What's Sprouting

Rainmaker

2010-06-07T15:08:00.000-06:00

I seem to remember some movie somewhere, where the rainmaker shows up. You know the senario. Someone is in an impossible situation and the bad guy brings in an even badder guy and says "Make it rain." or "He's the rainmaker." Something like that. Then he makes it rain. Not really. He just punches out some poor schmuck or something.

Anyway, the rainmaker is a notion that those of us in the desert just love. Make it rain. As if. Well ladies and gents I am here to tell you that I made it rain. Granted it was in the greenhouse and I didn't really have much to do with it. The air in the upper echelons was hot and then the vent opened and the misters came on. The hot air cooled, consdensation occurred and gravity happened. It was very exciting finding out that I am a very, very bad dude. Yeah, I'm the rainmaker. I make it rain. Don't mess with me or you'll get wet.

Partay!

2010-06-03T12:51:00.000-06:00

I'd almost missed it. The Party. It was in the community gardens this morning. Kathy and Sharon got together and made an egg bake and had cinnamon rolls and fruit and yogurt, coffee, the works. It was quite a party. And they threw it to celebrate how great their garden looks. It does, too. You may remember back to the delphinium post of a couple of weeks ago. Yup that was them. And you should see the rest of what is in there. Just don't tell Max about the larkspur.

Vacay

2010-06-02T11:42:00.000-06:00

Hi All! I've been on vacation these last few days. It was nice getting out of our Gardens and getting into nature's gardens. I hiked up in the Monument, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Canyonlands and Glenwood Canyon. Tremendous! It is no wonder our mission is to connect visitors with the beauty of the Colorado River Basin and Plateau.... It is amazingly beautfiul out there. And I can't help but hope we all start bringing "out there" home. Pansies are nice and all but cowboy's delight is too and hardly takes any water. Plus if you put it in your yard you are taking to first step to creating your own conservation area, giving back to nature, who has given so much to you. I'm coming down off the soapbox now.

The Gardens is spiffing up for the Garden Tour this weekend. I've the Workenders weeding their hearts out and we've been adding some annuals and getting some plants into the Children's Garden. Remember that you can only get your tickets to the Garden Tour the days of the event exclusively at the Gardens or the CSU Extension. See you Saturday or Sunday!

Rock Roses

2010-05-26T09:18:00.000-06:00

I couldn't resist a quick post about the rock roses (helianthemum). They are one of mine, and definitely on of Kenton's, favorites. It was like an electric wire to the eye this morning as I walked past them. Their sunny, yellow hearts looked so good with the sedum behind I had to snap a couple of pix. I like the first one even though it is a little blurry, it harkens back to the drug addled 60's when bright yellow, electric pink and chartreause looked just fine together.

Here is a nother more sober view. Just lovely, don't you think?

Irises

2010-05-25T16:59:00.000-06:00

Irises smell just as good as they look. And the irises look gooood. Oh and look. There is our new sculpture!

Delphiniums

2010-05-25T16:52:00.000-06:00

Before you read any further you should probably put on your sunglasses. The blue of the delphiniums in the community garden are so bright it'll blind you. Really. The photo doesn't do them justice you have just got to take a gander at them for yourself. But remember. Bring your eye protection.

Tuesday

2010-05-19T15:14:00.000-06:00

For those of you who are regular readers have no doubt read my rants on landscape cloth. Get ready for another one. We were renovating a garden today and ran into some landscape cloth. The photo below shows the awful interface that happens when landscape cloth is used. The roots are from a bindweed that has tunneled through the landscape cloth. The good news is they couldn't grow through the compacted soil. Good for weeds but what about the nice plants you want to grow? They need good soil not dead compacted soil that has been suffocated by landscape cloth. There is no such thing as a maintenance free garden. You'll have to weed even if you use landscape cloth, especially if you are a chucklehead that puts down organic mulch on top of your landscape cloth. So suck it up. Pull up the landscape cloth and do a little weeding. It is good for you plus it keeps you in touch with your garden. 'Nuff said.

The first thing I did on Tuesday was stop and get a pick-up-truck-load of plants. What a way to start the day! I highly recommend it. You should try it some time. All these lovlies are going into the Children's Garden. What fun!

Here are three friendly faces. On the left is our new intern. In the middle is Ginny, expert gardener and keeper of the Children's Secret Garden. On the right is Derek, my right hand man for two days a week. We are getting a great crew together. It is going to be a wonderful summer.

Hi All!

2010-05-17T11:22:00.000-06:00

Tremendous things have been happening in the gardens and I feel guilty for not telling you about it sooner. We've gotten new art from the city. I'm trying to figure out how to download the pictures from my phone. It is hard to believe I was a tech girl in a former life. ;)

You have to see the new sculptures. Just head to the gardens, one is in Shozan-en and one is right outside of the conservatories. One by Michael Ford-Dunton and one by Dave Davis. They are both phenominal artists. And their work looks so good in the Gardens.

The irises are doing their thing. They are about a week late but they look terrific!

The Children's Garden is getting a bunch of new plants this week. The heirlooms are coming! The heirlooms are coming!

That is it for now. I'll be letting you know as things develop but you shouldn't wait on me. You should come on down to the Gardens and see what's sprouting for yourself!

Triumphs

2010-05-06T16:49:00.000-06:00

Usually I like to talk all about my triumphs. Not today. Although I'm riding high on the wave of self accomplishment I'm more excited about flowers. I just noticed our Plant Select butterfly bush (I think it is one of the fancy-not-yet-available ones) has some really, really cute flowers on it already!

The amsonia, also a Plant Select, is starting to bloom. I just love this little guy because the leaves form a cup for the flowers to bloom in. You've gotta' come down and check it out. It only blooms for a little while in the Spring.

You gotta' come down anyway to see the new fence and gates and to shop 'til you drop at Bloomin' Deals and to notice all the trash that the City hauled off for us today. Yes. Today was a triumph.

Every Day Is A Thrill

2010-05-02T12:47:00.001-06:00

I've been noticing all the drastic changes along our front bed this week and really am excited by all the changes happening. Every day there is a new flower out or I'm loving the way the rain has rearranged the blooms (the catnip really caught my eye. One plant looked like a ballerina's tutu and the other looked like some teen aged boy with his short hair touseled by eight or ten hours of good sleep). It is just magnificent!

I've started working a new schedule, Sunday through Thursday instead of Monday through Friday, and I love it because it gives me more quality time in the conservatories. Every day there is something new going on in there. I forget that because my attention is on our outdoor gardens right now. It is too thrilling to see the cycad with new leaves coming out. They look like the start of a crown, just tremendous. Also, one of our gingers has kindly placed itself so when you go into the tropical greenhouse it is the first thing your eye hits. What a welcome!

Even the butterflies are playing along. I released a Queen butterfly this morning who regally placed herself right at eye-level, well, eye-level if you are a shortie. With free Sunday there have been a lot of visitors and kids especially. It was wonderfuly watching the kids marvel at the butterfly that was just at their height. She hung out there all morning then decided to show off by flying around the butterfly house.

It is a wonderful time to be at the Gardens. Stop by if you haven't in a while, every day is a thrill.

Chokecherry Fairy

2010-04-29T08:50:00.000-06:00

If you are a good Operations Manager and if you pull all your weeds and eat ALL your spinach, then the chokecherry fairy comes and gives you a beautiful 2 inch caliper chokecherry. Thank you Chokecherry Fairy! I have a nice spot picked out on the west side of Shozan-en for it although I'm going to leave it by the front door for the moment because it looks so lovely right there.

No Cord

2010-04-26T14:39:00.000-06:00

With all the music I've been posting lately I'll bet you think I meant no chord but I didn't. The cord to the camera has been misplaced so I haven't been taking any pictures lately. I feel a little guilty about that because there is a lot going on here!

The City came in with their skid steer and made short work of our old fence. I heard it took five years to put it up. It came down in four hours. FOUR HOURS! We've had staff meetings last longer.

The new fence is coming up lightning fast as well. They said it was going to take a month but I don't think so. Not the way those boys are working.

I've just about got the irrigation going. Yee Haw! It is almost warm enough to run through the sprinklers.

The irises are looking better and better every day. The word for spring right now is purple. The grape hyacinth, the veronica and the catnip are dominating at the moment.

Come on down. The weather has been beautiful and your botanic garden is growing in beautiful ways.

Bloomin' Springtime

2010-04-21T15:25:00.000-06:00

I was all set to write a nice post about three little maids from school are we about these really, really cute irises in the front when lo and behold there are now FOUR little maids from school. That just happened. Just now. Yes. Rush down and check it out because by the time you get here it will be FIVE little maids from school and Roger's and Hammerstein just haven't written a song about that.

