The Gardens on Spring Creek

  Clematis and pasque flowers blooming in the Rock Garden What’s Blooming: The Rock Garden by Bryan Fischer, Horticulturist, Gardens on Spring Creek Heralding the opener for a slow, cool spring, the Rock Garden is finally coming into bloom. Wet, cool snows and frigid temperature plunges this spring have kept many plants from breaking dormancy and have slowed the bud development of others.  In fact, many plants on our grounds are almost two weeks behind their normal bloom times.  This aside, the spring is shaping up to be a great one for the diversity of blooming plants on our grounds. Members of the Ranunculaceae seem to have particularly enjoyed the chilly weather, with pasque flowers ( Pulsatilla spp.) of several species reveling in the weather conditions more reminiscent of their mountain origins than our occasional jumps to 80 degrees or higher the way our last few springs have been.  Pulsatilla vulgaris, or common pasque flowers in bloom Pulsatilla vulgaris, o...

  Narcissus romieuxii  ‘Julia Jane’ blooming at The Gardens What’s Blooming:   Bulb Displays by Rita Jokerst, Horticulturist, Gardens on Spring Creek   Spring bulbs are a much-needed blast of color after a long winter, and we can’t wait to see our newest bulb installation pop in the Color Walk. Last fall Gardens staff, along with cohorts from the City of Fort Collins Parks department, installed 2,760 bulbs including a variety of crocus, daffodils, tulips and more. This year we will be rewarded for our fall toil with botanical treats in shades of pink, yellow and cream. Crocuses are usually the earliest signifier of warming weather, and we could not resist giving ourselves that treat. Installed in the Café Grove, Crocus tommasinianus ‘Roseus’ may be the closest there is to a pink crocus. These plants are sometimes lovingly called “Tommies” and typically pop above ground even earlier than Dutch crocus varieties. In addition to crocus, many gardeners’ early go-...

  What’s Blooming:  Voodoo Lily by Kelly Kellow, Horticulturist, Gardens on Spring Creek   One of the smelliest flowers in the world – Amorophophallus ‘Konjac’ or the Voodoo Lily – is starting to bloom right here at the Gardens on Spring Creek in the Butterfly House.  When in bloom, the flower is amazing to look at, but hard to stomach and be around it because of its revolting smell.  But honestly, what is cooler than a plant that smells like death?  Amorphophallus ‘Konjac’ is one variety of the 80 - 90 in the amorphophallus family that is known for its flower that includes a spathe and spadix.  The flower resembles that of a calla lily where the spathe of the flower is simply a large, leaf-like bract that is brightly colored to attract pollinators.  The spathe surrounds and protects the spadix, that is a small spike covered in tightly packed flowers.  Together the spathe and spadix can grow anywhere from 10 to 50 inches long, depending on...

  What’s Blooming:   Seed Stratification by Sherry Fuller, Curator, Gardens on Spring Creek   In January, the majority of blooms at The Gardens are indoors.   But a lot is still happening behind the scenes (and under the ground) in preparation for the beauty, color and fragrance of blooming times ahead.   Most varieties of annuals and vegetables are very easy to germinate and grow, but some kinds of perennials have seeds with built-in dormancies that prevent them from germinating with just warmth and water.   These dormancies are an inherent protection that prevents the seeds from growing right when they are dropped from the mother plant.   This is often done in autumn – not an ideal time to begin growing.   Their dormancy period allows them to hold off on germination until the spring when they have the full year ahead to grow.   Most often, this dormancy is broken by a wet / cold cycle – winter in the natural world – called stratif...

  Malachite butterflies on Tropical Hydrangea blooms What’s Blooming:   Tropical Hydrangea by Kelly Kellow, Horticulturist, Gardens on Spring Creek When the snow comes to The Gardens, outside plants are in their winter slumber.   But, in the Butterfly House you can find plants that are in full bloom, making it a sweet, summer-like oasis.   There is one special specimen in the flight house that is blooming just in time to chase the winter chills away.   Its giant, light pink spheres hang from the tree like shooting stars that smell like buttery cake batter – a true delight during the cold winter months!   Dombeya x walichii (DOM-bay-ya) or Tropical Hydrangea is in the Malvacea family and has large pendulous umbels of light pink flowers and large bright green leaves that have short hairs, giving them a velvety soft texture.   It is native to East Africa and Madagascar and does not handle temperatures cooler than 30 degrees Fahrenheit, making it...

What a year 2020 has proven to be. From bringing the Spring Plant Sale and education classes online, to reimagining community events like Urban Homestead Tour, Pumpkins on Parade and Garden of Lights, everyone involved in the organization has made extraordinary adjustments to provide our Members and guests with the world-class visitor experience you have come to know and love—whether in-person or online.  As The Gardens’ non-profit partner, 2020 has also been one of tremendous change for Friends of The Gardens. With your help, we made an initial investment of $25,000 to Gardens for All, developed our own website ( friendsgosc.org ), hosted more Member Mornings than ever before and created the very popular dinner and music experience called Date Night at The Gardens.  It has required a enormous amount of work and pivoting to meet COVID-19 guidelines. And despite our best efforts, the pandemic has left its mark on our organization, just like everyone else. Between revenue shortf...

Gardens on Spring Creek Visitor Center  Achieves LEED Gold ®   Certification Through the collaboration numerous industry leaders, the City of Fort Collins Gardens on Spring Creek has achieved LEED Gold ®  certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for The Gardens’ Visitor Center expansion. The building was awarded the V4 ID+C: Commercial Interiors certification with 65 points.   LEED   (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, providing a framework for healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership.   “It was a pleasure to work with a creative and resourceful team of experts to achieve LEED Gold on this unique project,” said Michelle Provaznik, Director of the Gardens on Spring Creek.  “The Visitor’s Center is beautiful, functional and sustainable...