light and possibly less water. Rot is another problem you need to act on right away. Pull the rotting plant out of the soil, cut off the rotted portion at least a half inch past the rot. Put rooting hormone on the wound and expose to sunlight for a couple days. Once the wound has sealed place carefully back into soil. Some stems may need to be braced until they grow roots again.</p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Bulbine torta</em></p> Lastly, buy plants from reputable nurseries and garden centers who employ a trained horticulture staff. I guarantee you will get better plants and advice, and the plant will have a name tag! Spend time with your plants and pay attention to changes and they will tell you everything you need to know. Don’t give up even if you kill a few --I sure have, and that’s how I learned to do it right. </p> </p> This article appears in the June 2021 issue of Life on Capitol Hill.</em> </p>
