</p> A trip to North Carolina would not be complete without the obligate stop to gawk at Kudzu (Puereria</em> sp.), that nearly mythical pea relative that is reputed to have swallowed several Southern States, presumably burping loudly...</p> </p> We were fortunate to have as a guide last weekend Bobby Ward, Secretary of the North American Rock Garden Society (and past president of the same august group). One could not have had a more knowledgeable cicerone. Bobby is a world traveler who is a retired ecologist native to North Carolina: he knew everything, and shared it in just the right doses.</p> If you look carefully, you can see the trees in the distance (many sixty or more feet tall) are completely covered with this inexorable vine. Despite a thorough search, we couldn't find a single blossom to test to see if indeed it smelled exactly like grape soda. On the flight home I saw an article that claimed a plataspid beetle introduced to George is now devouring kudzu, limiting its growth by a third. Suddenly kudzu champions have emerged from the woodwork, concerned at the potential loss of this southern scourge! </p> </p> During business trips, one never knows what lies in store. After a delicious dinner at the home of Bobby Wilder (my host and friend of many years), we were treated to a spontaneous and totally unplanned reading by Roy Dicks from Rhapsody in Green</em>, published in 2009 Timber Press title which he conceived of and edited. Roy is a theatre and music critic for the Raleigh News and Observer, and life partner of Bobby Ward pictured above (it's a small world there in Raleigh, and much of it seems to be named "Bobby"!)...</p> </p> Here is the book cover. You can read more about it on the Timber Press website, or better yet, you can order the book on Amazon for a very modest sum. I doubt if there is a gardener alive who wouldn't be beguiled by Beverley Nichols' opinionated and yet somehow charming observations on the magic of gardening. During the course of Nichols' long life he wrote dozens of books on a wide range of subjects, although his gardening books have been consistently his most popular: most are still in print thanks largely to the efforts of Roy, who launched them one by one through Timber press. I shall end with a sample which resonated with me: “Pay a visit to the nurseries. Every conifer has a definite personality of its own and which proclaims itself from its earliest youth, and to buy a tree, even a baby, from a catalogue is as foolish as to adopt a child by parcel post.”</em> So there</strong></em>, Forest Farm</strong> and all you other purveyor of mail order babies!</p>
As we look for ways to conserve our natural resources and create sustainable communities, Denver Botanic Gardens in partnership with Sterling Ranch has helped create low-water sustainable landscapes at their demonstration site at Allis Ranch in Douglas County. Sterling Ranch will be Colorado’s first rainwater harvesting community and this project will set a new standard for water conservation in Colorado. To achieve a goal of using only a third of water used by traditional communities, we have created demonstration gardens that showcase use of water-wise plants and various irrigation systems. The different planting schemes include:</p> Water-Smart Garden with very low water use ornamental plants with low maintenance.</li> Traditional Garden utilizes common ornamental plants of low to moderate water use requiring moderate maintenance.</li> Backyard Oasis showcases the use of a patio with shade plants and other aesthetic amenities such as a water feature, fire pit and planter boxes.</li> Open Space Garden features low water, naturalistic meadow garden.</li> Edible Garden with vegetables, fruits and berries planted in traditional rows and raised beds.</li> </ul> As the community starts build-out over the next 20 years, these demonstration gardens will serve as a teaching tool educating the public on how to create attractive living spaces while conserving one of our precious natural resources – water.</p>
</dt> </p> Over the years visitors often say things such as "You must have everything at the Gardens!" Walking around on a beautiful autumn day like today that may seem the case. But in fact, we are missing many</strong></em> superb plants, both native and exotic. Filipendula</em> is a case in point: this genus of herbaceous Spiraea cousins includes a dozen or species widespread and abundant throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere... Filipendula</em> has been effectively AWOL from Denver Botanic Gardens for most of my tenure. Few plants are as adaptable, common in the trade and in nature. I confess that I have planted a few way back when, but I have noticed in recent years they are pretty much gone. These pictures were taken at a private garden at over 8000' near Conifer: proof that our members beat us at our game!</p> </dd> The queen of the genus is unquestionably the Queen of the Prairie (F. rubra</em>), one of the largest (it can be 8' tall when happy), showiest and most admired native plants of North America, largely confined to the Tall Grass Prairie of the Midwest. Like all the denizens of that biome, it was reduced drastically in its range when the prairies were busted for corn and soybeans. It is making a strong comeback in gardens due to its long season of midsummer bloom...if you want to see a spectacular clump like this one in Conifer, you will have to give it room, deep rich loam and lots of water. If you plant it, stand back! It spreads moderately by rhizomes to make a large, large, larger clump.