My Favorite Images from 2012

Les with A Tidewater Gardener started a photography meme last year at this time sharing his favorite images of the year. I think it is great to look at the past years activities via ones photographs. Like someone said a picture is worth a thousand words.

I think of last winter and this image of Little Bluegrass, and how  I am blessed to live near the Flint Hills Tallgrass Praire, a rare and beautiful area of the world.

I was able to visit my mother in Wyoming and son in Colorado in June of this year. As many of you probably remember it was the year of the wildfire. This image was taken within an hour of the Waldo Canyon fire igniting.

While in the local micro brewery in Colorado Springs I think we discovered the secret ingrediant to their brew.

Off to Wyoming and a stop at the Cheyenne, Wyoming Botanical Gardens on the way to Casper. (Apache Plume)

Ephedera.

Indian paintbrush with Buffalograss.

On to Casper and Casper Mountain. Freeland Cemetery near Muddy Gap which was near a Mormon junction stop along the Wagon Trails. Notice the smoke in the background.

Loved the headstone and passage carved into this large slab of stone.

On Casper Mountain and Bear Trap Meadow where I spent many weekend and summer  days during my youth, picnicking with the family and also working for the county park system in a summer youth program

This image was taken at the Natrona County Extension office in Caper. And the one person who loves to go with me on garden tours? My mum. She even listens to my descriptions, likes, and botanical names.

On my way back to Kansas I stopped by Professor Roush's(Garden Musings) residence right in the middle of the Flint Hills near Manhattan, Kansas. Roses and more roses. Short and sweet visit, I wished I could have stayed longer.

A nice capture of Datura, moonflower.

The Kansas Native Plant Society meet in Winfield, my hometown, for their annual meeting. The images on my header came from those days. Also this Willowleaf Sunflower-Helianthus salicifolius.

 This digger bee was covered with pollen in this day three photo. (A little editing help on his image from Donna of Garden Walk, Garden Talk).

That's all folks! I leave you with the above image from the Snyder Ranch near Dexter, Kansas. That's what I call real xericsape. How many landscapes look like this during a major drought?

If you would like to look at last year choices, go here.

Cheyenne Botanical Gardens

Another Botanical Garden post, this one from beautiful Wonderful Wyoming. This visit occurred on my visit to Casper ,Wyoming to visit my mother. I will post also as I return going back home as my camera battery died on this trip.
As I was contemplating from home on what to share about this garden in the capital of Wyoming, I had just received my first magazine copy of The American Gardener. The American Gardener is the magazine of the American Horticultural Society which I had just received as a new member. (By the way there is a nice article from Thomas Rainer (grounded design) titled Cottage Garden, American Style).
On page 13 there is a call for Nominations for the Great American Gardeners Awards and also a portrait of last year's Professional Award given to Shane Smith, Director, Cheyenne Botanic Garden. So obviously this garden is award winning. Read here about the history of this exceptional garden. So let's proceed.

Main walking Entrance to Cheyenne Botanical Gardens

 The "horns" are made of welded horseshoes and nearby there is a plaque with descriptions of different horseshoe hoof prints. The motif is very unique. This entrance is across the street from  the "Grand Daddy of them All" Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo grounds. This is also the pedestrian entrance to the gardens xeriscape demonstration gardens. As there is little parking near this entrance, I usually approach the garden from the parking lot near the garden greenhouses. 

For some reason xeriscape gardens have always been a draw to me. Maybe I'm just a xero-head or have a lack of water in the brain. I just enjoy the shades of gray green foliage of many xeric plants and their often unique, out of the ordinary aesthetic properties in contrast to many common garden plants prevalent in our suburban american landscapes. And of course many of these plants survive the hostile environmental conditions they thrive survive in. Many do well in the harsh Kansas plains that I garden in. The low grass above is a native species of buffalograss with milkweed seedlings interspersed. Behind the sign is a Ephedra equisetina-Bluestem joint-fi(more photos to come), Nepeta-catmint and Gallardia-Blanket Flower. Pathways are generous and well positioned, even thought the pink transition strip is a little bold. 

 If you read the Wikipedia write up on the garden you know that the gardens are maintained by a large group of volunteers and city park employees.

