We think of passion flowers as something exotic, tropical and certainly not something you can grow in Colorado. Fiddlesticks! There is a garden in Littleton where passion flowers are practically a problem. Sandy Snyder (who worked at Denver Botanic Gardens for 17 years as horticulturist) has perhaps the finest private garden in the metro area. The south side of her house is positively DRAPED with passion flowers (see below): in fact, she weeds them out (they do sucker a bit much, you know). Right now, the whole glorious wall boasts hundreds of these frilly, incredible Faberge gem-like blossoms. I know a garden in West Denver (Jim and Dorothy Borland) that has a similarly rambunctious white flowered passion flower growing just as vigorously. Sandy's plant originally came from the South Denver garden of Tom and Ann Johnson, who passed away decades ago--great gardeners whose plant and memory lives on. We have not yet managed to grow this outdoors at Denver Botanic Gardens, although we have quite a few passion flowers in the conservatory and containers. But I suspect one day we will. Isn't it amazing what the great gardeners of our area are doing? </p>
</p> </p> Yet another BRAND NEW experience is waiting for you at Denver Botanic Gardens. The Gardens has opened a new gift shop, Shop at the Gardens. The entire gift shop was re-designed from the ground up to offer our visitors the most sustainable, creative, unique garden and gift products in Denver.</p> </p> Come shop an extensive collection of gifts and toys for children, unique jewelry, garden and cook books, apparel, affordable gifts made from the most cutting-edge sustainable materials and packaging, plants and other items sure to be found nowhere else in Denver. Plus, you give back to the Gardens when you shop with us. Proceeds from the gift shop help fund Gardens' programming for the community.</p> Chuck McGlothlin (pictured above), is the shop manager and buyer. He and his very capable staff are here to help you select just the right gift for yourself, someone you love or for your home!</p> Shop at the Gardens is open year-round during regular Gardens hours and is located in the new Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center. Admission to the Shop at the Gardens and all parking is free.</p> We'll not only offer you the most unique gifts in the City of Denver, we'll make it easy for you to shop with us as well. Think all-natural gifts. Think plants and gardening supplies. Think affordable, relevant offerings. Shop over 10,000 items that have been personally selected by our staff to reflect the Gardens’ core values of sustainability, transformation, diversity and relevance. We look forward to seeing you soon!</p>
</p> What threatens Sclerocactus glaucus</em>? Installation and maintenance of huge pipelines that move oil and gas from the well pads miles and miles to the collection facilities; roads; browsing and trampling from livestock; weeds; and people who collect them from the wild to name a few. Why are we doing something about it? Just look at the beautiful landscape and plant community. Do you want to lose that? Neither do we.</p>
</p> The green roof at Denver Botanic Gardens opened in November 2007. Within a year and a half, this garden has established very well creating a green space where once was a regular cemented roof. Situated above our former gift shop (soon to become a bistro), this one-of-a-kind green roof features native and drought tolerant plants that thrive well in our semi-arid climate with limited water.</p> A variety of plants were selected in creating this roof to test which plants will perform well as green roof plants in our region. Departing from the regular norm of using Sedums as green roof plant materials, this roof is living proof of how, with experimentation, we can create a green roof utilizing a diverse plant palette. Designed and created by our resident green roof expert, Senior Horticulturist Mark Fusco, Denver Botanic Gardens is a pioneer in green roof research for our region.</p> </p> </p> </p> The green roof was initially established using about 60 different plant species. Approximately 1,000 plants were planted and after the first winter the survival rate was quite high – 90%. Now, after surviving a second winter, the garden couldn’t look any better. This past week, the garden was splashed in shades of yellow, pink, red, blue and white. Plants blooming currently include three different cultivars of Delosperma</em>, the bright red flowers of Echinocereus triglochidatus </em>cactus, the bright yellow flowers of Eriogonum umbellatum</em>, Euphorbia polychroma </em>and Physaria bellii</em>, pink and white Phlox </em>and blue Veronica liwanensis. </em>The Opuntias are in bud and should be blooming soon.</p> As this garden becomes well established in another couple of years, we will reduce and maybe even completely stop irrigating this garden. Plans are underway to establish green roof trials at our Chatfield research gardens. The new Mordecai Children’s Garden, anticipated to be completed in summer 2010, will feature an extensive green roof, which will be situated above the new parking garage.</p>