</p> </p> </dd> </dl> This tiny cousin--barely a foot tall--could well be called the "Princess of the woodland," since it seems to need a tad more shade. It can be tricky to find in nurseries, even mail order!</p> </p> On the trip that Mike Bone and I took to Kazakhstan, several small, white flowered Filipendulas were everywhere in the steppe, in mountain meadows, along streams. Two were identified as F. ulmaria </em>and F. vulgaris</em>. Truth be said they look an awful lot like one another, and both resemble F. hexapetala</em>. Alas, white is not the most sought after hue (even this glowing, ivory white), although their ferny basal foliage is attractive throughout the season--especially in autumn when it can take on orange and scarlet tints.</p> These Filipendulas superficially resemble Astilbe</em>, although their flowers have a rakish, slightly tipsy look to them unlike the symmetrical spires of Astilbe</em>. Of course, filipendulas are in the rose family while Astilbes are saxifrage cousins. We collected seed of white filipendulas on the steppes of Kazakhstan which will be adorning several spots in Plantasia next year.</p> </p> You will find spectacular plantings of lupines in mountain gardens throughout the state, like these in Conifer. These are descended from wild species restricted to the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia and Alaska, so they seem to do best in cooler climates and at altitude. I have seen fine specimens nonetheless in Denver. These are a parting glimpse of that same mountain garden of two long term, enthusiastic supporters of Denver Botanic Gardens. Now perhaps if I can only persuade my colleagues to get these into our York Street and Chatfield gardens...(sigh</strong></em>)</p>
</p> Andrew Pierce, past Director, Assistant Director, Propagator and Conservatory Superintendent at Denver Botanic Gardens, passed away early this morning (Saturday, September 17, 2011), at his home with his family around him.</p> Andrew was well known and universally loved and respected by his peers throughout the Rocky Mountain Region and beyond. He was born in Kent, England and graduated from the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew's horticultural training program, and was always a loyal "Kewite." He brought the rigor and intellectual prowess of that training to Denver Botanic Gardens in the mid-1970s when he was instrumental in helping transform this still fledgling institution that had little true botanical gardening going on in it into what we enjoy today.</p> Hired initially to oversee the Conservatory as Superintendent, he raised the production standards and scope of the greenhouse complex and propagation ranges. He instituted our Index Seminum</em>, and later designed (along with Lainie Jackson) our very first Perennial Border, accelerating our transformation from a Victorian Carpet bedding showcase to true botanical displays and collections.</p> Andrew possessed a truly astonishing range of knowledge and experience. I have ever met anyone who had a broader knowledge of the Plant Kingdom. Show him a twig of a tropical tree, an obscure herbaceous perennial cultivar or a high alpine cushion plant and he would likely know the botanical name and a good deal of scientific lore about it. He loved people, and was a true friend and mentor to many of us.</p> I doubt that I would have stayed at Denver Botanic Gardens my first few challenging years were it not for his attentiveness, his guidance and above all his warmth of heart and irrepressible humor. I know many others would say the same.</p> </p> Perhaps one of Andrew's greatest and unsung legacies will be Denver Botanic Gardens' presence on Mount Goliath. It was he who first took me and many others down that trail, who trained the first volunteer docents and who championed that magnificent locale. I do not believe that Mount Goliath would be what it is today without his initial inspiration.</p> I know I shall think of Andrew frequently throughout the rest of my life--when I admire a glorious border in bloom, or see the first crocuses in my rock garden. And when we all descend through that fragrant forest of ancient bristlecone pines on Mount Goliath, we shall certainly feel his kind and gentle presence striding almost palpably nearby.</p>
Join Gardens’ adjunct researcher Dr. Don Hazlett for a look into the field of ethnobotany. Dr. Hazlett will be giving the second talk in our new brown bag series: Re-search the Gardens: Meet Our Scientists. Dr. Hazlett has been instrumental in the initiation and curation of the Gardens' ethnobotanical collection, housed within the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium. As part of the ethnobotany research Dr. Hazlett conducts as an adjunct researcher, he investigates Native American and Spanish common names. These common names frequently provide information not only about plant origin, but plant use and cultural importance as well. Dr. Hazlett’s talk will be in Gates Hall from noon - 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14</strong>. We look forward to seeing you there.</p>
