June Walking Tour – Penstemon Paradise in the Yurt Garden at Chatfield Farms

Summer is almost here! What better way to enjoy this season than to take a stroll through our gardens and see what has woken up with the incoming heat. The Yurt Garden has a heavy penstemon influence, so June is a big month for this corner of Chatfield Farms in Littleton, CO. To get there, go from the Robert and Judi Newman Welcome Center and Lavender Garden, past the Prairie Garden surrounding the Earl J. Sinnamon Center, and cross the bridge to the Center Water Feature. From there, take a left and cross the dirt road to arrive at the Yurt Garden. This garden is one of many at Chatfield Farms that showcases Colorado natives. In particular, the Yurt Garden aims to mimic and celebrate the foothills and montane plant community, which is found around 7,500 feet in elevation along the Front Range.

This garden includes a wonderful selection of woodies with various cultivars of blue spruce, oak and potentilla. There are also several types of berry bushes: currants, serviceberries and Rocky Mountain raspberries. Other typical June blooms include Gaillardia aristata, Aquilegia coerulea, Geum ‘Mrs J. Bradshaw’, Geranium viscosissimum and Sedum selskianum ‘Spirit.’  Some of these flowers, like the Aquilegia and Geranium, might be beginning to fade from spring. Others might be in their prime or just getting started. June gives a lively and colorful crossover between the fading spring and summer’s start.

This month, penstemons really steal the show. Penstemon strictus is the most common and acts as a prevalent and unifying purple. Other penstemon include P. virens, P. ‘Onyx and Pearls’, P. pinifolius and P. whippleanus. You might also see Penstemon cardinalis in bloom, which the hummingbirds ADORE, but this seems to take a bit longer to warm up.

Bird lovers will find that this is a hummingbird hotspot! Sit for a few moments on one of the benches and you will likely hear the whirring of hummingbirds warring over nectar. Other wildlife enjoys this garden as well. Big, yellow, swallowtail butterflies love the Penstemon strictus. Robins typically clean off the serviceberries (also called Juneberries) within a week or so of their ripening. Sometimes, small garden snakes like to sun themselves on the decorative boulders.

Infrastructurally, most of the garden is built up as berms, meaning there is slight elevation rather than a flat plane. This adds to the effect of the garden’s mountainous feel and defines an intimate space within the garden. Berms also help store water runoff and create visual interest because they allow for better viewing of different garden layers. The beds on the west side have recently been expanded to accommodate irrigation updates. Most of the perennials on this edge are in their first year, so they’re still adjusting to their new home.

This space is available to rent for events such as classes, small meetings and groom’s quarters during wedding ceremonies. Wonderfully rustic and cozy, the yurt structure feels like an excursion into nature, but with the convenience of suburban proximity. Whether choosing to rent the space for a special event, or enjoy the garden as a visitor, I encourage you to visit this garden while it blooms so fully. 

 

Gallery photos by Abigail McLennan