Category: Public gardens

Posted on in Birds, Conservation, Nature, Public gardens

Mid-Summer Abundance

american-robin_juv_blkforest-co_lah_4249a

July is not the best time to go birding. The sweat drips from under your floppy hat and smears the view through your binos, and there’s a puddle soaking your shirt under your sling/backpack/fanny pack. It’s a challenge just carrying enough water to stay hydrated.

The birds aren’t cooperating, either. Most of the males have stopped singing now that they have their mates and their territories. Soon they’ll be molting out of their breeding plumage into something much duller and harder to identify. Some are already thinking about heading south, although they won’t actually leave town for a few more weeks.

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Public gardens, Surviving Winter

DBG’s New Greenhouse Complex

boettcher-dbg_lah_6645-1Does chaffing wind have you pining for gentle tropical breezes? Do the empty branches of your shrubs and trees leave you starving for bright green foliage? Are you dreaming of the scent of gardenias and orange blossoms?

orchid_dbg_lah_6265You don’t need to buy a plane ticket. Just head over the Denver Botanic Gardens’ new greenhouse complex. Walk through the door and your senses are engulfed by luxuriant growth. Feast on the bright colors and fascinating shapes of plants from faraway places. Inhale the humid air that keeps these exotics healthy and blooming. Pretend you are far, far south of Colorado.

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Public gardens, Surviving Winter

Light Up Your Winter Doldrums

lights_dbg_lah_5778-1Do you have the winter doldrums? Is your house full of bored guests? If you’re tired of being indoors and need some fresh (if cold) air, here’s a great excuse to get into a garden. Denver Botanic Gardens is worth a visit any time of year, but right now (through January 3), the gardens are decorated with over a million lights—with spectacular results.

We recently braved the cold and plunked down our $9.50 admission. (Entry to “Blossoms of Light” is separate from the $11.50 daily entrance fee. They shoo all the daytime visitors out first, then open the doors again from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.)

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Landscaping, Public gardens

An Oasis in Monument Park

entrance_has-cospgsco_lah_0290A calm oasis in Monument Park, the Horticultural Art Society’s Demonstration Garden is the perfect summer retreat. Surrounded by mature trees that provide shade for much of the day, and full of flowers, it’s a place to linger and relax. Perennial borders encircle several planted islands, set off by a sea of green grass; the total effect is lovely.

hosta-bed_has-cospgsco_lah_0294As you enter off Mesa Road (a continuation of W. Cache la Poudre Street) or Glen Avenue in downtown Colorado Springs, the noise of the street fades, replaced by the chirping of birds and the gentle sigh of a cool breeze. Rarely are more than a few other people present.

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Landscaping, Public gardens, Xeriscape

Cottonwood Creek’s Xeriscape Garden

cottonwoodxg_lah_2470Successful gardening in Colorado means choosing plants well suited for our arid climate. Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) maintains two demonstration gardens, featuring beautiful perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees that are adapted to limited irrigation. Many people are aware of the large garden at the CSU headquarters on Mesa Road, overlooking Garden of the Gods. I wrote about it in April. But very few people are aware that there’s a second, smaller garden in front of the Cottonwood Creek Recreation Center at 3920  Dublin Blvd., just west of Rangewood Drive.

iris_cottonwoodxg_lah_2504While much more limited in scope, this garden provides plenty of inspiration for a homeowner seeking to conserve water and still enjoy a beautiful landscape. When I visited in mid-June, a large swath of Stella ’d Oro daylilies were in full bloom, their bright golden yellow accented by the soft lavender of the surrounding Walker’s Low Catmint. The colors were repeated in lovely deep blue irises, purple Jerusalem Sage, and pastel yellow Moonshine Yarrows and Pineleaf Penstemon.

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Landscaping, Public gardens, Xeriscape

Visit the Carnegie Library Garden

carnegielib-cospgsco_lah_9982The Carnegie Library Garden may be one of downtown Colorado Springs’ best kept secrets. That’s a shame, because it is truly a gem. This is one of several public gardens featuring water-wise plants especially suited for our climate and soils. It was designed by landscape architect and master gardener Carla Anderson, and is maintained by a team of dedicated volunteers.

rosa-hyb-pinata_carnegielib-cospgsco_lah_0081Blossoms abound throughout the growing season. When I visited last month, red and yellow ‘Lena’ broom was beginning to fade, while several types of Mockorange were in full bloom. Rosettes of huge, fuzzy, silver Salvia leaves were topped with tall white or purple flower stalks, and brilliant Colorado Gold hardy gazanias were everywhere. An arbor with a built-in bench supports a beautiful pink climbing rose, while honeysuckle grows on up a nearby trellis. By the time you read this, new plants will be in bloom; it’s worth coming back for repeat visits.

(more…)

Posted on in Gardening, Landscaping, Public gardens, Xeriscape

Beautiful Gardens, Low Water

zero-scape-gleneagle-area-18oct2005-lah-016eMost of us are familiar with the same limited assortment of plants—junipers and spirea, oaks and maples, pines, petunias and geraniums. Take a drive anywhere along the Front Range and notice the landscaping. Maybe a dozen plants are repeated over and over, neighborhood to neighborhood. Especially in winter, when annuals are dead and perennials are dormant, the basic theme seems to be rocks, lawn, and junipers. I call it “zero-scaping.”

We live in an area with limited water supplies. Trying to grow the same plants as places with ample rainfall just doesn’t make sense. And there’s really no reason to do so. There are plenty of beautiful, stalwart species that thrive in our climate. They’re a lot more interesting than junipers and rocks. All we need is some inspiration.

echinacea-paradoxa-yellow-coneflower-xg-9aug05-lah-015One of my favorite places to learn about new plants is at the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, owned by Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU). Located at CSU’s Conservation and Environmental Center (2855 Mesa Road), the gardens occupy several acres in a beautiful setting overlooking the Garden of the Gods.

(more…)