The Alpine Rock Garden at the Denver Botanic Gardens

 The Alpine Rock Garden at the Denver Botanic Gardens is world-renowned for its diversity and collections of high-elevation alpine plants, and western US native plants, steppe plants and succulents. One of the largest rock gardens in the United States, I saved this garden for a different day, as it deserved a more focused visit. Rock gardens can be controversial – at least properly defining them when garden geeks get together. Even today, many gardeners cannot agree on where they should be gardens filled with rocks, or gardens constructed to house true rock plants or alpine plants. The Alpine Rock Garden at the DBG is a little of both – but it is clearly inspired by the great European rock or alpine gardens from the turn of the century. This garden houses many plants native to the prairie and steppe areas of the great American south west. Purists may grumble, expecting to see sweeps of gentians and pulsatilla such as those seen at Kew or the Montreal Botanic Gardens, but the DBG garden is unique in the world of alpine gardens, and it is often listed as one of the great three ( Kew, Edinburgh and Denver) Rock Gardens maintained today. It alone is worth a visit while in the Denver area.

MANY TRUE ALPINE PLANTS GROW DENSE AND TIGHT UNDER THE EXTREME CONDITIONS FOUND AT HIGH ELEVATIONS. THE TIGHT GROWTH HELPS THE PLANTS CONSERVE ENERGY, AND MANY FORM TIGHT BUNS AND TUSSOCKS, LOOKING MUCH LIKE THE ROCKS WHICH THEY GROW NEXT TO,

A NICE, WHITE ALPINE CAMPANULA

ROCK GARDENS ARE HABITAT GARDENS, THE CLOSEST THING IN ANY BOTANIC GARDEN TO A WILD HABITAT.  IT’S THAT BALANCE BETWEEN ROCKS AND PLANTS, THAT MAKES A ROCK GARDEN SO APPEALING, AND PRACTICAL – MANY ROCK GARDENS CAN ALSO BE XERIC GARDENS, REQUIRING LITTLE WATER IF PLANTED WITH THE PROPER SPECIES. ALPINES HAVE DEEP TAP ROOTS.

A NEW FEATURE AT THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS IS THIS CZECH STYLE CREVICE GARDEN, NEWLY PLANTED WITH ROCK PLANTS.

Ehedra przewalskii,  WITH RED BERRIES. IT’S IN THE JOINT FIR FAMILY- EPHEDRACEAE A POISONOUS PLANT, THIS IS THE EPHEDRA THAT CAN CAUSE HEART PALPITATIONS

Phlomis alpina, ALPINE JERUSALEM SAGE LOOKS NICE, EVEN AS DRIED SEED PODS FORM

Manfreda virginica, THE FALSE ALOE, NATIVE TO THE SOUTH EASTERN US. STILL A MEMBER OF THE AGAVAEAE ( AGAVE or CENTURY PLANT FAMILY), THE FLOWER STALK WAS NEARLY 5 FEET TALL.

A PRAYING MANTIC, HUNTS FOR SNACKS ON A Pelargonium englicherianum WHICH HAS GONE TO SEED

A MORE WELL BEHAVED FIREWEED, THE ALPINE WILLOWHERB OR Epilobium fleischeri, ALSO A PLANT SELECT® OFFERING IN THE SOUTH WEST.

MANY DESERT PLANTS AND DRYLAND PLANTS ARE INTERPLANTED WITH HIGH ELEVATION ALPINE PLANTS IN THE DBG ALPINE AND ROCK GARDEN. I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE LABELING, MOST EVERY PLANT WAS LABELED, AN ENORMOUS TASK, BUT HELPFUL FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE STILL LEARNING.

THIS TINY FLOWER ONLY A HALF INCH IN DIAMETER ON A THREE FOOT SHRUB IS A CLEMATIS. MEET Clematis stans NATIVE TO JAPAN

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE CREVICE GARDEN. I WILL HAVE TO COME BACK AND SEE THIS IN JUNE.

SENIOR HORTICULTURIST, MIKE KINTGEN, CAN BE FOUND TENDING THE COLLECTION IN THE DBG ROCK GARDEN MOST EVERY DAY, AT LEAST WHEN HE ISN’T IN HIS OFFICE.  WHO COULD BLAME HIM!

MAIN VIEW OF THE DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS’ MAGNIFICENT ALPINE AND ROCK GARDEN