Denver Botanic Garden - Great day!

Today I had the pleasure of roaming around the Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street.  This is a "new" botanic garden relative to those in Chicago.  It was started in 1958 in conjunction with the City of Denver - and was based on land that was a former cemetery!  The conservatory was added in the 70's.  Today it is a very impressive botanic garden and conservatory.

The design of the garden includes many elements that we see in Jensen type landscapes

1. there was plenty of water and movement and it was all done in natural settings. 
2. There were several "long views" - see the shots below. 
3. The premise is several "rooms" or vignettes of smaller gardens on a theme that seamlessly meld together to offer a wide variety of impressions and emotions.
4. The small views and secret areas are abundant!

The diversity of plants is high.  I liked the focus in several areas on Western native gardens, alpine and meadows. There were also green/water saving gardens.  What I didn't like was that the signage was not 100%, if I loved the plant, it was often not labeled. The dessert house is small - but has a nice variety.  The succulents are labeled with numbers - and there was a reference book on the opposite wall with the cross reference. Not sure that many people care about it - but I checked several :)

Keep in mind that there are a plethora of pathways and it can get confusing if you are trying to stick to a plan. Most of the paths are paved and suitable for all levels. Some rock walkways and steps, but not too many. Luckily it is small and compact so looping around isn't an issue.  My whole walk around was less than 2.5 miles. Also although I don't show them here - there are wonderful sculptures as focal points around the garden.

Here are two shots of a few my favorite long views. On the left is the walkway along the greenhouses. You can peer into the windows on the right side of this photo and see into the propagation greenhouses. They were all very clean - I was surprised :)  The shot on the left, at the base of the orange wall is a waterway. There are containers on pedestals at constant intervals. You can see the cactus poking up. That is the container. Just really nice to come around a corner and be surprised by these vistas.

Shady Lane - Lots of places to sit :)

El Pomar Waterway

It's hard to explain all the little details that have gone into melding different gardens into one cohesive display. Take a look at the picture below of parts that I liked.

Lainie's Cutting Garden - Sep 2011

Alpine Garden - Sep 2011

Romantic Garden - Long View, Formal: Sept 2011

Orange Cut Flowers

                           

Blue Cut Flower Bed

Red Cut Flowers

                   













The cutting garden had several beds which were all arranged by color. You can see the white beds in the front.  I thought this was such a nice way to do it.  I'm more partial to blues - although they do not show up so well. I also loved the red flower beds, and the orange was so tall!   The shots of the cutting flower beds have at least four different flower varieties - looks so nice.

Then when I needed a little break - or I saw something that I want to study.  There was a bench or chairs at the ready.  Almost around every corner, some little setting that looked so peaceful and purposeful at the same time. Wouldn't it be so amazing to have this scene below as my backyard, or how about around the corner from my office, or my bus stop!

The food on the Monet Deck is great by the way. Sitting in the shade and looking out over the Monet Pool was enjoyable. I met a nice man named Alan who is a member here. He filled me in on events and concerts they have. 

Happy day today exploring the garden. It was easy to get there from downtown by bus, and I walked back past the capital, and art museum. Lots to see here. Have to take another visit.  I hope I can time it for spring. I think the Alpine garden would be wonderful then - in bloom. Also there is a lilac garden which I bet smells just awesome at that time of year!

Singing Country Western!

Teresa Marie

Dahlia Diversity - Impressive Showing (Flower Show Review)

This past weekend I attended the Dahlia show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I so enjoyed seeing all the different varieties. Please  enjoy the photos. If I had thought about it at that time I would have jotted down the names of each of these!

A flower show is essentially a display of only one stem with one flower each submitted by a different grower, or in this case member of the Dahlia association. In this photo below you can see how this is all arranged. I also had a chance to talk with some of the members. I didn't know Dahlias were from Mexico, and of course hybridized in Holland, Europe etc over the years. Those guys did a great job showing off the splendor!

Dahlia Show - Chicago Botanic Garden Sep 2011

There were a few rooms with tables of flowers. Luckily I could get up close and explore each flower that interested me! And take lots of photos. The shots here are my favorites :)

One Pane at a Time - Garfield Park Conservatory Update

The other night I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the Garfield Park Conservatory.  This was part of the launch of the One Pane at a Time campaign to raise funds to recover from the summer hailstorm severely damaged the Garfield Park Conservatory's glass-paned roof.  The resulting damage to the conservatory exhibition halls and propagation greenhouses will take years, many hours and many dollars to fix.


Here are a few shots of the interior as of September, 2011.

