As a gardener in the urban Front Range, each season brings new challenges, or the same challenges just in a different order. Rabbits, salt, cold and hot temperatures, drought, foot traffic – sometimes the list seems endless! However, an almost foolproof way to ensure the success in the home garden is to look to our native plants for inspiration. </p> I spoke with some of my colleagues here at the Gardens and we came up with three of our favorites to tackle tough conditions while delivering on flower power. These plants are all native to Colorado and provide significant ecological benefits to our pollinators. They are all adaptable to our urban soils and should only require supplemental water during the first year of establishment. </p> Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata</em>).</strong> This extra cold-hardy member of the daisy family is a garden powerhouse. The bright yellow flowers float atop gray-green mounding foliage and last from early spring to frost. The golden pinwheels surround dark red centers that are full of nectar – attracting both butterflies and occasional hummingbirds. As a bonus, the foliage is said to have the aroma of chocolate! When things wind down in the fall, leave the last crop of flower stalks to enjoy the intricate cup-shaped seed heads, which are both beautiful and a functional food source for birds. </li> Ten-petal blazingstar (Mentzelia decapetala</em>).</strong> A native, night-blooming, fragrant, drought-tolerant, pollinator magnet? Say no more! Ten-petal blazingstar is a staff favorite around here – and for good reason. Although it is a biennial or short-lived perennial, once this plant is established in the garden it will persist from seed for years to come. Sow seed directly into the garden and keep moist. It also germinates readily in pots – but transplant it into the garden early as it does develop a taproot. Mentzelia will quickly become a favorite as the striking white flowers open each night, smelling sweetly of honey, only to close again before morning. </li> KANNAH CREEK® Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum var. aureum</em>).</strong> We love this little groundcover. Best suited for well-drained sites with little to no irrigation, sulphur flower buckwheat is incredibly durable, long-lived and great for weed suppression. In early spring, the lush mat of green foliage is topped with chartreuse pom poms that mature to deep orange. Flower stalks can be sheared after flower for a tidier appearance or left through winter and sheared in March. In fall, the foliage ages to a deep burgundy and persists through the winter season. </li> </ul> Not sure how to add these to the landscape? Try pairing them with some of our native grasses like blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis</em>) and little bluestem (Schizachryum scoparium</em>). Using groundcovers and grasses reduces the need for maintenance like weeding and mulching each season.</p> This article was contributed by Horticulturist Laura Swain</strong> and first appeared in the June issue of Life on Capitol Hill.</em> </p>
Farmers do everything; they are mechanics, botanists, naturalists, athletes and some even believe themselves to be meteorologists. In the age of the regenerative agriculture movement, farmers need to become biologists, or more specifically soil ecologists. </p> Soil ecology is the study of the seemingly limitless universe beneath our feet. In just a teaspoon of healthy soil, there are over 1 billion bacterial individuals and more than six miles of fungal mycelium. It would take seven years to recite the names of all the bacterial species in a compost pile. </p> A broad understanding of the soil ecosystem can change a farmer’s mindset. The most productive soil in the world from an old-growth forest actually contains far less plant-available nutrients than are recommended for agricultural soil. So how can “nutrient-deficient” soil – teeming with soil microbes – produce the largest plants on the planet? </p> Nutrients are released when microscopic predators consume bacteria. Nematodes, protozoa and microscopic insects “poop” out nutrients. Plant roots absorb those nutrients through a web of fungi. Fungal networks expand the reach of roots and create highways inside root hairs. As satisfied plants then release exudates (carbon-rich plant chemicals), which attract more bacteria and fungi, the cycle continues. Without these characters to play their parts, soil turns into lifeless dirt. Conventional soil management has disrupted the soil ecosystem. Without microscopic predators, bacteria or fungi to assist plant roots, farmers are forced to overfeed plants with fertilizers. The excess nutrients that aren’t washed away are consumed by a monoculture of bacteria, reproducing rapidly and unchecked by predators. Without predators to consume bacteria, the