</p>With over a dozen unique venue spaces, most of which can be booked in any season, Denver Botanic Gardens hosts hundreds of private events each year. Most of our venues are tucked in corners around our 23 acres, but one of the most versatile sits right at the heart of the Gardens: the UMB Amphitheater Tent</a>.</p>A vast canopy with a spacious interior, the UMB Amphitheater Tent is our largest single rental space, offering endless flexibility for hosting a variety of events. It is a beautiful venue for daytime or nighttime events and features twinkle lights across the ceiling and open-air sides that can be opened or closed as needed.</p>The tent has the ability to host groups of different sizes ranging from a seated reception for 600 guests, a ceremony or graduation for 1,200 guests, or a cocktail reception for 1,200 people. Smaller-scale events can also use the tent for multiple functions; clients can easily host both a wedding ceremony and a reception under the tent without resetting any furnishings between them.</p>Guests can mingle during a cocktail hour or can enjoy al fresco dining surrounded by views of the Gardens in their peak. Add in acoustic music, delicious food prepared by one of our preferred caterers and your own decorative touch, and this space will transform your event into a truly breathtaking experience for your guests. Whether you are hosting a wedding, a corporate event, a non-profit fundraiser or gala, the UMB Bank Amphitheater may just be the venue you are looking for.</p>Contact our Private Events team for more information at private.events@botanicgardens.org</a> or 720-865-3551.</p>
Be sure to stroll the paths of the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory where you can enjoy plenty of non-orchid tropical blossoms. Although we are often focused on beautiful flowers, tropical foliage can have its own special appeal. While stopping to “smell the roses,” why not give a little attention to plant foliage too.</p> One of the first plants you might notice as you enter the Tropical Conservatory from our main lobby area is Codiaeum variegatum </em>var. pictum,</em> also known as croton. Crotons are native to southern India and are a great houseplant for high-light areas. There are many crotons on display throughout the Tropical Conservatory with varying leaf forms and color combinations, however the plant by the front entrance may be my favorite. It was added to the Gardens' collections in February of 1965 and was a gift to the Gardens from the Missouri Botanical Garden for inclusion in the first plant displays in our Tropical Conservatory when it opened in 1966.</p> As you make your way deeper into the Tropical Conservatory you will notice several banana plants. The most impressive may be Musa itinerans </em>var. guandongensis, </em>a banana native to the Guandong province of southeast China. While the size of the leaves and the height of the growths are impressive, perhaps the most dramatic feature of this banana is its aggressive suckering growth habit. Be sure to look at the base of the plant and you’ll see why we planted it in a contained area.</p> Another plant with striking foliage is Calathea lancifolia</em>. This plant belongs to the family Marantaceae, or the prayer plant family. This common name was given because many species in this plant family have leaves that fold upward in the evening hours as if folded in prayer. This particular species is from Brazil and has spectacular foliage. Be sure to look for other Calathea</em> throughout the Tropical Conservatory.</p> In the southwest corner of the Tropical Conservatory you will find a ficus tree with amazing foliage. Ficus aspera </em>is native to Vanuatu and is easily recognized by its amazing variegation – even the fruit is variegated. Take a moment to appreciate the tree’s contorted trunk form as well.</p> As you enter Marnie’s Pavilion at the west end of the Tropical Conservatory, you will see another unusual ficus – Ficus americana</em>. This large tree may look like the more familiar Ficus benjamina</em>, but as the name implies, F. americana</em> is native to Central and South America while F. benjamina </em>is native to tropical Asia and northern Australia. Did you know that ficus flowers are all pollinated by wasps?</p> Notice the beautiful complimentary foliage colors as well as the orchid blossoms in the Orangery. See hundreds of exotic blooms at the Orchid Showcase</a> in the Orangery through February 20 – included with admission to the Gardens. The Showcase is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily. Don’t forget to look through the glass to see the more unusual orchid blooms on display in our collection greenhouses.</p> We hope you enjoy your visit!</p>
For most horticulturists, winter is the time to prepare new planting schemes and dream of greener pastures. Of course, you could be fortunate enough to be able to work in a conservatory, where you are surrounded by colorful flowers and foliage year round, even in the dead of winter. The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory is home to a large portion of Denver Botanic Gardens’ Tropical Collection and educates guests about one of the most ecologically diverse climate on earth.</p> An important plant family housed in the Tropical Conservatory is the palm family (Arecaceae). Palms are prevalently located in tropical regions of the world and are used as a source of food, clothing, and building material. All palms highlighted in this tour are marked and mapped on the Gardens Navigator website</a>.