The burr oak also started leafing out today and who knows what else is sprouting?

So Much News!

2010-04-18T08:39:00.000-06:00

Good morning all. Well, I feel I can finally let the cat out of the bag. Meeooow! After about a year and a very rigorous application procedure I can confidently say that we now have a new executive director, Dana Hobika. She comes to us from Crossroads, Fitness, not Liquors. ;) She is full of energy and has jumped in with both feet. Make sure you introduce yourself to her the next time you are at the Gardens.

I was going to tell you all about my trip to Florida but for some reason I can't upload either of the pictures. Technology. I tell ya! It will give you something to look forward to.

Other news. It looks like I will be working Sunday through Thursday. It will be good to have one day on the weekend at the Gardens. I always like having a weekday off, too. It feels like you are playing hooky every week.

Enjoy the great weather and spend some time puttering in your garden. Don't forget to take a break and come down and stroll through ours!

Phil

2010-04-15T20:26:00.000-06:00

His name is Phil and he is awful cute. No, not my latest boyfriend, our latest turtle. A red eared slider that someone found on the side of the road and brought in. Check him out. He is currently spending time in the pond in Shozan-en until he gets the urge to ramble. I have a feeling he was born a ramblin' man stuck in a turtle's body.

Boo Hoo and Yaw Hoo!

2010-04-01T19:22:00.000-06:00

First the boo hoo. The weather just isn't on our side. So instead of waiting until the last minute like I did last year, it looks like the great Easter Egg Scramble will have to be called off this year. Dang it! We had so many folks helping us out and literally thousands of eggs. So come down anyway. Enjoy the warmth and beauty of the greenhouses. We got pupa today and they were a' wigglin' which means butterflies should be emerging in the next couple of days. We have plenty of eggs for all who visit. Heck, you can come on down just for the eggs! Plus, we'd be pleased a punch to see you in your Easter finest on Easter Sunday. It is free first Sunday after all.

Remember tomorrow night is First Friday. We'll be having, oh shoot, I can't remember what we'll be having but it will be way cool. The greenhouses at night are artwork in and of themselves so head on down. It is a great place to unwind after a big week.

On to the Yaw Hoo! part. We've found a new director. I'm not telling you who just yet. I don't want to say anything until the ink dries on the contract. ;)

The interview process was pretty cool. It was an all day deal and I'm sure glad I didn't have to go through it. There were three parts: written, speaking and practical. Plus, hobnobbing at lunch. We were all exhausted by the end. I think the candidates more than we were. So stay tuned. I'll let you know next week who our new leader is. Needless to say, I'm thrilled. Spring is here and I've already had the WorkEnders out here for a day pulling weeds!

A Very Happy Cactus

2010-03-26T13:44:00.000-06:00

Hi All. Here is some news from Don Campbell from the Chinle Cactus Club.

The abnormally harsh winter of 2009-10 was not kind to many cacti in the two Chinle Club sponsored gardens. However, on Wednesday, March 24 immediately following the regular 'Garden Party' at WCBG it was especially pleasant to find a few very happy cacti. Ernie's Cactus Corner at the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens has some of the biggest, happiest, healthiest 'Mountain Ball Cacti' one is likely to find anywhere on the Western Slope. In fact these Pediocacti are so happy they're getting ready to celebrate spring with a profusion of flowers. The plant shown below is slightly over 6 inches in diameter and loaded with flower buds. Count 'em, there are over 20 with the possibility of still more to emerge. Depending on the upcoming weather, one could expect to see flowers in about 10 to 14 days, If you go looking for flowers, be sure to give old Sol enough morning time to work a bit of magic and coax the flowers into opening.

(With the vandalism we had last year at the Gardens it looks like the cactus are arming themselves.-Elizabeth)

Bloom Day

2010-03-24T12:45:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I actually took these photos on Bloom Day. From the blogs I read I think that Bloom Day is every 15th of the month. Garden bloggers are supposed to venture out and take some photos of what is blooming in their gardens. I just happened to be inspired by our plants on March 15th. It wasn't until the 16th that I figured out about Bloom Day and, of course, it isn't until today that I actually posted them. They are lovely photos anyway.

1. Lobster claw in the butterfly house. No, I did not enhance the colors.

2. Variegated ginger in the butterfly house. This is an extremely happy plant.

3. The same ginger, but the whole shebang. I told you it was happy.

4. This isn't a bloom, but dig those crazy Shirley Temple curls on the philodendrom!

Ghost Orchid

2010-03-23T18:46:00.000-06:00

Plants do the most amazing things. They grow in the wrong soil. They grow when you prune them wrong. They grow in the wrong zone. All kinds of crazy things. The one phrase that comes up again and again in discussions trying to figure out why the plants are doing what they do is "Plants don't read books." They don't read newspapers either. Thank goodness.

Something Fishy

2010-03-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

Something fishy is going on here. See?

This is our brand new koi. It's name is Sushi. (giggle) What you can't see is the plecostimus. It's name is Arley, because you can 'arley see 'em. No, they aren't swimming around in radiator fluid. They are in their transfer tank which is an acidic shade of green.

There is Sushi in the Rainforest Greenhouse pond. He (she?) looks right at home. Arley is living up to her (his?) name.

Hey!

2010-03-09T15:34:00.002-07:00

Hey! I just got hit on the head with a hibiscus leaf.

Hooray for Grey!

2010-03-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Usually you are hearing me kvetch and moan about the grey weather outside. It is true yesterday was truly a superb day and I'm pretty sure I heard seratonin levels exploding all over the Grand Valley. However, today we are back to grey and gloom. So what should you do on a grey and gloomy day? Visit the butterfly house, of course.

We have nearly 100 pupa in the puparium and they are starting to emerge. We let loose a couple of monarchs and a queen this morning. Yes, that is the royal we (forgive me, I couldn't help the pun). The weather is a plus for releasing butterflies because our little darlings are a little sluggish on grey days. That means we'll be putting them out to roost on low branches and you'll be able to see them up close and personal.

You know what else will be in our butterfly house that you can see up close and personal? Renowned artist Sara Oakley. That's right. It is the First Friday of the month and that means we've got that rare plant artistus spendens down here at the Gardens. Sara will be painting in the butterfly house from 5 to7pm tonight. Come on down and check it out. There will be cookies....

Agggghhhh!

2010-02-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

I don't think I can take one more grey day. Luckily Marilyn emailed me some photos her husband took in the butterfly house and the rainforest conservatory. That and that alone stopped me from totally losing it. Whew! Crisis averted.

Here is our stripey bamboo that is so contemporary looking.

And our picture perfect bananas.

Losbsta' claw

and finally the bird of pardise.

Ahh... That is much better.

The Weather

2010-02-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Brrrrrr. Brrrrrrr. Brrrrrrr. I think I'm going to live in the Butterfly House until June. I'm happy for the sunshine though. I'm not complaining about that at all. I'm waiting for the usual February warm up teaser. Oh. Wait. We already had that a couple of weeks ago. One good thing about the frigid weather keeping me inside is that I'm getting a lot of planning done.

The Children's Secret Garden group has been working on a plan for this year. Our children's garden has been an aggravation to me for the last couple of years so I'm super thrilled with the plans we have for this year. Our mantra has been "No red tomatoes!" Plus, we are doing a big blitz with the annuals. And containers. I'm not so good with those but luckily I'm not the only one on the committee. We'll be removing some things. I think we might even bring the turtles out of the greenhouse and let them have a little summer vacation. I think they'll like that.

Butterfly House

2010-02-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm doing my work in the Butterfly House this afternoon. It is so nice in here. There are a couple of butterflies roaming around. The jasmine is blooming so it smells really good. The humidity is at 80% so my skin is happy.

Oh look the butterflies are playing. Yeah, right. I used to think that too. Now that I know our little lepidoptera a bit better I now know that they are not playing but waging war. They are pugnacious little critters, very teritorial.

I know I'm spoiled rotten because I get to hang out in the butterfly house. Don't get too jealous though because you, yes you, could have this job too. I'm looking for some fine folks who like to spend time in our Butterfly House.

As you have just discovered our butterflies are a little rowdy and they need some babysitting. So if you are interested in hanging out in the most beautiful spot in Grand Junction let me know. Email me at wcbgoperations@bresnan.net or call me at 245-3288, ext. 3. But I'm warning you. I'm learning from the butterflies. You might have to fight me for a spot on the bench. ;)

Ketchup

2010-02-16T08:17:00.002-07:00

Ketchup on my blog, yes. On my french fries, no. I prefer mayo.

