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Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you. This simple, well known love poem may bring a smile or cringe to your face. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and for better or

A sentimental love affair between ancient Japanese intellectuals and Ume: 梅Ume (Japanese flowering plum), Prunus mume, has been one of the most popular winter-blooming trees in Japan for centuries

The name of the Japanese Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens, 松風園 Sho-Fu-En, means ‘The garden of pine and wind’ and was inspired by the Rocky Mountain wilderness. During our growing season, we often

We all have favorite seasons. Mine has always been autumn, probably because it’s the time of year I wish would last twice as long. Everything seems mature in the plant world and determined to go out

Welcome to the Steppe Garden. This unique garden showcases plants from steppe regions of the world. The featured steppe regions and associated continents are: South Africa, which is divided into

Mount Goliath, the northern shoulder of Mount Evans and located within the Arapaho National Forest, takes my breath away each time I visit. Visitors to this fragile alpine environment can experience

This past year I was the recipient of a Chanticleer Garden Scholarship awarded to professionals in Public Gardening, in my case to do a floristic and cultural comparison of two mountains in Greece and

Iris 'Lady Beatrix Stanley' As I was driving home yesterday I passed a house which boasted a narrow bed along its north side with hundreds--maybe thousands of snowdrops. I began looking intently

Salvia indica The first salvia to bloom at Denver Botanic Gardens every spring is actually from Western Asia and Turkey rather than India as the name would imply. It shows one extreme of the range of

Aloe polyphylla at Semonkong Lodge Few plants better epitomize the quandaries of plant conservation than this iconic aloe, endemic to the heights of south-central Lesotho, South Africa. Once

Delosperma floribundum 'Starburst' There have been a veritable flood of hardy ice plants on the market in recent years, to the point where we have forgotten about some of the worthy old timers. This

Hydrangea quercifolia This time of year I am amazed to see spectacular mounds of Hydrangea 'Annabelle' glowing around the metro area. That is one cultivar that has certainly made its mark, although