Rainmaker

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!

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

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

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

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

Delphiniums

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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.