Every Friday morning this summer, I’ve had the pleasure of imagining future ecologies with several of the Gardens’ teen volunteers</a>. Whether on purpose or by accident, people are involved in all the ecosystems of the planet; the least we can do is ponder ways to make those relationships positive. As food for discussion, we’ve read diverse authors writing about how to be better neighbors and collaborators with the natural world. We’ve found inspiration from Native American storytelling, African American sci-fi, and a story where mushrooms are the protagonist instead of people. Here are some highlights from our reading list that you can find at the Helen Fowler Library</a>.</p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Braiding Sweetgrass</a> by Robin Wall Kimmerer</p> </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Parable of the Sower</a> by Octavia E. Butler</p> </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> The Mushroom at the End of the World</a> by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing</p> </p> The Helen Fowler Library has a diverse collection of resources for the novice and expert in gardening or environmental justice or the many interrelated topics. The library collection continues to grow in the depth and diversity of subjects as we endeavor to connect people to plants. Graphic novels, BIPOC authors, stories of influential events and individuals, cookbooks, kids’ books and more may all be found on the shelves and, if you are a Gardens member, checked out. Use one of the Special Searches</a> to browse for titles. </p>
Do you want to take a deeper dive into our gardens or galleries? We offer guided tours indoors or out on a range of topics, from container gardens to seasonal blooms to art. Sign up online for these small-group conversations that give you the opportunity to ask questions, share your thoughts, experience perennial favorites and uncover lesser-known spaces. </p> We have a Japanese-inspired tour this fall that lets you spend some time indoors with Yoshitomo Saito’s exhibition Of Sky and Ground</em></a> and then takes you outside to Shofu-en Japanese Garden, featuring character pines that are hundreds of years old. </p> </picture> </div> </article> Yoshitomo Saito, Cheikh Lo</em>, bronze, 2020. © Yoshitomo Saito</p> If you want to plan an outing for your group of eight or more friends, co-workers or community members, you can schedule a tour for a date and time that is convenient for your group by contacting tours@botanicgardens.org</a>. We have a variety of tour options you can choose from based on your group’s needs and interests. You can even schedule a tour of Chatfield Farms</a> to gain a glimpse into the past. Discover historical buildings that date to the 1800s and observe how Chatfield Farms’ agricultural focus continues today with its current food-growing operation. And, just let us know ahead of time if your group has specific language or other needs so we can accommodate those. Learn more</a> about these private tours.</p> </picture> </div> </article> </p> Docent-led Tours</h4> Container Gardens </strong> Explore the variety of fun and unexpected container gardens at the Gardens, and learn how to create your own edible, fragrant or pollinator-attracting containers.</p> August 15 and September 10 at 5 p.m.</p> $16, $12 member (includes admission to the Gardens) </p> Exploring Exhibitions</strong> Enjoy the current gallery exhibitions with a guide. Learn about the current and upcoming</a> art exhibitions.</p> Select Dates at 9:15 a.m. </p> $16, $12 member (includes admission to the Gardens) </p> </picture> </div> </article> Of Sky and Ground</strong> Join an indoor-outdoor exploration of Yoshitomo Saito’s exhibition Of Sky and Ground</em> and Shofu-en Japanese Garden.</p> Select Dates and Times</p> $19, $15 member (includes admission to the Gardens) </p> Seasonal Discoveries</strong> Embrace the exuberance of summer’s end. Enjoy gardens filled with late summer blooms such as blanket flowers and sages. </p> August 22, September 5, 11 and 19 at 2 p.m.</p> $16, $12 member (includes admission to the Gardens)</p> </picture> </div> </article> </p> Register online for docent-led tours</a> and enjoy more of the Gardens the next time you visit! We hope to see you soon.</p> </p> </p>
The heat of summer is finally here and with it comes the peak time to enjoy our extensive collection of aquatic plants. You will find diverse water gardens throughout our 24-acre York Street location. The walking tour below will guide you through each of these, beginning at the main entrance and working your way west to our largest water feature, Monet Pool.</p> Crossroads Pedestal: </strong>As you enter the Gardens from York Street, a pre-formed pond is displayed atop the pedestal in the Crossroads Garden. A colorful mix of tropical plants including Canna</em> ‘Bengal Tiger’, Canna</em> ‘Lemon Punch’, Canna</em> ‘Cleopatra’, Colocasia</em> ‘Black Coral’, Colocasia esculenta</em> ‘Elena’, Cyperus papyrus </em>‘Dwarf Form’ (compact giant papyrus) and Asclepias curassavica </em>(tropical milkweed) are surrounded by floating leaved Ludwigia sedioides</em> (mosaic plant) in this pond. Floating water lettuce (Pistia stratioites</em>) and Lysimachia nummularia</em> ‘Aurea’ (golden creeping Jenny) complete this small stand-alone feature, giving you a taste of the aquatic displays to come.</p> Ellipse Garden Pool: </strong>Strolling south from the Crossroads Garden, you will see Chihuly’s Colorado</em> sculpture towering in the distance. A mix of hardy and tropical waterlilies and petite marginal plants such as Canna</em> ‘Chiquita Punch’ and Colocasia esculenta</em> ‘Black Magic’ are displayed in the small pond at the base of this piece, complementing the sunset shades of the glasswork. Mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedioides</em>), a South American floating-leaved aquatic plant, also thrives in the warmth of this pool.