I owe you all a couple of posts. OK. OK. I owe you more than a couple but it is a start and here they are. Enjoy!

Thigmo-What???

2010-02-16T08:15:00.001-07:00

As you can see by looking at the right side of this blog, I don't link to a lot of other sites. There are more blogs and websites thasn one person will ever be able to slog through. So when I link I try to find a good reason for linking.

It is a no brainer why I link to CSU. We luv them. The Garden Rant crew is definitely fun and informative and their guest bloggers are fabulous! The Human Flower Project caught my fancy for their in depth posts that really reflect the "human-ness" that plants bring out in us. World Changing is my dose of theory, intellect and grass roots action.

Today I am adding a new link. Drum roll please. It is to the Garden Professors.

How many of you were at Landscapes West a couple of years ago. That's right, raise your hands. You. In the back. Is your hand up or are you just scratching your head? Let's see, one, two... That many? Remember Jeff Gilman, the mythbuster of the plant world? Well, he's teamed up with a couple of other brainy folks and they've put together a blog where you can read all sorts of interesting things about plants and learn words like paraheliotropism and thigmonasty. Who doesn't want to throw a word like "thigmonasty" into their conversation? Or their rap song?

Anyway the thing is, that by the time you are done reading their blog post for the day you are smarter than when you started. How do they do that?

Light As A Feather

2010-02-16T07:57:00.001-07:00

stiff as a board. And speaking of...boards, not stiffs, here is our board. Aren't they a good looking bunch? This picture was taken at their last retreat, and I'm not talkin' about Bonapart's retreat. These folks are getting things done.

I remember playing that game Light as a Feather and Stiff as a Board when I was a kid. I wasn't inclined towards magic so the hocus pocus part was lost on me. What I did realize was through my experience as a feather was if a bunch of people pitched in all of a sudden you could lift a twelve year old girl. Cool. And that is just what our board is doing. Everyone is pitching in and we are accomplishing great things. I am so excited for what the upcoming year is going to bring. It is going to be wonderful.

Vail

2010-02-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

So, to start the big road trip out last Tuesday Cristina and I stopped at the Betty Ford Alpine Garden. Umm. Yeah, I know. That garden looks a lot more interesting when it isn't covered in a blanket, make that a thick down comforter, of snow.

PS

2010-02-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

This is how far this plant thing has gone with me. Some of you may know that in my previous career I was an art historian and spent a majority of my life preoccupying myself with terribly important issues like form over function and art for art's sake.

I was so wrapped up in the plants I didn't even notice the absolutely fantastic sculptures by Henry Moore that were sprouting up all over the place (pun only now intended). When I first walked into the gardens at DBG I did notice the smell of linseed oil and take a quick walk down memory lane before being distracted by some really lovely clumps of snow on the evergreens in the Japanese Garden. Only once the visions of hot sunny days intermingling with cold wintry ones left my eyes did I see the really big statue that was staring me in the face. Is that really??? Oh yes it is!!!! It was one of those really glorious moments when two of your loves surround you.

I love it when that happens.

Winter Color

2010-02-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

So this morning I was at the DBG checking out the gardens, seeing how they were holding up under the snow. Cristina had a meeting with their volunteer coordinator and I miraculously had meetings with no one but the plants. Perfect.

I am ready to wax poetic about amber, ochre and honey and the lovely blond seed heads on the grasses tossing back and forth in the wind. Don't get me wrong, the prickly pear had turned a lovely shade of burgundy and created a texture that I'd like to recreate on my office wall. The atriplex was really green, like summer green. And if you looked for them, here and there were glimpses of all the greens of spring tucked in between rocks and crevasses.

But it was that soft, sweet, sunshiney yellow that predominated through the snowy landscape. It was as though summer and winter were holding hands. Enjoying each other without the showy interference of the brilliant colors of spring and fall.

Flowers and Frogs

2010-02-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Conservatories are sooo great. Where else can you see frogs that look like trees and flowers that look like birds?

First Sign of Spring

2010-02-03T16:26:00.001-07:00

They are here and they don't care about the snow and ice. This is when they are supposed to be here and here they are with their red breasts just a bob bob bobbin' along. And they are making a huge mess of the mulch! Darn those robins!

Roses!

2010-02-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Everything's coming up roses! You gotta love Ethel Merman. But everything is coming up roses. See? The photo below is the President and Vice-President of the Grand Valley Rose Society giving the Gardens a donation. We love those folks. And they love us. Yes, Valentine's Day is coming up and muddling my mind but it is a good thing. Love is a good thing.

White

2010-01-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hmmm. Maybe I should have been more specific yesterday. The grey is more or less gone but it has been replaced by white. Not that white is bad. White is snow. Snow is water. Water is always something that is welcome in the desert. So yay for white! But still, here is another picture from last summer so I can remember there are more colors than white.

Grey, grey

2010-01-27T10:45:00.001-07:00

Grey, grey go a way! Come again some other day.

This grey weather has made it impractical to have butterflies in the butterfly house. They really need sunny days to fly.Plus, our suppliers in Florida got wiped out because of the cold so it looks like it will be a week or so until we are able to have butterflies again. Sigh.

But here is a lovely picture to remind us that yes, there will be sunshine and flowers.

Tamarisk Symposium

2010-01-14T06:20:00.005-07:00

I spent the last two days at Two Rivers Convention Center in a roomful of land managers, plant scientists and conservationists. And I was totally outclassed. These people were smart. Really smart. I was lucky to be there. I learned a lot. A lot about tamarisk, the tamarisk beetle, the southwestern willow flycatcher, ranchers, revegetation, and russian knapweed. And that's not all. That is just the start. But I won't bore you with long lists. I will bore you with one more picture from the mi favrito jardin botanico en Mexico.

For Want of a Nail

2010-01-12T19:19:00.003-07:00

For Want of a Nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

or in my case a double a battery. That sits in my freezer like it has for the past week. It isn't like my freezer is hard to get to. It is actually right next to the back door. Yet day after day I forget the one thing that would release the photo of the beautiful bird of paradise that is blooming in the butterfly house.

What an aggravation.

In the meantime, here is a photo from the cute little Jardin Botanico I like so much in Mexico City aka el DF. The greenhouse was great.

Quote

2010-01-05T09:19:00.002-07:00

Hi everybody!

I'm still wrangling with technology on the Mexico pictures and I've been stuck behind my desk it seems like since last April. This makes it hard to take lovely pictures of our own gardens. That is why this quote really resonated with me when I came across it yesterday.

"When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

True, he opined this over a hundred years ago but I find it still holds true.

I'm really excited for what we have coming up this spring at the Gardens. If you have any interest at all in gardening I encourage you to contact the Gardens. We are in the planning stages and I'd like all our gardeners to be a part of that this year. So come on down! I'd love to see you.

I'm Back!

2010-01-04T08:41:00.002-07:00

Did ya miss me? Huh, huh? Did ya? Well, I missed you. It has been a month of paperwork and snow. I did manage to escape to Mexico for a week's vacation. It was good to be in the warm weather and sun. I loved the botanical garden in Mexico City. It was very formal but had a nice selection of succulents. The greenhouse was also nice with stucco walls, stained glass and bunches and bunches of orchids. I'll post some photos as soon as I can.

I hope your holidays were happy. 2010 looks to be a really great year for the WCBG. I can hardly wait to see what the next few months will bring. Our staff is passionate and dedicated and board is the best it has ever been. Of course our volunteers have been taking it easy for the last month but we will be gearing up for spring soon enough.

It is good to be back! See you in the greenhouses!

Double Daggers of Death!

2009-12-12T08:46:00.003-07:00

Coming to work is dangerous and exciting these days. Just look at that killer icicle!

The greenhouse and the butterfly house are THE places to be on these cold winter days. It is so wonderful walking into the butterfly house and smell the blooming ginger and see the flowers and butterflies. The bananas are way cool too. The orchids in the rainforest are so beautiful. They remind you there are more colors than white. I'm especially partial to the all the greenery we have. It is fantastic to see such lush life amidst the cold of winter.

Outside you take your life in your hands what with the double daggers of death and black ice and snow blindness and all but that is the thrill of winter. Right?

White Out!

2009-12-09T11:27:00.002-07:00

This is what the Gardens looked like yesterday.

It is nice that the sun came out today. It is utterly amazing that we have so much snow on the ground. The plants are pretty happy with all the moisture. Me too.

Let It Snow!

2009-12-07T16:14:00.004-07:00

I've been looking forward to today. It is the perfect day for making hot chocolate, baking cookies, snuggling up on your couch with a good gardening book and for enjoying the winter blooms. Winter blooms? That's right. You heard me, winter blooms. They are tiny and white and are on a plant called Erica or Heather. I'm not sure of the difference, just don't call it Carla. You can find it under the Turkish Cypress just east of the greenhouse entrance in the Color and Harmony Garden.

