It is a beautiful spring morning and you have just arrived at Denver Botanic Gardens for a relaxing stroll. The birds are singing, and the spring bulbs are blooming. The trees and shrubs are budding out, and perennials are waking up and emerging from the freshly thawed soil. As you walk through the entrance you are greeted by a natural oasis to explore. There is so much to see that you don’t know where to begin, so you start meandering down the main pathway with an overwhelming sense of wonder and excitement. </p> As you continue your adventure through the Gardens you come across Shady Lane, a vast shade garden filled with blooming bulbs, perennials and crabapple (Malus</em>) trees ready to burst with aroma and color. You find a bench in the garden to stop, rest and take it all in. </p> The very first crabapple trees in the Gardens were planted in 1976 along the south side of the walkway and the collection was expanded after the completion of the greenhouses and Orangery in 2010 on the north side of the walkway. Fourteen different ideal varieties of crabapples are displayed in Shady Lane and they can be seen in full bloom from late April through mid-May with a palette of white and magenta blossoms that are incredibly aromatic. In autumn, they produce striking red fruit that attracts birds and wildlife. These trees, along with Austrian pines (Pinus nigra</em>), provide a lush canopy that creates an ideal range of shade conditions for understory perennials and shrubs that favor low light conditions. </p> Ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris</em>), hydrangeas, hellebores and hostas can be found growing on the south side of the garden. The north side receives partial sun exposure throughout the day and showcases plants that are well adapted to both high light intensity and low light intensity conditions including columbines (Aquilegia</em>), tulips (Tulipa</em>), irises, lilies (Lilium</em>) and phlox varieties. </p> The tulips, winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis</em>) and Brunnera macrophylla</em> will begin blooming in early to mid-April. The columbines, irises and lilies will begin blooming in mid-April to early May. Some of the timing of the blooms is dependent on weather and precipitation patterns but the recent moisture has primed the garden for some impressive blooms this spring. </p> If you are looking for ideas for a shaded area in your home garden, Shady Lane is an excellent place to gain inspiration and learn what plants are well suited for low light conditions of varying degrees in Colorado. </p>
The depth of art programming at the Gardens received a dramatic and obvious boost when galleries in the Freyer – Newman Center opened. At last, we have perfect spaces to display works, with climate control, lighting options and a spacious, clean design. The themes of exhibits tie back to plants, to fungi and the natural world, all with a sense of humanity. Already, we have featured artists from our own community and as far away as the Canary Islands.</p> You might notice a large office area near the galleries that houses the research and conservation staff and the art and exhibitions team. Together. It is a powerful statement that we are not in the business of bifurcating the human experience, right brain vs. left brain. Instead, it points to a collaboration of disciplines to provide, as our mission statement mentions, delight and enlightenment. </p> Art has many purposes – to mark important events, convey a feeling, tell a story, to immortalize observation. We use it to frighten and inspire, to worship and to motivate. Gardens are in their own way an artform, horticulturists co-creating environments with nature. When you incorporate pieces of bronze or glass, something like a visual dance seems to happen. </p> This magical combination leads to something else essential to public gardens – the attraction of community. Most of the living tableaus change slowly, by season or gradual shifting design. An infusion of art, appealing to a variety of tastes, draws in new audiences who start with a connection to art and end up enthralled by plants. In countless ways, these conjoined expressions of human experience and imagination are at the heart of all public gardens. </p> Read the latest issue of Inside the Gardens magazine</a>. </p>
This feels like a long winter. Not because there have been blizzards every other week, but because COVID-19 has been keeping me cooped up inside binge watching episodes of Magnum P.I., just so I could feel like I went on vacation. Fortunately, there have been some wonderfully warm days, which has interrupted my winter madness by allowing me to get into the garden and start my spring cleanup. </p> You can start your spring cleanup as soon as the ground thaws. This is usually in March, but as you know, we have had some thaws during February. Perennials can be cut back to the basal growth, or the crown of the plant. If you look closely, you may be able to see new growth popping up through the crown. On more delicate perennials such as lupine (Lupinus</em>) or columbine (Aquilegia</em>), I use my hands to clean out the dead. On tougher plants, I use a small garden rake, especially with ground covers like lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantine</em>). </p> Cut grasses back by leaving 1 to 2 inches of old growth, which protects new shoots and keeps things looking tidy. While some grasses like blue avena grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens</em>) do not require cutting back (try combing through it with your hands to release the dead blades) many grasses may start showing classic signs of “the donut.” The donut is when your grasses or perennials start to die back in the center and create a hole in the middle of the plant. At this point, you can divide your plants to rejuvenate and reduce the size of the clumps, then just plant the extra clumps for more plants. Win-win!</p> Late winter and early spring are perfect for pruning for shrubs and is not just limited to breaking out the electric shears. As shrubs age, they can get very dense and woody, creating a hedge. If this is your goal, only prune out the dead, damaged or diseased stems. This allows energy to be redirected to newer growth. For shrubs five years or older, you may want to prune out more to allow for air circulation and light penetration.</p> It is most important to know what kind of shrub you have, and whether it blooms on old growth, or new growth. Old growth refers to shrubs that bloom on last year’s growth. These shrubs, such as lilacs, forsythias, and some hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla, H. quercifolia</em>), should be pruned in the summer after they finish blooming. Shrubs that bloom on new growth, or this year’s growth, can be pruned in the spring, such as some hydrangeas (H. paniculata, H. aborescence</em>), and rose of Sharon (Hibiscus</em>). </p> Trees also can use a little dormant pruning during this time, but I like to stick with the rule of never cutting out more than 25 percent of the crown per year. Stick to pruning the 5 D’s: dead, dying, damaged, diseased or disfigured (this includes crossing or rubbing) branches. Make sure you have a plan before you start and remember that this process takes years. </p> Finally, the cherry on top of the sundae: mulch. Giving your beds a two- to three-inch layer of mulch helps to keep in moisture, regulate soil temperatures, protect any shallow roots and promote microbial communities that keep soil healthy. While you don’t want to put mulch directly on top of perennials or up against woody trunks, placing mulch around your freshly cleaned plants will enhance plant health as well as aesthetic. You may only need to rake up the old mulch, give it a nice air fluff and re-apply it to make things look fabulous all season. </p> Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a rush to the finish line. As soon as we start having nice days, I like to tackle my garden a little at a time. As Billy Ocean said, “Get outta my dreams and into my yard!”*</p> *Not a direct quote from Billy Ocean.</em> </p>