Effective today, three rare Colorado plants have been added to the list of species protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Both DeBeque Phacelia (Phacelia submutica</em>), and Parachute Penstemon (Penstemon debilis</em>) are listed as threatened while the Pagosa skyrocket (Ipomopsis polyantha</em>) is listed as endangered. DeBeque phacelia and Parachute penstemon are restricted to shale slopes on South Shale Ridge and the Roan Plateau in Western Colorado. Energy development and exploration is the biggest threat to these species. The Pagosa skyrocket is restricted to two known populations near the town of Pagosa Springs where it faces threats from urban development.</p> The Research & Conservation department at Denver Botanic Gardens is working to help protect each of these species through our seed collection efforts. We have collected seed of DeBeque phacelia and Parachute penstemon in the last two years and are targeting the Pagosa skyrocket for seed collection in 2012.</p> To read more about the listing see the Center for Native Ecosystems or to read the official ruling see the US Federal Register.</p>
</p> "Scrofulous" is defined as "morally tainted" by the dictionary...what this has to do with the genus Scrophularia</em> escapes me. Over the years we have grown no end of rather scruffy little Scrophs: most have lacy leaves and blackish flowers. But there are a few beauties that show great promise. Queen among these is Scrophularia macrantha, </em>a highly local plant from a few sky islands in New Mexico. It can be found many places at Denver Botanic Gardens, chiefly in the Plant Select garden where it is creating a spectacle (and attracting the occasional hummingbird). It is available at most independent garden centers locally as well. David Salman of High Country Gardens gave it the common name of "red birds in a tree"--so very imaginitive and it seems to be sticking!</p> </p> The amazing horticulturists of the city of Lakewood have planted this "rare" plant throughout the hell strips of the city, as well as in many of the parks and especially in the extraordinary displays at Kendrick Lake and around the Lakewood Municipal buildings. The picture above was taken on Alameda Avenue. </p> </dt> Scrophularia chrysantha</dd> </dl> We have grown a handful of species of Scrophularia</em> over the years, mostly with tiny black flowers and cut leaves. I have always been charmed with this early spring blooming species from Western and Central Asia. Alas, it is barely on the fringes of cultivation. But perhaps our propagators will grow lots of them for upcoming plant sales?</p>
One of the most exciting facets of the horticultural scene in Colorado has been the rise of specialty "micronurseries", rather like our famous microbrews, these are a breed apart from the generic box stores and our (albeit) excellent garden centers. One of the best of these is Perennial Favorites, an enchanting destination in a wonderful setting. Diana Capen and Merrilee Barnett began growing a broad spectrum of perennials, herbs and annuals several decades ago: in recent years they have added lots of vegetables and woody plants into their mix. I make a point of dropping by their wonderful garden center any time I drive near Rye, Colorado: they are open from Wednesday through weekends for the rest of this month, and they will have a blowout Fall Sale with plants 25% off their very reasonable prices on September 9-11. Do click on this URL if you haven't already..Perennial Favorites' website has an extremely informative blog well worth bookmarking. And why did I begin this blog with a picture of an ice plant? That is no ordinary</em> ice plant, it is the only plant in the entire genus (and possibly in the family of thousands of species) that approaches blue in coloration: Lavender Ice occurred as a sport on 'John Proffitt' at their nursery almost a decade ago. This was introduced into Plant Select in 2009, and has provided a dramatic new color for the genus. If you are growing any ice plant, I can assure you that this would be an ideal companion for almost any color they come in. Check out how fabulous Lavender Ice</strong> looks alongside Colorado Gold Gazania in our Plant Select garden at DBG: May I suggest a road trip down to Rye? Why not take a jaunt up to Lake Isabel, or a weekend visiting Cripple Creek or the Wet Mountain Valley? Come back through Rye and drop in on these wonderful growers. You have time next weekend, or for their fall sale. I have obtained countless treasures from them over the year including several extremely durable Origanums ('Kent Beauty' and hybridinum</em> to be precise). They often sell at the Rock Garden sale in April, which is where I purchased this stunning miniature Balloon flower from them this year: I can assure you that if you visit them, you will find lots of goodies there you will not find in any other nursery! </p>