</p> Romantic Gardens Pool:</strong> Continue west from the Ellipse garden and you will arrive at the Romantic Gardens, where a formal round pool displays a colorful array of “star waterlilies.” These tropical day-bloomers boast star-shaped flowers that are held high above the water’s surface. Hybrids displayed include Nymphaea </em>'Rhonda Kay', 'Carnea' (aka 'Orchid Star'), and 'Rhapsody in White'. Night-blooming water platters (Victoria</em> ‘Longwood Hybrid’) highlight the center of this pond.</p> Four Towers Pond (east side): </strong>Directly west of the Romantic Gardens, the Four Towers pond abuts the Science Pyramid on two sides. Intersubgeneric hardy x tropical waterlilies are displayed at the east end of this pond. Once thought to be an impossible cross, multiple hybridizers have now successfully created these hybrids which boast purple or bright magenta flowers on winter-hardy plants.</p> Four Towers Pond (west side): </strong>Continuing around the Science Pyramid pond, a variety of marginal aquatic plants including Canna</em> 'Blueberry Sparkler', Thalia geniculata</em>, Cyperus prolifer</em> and Hibiscus moscheutos</em> hybrids can be found growing in the west side of the pond along with Australian waterlilies and Victoria</em> ‘Longwood Hybrid’ plants.</p> Reflections pool: </strong>A display dedicated to taro (Colocasia esculenta </em>and hybrids) can be found in the next small pond to the west of the Steppe Garden. These water-loving marginal plants are commonly grown for their starchy edible corms. Many hybrids have also been developed for ornamental use and have leaves that range from deep, glossy black to chartreuse with splashes of deep purple. A mixture of hardy and tropical waterlilies are also grown in this pool surrounding the stone sculpture titled Reflections</em>.</p> Annuals Garden pools:</strong> Hardy and tropical waterlilies in the “Rocky Mountain Legacy Collection” are displayed in the next pond on our walking tour. This collection includes hybrids such as ‘Joey Tomocik’, ‘Colorado’, ‘Denver’s Delight’ and ‘Denver’ which were all tested for hardiness and performance in Denver’s unique climate and named by our former curator of aquatics. Marginal plants including White Rush (Schoenoplectus </em>‘Albescens’), Canna</em> ‘Belinda’, Lobelia</em> ‘Pacific Beauty’ and Hibiscus </em>‘Cherry Cheesecake’ also highlight these pools.</p> Monet Pool:</strong> Once you finish admiring the Annuals Garden and its ponds, stroll north until you reach Shady Lane. Head west on this path and you will come upon our largest display pond, Monet Pool. Victoria</em> 'Longwood Hybrid' waterlilies encircle a large red-stemmed thalia in the center of the pond. A wide variety of hardy and tropical waterlilies and marginal plants including lotus (Nelumbo</em> hybrids) are displayed in this pond as well.</p> Le Potager pool:</strong> We end our tour at the small pond connected to Monet Pool that sits in the middle of our Le Potager garden. Edible aquatic plants are displayed in this pool including lotus (Nelumbo</em>), water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis</em>), gorgon plant (Euryale ferox</em>), Santa Cruz waterlily (Victoria cruziana</em>), ornamental rice (Oryza sativa</em> ‘Black Madras’) and taro (Colocasia esculenta</em>).</p> If you live in the area, be sure to drop by throughout August and September to watch our tropical waterlilies and water platters grow in size and reach peak bloom!</p>
If you are an avid alpine hiker or have been traveling to alpine areas for decades, I’m sure you have noticed that it is quite a bit warmer up there than it was. You probably seldomly need to bring all the layers you once did. You might even find yourself hiking in a t-shirt and shorts in peak summer, and snow fields that used to last into fall are disappearing come July. </p> Well, you’re not the only one who has noticed these changes – the plants and animals that call the alpine home are experiencing drastically different conditions than they have been used to for hundreds to thousands of years. Alpine ecosystems are particularly at risk from warming temperatures because the plants and animals cannot migrate to higher elevations to escape the heat. And as it continues to warm, organisms from lower elevations will migrate up the mountain and compete with those who have built a home in the alpine for centuries. </p> Rare plant species often require very specific conditions for survival and therefore may have a hard time adapting to warming temperatures. A grant from the Colorado Native Plant Society</a> has allowed me to study the response of two rare alpine species to experimental warming. I will install open top chambers that raise the temperature by ~1.5° in populations of Physaria alpina</em> and Saussurea weberi</em> in the mountains outside of Fairplay, CO. This year I am focusing on collecting baseline data of individuals in the population – such as height, flower and fruit production – to understand how the plants respond to multiple years of warming. Seeds will also be collected from the plants inside the warming chambers each year to understand how offspring may adjust germination requirements to match change in temperature. </p> This study will allow us to understand the impacts of increased temperature on some of the rare alpine plants of Colorado and be better able to prioritize species and populations for in-situ and ex-situ conservation. These actions are directly applicable to the North American Botanic Garden Strategy for Alpine Plant Conservation, which Denver Botanic Gardens recently published in collaboration with Betty Ford Alpine Gardens</a> in Vail, CO. The strategy outlines objectives and targets to protect alpine plants and ecosystems in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with a focus on the role and efforts of botanic gardens, including research, conservation and outreach. </p> Climate change can be daunting to think about, and sometimes it feels like there may not be any hope. But we need to remember that alpine plants are resilient, and various organizations are working toward their conservation so that we don’t lose our beloved alpine treasures. </p>