Look. Isn't it great? Well, if it were in focus it'd be great. These are teensy tinsy flowers we're trying to look at here. Yes. You are going to have to drink up the cocoa, get up off of the couch and mosey on down here to see for yourself. Some day I'm going to have a camera with a MACRO lense. The Erica/Heather but not Carla isn't the only thing looking good.

Check out the bamboo. That's right. I said bamboo.

Look at that red leaf. No wonder red and green are the official colors of Christmas.

Snap

2009-12-04T11:44:00.004-07:00

Well, here we are in our first cold snap. I know the best thing to do when that happens. You guessed it. Visit the Gardens. The greenhouses are warm and tropical. The butterflies are flirty and friendly. And the bananas are banana-ing. See?

I see those teeth chattering. I see those blue lips. You really owe it to yourself to come on down. And as an added enticement as if butterflies, bananas and tropical temps were not enough, this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month and you know what that means. Admission is FREE!

See you at the Gardens.

The Problem With The Internet

2009-12-04T11:18:00.005-07:00

The internet is great. You can see pictures of things thousands away from where you are. You can keep up with people you care about no matter where they are. Heck, you can even buy a waterproof MP3 player at three in the morning. Not only that but you can listen to music from local community radio around the corner or snooty jazz music from Paris. You can watch movies. You can learn how to prune properly. You can do all kinds of things but when you sniff your computer all you smell is plastic. And that is a great disappointment. To get over this disappointment I head to the greenhouses. In the butterfly house the ginger is blooming. Mmmmm. It smells so good! Unless you are Mercer. Yeah, he thinks it stinks. But what does a three year old know anyway? Hmmphf.

So here is the ginger. Looking lovely and smelling great. But don't stop just in the butterfly house. We have some orchids in the rainforest that are awesomely odoriferous.

These are the ones. They are called "Dancing Dolls" but they should really be called "Chocolate Delight".

So I recommend you quit sniffing your computer and come down to the Gardens and enjoy a truely wonderful olfactory experience.

Wow.

2009-12-01T12:34:00.004-07:00

Wow, was I sick. There are some nasty germs running around out there. So becareful, drink lots of orange juice, eat right and most of all don't pick your nose. You really, really don't want to get sick and spend a week and a half in bed. Specially since when you get back to work you have all this work you have to catch up on before you get to do the fun jobs you really like, like blogging.

Here is something cool that happened while I was sick: the lighting.

Cool photo, huh? That's one of Shirley's. This next one is too. That is why Shirley's photos are in the calendar and not mine.

"Calendar? What calendar?" you might be asking. The WCBG calendar of course! It has 12 super cool photos of the Gardens. As I mentioned, a lot of Shirley's photos are in it but so are Denice's and one by Bob. They are ten bucks and all proceeds go to the Gardens. Get yours today because they are going fast. Who knows if any will be left tomorrow.

Brr.

2009-11-19T08:48:00.004-07:00

Baby its cold outside.

Anyway, the frost is making our fence look like a city skyline. I hope these are the only skyscrapers that we ever have in Grand Junction.

It's Beginning

2009-11-17T13:40:00.004-07:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially in the gift store. Shirley has been tremendously busy getting things ready. Come on and see what she has been working on.

Lobsta!

2009-11-17T13:29:00.003-07:00

We have lobsters in the butterfly house. Well..... lobster claws.

Yes, We Have No Bananas Today!

2009-11-16T10:22:00.005-07:00

Yes, we have no bananas, we have no bananas today! Spike Jones does a much better version of that song than I do. Listen here. I know you are wondering what inspired all that?

We have bananas at the Gardens. We have lovely little green bananas in the rainforest and the butterfly house. Here are the ones in the rainforest.

It was a thrill to walk in this morning and see this bunch starting in the butterfly house.

The first batch of bananas should be ready for eating in a couple of months. Yum!

It Is November

2009-11-16T09:41:00.006-07:00

Yes, it really is November. It is getting cold and wintery.

There is snow on the ground and everything.

Looks like the snapdragons missed the memo.

The alyssum missed it too.

Fall Is Here!

2009-10-09T09:52:00.002-06:00

Well, we finally got frost at the Gardens. No, me forgetting to turn off the irrigation and creating an icicle wonderland doesn't count. Some of the more tender plants have already bitten the dust with the cooler temperatures we've been having. Now some of the more hardy things are starting to die back. It was a good summer and fall seems to be coming along nicely. I've been enjoying the butterfly house lately on these chilly mornings.

Remember that CSU Extension is hosting a tree sale this weekend. All proceeds benefit the Master Gardener Scholarship Fund. Plus, fall is the best time for planting. Be there or have an ugly garden come spring. ;)

Last Friday

2009-10-02T08:32:00.002-06:00

Last Friday I was waking up at the lake outside of Chama. Getting in the truck and driving back to GJ. Oh the week went way too fast. We took the long way back going over Wolk Creek and Slumgullion pass. It was so beautiful. We got to the gardens around 6 that night and had just enough day light to unload a truckload of plants (yes! another one!) and get them all a little drink. We also went down into the Uplands Conservation area and put markers out for the Tamarisk Coalition volunteers to plant the things we brought back from Los Lunas.

So what were we up to last Wednesday and Thursday? Plant aquisition! We stopped by Plants of the Southwest. What a cool place. Gail grows mostly New Mexico native plants but we had no problem finding a flat or two of things for the Gardens. There is a demonstration garden that shows how to utilize "grey" water. There is also this fantabulous restaurant where for $9 you get soup, salad, main dish and a lovely cup of tea. The deserts were only $2.50 so we had to indulge. The food was fantastic and of course all organic and locally grown. Yum. I insist you stop by the next time you are in Santa Fe.

Our next stop was the Agua Fria nursery. They also sell native plants. We kind of lost our heads and filled up what little space was left in the truck. The advice that was given to us about Agua Fria when we left GJ was "If you want it, buy it. Don't wait." The owners go seed collecting every year so there is a very good possibility that what you want won't be there the next time you go back.

Thursday was our day to play. Yeah. Like the rest of the trip has been nothing but duty, duty, duty, just awful. ;) We heard from a couple of folks that it was a good time of the year to go to 4th of July canyon to see the native maples turning color. So off we went with nothing but a recommendation. We found it though. It is on the east side of the Sandias and tucked off the beaten track. I love having to stop and ask for directions. You meet some really cool folks.

The maples on the hill hadn't turned yet but the ones in the canyon were gorgeous. The red leaves were so vivid they didn't look real. Nature is just phenomenal. It was kind of late by the time we were done hiking so we hotfooted it north and made it almost to Chama.

Because it was already dark when we set up the tent we had no idea what the countryside looked like. We ended up right next to a lake. It was a beautiful surprize in the morning.

And that ladies and gentlemen is the end of our big, southwestern, whirlwind tour. I can hardly wait 'til next year's!

One Week Ago

2009-09-29T10:00:00.003-06:00

One week ago at this time I was at the NRCS office in Los Lunas looking at the most amazing grass. Dude, not like that!

One of the things the NRCS does is grow seed for conservation in out National Parks and Forests. We visited at the exact perfect time. The grasses were at peak harvest so there were fields and fields of grasses with their lovely seed heads dancing in the wind. Plus, we were there in the morning so the lighting was dramatic and beautiful. You haven't lived until you've seen a couple of acres of alkalai muhly grass in bloom.

We picked up some plants for the Uplands Garden too. We stopped at half a truckload knowing that we were going to be heading to Santa Fe and visiting nurseries there.

And after a lovely lunch at Frank's Sandwiches, Santa Fe was exactly where we were headed. We both had the Sombrero. It was more or less a burrito with fantastic green chili. Like that is hard to find in New Mexico, right? Mmmmm.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Santa Fe Greenhouses aka High Country Gardens. They are wonderful. David has been such a great supporter of the Gardens for the last couple of years. Plus their plants are just fabulous. We could have spent all night there looking and talking about plants.

But we didn't. We had bigger fish to fry. Well, a campsite to find and set up. We camped just outside of town in a great little campground. You drive around downtown until you come to the big pink building. Turn right onto Bishop's Lodge, then right again on Artist's Way (!) and drive until you get to the first campground you see and there you are.

It was a big day.

The Girls are Here!

2009-09-28T13:30:00.005-06:00

Any of you who heard me on "What's Sprouting" radio edition on KAFM a couple of weeks ago heard me talking about "Bring Your Chicken to Work Day". It took me a couple of weeks to get everything arranged but here they are! The black one is Emily and the red one is Dora. Watch out for Dora, she'll take a piece out of you.

