The steppe in Boulder, CO. Photo by Kevin Williams.
Kevin Williams, horticulturist and Assistant Curator at Denver Botanic Gardens, shared plant design perspectives that derive from his vast knowledge of the steppe landscape.
As fall approaches, we suggest gardeners allow their plants to maintain their form throughout the winter.
Understanding the history of the garden informs our design process so that our gardens are beautiful and can continue to grow without excessive help from the gardener.
What is a lawn? In different parts of the country, the answer is not the same.
To tell the story of this forgotten season, we took a walk through the wintery Denver Botanic Gardens. Now, let the colors, textures, and feelings of winter transport you to a new experience of year-round landscape beauty.
After years of landscaping, gardening, and growing plants in Colorado, I have finally come to appreciate the beauty of the winter garden. Time collects; all the growing is preserved in the forms, colors, and textures of the plants. I hope this inspires you to spend longer looking into your garden in the winter.
Plants begin their transformation in this Boulder, CO garden.
We plan our gardens with the experiences of fall in mind—remembering the textures, colors, sounds and feelings that come with the changing of the foliage.
Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’, Centranthus ruber, Salvia nemerosa ‘Cardonna’, and Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ intermingle with late July blossoms in a Boulder, Colorado landscape.
Contrary to popular belief, the most densely planted gardens require the least amount of maintenance.
The xeric garden—misconstrued as a barren and unflattering landscape—deserves a different narrative. While many people picture a landscape filled with swaths of rock and singular desert plants, the xeric garden can easily blossom into the opposite. Let’s look at some Tree of Life projects that practice the principles of xeriscape (and dispel some myths along the way).