Denver Gardens Part I

 This week we drove to the Denver Botanical Gardens.  The 24 acres have been meticulously planned out to make every square foot count.  The day started out being overcast, which was a plus since temps were going to be in the 90"s.

One of the first areas we walked toward was the Steppe Garden.  It has plants that thrive in a semi-arid area with rocky mineral rich soil and extreme temperature changes.  The pine tree framed the entrance.

Below, the Black Eyed Susans and cone flowers nestle between the rocks and bushes.

Close by was a huge pond with various species of water lilies.

 In the late 1990's Euro Disney commissioned the solarium below and 7 others to be built, but never used them.  This one sat in a crate for 20 years and in 2012 it was donated to the botanical garden. 

 

This is one of the few sculptures in the gardens, most likely because the focus is on the numerous flowers and shrubbery.

We meandered over to the Japanese Garden area, complete with little stone walkways.  Very peaceful and calming!

These were labeled as "Shofu-en" gardens, which translates to pine and wind. In the photo below, you can see the details of the rock path, carefully laid out by hand.

Towards the back of the garden were other ponds and mini waterfalls.

Although the flowers aren't spectacular, the name of this plant captured my eye.  It was labeled "Squirting Cucumber".  I never knew cucumbers could squirt!  Maybe there should be a sticker on them advising people to wear glasses while eating them.  After all, who would want cucumber juice in their eyes?😄

Time for a short break.  Don had gotten a text from a neighbor that we had a leak in our backyard, and water was coming down outside our block wall.  He made a quick phone call to our landscaper.  We certainly can't have the neighbor turn off the water because of the extreme heat, so we'll settle for a higher water bill and also a bill from the landscape guy.

While he was on the phone, I was lucky enough to capture this Koi blowing bubbles.

Circling back, we came across another part of the Japanese gardens.

This glass and steel sculpture is by Dale Chihuly and was specifically made for this site.  It references the dense spiky shapes of the Yucca plants and the colors reflect the colorful Colorado sunsets.

If you plan a visit to Denver, I would definitely encourage you to visit here no matter what time of the year it is.