I'm hoping they will do a number on our weeds and so far it looks like my plan is working. I think I can actually fit four fine hens into the chicken carrier so we will have even more pecking power.

As you can see, the girls are thrilled to be here!

Day Three

2009-09-28T08:01:00.004-06:00

You know? Gardeners and technology just do not mix. Like getting the formatting in this blog to work right. I'd just rather go in the gardens and pull weeds instead of mess with it. Anyway, Kenton forgot the camera and I either let the battery on the laptop run down or I couldn't find a wireless internet connection. Drat. It was a great trip so you'll get a blow by blow account, just a week late.

Let's see.... Last Monday I was waking up in a bagel shop parking lot in Durango. And dang was it cold. Around 37. I guess it was cold in Junction, too. Waking up in a parking lot. I know what you are thinking and it wasn't like that.

You see Kelley from Timberline Nursery in Arvada and Kenton's pal and plant guru Allen both loaded us up with so many plants we had to detour back to the Gardens to drop them off. So that got us a little bit of a late start. We left the Gardens around 6pm or so and by the time we made it to Durango it was late and dark so we found the first likely parking lot and pulled in. We were traveling on a shoestring, a frayed and old shoestring.

Breakfast was great. Hot coffee. Fresh and yummy donuts and a chorizo breakfast burrito. Then it was time to hit the road. We had important meetings with Jon and Dale at the Albuquerque Botanic Gardens. Things to do. People to see and all that.

Jon and Dale were amazing. Jon is the Operations Manager and he shed some light on irrigation issues. I could have spent all day with him but I only got an hour and a half. Dale runs their butterfly house. It is a seasonal butterfly house and will be closing for the season in October but he still had a lot of good information that will help us keep improving our own cute, little butterfly house. We spent a lot of time in their Japanese Garden. It is huge and not quite done. They've been opening it up bit by bit. I was there two years ago when they opened the first section. They've since added about 1/3 more and it looked like they still had more to go.

It was interesting talking to Jon and Dale. The Albuquerque Botanic Gardens are run by the city. Jon had previously worked at a non-profit before being lured away by the Albuquerque Botanic Gardens. So we asked him what is the difference working for the city and working for a non-profit. He said that at the non-profit there wasn't ever any money. He paused then said that working for the city there wasn't ever any money. We got a good laugh out of that.

I recommend you check out the Albuquerque Botanic Gardens. Especially their children's garden. When I was first there all that was there was the hardscape. There were no plants and I thought it was just awful. However, in the past two years they added the plants and it looks fantastic. The theme is "gigantic". They have these huge pots with huge plants in them. They have roots growing down so you can see them underground. They have gigantic insects. And an enormous rotted tree trunk you can run around it. The kid in me went nuts. We were there after hours but I can imagine that kids would have a riot in that garden.

It took a little pressure off of me. Our children's garden was never fully realized. The plan wasn't followed and what was done was never documented. It has been a sore spot for me since I've been at the Gardens. I made me realize once again that gardens can't be rushed. You have to have a plan and you have to have funding. More importantly you have to have people who believe in your garden and want to work on it and in it. I'll be focusing on our children's garden for the next couple of years. Let me know if you are interested. I can use all the help I can get.

We ended up at a friend of Kenton's for the night. Whew. I don't know if I could have taken another night in the front seat of the truck. Kenton's friend had a great garden, of course. He had taken out his front lawn and was landscaping it with veronica, thyme, lavender, hyssop and a bunch of other xeric plants. The thing I liked the best was how "flirty" it is. He designed it so that the visitor had to brush up against these beautiful, sweet-smelling plants. It was also really formal and geometric. I can hardly wait to see what it looks like next year.

So that was last Monday. Have a good Monday this Monday!

Day One

2009-09-19T09:34:00.004-06:00

Good Morning Everyone!

It is officially day two but I'll give you a quick rundown of yesterday. Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. We met with Michelle and we found out we have a lot in common with them. They also lease their garden from the city, well the Town of Vail. They have a small staff and everyone is doing more than one job. Funding is an issue but they are in a different tax bracket so while I'd be thrilled with what they have for operating funds, they have a whole different budget. They are twice as old as the WCBG so it gives me an idea of where we can be in another ten years. Way cool. Nice folks. Fantastic plants. the next time you are heading to (or from) Denver, stop off and visit. It is more or less the halfway point and a great place to stretch your legs and have a snack. It is the second Vail exit either way your are driving. Handy, huh?

We were supposed to have a 2 hour meeting and a tour at the DBG with Panayoti Keladais and Matthew Cole but it turned out to be 5 hours. Mattew gave us a private after hours tour for another hour or so (have I mentioned lately that I love my job?).

There are great things in the future for the WCBG and the DBG and a whole lotta other gardens in Colorado. Yes. This is the big tease. You won't see the fruition of these talks for another year or two but trust me, it is going to be cool.

At the moment I am blogging to you live from DBG. They have free wi-fi (we have it at WCBG too!) and I'm taking advantage of it.

The DBG's fall bulb and plant sale was this morning. I restrained myself and ended up with only seven plants. But they are fabulous. Sadly none of them will be at the Gardens. They are mine, all mine. Bwahahahaha. (That is supposed to be an evil laugh.)

That is it for now. We are off to deliver the six headed yucca recurvifolia and most likely a couple more plant purchases. Kenton has been taking tons of photos and hopefully by tonight we will be able to figure out how to download them so we can share them with you.

Have a good day. Catch you later.

PS I wonder how Calabash is going. If you don't have anything going on you should head down to the Gardens and check it out. It sounds like fun.

Out of the Office

2009-09-18T05:50:00.002-06:00

Why do I have to go on vacation in order to update the blog regularly?

Is is because I was being interviewed for the evening news? Or because there are huge things afoot in the gift store? New pupa in the greenhouse? Calabash? Robb River Rally? Baby bananas in the greenhouse? Is it the fact that we are planning the greatest holiday extravaganza ever? Ordering more plants for Shozan-en? Or that I was on the radio? Planning a new garden that will begin installation in just a few short weeks? Pulling weeds? Hangin' with the volunteers? The annual appeal? (Come on now, I beseech thee to look deep into your heart and then deep into your wallet to support your most favorite botanic garden). I'm eating too many tomatoes from the Community Garden? Fiddling with the irrigation controller? Those crazy orange gazanias? Board meetings? Staff meetings? Just plain old meetings, meetings, meetings, galore? I'm admiring the sunflower patch a little too much? Could it be the fence is moving or we're getting lighting in the greenhouses? What ever the reason, you'll be getting daily updates from your Horticultural Correspondents for the next week or so. (Provided we can get an internet signal).

Kenton and I are off on a botanical adventure. We're starting in Denver (big things happening there for sure) then continuing south to visit friends at botanic gardens, the NRCS and garden centers from here to Bernallio. Hold on to your hat Hannah, its going to be a thrilling ride.

Mea Culpa!

2009-09-09T13:50:00.003-06:00

Is it the 9th already? 09-09-09. I'm not going to be able to write that one for a while.

Look at this good lookin' bunch.

Chinle Gardeners at the September 9 Garden Party at the WCBG from left: Dave Kennedy, Maryann Benoit, Al Severson, & Tom Burrows. Don Campbell is hiding behind the camera.

Happy Tuesday!

2009-09-01T07:43:00.002-06:00

How do you like the updates the WCBG website? I love them. It means you can get to the blog via the WCBG home page. Hmmm. I think that means I need to update more than I have been. ;) The updates to the website will take some time too so be patient. It will all be done soon.

So many things happen in the gardens every day it is hard to concentrate on one thing. Plus there has been a whole lotta' planning going on (yes, you should hear Jerry Lee Lewis singing at that last bit). As exciting as planning is to those of us who have a beaurocratic bent it isn't really all that thrilling. I mean who really gets all excited over a 3 inch mainline? Really. Really? Send 'em over!

The flowers are looking beautiful in that end of summer way. I see that the cottonwoods are already displaying flashes of gold. Fall is on its way. Me, too.

See ya!

Look Out Hollywood!

2009-08-26T14:28:00.003-06:00

If this whole gardening thing doens't work out it seems like I may have a future in the movies. Seth came out to the Gardens today to work on a tv spot for the Walk for Life. My job? Drive the golf cart nice and steady so the camera doens't wobble and the actors stay in frame. It turned out really nice.

FYI: The Walk for Life is Saturday, October 3rd, so mark your calendar now.

They're Back!