</p> </p> Kerriodoxa elegans</em></strong> – When you first enter the Tropical Conservatory, you are greeted with the most elegant palm Denver Botanic Gardens has. Kerriodoxa elegans</em> stands out despite being an understory palm because it grows large, fan-shaped fronds to catch as much sunlight as it can beneath larger trees in its natural habitat. What makes the foliage also eye-catching is the coloration; the top side of the leaf is a glossy green, underside is a pale white, and the petiole (stem of the leaf) is a dark purple. As you walk by, you’ll also be able to notice the inflorescence and seeds at the base of the plant.</p> </p> Dypsis lastelliana </em></strong>‘Darianii’</strong> – In the bed next to the Kerriodoxa elegans</em>, you’ll find a palm with fuzzy copper colored palm sheaths (the base of a palm frond petiole). As the plant continues to grow, the sheaths of older leaves can remain on the plant longer than the leaf itself, so the upper trunk of the palm has both great color and an interesting texture.</p> </p> Aiphanes horrida</em></strong> (</em>syn. A. aculeata)</em> – As you walk up the south side path you’ll notice a terrifying stalk covered in grotesque spines. Obviously, this is not a pleasant plant to work with, having spines everywhere including the leaves. To make matters worse, this palm self-seeds constantly. I consider this plant as a “highlight” because unlike the far more pleasant palms we have, this one allows for plenty of character building as you weed these spiny seedlings in the nearby beds.</p> </p> Chamaedorea metallica</em></strong> – As you continue down the south path, you’ll find one of my favorite palms before the stairway to the treehouse. This palm is gaining popularity as a houseplant because of it being a compact size plant that thrives in shade. The fishtail-shaped leaves are in a beautiful grey/blue color. Along the trunks are adventitious roots which allows us to cut and replant a plant if it gets too top-heavy.</p> </p> Coccothrinax crinata</em></strong> – You’ll find this bizarre palm in the southwest corner of the Tropical Conservatory. Its leaves and inflorescence aren’t anything that stands out. The real interesting characteristic is its woolly fibers all along the trunk. I don’t like to use plant common names, but the name “old man palm” is very appropriate to use.</p> </p> Areca vestiaria</em></strong> – You’ll find this palm on the north side of the Tropical Conservatory, or if you head up the treehouse, you’ll be at the perfect height to admire this standout plant. It has bright red fruit and a colorful crownshaft, adding some color to the canopy level of our Tropical Conservatory.</p> </p> Carludovica palmata</em></strong> – You’ll find this along the Tropical Conservatory north path, next to the Areca vestiaria. </em>This palm was part of Denver Botanic Garden’s Tropical Collection when the conservatory first opened in 1966. The leaves of the plant are used to make Panama hats.</p> </p> Zombia antillarum</em></strong> – located in the northwest corner, Zombia antillarum</em> is an endangered palm native to Hispaniola. This palm has spines arranged in an interesting manner. Unlike the spiny Aiphanes horrida</em>, the spines on Zombia </em>palms are only found on the trunk.</p> </p> Ravenala madagascariensis</em></strong> – Despite having the common name of “traveler’s palm,” Ravenala madagascariensis</em> is not a palm. It is actually in the bird-of-paradise family (Strelitziaceae). It’s a beautiful plant with 5’ broad leaf blades in a fan arrangement and white bird-of-paradise flowers. It’s a good lesson to not be reliant on common names, as they easily mislead people into wrongly identifying plants.</p>
Where do plants go when they die at the Gardens? Most, as you might expect, go to the compost pile, but a select few get a lucky break: a chance to be displayed again.</p> Each fall, armfuls of cuttings are hung and dried in our tool room for winter arrangements. These are what we call “everlasting plants,” varieties that stay crisp and colorful long “since sunshine fed them, or the showers,” as English author Walter Thornbury so sweetly put it.</p> Only the most resilient plant stems, flowers and seed pods make the cut. They not only have to hold their form or color for months after they’re pulled, but they have to take a good battering from the weather.</p> This year, we take you on a tour of more than two dozen winter outdoor containers, from classic elegant designs of cut evergreens, grasses and dried flowers to quirky new displays that depart from the traditional bouquet.</p> We start at the parking garage by the York Street pedestrian crossway, where grasses take center billing in two lively bouquets that move at the touch of breeze. Plumes of pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana</em>) tower above the rose-pink blades of little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium</em>) and wheat-like flowers of Karl Foerster feather reed grass (Calamagrostis</em> x acutiflora </em>‘Karl Foerster’). Lacy umbels of Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum</em>) and balls of dried hydrangea Annabelle (Hydrangea arborescens</em>) add a playful contrast, while slender stems of Japanese rose (Kerria japonica</em>) give the bouquet a zing of spring green.</p> </p> Crossing York to the front of the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center, red twig dogwood shrubs (Cornus sericea</em>) frame the front doors, their limbs angled skyward in grand gestures of hello. Among these living bushes are some of the largest and toughest flowers you can dry, each held high on stems of wood and wire -- giant sea holly (Eryngium giganteum</em>) sprayed white, hydrangea Annabelle tinted chartreuse, moon carrot (Seseli gummiferum</em>) colored red and -- the Cinderella of the bunch -- teasel (Dipsacus</em>), sprayed green.