Beathtaking beauty – Seven son flower tree

September 9, 2009 at 8:01 pm · Filed under Gardening

Heptacodium at LVWN (5)

This was the sight that took my breath away last week as I drove by the fields of Little Valley Wholesale Nursery in Brighton CO. Our Propagation Committee was meeting there to discuss potential shrubs and trees to be included in the program, and wow! were we impressed.

One reason we met there is because Little Valley is part of the multi-site field trials being conducted by Colorado State University graduate students Eric Hammond and Rob MacDonald under the supervision of Dr. James E. Klett. Since 2002, a variety of potential Plant Select® recommendations and introductions have been tested in five field sites around the state of Colorado. Eric is currently evaluating the plants that have been in the ground (some for up to seven years), and will be writing up reports for upcoming professional publications. The sites offer many different cultural and climatic conditions – from the banana-belt Orchard Mesa site near Grand Junction, down to Harding Nursery’s fields in Colorado Springs, and up to the hail-attacked CSU site just north of Fort Collins.

Heptacodium at LVWN (6)

But these trees! Planted in 2003, these magnificent specimens of Heptacodium miconoides (Seven Son flower) made us all gasp in amazement… they were loaded with flowers, and the fragrance could be sensed from all around us. Here it was early September in Colorado when most trees are thinking about turning fall colors, and these were in their full reproductive beauty. And the bees – everywhere! Buzzing, pollinating, busy, busy! The flower petals will eventually drop and the remaining bracts actually turn a pinkish-red. Not only are they stunning this time of year, they also have incredibly gorgeous bark – truly amazingly beautiful in all seasons. One of the attendees, Tom Carter with Alameda Wholesale Nursery (Englewood, CO), suggested we change the name to Northern Crepe Myrtle – what do you think?

Heptacodium at LVWN

To learn more, read the article written by Mike Bone with Denver Botanic Gardens here.

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City of Lakewood adopts Mojave Sage

August 26, 2009 at 9:51 pm · Filed under Award winners, Gardening, Public Gardens ·Tagged , , ,

Big news from the City of Lakewood came in this week: the city council adopted a Plant Select® recommended perennial, Mojave Sage (Salvia pachyphylla) to be their official “city plant.” According to the community’s horticulturist (and Plant Select® champion!), Greg Foreman, Mojave sage will be promoted throughout the city to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the City of Lakewood.

Mojave Sage, official plant for City of Lakewood

I’ve grown Mojave sage for nearly 10 years in my home garden in Masonville, and am thrilled with the way it performs for me in poor, very dry soils. I think I now have over a dozen plants in a variety of situations, and they’ve bloomed longer this year than ever before (must have been the cooler weather.) In fact, I cut back my oldest, biggest one fairly severely in May, and it’s lush and full right now and just coming into full color, even thought the others are starting to finally fade a bit. You can read more about Mojave sage on our website here.

Congratulations to Greg for his hard work in promoting this wonderful plant, and a big kudos to the City of Lakwood for recognizing the value of sustainable beauty in their community. (I actually like Greg’s phrase even better: “responsible and adventuresome gardening “- isn’t that a great way to describe what many of us are doing?)

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Hummer haven at Heritage

August 17, 2009 at 8:11 pm · Filed under Gardening, Public Gardens

Mktg mtg 09 (12)
Shalene Hiller, Horticulturist with the City of Westminster (pictured here), invited the Marketing Committee to meet at the City of Westminster’s Heritage at Westmoor Golf Course on August 5 and they were thrilled to see how beautifully these plants are still perfoming!

    The species Mexican sage (Salvia darcyi) was collected by John Fairey and Carl Schoenfeld in the Sierra Madre Oriental in Mexico in 1991, and  introduced into commerce at Yucca Do Nursery in Hempstead, Texas. It’s normally listed as hardy to USDA Hardiness zones 7-10, but several plants at the Heritage proved to be winter hardy near Denver. Because of their unique cold hardiness, this selection, VERMILION BLUFFS® was introduced through Plant Select® in 2007.

    VERMILION BLUFFS® grows to be a large perennial, easily 4′ tall and 3′ wide, and virtually blooms all summer. The crimson red color is striking and nearly guarantees that hummingbirds will find your garden if they’re anywhere in the neighborhood! This selection has proven to be cold hardy to USDA hardiness zones 5-9, a fantastic new choice for gardeners in colder areas.

     The Heritage at Westmoor is an official Plant Select® demonstration garden partner, and the gardens around the clubhouse are open to the public. While you’re there, be sure to have a meal or beverage at the Grill – the food is great, and the views are fantastic.

Click here to read more about The Heritage

or visit The Heritage at Westmoor gardens in our Demonstration Gardens pages.

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Southward bound

July 16, 2009 at 8:19 pm · Filed under Gardening, Public Gardens

SE CO Water Conservancy District Xeriscape Demo GardenDriving 1200 miles in 3 days visiting gardens and nurseries can be an exhausting, but extremely exciting time. Last week I headed through Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Albuquerque and Santa Fe to visit growers and gardens and came away with a new sense of appreciation for hot, dry gardens. 

The Xeriscape Garden at the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District (see the Demonstration Gardens page on our website for more details or click here) are quite a bit out of the way, but wow! they’re trying new things under extreme conditions, and most of the plants are well labeled.  The gardens are east of Pueblo just off of Highway 50, near the airport. We arrived after the offices had closed, but the gardens are open to the public during all daylight hours, and we enjoyed strolling around, finding new plants to try in our own gardens.Xeriscape Garden map

 They had just received a load of trial plants (agaves, hesperaloes, yuccas, etc) from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery in Arizona, so I can’t wait to hear how these plants perform in the coming years.Trial plants from Mountain States Wholesale Nursery

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The Gardens at Kendrick Lake are now truly award-winning!

July 7, 2009 at 7:19 pm · Filed under Award winners, Public Gardens

award kendrick (1)Only one garden in the world has ever won the Plant Select® Garden Partner Award, and this must-see garden is just east of Kendrick Lake on Jewell Avenue in Lakewood, CO .  I’ve written about these gardens before, but at our annual meeting for Plant Select® demonstration gardens on June 17, these gardens were officially recognized with this new award.

Affectionately (and unofficially) referred to as the “Golden Shovel Award,” this award acknowledges the hard work, dedication, passion and talent that transforms ordinary spaces into great public gardens. The award recognizes the “Excellence in Design, Vision, and Educational Outreach” that Greg Foreman and staff have realized over the years.The Gardens at Kendrick Lake

The gardens are filled with hundreds of beautfiul plants combined in artistic and stunning ways. Most of the plants thrive in lower-water conditions, and nearly all are labeled at least once, a great bonus if you’re looking for new ideas for your own gardens. A brochure rack sits at the entrance of the gardens so that visitors can learn more about local and regional gardening, as well.

An annual plant sale is also held each May, often filled with starts of many of the gems found in these gardens.

Garden Partner Award, Gardens at Kendlrick LakeCongratulations to the entire staff for creating and maintaining such inspiring gardens. Click here to see more pictures from Panayoti Kelaidis’ webshots album of the Gardens at Kendrick Lake.

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