2009-08-19T15:37:00.002-06:00

You take a couple of days off to go camping and when you come back the water in the north channel has dropped. Of course that can only mean one thing. Beavers.

The little darlings have built a dam just east of the bridge that goes onto Watson Island. It is pretty cool and in the perfect spot too. The pond that is forming is right where my irrigation intake is for the amphitheater. They haven't dammed anything else just yet although it looks like they are in construction mode. I came across a felled Russian olive and Siberian elm. Looks like our little bucktooth buddies are doing their part for conservation.

Plant Theft

2009-08-13T14:59:00.003-06:00

I've been keeping quiet about our plant thefts lately. Not because they haven't been happening because they have. I just don't need to be having apoplectic fits every other day. OK. We haven't been having plants being stolen every day. Maybe every few days.

Like today....some SOB stole the Siberian Elm that was growing in the levee and causing me all kinds of trouble. The nerve. Helping me out like that. What is this world coming to?

Pupa!

2009-08-11T12:58:00.005-06:00

Remember when the puparium looked like this?

Me, too. And some day it will look like this again. Someday hopefully being today. Waiting for pupa is almost as hard as waiting for Christmas.

I Luv Natives!

2009-08-07T08:17:00.003-06:00

I luv natives and you all know I love the Tararisk Coaltion. You know they are helping us install an Uplands Conservation Garden as a part of their huge clean up along the Colorado River. Well, to help raise money for the plants they are selling bumper stickers. The bumper sticker is $20 and 100% of the proceeds will go towards the purchase of revegatation material. Umm, that means plants to you and me. We have some in Botanica Gift Shop. For every sticker we sell at Botanica the WCBG gets $20 worth of plants to go into the Uplands Conservation Garden. So come on down and buy a sticker. Buy two. Buy three. They make excellent gifts. And they go well with everything in your closet.

Joseph, Bob and Bill

2009-08-06T08:13:00.002-06:00

We got some new goldfish! Their names are Joseph, Bob and Bill. They are swimming around in the pond in the butterfly house. Come on down and check them out. They are the smallest ones in the tank. They went from being the biggest fish in their old tank to being the smallest ones in ours.

Released!

2009-07-29T14:53:00.002-06:00

Those of you who missed last Saturday's butterfly release missed a good one. Chris Tomlinson took a great photo for the Sentinel and KKCO did a great 15 second story on the news Saturday night. My 15 seconds of fame.

It was coool. We had a variety of butterflies, some swallowtails, white peacocks and painted ladies. Talk about feisty. They were an amazingly active bunch. It took me a while to get them ready because they did not want to cooperate. It was worth it though. The way they flew out of the release box was terrific. Don't fret if you missed it. We'll do another one August 22. 1pm. Be there or be square.

Prince Charming

2009-07-29T14:46:00.004-06:00

Isn't he handsome? I think he really must be Prince Charming. Granted I didn't kiss him. He wouldn't sit still. Donna and I rescued him last Wednesday from the parking lot. He made a really funny noise as he hopped across the asphalt. Phthwap, phthwap, phthwap or something like that.

I Love Our Volunteers

2009-07-21T07:47:00.002-06:00

You all missed a great party yesterday. Our volunteer appreciation party was yesterday. It was a laid back summer afternoon kind of affair. Everyone ate and drank and enjoyed spending time with each other. We don't always take the time to do that. Our volunteers are really hard workers so it was good to see them just relaxing for a change.

Cristina really outdid herself out getting everything lined up. We had all kinds of food donated. Some really fun door prizes donated. And a DJ. I am continually amazed and delighted with just how generous Grand Junction is.

Thank you Grand Junction!

Speaking of Workenders....

2009-07-20T07:41:00.003-06:00

The Weekend Workender Weed crew was here yesterday. And ohhh does the Gardens look good because of it. They cleaned up the kochia out from the Heritage Garden area and it looks so clean and tidy.

I promised them I'd have a different job for them next month. Maybe I'll finally get the Shozan-en pathway crowned and compacted.

Visitors

2009-07-20T07:29:00.002-06:00

These guys are biking across country to raise money for Parkinson's Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury. What is with it with this new generation? Forming non-profits and raising money and awareness. It is wonderful to see the younger generation thinking about things other than themselves.

They were hanging out at the Gardens yesterday morning. I just happened to be here because the Workenders were here and I took the opportunity of some uninterrupted time to set the impact heads in the amphitheater. Being the friendly sort of fellows that they are we got to chatting. Raising money for Parkinson's and Brain Injuries was only the tip of the iceberg. They were interested in a variety of social issues. It was cool. You never know who you are going to bump into at the Gardens.

If you know someone affected by Parkinson's Disease or Traumatic Brain Injury, which I think is all of us, you might want to donate a couple of bucks to their cause.

The Rest of the Day Friday

2009-07-19T11:04:00.002-06:00

Yee Haw! Hoo Rah! and Sis Boom Bah!

Friday was was a the nexus of the finalizaiton of four projects. I'd have been happy if any one of the following tasks got done but all four did so I'm way up there in the stratosphere of happiness.

1. Richard finished the duck float and put it in place. I haven't seen any ducks dancing the rhumba out there on the duck float yet but it is just a matter of time I'm sure. That and maybe they'd like a disco ball.

2. There were a couple of repairs and some pruning in the butterfly house I wanted to get done. It looks so wonderful in there.

3. The siberian elm forest that threatened to take over Celebration Plaza has been removed.

4. Most thrilling of all because I've been working on this one for around two years, there is a hose bib in the amphitheater and all the zones are working the way they should. This is truly a time to break out a bottle of the bubbly.

Friday?

2009-07-17T07:20:00.002-06:00

Is it Friday already? Again? Really?

What a big week we had down here. Monday I was on "What's Sprouting" our monthly radio program at KAFM. Mark your calendars and tune your radios to 88.1 every second Monday at noon. You'll hear me babbling like an idiot, which, I understand, can be entertaining.

Tuesday the Green Guides folks were here. What a great bunch of folks. We went traipsing through the Gardens after hours looking at the native plants and relating them to home gardening. I had a blast. I always like showing off our gardens and will do it at the drop of a hat.

For example, the guy from the USDA stopped by to check in on Wednesday so, of course, I had to drag him through the Gardens pointing out this and that. And there is a lot of this and that right now, as you all most likely know.

I also got to meet again with the Tamarisk Coalition folks and somebody from Public Works with the City o' GJ. The conservation project going on on Watson Island is truely amazing. Next time you are at the Gardens allot a little extra time and take a stroll on the island. You can actually see the river. And the Gardens.

John came out and hopefully my irrigation irritations in the amphitheater are over. Yee Haw!

Today will be another big day. The Science Sleuths were here yesterday and they'll be here today again today. This is a cool collaboration between the City, the Math and Science Center, the Audubon Society and us. With all of us working together this program has been tremendously successful and the best thing is that no one had to do a ton of work. We all just contributed our on parts. I'm glad my part wasn't having to keep track of 14 rambunctious boys.

And how could I forget???? My favorite fellas from the City's Forestry Department were down removing and chipping trees. Oh don't be shocked, they weren't our fancy shmancy trees. They were wacking down those obnoxious Siberian Elms (aka Chinese Elms). I think we'll be replacing them with cottonwoods. I really love those trees. They provide such nice shade and I love the way they grow. And yes, I even like it when the cotton starts flying around. I got such a kick out of that as a kid and as some you may know, that kid is still around.

What a week, huh? Well, it is time to get moving. Today is another big day. See you in the Gardens!

New Project!

2009-07-10T10:38:00.003-06:00

As you may already know we are helping the Tamarisk Coalition in their massive restoration project going on on the Colorado River just south of the Gardens. If you haven't taken a stroll down on Watson Island lately you should. Most of the tamarisk and russian olive have been removed and you can actually see the river and the north channel. One of the components of the restoration is to do an "uplands" demonstration garden. It is to show how what happens upstream affects the river. Normally uplands areas are miles away from the riparian area so it is pretty cool that you will be able to see the relationship between the two.

So what it means for me is planning. Yay! Planning gardens is fun. Almost as fun as working in them.

2009-07-09T07:30:00.002-06:00

There has been so much going on I just don't know where to start. Dr. Curtis came out from the CSU extension and installed our ET transmitter. No, we are not trying to lure a cute little alien to the Gardens, an ET transmitter regulates the amount of water that is applied based on an average of how much water the plants are using. The transmitter gets weather information from local weather stations and then calculates accordingly. It has been going almost a week and I can't really tell how it is doing. I know it is a great relief not having to remember to water. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

So Dr. Curtis comes in at 8:30 last Friday and says "You are going to be on the air in 30 minutes." Yikes! Any of you tuning in to KKCO last Friday around 9:15 will have heard me talking about the butterflies. There are pupae hanging in the puparium and butterflies fluttering around in the butterfly house. The greenhouses are a nice place to be when it is so unbelievably hot. All of a sudden 80 degrees seems kind of nice.

