Botanic Gardens
WHAT: RMGA MEMBERSHIP MEETING - Denver Botanic Gardens
WHEN: May 9, 2016, 6:30 pm – Networking, 7:00pm – Short Meeting, 7:15pm – History and Tour (weather permitting) of Denver Botanic Gardens
WHERE: 1007 York Street, Denver, CO 80206
PROGRAM: Denver Botanic Gardens will provide a brief history of the Gardens, share information about upcoming events/programs, and lead a tour of the Mordecai Children’s Garden (weather permitting). Attendees are welcome to explore more of the Gardens on their own after the program concludes.
FOOD: Denver Botanic Gardens will provide the water. RMGA will provide the snacks.
DIRECTIONS: Denver Botanic Gardens is located on York Street between 9th and 11th Avenues.
PARKING: Free parking lot between York and Josephine Streets. You can enter from both streets. Covered and open parking is available.
Guide Line Review
Botanic Gardens
The membership meeting for May 2016 was held at the Botanic Gardens on York Street. We visited the Botanic Gardens previously in 2009. We met in a classroom on the lower level of the main building. There was a short business meeting regarding the upcoming FAMs (RiNo and DIA) and the upcoming June membership meeting.
Erin Bird (the Botanic Gardens is a business member of RMGA) who also presented at CCSC last month was our host. She reminded us of the art exhibits and upcoming concert series for the summer season. Concerts are held in the sunken amphitheater behind the Science Pyramid.
The Botanic Gardens was founded in 1951 at a location near the Museum of Science and Nature in City Park. Because there were no fences around the gardens there, plants disappeared overnight. The Gardens moved to their present location in 1959. This location is very close to Cheesman Park and was once a cemetery. Remains were found when the gardens were started and remains do still surface and there have been many supernatural encounters here. (Erin reminded us that during October they do have ghost tours).
The Botanic Gardens also owns the Waring House and the carriage house at the south edge of the Gardens. The Waring House was the home that the Patterson-Campbell family moved into (down-sizing) from what is now the Patterson Inn (Croke-Patterson-Campbell home). The house was built in 1926 – architect Jack Benedict. This was also acquired in 1959. The Waring House has a resident ghost – a young boy who died in the house – his footsteps can be heard. The Botanic Gardens also owns Chatfield Farms (this is the rebranded name) and it is a working farm – most of their produce is donated to various charities to be given to low income families.
At the York Street facility there are classes in botany, cooking, gardening classes, art exhibits, and concerts (mid-June through August). They also have a lab which deals with water and energy conservation from native plants. The scientists working in the lab travel the world studying plants and conservation. The horticulturists look for plants that will grow in Colorado’s climate. The Science Pyramid is on the south side of the facility and can be visited.
There are two cafes – Offshoots and High Garden Bistro – both leased by Catering by Design. The High Garden Bistro uses farm to table produce – much of it from Chatfield Farms.
The Gardens commissioned a Dale Chihuly sculpture called Colorado which represents the brilliant sunsets Chihuly saw when he was in Colorado – the exhibit of his works was in the summer of 2014. The art exhibits change from year to year – last year’s exhibit was all horses. This season’s exhibit is called Stories in Sculpture – Selections from the Garden of the Walker Museum of Contemporary Art in Minneapolis. The central theme is the human form – most are of bronze. The most prominent one is Goddess of the Golden Thighs – which is not golden at all. It’s a bronze and is very dark and massive.
This summer also marks the 50th anniversary of the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory – mid-century architecture and in 1979 was named to Denver’s Landmark List.
On Mount Goliath near Mount Evans there are free hikes guided by horticulturists or you can hike on your own. Please pre-register for these hikes. Check the website for dates and times.
The Gardens are open year-round. Tours can be either self-guided or docent guided. If you have a large group (more than 10) please pre-book your tour so that a docent can be available to escort you through the gardens. There is parking for coaches and often school buses are parked along York Street. There is a large parking garage across the street from the main building. On the roof of this garage is the Children’s Garden where everything can be touched. Plants growing along the sidewalk of the garage are plants that are native to Colorado.
Erin can be reached at 720.865.3552 or erin.bird@botanicgardens.org.
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