A glimpse into the future! Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Farms

New Crevice garden at DBG Chatfield

Twice in the last few years my colleagues have built ambitious rock gardens without my input or knowledge. Were I another, I might be miffed, or feel perhaps slighted. After all, I've come off a 3 year stint as President of the North American Rock Garden society. You'd think they'd give me an inkling at least at what they were up to. Since both of these efforts have turned out to be pretty damn magnificent, I'm just going to stay mum and pretend I was really part of the team....Fiddlesticks! What greater honor is there on the planet when your young colleagues outdo you at your own game? Maybe they were waiting to surprise me? They succeeded quite well if that were the case!

Of course we live in the shadow of the "Rocky Mountains" and any botanic garden worth its salt will have rock work since many of the best wildflowers grow and look best alongside rocks. I would like to mete out some credit here--except I don't know who from the remarkable team of horticulturists at Chatfield (under the guidance of manager of Horticulture Jennifer Trunce) to credit. I know that Grace Johnson (who has managed many of the great gardens at Chatfield) is now overseeing this pretty massive garden. Ryan Keating, an inspired garden designer, helped bring the crevice garden to its present state. The two pictures above show the West (top) and East (bottom) wings of the garden--which extends a long ways in both directions.

One of innumerable gems that dot the garden. I have never seen this in cultivation before anywhere. I note only three records on I-Naturalist. I have never seen it on my half dozen or so visits to Lesotho.

Jamesbrittenia jurassica

Another plant in the same genus I have also not ever seen myself on my trips. It also has only three records on I-Naturalist.

This has been blooming for a very long time...and looks mighty good on 10-10-2025 (our traditional date for first frost, incidentally: fortunately none in sight!)

Jamesbrittenia breviflora

Now I HAVE seen this quite often in the Drakensberg, as have quite a few people on I-Naturalist. Obviously I will be monitoring how these do over the next few

The label says the name. I have me doots that this form will be even as hardy as my collection on the Witteberg spur of the Drakensberg...

Alongside the crevice garden the Labyrinth has filled in very nicely with a wide assortment of rock plants...had to go take a peek. You can catch a glimpse of what the Labyrinth (and crevice garden's back side) looked like if you click this link.

Epilobium (Zauschneria) cana (californica)

This is one name change I am going to resist! 

Alyssum stribrnyi

One of the finest dwarf alyssums loving this new garden.

I can't stop admiring that damn Jamesbrittenia lasutica!

Phygelius capensis

A very happy clump of the high altitude form of Phygelius--doubtless collected in Lesotho by Mike Bone (Associate director of horticulture at DBG) and his team on one of his seed collection trips to the Drakensberg in cooperation with Katse Botanic Gardens.

Delosperma congestum 'White Nugget' resisting binary classification.

Eriogonum allenii

If you do not know this plant, do not pass go. Do not collect $100--click on this LINK and learn more.

I was at Chatfield for a meeting--and naturally had to linger in the magnificent native gardens that embrace the Earl J. Sinnamon Center designed and planted over a decade ago by Lauren Springer and maintained by a series of extraordinarily talented horticlturists. I forgot to note the Latin name on that Helianthus. Sorry! I'll see if I can add it in the next few days--pretty stunning, no?

Aster season

A half dozen kinds of daisies are blazing away in this garden...

Linanthus nuttallii

One of my favorite Western perennials has bloomed reliably for years (and many months within those years)--the best display  have seen of this wonderful phlox relative. It has a new Latin name I have forgotten (or repressed). 

Here is what that same taxon looked like at York Street before my beloved Wildflower Treasures was turned into a Potager. I'm over it. Really. Just ask my therapist.

The Gardens and Conservation committee toured some of the amazing acreage the Chatfield staff are transforming from hideous monoculture of Bromus inermis (Smooth brome--a horrendous Eurasian grass that has been deliberately sown over millions of acres of the West--utterly destroying the native vegetation in the process. Incredibly, it's still being sold and sown). Here is a well established stand of tall grass prairie next to the Wedding gazebo.

I believe this was sown this year. The Research Dept. is managing this process--I have been stunned how there were virtually no weeds whatsoever in any of these beds--and I looked.

I had to chuckle seeing the masses of Coreopsis tinctoria--a plant that's pretty local (if widespread) in Colorado. For the heck of it, I looked it up on BONAP and poor old Nevada seems to be the only state in the Continental U.S. where this doesn't grow natively...boo hoo! There's probably more in these meadows than in all the wild in Colorado! Such is the power of horticulture.

The Gaillardias were none too shabby for nearly mid-October! Incredibly variable in color...

This is one I'd like to save seed on...

Oh yes. Pumpkins!

Oh yes! Between today and Sunday afternoon 30,000 or more people will be coming to Chatfield farms to pick out pumpkins from the vast pumpkin fields. It's not too late to join them tomorrow or Sunday!

P.S. I have not done a proper, statistical analysis--but I suspect that if the respective attendance numbers of Chatfield Farms and D.B.G. York street were to be platted, there would be a year not too far hence when the former may eclipse the latter (provided we continue with the inspired leadership we've been blessed with most of my tenure). I would not be surprised if I were alive to see that year. (Just between you and me, I'm quite sure I will have retired well before that however!). Shall we take bets?