Dr. Curtis also brought his intern Claire out and I set her to work. She pruned the wisteria. You should come down and have a look. It is blooming again and looks just great. She took Jeff's kyak out to the middle of the pond and did a little investigating on the whole foot valve situation. She helped out with the watering and most importantly of all chose an excellent pizza for lunch.

It is toad season. Those little buggers are everywhere. They sure are cut though.

That is it for today. Time to get out in the Gardens while it is still nice and cool.

Hooray for Hans!

2009-06-30T13:43:00.002-06:00

Hans and his crew from Anode Systems have been working really hard in the community garden. They are in the community garden almost every day tending to their plants and it has really paid off. Today is their first harvest. I'm not sure if it is Catholic Outreach or Salvation Army that will be getting today's veggies. I'll let you know tomorrow for sure. It is amazing what just a few people can do to make a difference.

Happy Monday!

2009-06-29T07:30:00.002-06:00

I always love it when the Weekenders have been here. I feel like I've gotten so much accomplished when I walk in on Monday. They had to cancel on Saturday but the crew that came in Sunday rocked and rolled. All they did all day was move gravel. A couple of the guys helped me get the fountain in the children's garden going. They did all the dirty work. Moving the rock, putting in the liner, replacing the rock. It looks great. All I need is a couple of goldfish and a hose clamp and we'll be in business. So that's where I'm headed. The goldfish hose clamp store. See ya!

Strangling Frogs Right and Left

2009-06-26T17:41:00.003-06:00

Hasn't the rain been great? Especially since as soon as I start bragging to you all about how the irrigation system is working it decides to spite me and start acting up. I don't know what I'd do without John at GJ Pipe.

We found a couple of things. One of them actually was a drip. It indicated a valve not working effeciently. It is funny how it can be the little things that trip you up.

A secondary problem may be a really happy patch of algae growing up around the foot valve and the netafim intake. When John said all it would take was a piece of plywood I was ecstatic. When he suggested putting some astroturf on it and turning it into a duck float I was ecstatically ecstatic. A duck float. How cool. I think the ducks are a little mad at me since I got the pump working and the pond is full. There are too many cattails and they can't get to the shore any more. I bet those ducks are sitting around complaining about me. "Dang that girl." I can just hear them.

Dang me, dang me, they oughtta' take a rope and hang me, high from the highest tree.... Don't mind me. I do get possessed by the spirit of Roger Miller every now and again.

Have a good weekend!

Ewww!

2009-06-24T07:57:00.002-06:00

What is that sulphourous stench? The smell of success! I've been able to consistently irrigate with the water out of our settling pond. And water out of a pond smells, well, like pond water. Now if I can only get my ET transmitter.....

Magnificent Magnolia

2009-06-22T15:08:00.002-06:00

I'm so proud of our little magnolia. It just keeps on going. We spotted the first flower bud today. We've added some cute little bunny grasses that look really cute when they bloom near the magnolia. Also the lobelia is crazy blue right now and will blind you if you look at it too long. Kinda like staring at the sun. The chilopsis (desert willow) has bright-pinky-purple-orchid-looking flowers and fits right in even though it is a low water plant. And just wait until the Disco Belle blooms. The alyssum is doing well and on a whole that entire bed is really, really happy. We aren't leaving it alone though. We are adding a new Carol Mackie that we got from Plant Select.

Good Morning!

2009-06-21T09:16:00.003-06:00

I haven't forgotten about you all. I've just been out of the office. No. Not on vacation. I don't think any gardener in her right mind would plan a vacation during Spring/Summer. I was at the Denver Botanic Garden. Yeah. I have a rough job. I had to spend all day with plant people hearing about plants, talking about plants, looking at plants and getting plants. It was the annual meeting for Plant Select. I'm pretty sure I've talked about Plant Select before and I encourage you to visit their website. I love their plants. Their plants make me look soooooo gooood. They do a lot of research and testing to find plants that work well in our challenging Colorado soils. Their plants are pretty fool-proof. They make the blackest thumb turn to a darker shade of green.

Anyway, I came back with a truckload of plants. Yes. An entire truckload. I just love those Plant Select people. I give them my list of what I want and then they give me bonus plants. Yay! I love bonus plants. We are once again a test garden for plants that are not yet available for sale. Isn't that cool? I hope I don't kill them all this time. Just kidding! I only killed a few of them last time around. Most of them survived. And I didn't kill any of the tried and true plants. Ok. Maybe a couple of the delosperma bit the dust. But they were just little tykes and I probably shouldn't have put them in the ground so soon. But everyone else is looking good.

More exciting news is that we have plant labels! Plant Select gave us labels this year in addition to plants. So now when you visit the Gardens you can see which plants are Plant Select. Then you can march down to your favorite local nursery and get them for your very own garden. How great is that? Very.

She Really Is Cute

2009-06-15T09:59:00.005-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures of our new tree frog. She is out and roaming in the greenhouse. Let me know if you spy her.

Influx

2009-06-15T08:01:00.002-06:00

A very discerning group of jazz lovers congregated at the Elizabeth B. Harris Amphitheater last Saturday night to enjoy the smooth sounds of Influx. We did have a special VIP in the crowd. Our resident blue heron hung out on the river's edge during the entire show. Heron's are jazz lovers don't ya know.

What started off as a blustery afternoon calmed down into quite a lovely evening. It was wonderful.

For you bluegrass lovers we'll be having Sweet Sunny South on July 11. Mark your calendar. The gate is open at 6:30, the show starts at 7:30. Tickets are $10 for members and $14 general admission.

The First Butterfly Release

2009-06-15T07:33:00.004-06:00

For those of you who were busy last May and couldn't come down to see the first butterfly release here are the highlights:

Here I am with a box 'o butterflies. You can feel them crawling around in the box. They were so anxious to get out into the butterfly house.

The lid comes off! You can see the little painted ladies flying out of the box. They were really friendly butterflies. They'd land on your shoulder or your shoe.

Or on a big rock.

D took these photos. Aren't they great? She had a bunch of other good ones but I forgot to get photo releases. I got them from the butterflies though. It was tricky finding a pen small enough. And then tracking down their agent and working out the percentages. What a bunch of prima donas.

If you missed any of the releases we had in May don't despair! We will be releasing butterflies this Saturday. 1pm. Don't miss it!

She's So Cute!

2009-06-12T14:05:00.002-06:00

This kid comes in with the cutest green frog a couple of days ago. I immediately call our frog expert, Richard. He puts the siren on and races to the Gardens. Frog Emergency! Out of the way!

Richard looks at the cute little frog and gives it the once over. "I think it's a tree frog," he surmises. He whisks it off to the Frog Emergency Clinic for further observation.

He comes back a day later, frog and identification in hand. "Pacific Tree Frog," he pronounces. "Female." It likes the habitat of our green house so we let it loose. Keep your eyes peeled for a tiny bright green frog with a snazzy black stripe on either side the next time you are in the greenhouse. We call her Emily.

Holy Blooming Brugmansia Bat Man!

2009-06-12T13:26:00.002-06:00

The Angel's Trumpet, aka brugmansia, is budding and blooming in the butterfly house. There are three blooms and five more buds that I could see. The plant is really beautiful with blushing pink flowers. Don't take my word for it, you should come in and see for yourself.

Compost

2009-06-10T09:23:00.002-06:00

Todd from the Betty Ford (gardeners always think Alpine Garden, everyone else thinks clinic) came by yesterday to help us figure out our composting needs and design. The man knows his compost. It is exciting to start to capture some of our green waste and use it in the gardens. I'll be talking more about composting as the program develops. We'll be addressing large scale composting as well as just how easy it is to compost at home. If you are raring to get going with composting there is a glut of information out there. If you are a little overwhelmed by it all call the Master Gardeners out at the Extension. Those folks, they is smart.

Puparium Picture

2009-06-10T09:21:00.003-06:00

Doesn't the new pupa display look great? Isn't going to look great with actual pupa on it?

Garden Tour and More

2009-06-09T07:32:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone who helped out on the Garden Tour, especially those brave souls who opened up their gardens to public scrutiny. The weather cooperated for the most part and everyone I saw had smiles on their faces. Gardens have a tendency to do that to you.

We had a few folks out on First Friday despite the turbulent weather.

A huge thanks goes out to thr Realtor's Association, especially Lori. They had a great event in the amphitheater Saturday.

