Travel Blog: Denver Botanic Gardens
By Hummingbird Concepts Landscape Design | hbcgarden.com
As the Texas heat permeates the air during our first heat wave of the year and even the early mornings aren't cool enough to do much outside, I'm reminiscing about last late July when I visited the Denver Botanic Gardens. The air was dry and to get cool you just had to step into the shade. My traveling partner fell ill so I was on my own, which might just be the way to view some of these gardens! By not being distracted by chatter and seeing and hearing a brand new garden (to me) I was able to capture so much more.
The perennial and flower borders were quite amazing. This one in particular was a long raised bed that ran pretty far into the distance. It looked to be peak time to see this display with grasses and all of the flowers in full bloom. What a color and texture combination!
The desert or xeric display was gorgeous as well. I’m familiar with many of these plants since we can grow quite a few of them in Texas. Desert willow trees are repeated in the background and a mixture of cacti, yuccas, salvias and sedums speckle the foreground. The sloping hill and height layering give it a stadium type effect and truly gives you a display of what each plant looks like.
The types of tree that I truly wish to be able to grow in the Dallas area are the different types of needled conifers. Pines, spruces and firs are few and far between here due to our alkaline clay soil and our hot summers for some species. In the photo below they have a very whimsical look paired with the coneflowers. This photo just makes me smile.
This beautiful bridge over a stream looks to be made of Mexican beach pebble rock. I love the way the designer changed the direction of the rocks that are directly over the stream to mimic the flow.
This view from the Steppe Garden overlooks a striking statue and the Science Pyramid. This was one of my favorite backgrounds to view as the statue, water features and pyramid have such striking boldness compared with the grassy and spiky textures of the steppe collection of plants. Steppe plants are from specific regions of the world that experience extreme cold and heat. Those regions are considered semi-arid environments and they are usually located on the sides of mountain ranges.
The Ellipse Garden features a giant yucca shaped Chihuly glass sculpture who’s colors were inspired by the Colorado sunsets. It’s surrounded by many jewel toned plants and blooms. As you approach this enclosed garden you can see the sculpture through a long stone walled pathway that has this as the focal point. Stunning!
In this charming cottage style garden there are lots of cooling blue tones that come together in a nice contrast to the warm pink of the hardscapes. The multicolored columns pull in the different bloom colors scattered throughout. Once again, the background is full of evergreen trees that really catch my eye and make this scene feel cozy.
Of course, I had about a hundred more photos I could have shared on this blog, but I showed restraint and chose just a few. I was blown away by the vast differences in the individualized garden rooms and variety of ecoregions from around the world represented. There were also many allées leading to gorgeous focal points and scenic large pools with aquatic plants that were in full bloom. I’m excited to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens again soon and bring my friend who missed that day. It was a magical experience.