Many have attempted to master the domestic art of gardening. Some in an effort to secure the coveted green thumb, others maybe to just bask in the simple pleasures of waking up to a yard full of sweet smelling columbines, lavender, zinnias and the like. Individuals with a knack for garden punditry recognize the importance behind preserving and cultivating the Earth’s flora to enhance each locale’s natural beauty and to help defuse the ticking time bomb that is climate change.
Regardless of your garden expertise, no one quite does it like the Denver Botanic Gardens. Founded in 1951, a once small group of horticulturists has blossomed into an established organization. According to their website, the Denver Botanic Gardens’ mission “is to connect people with plants” while prioritizing “transformation, relevance, diversity and sustainability.” With a code such as this, one cannot deny the passion and beneficence of the Denver Botanic Gardens.
As with anything, there is more than meets the eye. Behind each character pine, vegetable, cornflower or lilac is a horticulturist and curator perfectly crafting and nurturing each plant to maturity. “That feeling of wonder that people get in nature... puts everything in life and everything that is going on into perspective. It gives you the feeling that there is something bigger than us,” explains Associate Director of Horticulture, Angie Andrade. Angie oversees the Sensory Garden and has a background in horticultural therapy. For the past twenty years, she has been developing the Gardens’ therapeutic horticulture program to improve accessibility for those with disabilities, illnesses and memory loss. “The plants are intentionally planted and designed to evoke the five senses and to be very accessible for people to interact with,” says Angie. There are signs inviting guests to touch and smell the plants, a green wall for those not able to bend and memory plants that elicit nostalgia. “You can’t really experience the rest of the Botanic Gardens like this,” notes Angie.
Sometimes an interest in horticulture grows on you. Manager of Horticulture, Kevin Philip Williams, had originally studied history and philosophy of science, played in bands and created sets for film and television. Once in New York, Kevin was recommended to apply for an internship at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and thus began his love for horticulture. Since 2015, Kevin has been with Denver Botanic Gardens and in that time co-authored a book about shrublands. “Shrublands generally occur in environments of extremes or environments in transition,” states Kevin. Although some may traditionally not be as drawn to shrublands like forests or grasslands, Kevin argues there is beauty in their “maze-like” wonder. One of the gardens Kevin works in is the Steppe Garden. Kevin remarks that “steppe is a term that refers to a semi-arid bio region.” Kevin’s interest in different steppe species has afforded him the pleasure of traveling around the world for research.
Assistant Curator of Plant Select and Pollinator Gardens, Sonya Anderson, also worked in other fields before finding a career in horticulture. “It kind of felt like gardening chose me,” beams Sonya. During some of her first experiences working with plants, Sonya began studying pollinators and different symbiotic relationships. “In the United States alone, we have 4,000 different types of native bees," says Sonya. "Butterflies, moths, some wasps, some beetles, some flies are also pollinators.” That’s right, even the pesky fly serves a bigger purpose in our ecosystem. Sonya works to create gardens that support the widest range of pollinators. This means including blue and yellow flowers to attract bees, yarrow for butterflies while also accommodating various pollinators’ sizes with a range of petals and sepals.
Henry Basile, Assistant Curator for the Japanese Garden, was the Denver Botanic Gardens’ first intern for the Bonsai Pavilion. “Bonsai and Japanese gardens helped me see individual plants through an artistic lens,” states Henry. He continued to explore horticulture throughout the country in a mix of settings before returning to the Gardens. Henry also oversees the Kitchen Garden, Le Potager, which follows a European style of gardening and donates its produce to SAME Café (So All May Eat). “The Japanese gardening style and the European gardening style, in some ways, could not be more far apart,” he says. Henry’s ability to manage two antithetical gardens is emblematic of each employee’s zeal for plants as well as their deep knowledge and care for horticulture.
Return to a child-like state of wonder with a visit to the Denver Botanic Gardens.