Yesterday was back to business as usual, watering, weeding, mulching with a little hedge trimming thrown in mix it up a bit.

I've got to run. Todd is coming down from Betty Ford, the Alpine Garden, not the clinic, to help us get our compost going. I'll let you in on all the thrilling details tomorrow.

Yesterday

2009-06-03T08:37:00.001-06:00

Water, weed, mulch, repeat.

So much has happened!

2009-06-01T17:04:00.003-06:00

The trip to DBG was fantastic! Sada's talk was inspiring. It was also confirmation that we are on the right track with Shozan-en. It was quite an honor and humbling to meet him. It was good to see Ebi as well. He gave us two ponderosa pines for Shozan-en. They are naturally bonsaied and are quite amazing trees. One is 150 years old. It was nice to meet Matt their Director of Education. He showed off their new flat screen technology with the thought that we could do inter-gardening conferencing. They could have events we could participate in here and vice-versa. Technology is amazing.

The aggravating thing was when we got back we discovered more plants have been stolen from our front beds. Plus, Marilyn found a record six empty vodka bottles in the amphitheater and found a couple of empty cases over by the irrigation pond. Nice Officer Steel came out today and checked things out. No, he didn't wait four days until he came out. It took me that long to call it in. Friday was extremely busy. There was a lot of day-to-day stuff that had to happen plus there was a lot of confabbing with our friends with the Tamarisk Coalition. There is some cool stuff in the offing.

The butterfly release Saturday was a lot of fun. We'll continue doing them once a month. I'll let you know the schedule as soon as I can get it worked out with the butterfly suppliers.

Christine our new volunteer coordinator started today. Already my load is about 150 pounds lighter. It was fantastic. She just jumped in and got to work. If you are one of our volunteers, stick your head in the office and introduce yourself.

Today was weeding and mulching and benching. Richard moved the benches on loan from the Heritage Garden (Thank you Mrs. Harris!!!) and Jon brought over the ones that he made especially for Shozan-en. They are beautiful.

What excitement is in store for tomorrow? Stay tuned!

DBG Here We Come

2009-05-28T07:42:00.002-06:00

Kenton and I are heading to the DBG to see Sadafumi Uchiyama speak at the DBG. We are specially invited guests so that makes us feel all important and whatnot. It should be fun. I'll tell you all about it when I get back.

Sculptcha

2009-05-28T06:56:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was an admin day but it was still an exciting day because Steve Kentz and his wife-life-partner and their chocolate lab stopped by with an amazing sculpture which now graces the west end of Shozan-en. "Shozan-en?" you ask. Or maybe you just say "Bless you." Shozan-en is the name of our new Colorado Native Plant Garden. It was a long time coming but we finally asked the right person. Shozan-en means "Mountain becomes visable by sunlight -garden". Isn't that beautiful? And it really fits the garden.

But back to the sculpture. It is a beautiful stone and metal piece of Colorado native irises. Steve said he saw a field of the irises down by Roaring Fork one year and that was the inspiration for the piece. He also mentioned how he was working with wood carving at the time at you can really see that influence in the stone. It is cool. Don't take my word for it. Come on down stroll through Shozan-en and see for yourself. Steve will be at the opening for Shozan-en Friday, June 5th between 5 and 7 if you want to talk to him about the work in person.

Volunteers

2009-05-27T07:30:00.002-06:00

As discouraged as I may be about all the vandalism that has been happening at the Gardens, the one thing that really encourages me is our volunteers. They show up every week and keep working to keep the Gardens look good. Yesterday was no exception. More plants got planted, it was a perfect day for it as cool and wet as it was. The Children's Garden has some color in it. The poor ravaged front bed has some nice additions to it and the new native plant garden has a lot less weeds than it did.

Speaking of the new garden we finally have a name for it! Drum roll please.

Shozan-en is the name. It is Japanese, obviously, since that is the origination of the entire garden, and it means "Mountain becomes visable by sunlight -garden". Kind of awkward in English but very beautiful and fitting for the garden in Japanese.

Remember to mark your calendar for Friday June 5th 5 to 7 for the Grand Opening Celebration. There will be artists, music, people talking about native plants and one cool garden to hang out in. Start your First Friday off at the Gardens and then continue downtown to the galleries and on to the Art Center for the opening of the Abstract show.

Butterfly House

2009-05-26T07:24:00.002-06:00

Rich and Jeff did a fantastic job of finishing up the butterfly netting on Saturday. As much as a pain in the neck that project turned out to be the end result is great. You hardly notice it is even there.

The butterfly release was cool even though it was cloudy and the butterflies were not really interested in flying. We'll be doing one more release this Saturday. If you've missed the other releases you should come down this Saturday. It is a really neat thing to see the butterflies in action.

Beyond Cussing

2009-05-26T07:11:00.002-06:00

We had the most beautiful iris display. Yes, note the past tense, had. I came in at 7am Saturday morning to get Rich going on the butterfly netting project and I notice something is missing. Someone came in and cut almost every single iris bloom that we had in our front garden. Whoever did it knew what they were doing. The blooms were not randomly torn off. The edges of the cuts weren't jagged as though they were cut by a knife. Someone came in with their pruners and took almost every blooming iris that was growing in the front bed. It pains me to think a fellow gardener would do something so heinous. We work so hard to make the Gardens look good that when something like this happens it is such a shock.

At least the police are finally taking all my reports seriously. We've had a terrible time with vandalism at the Gardens over the last couple of years, especially this year. Now we are a special project. The police are increasing patrols and will be coming down to do an evaluation and will be donating some resources. I'm fairly certain that whoever has been vandalizing the Gardens isn't going to be caught but hopefully steps can be taken so it doesn't happen again in the future.

Church Ladies

2009-05-22T07:29:00.003-06:00

Do you know why I love church ladies? They come from a generation that knows how to cook. Peggy's church ladies had their meeting here in the library yesterday which included a pot luck lunch and invited Shirley, Diana and me to join them. Yum. They fed us well. Real baked beans, green bean salad, two kinds of apple salad, two kinds of deviled eggs, mashed potato salad, fried chicken, chocolate cake. I'm sure there were other things I'm forgetting because my poor little paper plate was groaning under the weight of my lunch. It was wonderful. Afterward I had to go down to the pump house for a little nap, I mean to check the netafim filter and make sure everything was running ok.

New Comer's All Comers

2009-05-21T07:49:00.003-06:00

The New Comer's stopped by the Gardens for a visit. I hadn't given a tour in a while. I had a blast. It has been a while since I've wandered through the gardens and enjoyed all the really cool plants that we have. Lately it has just been crisis, crisis, crisis. I think I'm not quite done with crisis, crisis, crisis, although it might just be crisis, crisis now.

I'm pleased the pump is still pumping and the pond is still filling. There is water in the amphitheater and even though the elusive zone 7 has been located, isn't functioning. Electrical issues. I swear one of these days I will get the chance to enroll at Mesa for an intro to electricity class. What I need to know just isn't that sophisticated. You'd think I'd have picked it up by now.

We have three new employees starting in the next couple of weeks. No, one isn't the Executive Director so all of you who have your hearts set on that job don't despair, send in your resumes. We'll have a new employee in the Gift Store, a new Volunteer Coordinator (YAY!) and an person who will be taking care of all our facility rentals. It is exciting to see how far the organization has grown in just one year.

Cuss. Cuss. Cuss. Cuss. Cuss!

2009-05-19T07:52:00.003-06:00

Those of you who know me know that on occaision a curse word may slip through my lips. The fact that some (expletive deleted) stole $150 worth of our beautiful, amazing and unusual plants from the Color and Harmony Garden Sunday night makes me want to tear off cussing a blue streak that would make the most raunchy roughneck blush a delicte pink to the tips of his ears.

First of all, no real gardener would steal. Gardeners are the most generous people I know. They are always inviting you into their gardens, wanting you to taste lovely things they've grown, and giving you starts of cool and interesting things for your own garden. Second of all we are a non-profit. Stealing is never cool but stealing from a non-profit is especially heinous. We don't have a lot of resources to begin with so the loss hits us hard. Thirdly a lot of people have put in a lot of time in our gardens and it is incredibly disrespectful to all the hard work and care that they have invested.

So, no more Miss Nice Gal. If I find out who you are I'm going to kick your (expletive deleted).

Friday

2009-05-18T19:11:00.002-06:00

I love my grubby knuckles. Don't look at me like that. The grubby knuckles are the Friday volunteers and they hold the Gardens together on days I can't. Like Friday. I left a huge list of things to do and they got it all done. Everything looks great. And I didn't even have to use the persuader. Darn. Now, where is the fun in that?