February gem

One of the greatest perks of being associated with a large public garden is that our members and people in our community often call to let us know they have something special: that's how I came to know Judie and Fred E. more years ago than they or I care to confess...let's put it this way, it was in a Millennium long ago and far away! This is the front of their home in Lakewood which consists almost entirely of Western native dryland plants.

Last year I'd heard that friends of mine had taken over a thousand cuttings of a monster manzanita in their front yard: I invited myself back then to check it out--here it is next to their sidewalk (with smaller Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis in front.)

And there's Judie standing next to her incredible Arctostaphylos patula: I imagine by next year we'll have plants from the cuttings on this (Kelly told me they had almost 100% rooting). I have a patula or two in my garden, but their petite compared to this! I need this clone baaaaaaaaaaad.

I should have moved back more to show this monster Cercocarpus ledifolius: it's a stunner--I think the largest in the city. Although there were once several big ones at Pete Peterson's old home...

A closeup of the rugged trunk: I wouldn't want to try and cut this town. It got its moniker "mountain mahogany" when someone tried to fell one and the wood was harder than mahogany.

This was the excuse for this visit: Judie emailed me to let me know this Sternbergia candida she obtained a long time ago was in full bloom: I missed seeing this the last time "in the chlorophyll", but this time drove 18 miles directly West of my house and BOY was it worth it. I kneeled down in worship and took a lot of pictures....there is a long story about this plant I've blogged about before...but this blog is mostly meant as an appreciation for a remarkable couple I connect with far too rarely--always though to celebrate some wonderful horticultural event in their remarkable garden. I recall when Yucca elata bloomed for them once in August--I dropped by their home after a tour with a dozen or so interns and seasonals, and they were blown away by the giant inflorescence (their yucca had to be 15' tall!)...        One of the things I cherish about our visits is remembering long gone nurseries where they obtained their plants and stories about them: Western Evergreens and Old Farm nursery in Golden/Arvada, George Kelly--one of the Godfathers of Colorado Horticulture....needless to say, in a few weeks when the giant patula is in full bloom, I'll hijack a few colleagues and we'll come to bend a knee for yet another of their treasures.