soil ecosystem becomes unbalanced. The resulting population of disease-causing bacteria release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. </p> Realistically, not all farmers have the time to study microscopy. Through the eyes of a microscope, a farmer can witness the soil ecosystem in action, but studying soil ecology doesn’t require a microscope. Diversity in critters — worms, ladybugs, roly-polies, etc. — is an indication of a balanced biology. </p> Understanding what healthy soil looks, feels and smells like can inform better practices. Undisturbed soil will evolve with its plant inhabitants. Rich brown, textured soil that smells like a forest will feed a vegetable plant on its own, without nutrient additives. A calculated “less is more” soil management approach gives our soil a chance to breathe. </p> Regenerative agriculture redefines the farmers’ relationship with nature. Humans’ senses have evolved with plants; for example, the smell of healthy soil triggers serotonin production in the human brain. Alternatively, our negative reaction to the putrid smell of greenhouse gases produced by harmful bacteria warns us of toxicity. These fine-tuned deep intuitions can become a regenerative farmer's almanac. </p> By working in tandem with natural soil ecosystems, farmers can reduce the labor and expenses of disruptive soil tillage and chemical fertilizer application. Soil naturally wants to grow plants. By accepting help from nature, farmers can grow healthier plants more efficiently. This article first appeared in the May issue of Life on Capitol Hill. All photos: Rutger Myers</em></p>
Plant Select is a unique program that brings plants to the consumer market that are good for the Colorado Front Range steppe environment. Plants from the Plant Select® program are integrated into many of the gardens and can be found throughout Denver Botanic Gardens.</p> As you enter the Gardens and make your way to the Crossroads Garden</strong> you will see some classics from Plant Select. In the beds leading to the main building you can see Delosperma </em>spp., commonly known as ice plants. Ice plants are a hardy groundcover from southern Africa and grow well in Colorado. Over the years Plant Select has introduced and recommended more than a dozen selections and species of Delosperma</em>. Also in the Crossroads is Epilobium canum</em> ssp. garrettii </em>‘PWWG01S’, commonly known as ORANGE CARPET® California fuchsia. This plant stands a little taller than the ice plants but is still considered a ground cover. These plants are very sought after by hummingbirds. You can often find these energetic birds fighting over these plants and all the nectar they produce. </li> Continue to the west down the main path and in the planters on the top of the ramp on each side you will see lovely specimens of Picea glauca </em>‘Pendula’. At the base is Oenothera macrocarpa </em>ssp. incana </em>SILVER BLADE®. This low water combination shows off the beauty of silver foliage and the Oenothera</em> is a very prolific blooming plant. Flowers are a soft yellow and open in the late afternoon to evening. This feature is where it gets the common name silver evening primrose. Silver foliage on plants is often a protective feature some plants develop to survive in very high light conditions as well as a way to preserve water in the plant. </li> Now continue on west through Roads Water-Smart Garden and keep going into Shady Lane</strong>. Planted along the Shady Lane in the southern beds are examples of Daphne </em>× burkwoodii</em> ‘Carol Mackie’. This variegated shrub looks great all year long and in protected locations like Shady Lane the plant will be evergreen. About this time of year, the plant will be covered with intensely fragrant white flowers. Plants that thrive in dry shade can be a challenge to find but this is one of the very best of them. </li> Once you have taken in the fragrant blooms of Daphne</em>, continue west to arrive at the Darlene Radichel Plant Select Garden</strong>. This garden is designed as a showcase for the Plant Select program. Here you will find almost every plant that Plant Select has introduced and recommended. There are plants from the very first year of introduction to plants that won’t be available to the public until the following growing season. This garden showcases the different ways you can use and display plants from this program.</li> </ul> Plant Select has brought to the market more than 175 unique plants and many of them are Colorado and regionally native plants. With long seasons of interest and the ability to thrive in Colorado’s steppe climate, these are the plants that can help you transform your landscape into a beautiful, diverse, pollinator-friendly oasis.</p> Please visit plantselect.org</a> for more information on this program and where you can find the plants to purchase.</p>