</p> </p> Passing through the Visitor Center and into the Welcome Garden, two large branches arc around the video screen, their bark lightly glazed in glitter. Dozens of ornaments made almost entirely from plants dangle from nooks in the branches, while bundles of dried flowers define tips of the branches with punches of red, green and white. Do you recognize the painted pods of evening primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa</em>)? Or the maple seeds wired into flowers? What about the seed shell from false indigo (Baptisia australis</em>) that’s become the face of a dancing sprite?</p> </p> Turn to your left and you’ll find two garden trellises at the bottom of the stairs that long to be holiday trees. Each is entwined in false spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia</em>) stems and adorned with reddened stonecrop (Sedum</em> sp.), white statice (Limonium sinuatum</em>) and the dried fruits of teasel sprayed chartreuse. Pine cone ornaments and miniature wreaths of dogwood hang from horizontal wires and cuttings from spruce branches add softness to the display.</p> </p> Next, take a stroll down O’Fallon Perennial Walk to the Romantic Gardens, where the tradition of outdoor arrangements at the Gardens was born. Here, more than a dozen urns arranged by Denver Botanic Gardens Guild volunteers are scattered in beds and gazebos. Evergreen boughs, dogwood stems, hydrangea blossoms and branches of rose hips combine with classic elegance. Scattered among them are wands of pussy willow, ripe with catkins - a whimsical nod to spring - and dried cuttings of dusty miller (Jacobaea</em>), that lend a frosty contrast to deep green needles. Dried flowers, from statice (Limonium</em>) to yarrow (Achillea</em>), punctuate the bouquets with color.</p> </p> Straight ahead in the Ellipse, oversized pine cones and diminutive plants transform urns at the entry into magical little gardens. The cones sit on their ends at playful angles, while red pansies shimmer in the sunlight. Boughs of juniper, speckled with icy-blue berries, and Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum</em>) peek out at the edges. Nearby, perched on a stone railing in front of Waring House, are four more adorable urns. Each contains a single large pine cone nesting among holly grape (Mahonia haematocarpa</em>), rose-colored barberry (Berberis</em>) and yellow-green arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis</em>).</p> </p> Taking a turn west, head down the path past the Herb Garden to the Fountain Beds and Ornamental Grasses Garden, where two little Colorado spruce (Picea pungens</em>) pay tribute to my favorite Christmas book, Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree</em>, about a tree cut down to its tiniest and trimmed by woodland creatures. Each is wrapped in a garland of red strawflowers (Xerochrysum bracteatum</em>) and topped with a large seed head of white-washed dill (Anethum graveolens</em>). Bells in acorn shells add jingle, while bleached pine cones lend a frosty touch and sprigs of hawthorn berries, a bit of merriment. This one also includes umbels of moon carrot posing as giant snowflakes.</p> </p>
</p> Each year, we enhance the winter wonderland of Blossoms of Light with more lights, new colors and innovative features. But there’s a lot more to the event than just the lights! After two record-breaking years of attendance, we spent the better part of this year making changes to the event that will improve our visitor experience for all.</p> More Time in the Lights!</strong> This year, the Gardens will close each day at 4 p.m., which will allow us to open the doors to Blossoms of Light at 5 p.m. – half an hour earlier than last year.</p> More Restrooms </strong> In addition to those in the Boettcher Memorial Center and Marnie’s Pavilion, the restrooms at The Hive Garden Bistro are now available all year long.</p> Early Exit Points</strong> Because the Blossoms of Light path is one-way, departing the event early has been a bit of a challenge. This year, we’ve added three early-exit opportunities to guests who need to leave the path for any reason.</p> Ticketing Changes </strong> Limited tickets each night will help us avoid over-crowding. While this does mean that our visitors will need to plan a little farther in advance, it should make even our busiest evenings feel less crowded. In addition, door pricing offers visitors an extra incentive for purchasing in advance – tickets are $5 less than if you purchase at the door the night you attend!</p> Skip the Parking Hassle</strong> We’ve partnered with Lyft to offer Blossoms of Light visitors two different discounts. New users save $5 off their first three rides with code GARDENS17. Existing users save 20 percent on a single ride to or from the Gardens with code BOL2017. And don’t forget: the Gardens is easily accessible by two RTD bus lines, has several Car2Go spots (for the smaller smart fortwo cars) and has a B-Cycle station just outside the main entrance.</p> Got a Question? Drop us a line!</strong> Send us an email at info@botanicgardens.org</a> or call us 720-865-3500 if you have any questions about the event or your tickets.</p> Blossoms of Light is open 5-9 p.m. every night from November 24 - January 1. Advance reservations are highly recommended: purchase in advance for the best price and to ensure admittance on your desired date. Get your tickets today!</a></em></p>
