Knight's move garden in north Denver

I'd never noticed the horse sculpture before at Rob and David's amazing garden: it reminds me a bit of a chess knight, which is appropriate, since these gentlemen have performed several knight's moves since we first met three and a half decades ago--moving from Emerson Street to Highlands, and moving professionally onto the lofty heights of gardening!

 

That's Al Gerace in the vegetable garden: Al is the leader of Welby Gardens, and perhaps the most knowledgeable horticulturist I know when it comes to annual flowers and crop production: he'd never seen this garden "in the flesh" and though it was September, it was well worth the visit.

The light was harsh, but the brilliant colors of this garden, and its many amazing vignettes hold up even to my wretched little phone camera...gaze on!

OK, some of the pictures are a bit glaring in contrast. Drat! I will have to go back when it's overcast...but keep scrolling, you'll get a taste of the enormous variety in this garden even in contrasty light...

I'm a sucker for Zinnias...

Aha! I found a shady corner, and sure enough the colors pop a bit better...let's move in closer...

I love the flamboyant mix in this shot.

A view down the grand twin borders looking North towards the house...Rob usually features this border from the house looking South.

Love the tall hibiscus...

Splendiferous containers everywhere...

How's this for a cluster around one of the many sitting areas (as if these two ever sit!)

More...

And more...

The hot red combos here are to my taste (red is one of my twenty or thirty favorite colors)

A glimpse of the greenhouse

And the herb parterre...

You never see Helictotrichon semperirens in Denver as often as one should: It positively glowed in this spot.

Yes: I should have waited till it clouded over: this week that could be several days later...

Ditto...

Here the shadow does the garden better justice.

This long border seems to have a different color combo every year!

More glaring views...alas!

A compact Heliopsis helianthoides Rob and David obtained from Helen Dillon, I believe: amazing how so many great American wildflowers have to go to England for finishing school--much the nicest Heliopsis I've ever seen!

A closeup of same!

The astonishing, immense Kolkwitzia amabilis in the middle of their garden: they should have rented this out to be featured in the Hobbit movies, or perhaps serve as protagonist in Avatar!

I love the arrangements inside the large folly at the end of the long border! A great shady retreat with more seating!

And yet another complex with seating out in the vegetable area!

I can almost hear Rob's voice now as I type this "how could you take pictures on such in glaring morning light: couldn't you wait for a bit of cloud cover?"....well, having published hundreds of blog posts, and barely mentioning these two horticultural magicians, glaring light or not, you'll have to just imagine what this garden looks like overcast, and photographed by Rob himself! Maybe he'll send me a few pictures to append at the end so you can see what it REALLY looks like.