Prop house 1 - ~2009

Prop House 1 - Sept 2011

Above are two photos of Propagation House 1.  One the left you can see what this looks like today.  The house is closed until all the glass can be removed and the roof rebuilt.  There is a protective ceiling down the main walkway to allow people to pass through.  If one goes outside this path they need to wear hard hats and protective wear to guard against falling glass.  One the right is the exact same Propagation house in 2009 when I first started volunteering at Garfield Park Conservatory.  There are now few places for propagation and storage of plants.   





Garfield Conservatory Show House - Sep 2011



Garfield Conservatory Show House - Sep 2011



We walked through the Show House.  I recalled that the first room open to the public when the Conservatory first opened.  So much history here.  Even though I know that it had been rebuilt before, it was still shocking to see that it had been cleared - to remove the broken roof and also the broken glass from the floor / plant beds.  Only a few of the larger trees were not removed.  In the pictures below you can see in the photo on the left - the temporary roof that is across the fern room (out the window the building in the back is the roof of the fern room.)  In the photo on the right, you can see how they have removed most plants.



We also passed along through the construction zome to the historic fern room.  With the temporary roof in place and all the glass removed from the beds, the plants were starting to come back.  They did suffer from sun damage, over handling (walking on the mosses and the shop vac to remove glass) - but plants are resilient!  The pond had been drained to be cleaned and at the time of our viewing had not been filled. It wouldn't surprise me if the space is used to store shade loving plants for the winter.



Garfield Park Consevatory Show House Dec 2009



I put to the side here a photo of the show house during the Holiday Show last year.  The Conservatory will still be having a large display of Poinsettias this year and other colorful holiday plants.  This will be displayed around the conservatory as the show house will still be closed.

Thanks for reading this update. Please pass along the word about the One-Pane-at-a-time Campaign.  Individuals are being asked to buy a glass pane to rebuild the conservatory's roof. (or get your employer excited to contribute - email to ask how!)

Donations can be made at www.garfieldconservatory.org/one_pane_at_a_time.htm

Today I'm singing various opera arias - so excited for lyric season to be starting soon.

Teresa Marie

Garden Whimsy - Joy of the unexpected

I enjoy putting a little surprise into my garden through the use of unexpected items. 
Each of the items shown below were secured for free or at very low cost from garage sales, craigslist of freecycle. 

Here are a few examples.

I have a few of these "plastic" gargoyles.  They move around the garden and hide in different spots. They neighbor kids have fun trying to find them!

Gargoyle in the West Garden

Antique Bed Frame as architectural element

The antique bed frame looks really great in the winter when the foliage has fallen.  Last summer it looked much better when the plant in front of it was smaller too!  Nonetheless, it's an unexpected element in the garden. It helps add some interest to all the green, and break up the vertical element of the evergreens behind it.


Old Bronze pump / fountain

This bronze fountain I literally picked up from the side of the road. I first noticed the shine, then the little faucet.  It was in three pieces - but I thought there was some use for it.  After trying to convince my helpers to reassemble it and make it a functional fountain, we agreed that more standing water in the yard was not a good thing. So we just assembled it and put it into the garden.  Here tucked up in the shade, it adds a little visual interest. 

Wire Sculpture

This last picture is of a wire sculpture. We have had several discussions on what exactly this is supposed to be used for.  Options range from plant stand, ivy form, to just plain art.  I have these in the hosta bed on my porch. I was able to pick up two at a garage sale for only $15.  They flank the bay window nicely and add structure and visual interest. 

Gardens - not just for plants :) It's a canvas to your creativity.

Teresa Marie

Easy Fruit Fly Trap

I'm starting to harvest from my vegetable garden and that always means fruit flies in the house.  A few years ago we stumbled across this simple trap.

All you need is:
- A glass or vase
- A piece of paper (8x11 or larger)
- Tape (any kind)
- A piece of fruit or vegetable peels

Simple Paper cone with hole at the bottom

Here are the instructions:
1) Put the fruit or vegetable into the bottom of the glass
2) Roll the paper into a cone shape so that it fits easily into the glass, flush with all sides, while still keeping a hole at the smallest end of the cone (see picture below)
3) Tape the side of the paper cone so it holds it's shape
4) Place the cone in the glass.
5) Sit back and relax while the trap catches the flies
6) Empty the trap and change the fruit out periodically.




The flies go into the glass to get at the fruit and cannot get out!!! For the most success you must minimize other distractions for the fruit flies - clean kitchen, no fruit or vegetable waste available.

Every day, and sometimes a few times a day, I release the fruit flies outside.  I also periodically replace the fruit at the bottom. The older the fruit gets, the more aroma it puts out that attracts the fruit flies.  But I also worry that as the flies might be laying eggs in the fruit - I could be generating them as well. So I like to change it out!



Completed Fruit Fly Catcher

Success - lot of trapped flies :)

I have a bumper crop of cucumbers - anyone have recipes?

Happy Day!

Teresa Marie