</p> Are you familiar with Denver Botanic Gardens Research & Conservation department? Have you ever wanted to know more about the type of research we do? We currently have ten staff in our Research & Conservation department with a lot of scientific expertise; we have three PhD and five MS degrees between us. In addition to our core staff, we have seven adjunct researchers collaborating with us on various projects ranging from curating our ethnobotanical collection, to evaluating revegetation practices after removal of invasive species. Our new brown bag series: Re-search the Gardens: Meet Our scientists will provide you with the opportunity to meet the Gardens’ scientists and learn about the great work we do to protect our region’s natural heritage.</p> The first talk in the series will be held on Wednesday July 13 in the Waring House Great Room from noon – 1 p.m. The opening talk in the series ‘Conservation genetics at the Gardens: Using DNA to protect our rarest plants,’ will cover how and why we are using DNA to help conserve some of our rarest plants. For more details on the series visit our website.</p>
</p> I'm sure that if you told the next fifty people you met that "there are trillium growing wild in Colorado", I'm sure not one in a hundred would believe it. The picture above was taken last weekend north of Steamboat. Oh, so many stories! I had camped in this area for the first time nearly half a century ago. A bear tried to get in our tent (we kept the bear prints for years on the outside of the tent.) I went back many times since then. Early in this decade a colossal wind knocked down tens of thousands of trees in the Zirkel Dome area. Spruce beetle populations skyrocketed, killing all the healthy trees, and subsequent fires wrought havoc as well: I wondered if our trillium survived there?</p> </dt> Western white trillium (Trillium ovatum) last weekend near Steamboat.</dd> </dl> Many did! I could have spent days looking through the woods and tabulating trilliums. They are really quite common in the Montane and Subalpine forests of northern Routt county. As I peered from a distance at the remembered hills, I saw that much of the range of this plant is indeed changing: one of the hills near Slavonia which was filled with unusual treasures had burned just a few years ago... Unlike the eastern white trillium (T. grandiflorum</em>) which looks so similar, this trillium grows in very cool areas, often blooming near snow. Not a plant to grow in gardens, but a treasure to find again in the wild.</p> </dt> Trillium with snow (Trillium ovatum)</dd> </dl> </p> </dt> Three leaf bitterroot (Lewisia triphylla)</dd> </dl> There are no end of special plants in Moffat and Routt counties: this looks very much like pygmy bitteroot (Lewisia pygmaea</em>) only it comes from a bulb and grows at lower elevations. The only place in our state where you will find this miniature bluebell is in Northwest Colorado: the blue is piercing. What a cute miniature. We did not have time to seek out our native Rhododendron albiflorum</em>: next time... It would take a good many blogs to do justice to our state. This weekend it will be Central Colorado, with some tundra time: maybe I'll bump into you? Have a fabulous Fourth of July!</p>
</p> We have some exciting news to report from the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium and Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi. Each collection has added a type specimen of a species new to science. A type specimen is a specimen selected to serve as a reference point when a plant or fungal species is first named. As a result, these specimens are extremely important to botanists and mycologists who are attempting to determine the correct application of a name.</p> The new fungal specimen is Smithiomyces crocodilinus</em>, only the third known species of this rare genus. The specimen was collected during a 2009 bioblitz at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area by Jack Jones, with Ed Lubow, Marc Donsky, Nora Jones and Rob Hallock, members of the Colorado Mycological Society. The specimen was first mistaken as a member of the genus Amanita</em>. Once examined at our Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi, curator Vera Evenson knew this specimen was different. Through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Bradley Kropp of the Intermountain Herbarium and Utah State University, and Dr. Timothy Baroni, a distinguished professor and fungal geneticist at State University of New York, Cortland, it was determined that this was a new species. This finding is exceptionally unique in that the only other known members of the genus are tropical. While it was documented that the species occurs with Mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus</em>) species, additional work will investigate the ecology of this species. Amazing as it may seem, there are new plants being discovered in Colorado. Native plant enthusiasts Al and Betty Schneider of Cortez, Colorado have been instrumental in finding and naming two new species since 2008. The most recent find is Packera mancosana</em>, a member of the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). Recent botanical exploration of Lone Mesa State Park in the Southwest corner of Colorado has revealed new species. Gardens’ Adjunct Researcher Loraine Yeatts and the Schneiders collected the new species in 2009 and have spent the last two years working to identify and name the new find. For more photos and the full description of the species see Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. Stop by our herbaria to see these new species in person. We are open to the public Mon - Thur 9:00 am-2:00 pm.</p>