A xericscape cottage garden. Love those Alcea-Hollyhocks so prevalent in the Rock Mountain Regions.

Alcea-yellow hollyhock, Achillea millifolium, some form of Penstemon I believe, Echinacea purpurea, Perovskia atriplicifolia-Russian Sage, and others.

Stachys macrantha 'Robusta'-Big Betony

'Next Winters Bread' by David Alan Clark-In the pioneer vegetable garden.

But my favorite gardens are the prairie gardens in the xeriscape area.

Castilleja linariaefolia-Indian Paint Brush (Wyoming State Flower), Verbena stricta -Wooly Verbena , Hesperaloe, Panicum and surrounded by buffalo grass.

 Verbena stricta

Aclepias asperula - Antelopehorn Milkweed

Asclepias and Fallugia above.

Another shot of the Ephedera in the background.

And on of my favorites below. Apache Plume-Fallugia paradoxa below. Wow.

Xeriscape Demonstration Garden Part 2

Years ago (around 2001) I entered into a xeriscape garden contest in San Antonio. Winners would receive a gift certificate to your favorite nursery and hold a sponsored garden tour. I won one of the prizes and prepared for the tour. The extension agent came out with the xeriscape garden tour sign along with aluminum plant tags. We had a good time talking plants, adding labels and pumping up my ego. I was even going to wear a tie to the awards ceremony. My hat size had increased by 1/2 size.

Before the tour began a neighbor who recently moved from Denver came to visit the garden. She began shaking her head. What did this mean asking myself. Had I mislabeled or grown a non xeriscape plant? hmm? Finally she stepped forward and replied that these plants should not be in the same zone. A mistake? What?! What you talking about willis? She informed me that one of the xeriscape principles was to grow like plants in the same growing zones, meaning plants with the same light/irrigation requirements. Say what? What do you know I said to myself. Then she told me about the Denver Botanical Gardens demonstration xeriscape garden and the seven principles. It made a lot of sense. Two years later I moved to Colorado Springs and further investigated the gardens. Definetly changed the way I looked at landscaping and design.

Delosperma keladis 'Measa Verde' Ice Plant with Gazania I believe

Just as my neighbor informed me about growing zones, the Xeriscape Demonstration Gardens in Colorado Springs is set up into different zones. Primarily this garden is broken into three water zones, none, low, and moderate . Click on this link for plant information CSU Xeriscape Garden , for Zonal Information and choices for your own gardens.

Picea pungens 'Globosa' Globe Blue Spruce, Picea abies 'Nidiformis' bird's nest spruce, Penstemon spp. (not labeled), and  Cerocarpus montanus 'Mountain Mahogany'. This bed would be in the low water zone.

Penstemon pinipholius (Pineleaf Penstemon), Teucrium aroanium (Creeping Germander) low water garden

Daphne burwoodi 'Carol Mackie Daphne' with native stone.

The stone available for landscaping in the springs is unbelievable, flagstone, field stone, cobblestone, large river rock, decomposed granite in different colors, and that's just a start.

Picea punguns 'Colorado Blue Spuce', Sambucus canadensis 'Aurea' probably in the moderate water zone. For some reason these plants aren't on the plant list online.

 This would be a low water zone. The plant in the background is a Apache Plume. The Apache Plume Photo on the last post came from this shrub. As you can see it is quite large in captivity. I believe the foreground plant to be Buffaloberry-Shepherdia canadensis.

Moderate water zone, Peonie and Blue Spruce.

Part three will conclude with alternative lawn measures, no water gardens and various other goodies.

Xeriscape Demonstration Garden - Part 1

Fallugia paradoxa-Apache Plume

Apache plume shows her positive side, her white blooms and silky swanky seed heads. What more could you want, maybe a little more decorative foliage? Donna from GTGW made a nice post this week on context. It's true the above photo is primarily focused on the blooms and seed-heads. However the photo really doesn't show the plant in it's full form. But, man!!!! Is that gorgeous or what?

This post is primarily focused on my trip to the Colorado Springs utilities demonstration garden near Garden of the Gods. I got this editorial off the gardenvisit web site:

The Colorado Springs Utilities Xeriscape Garden is designed to demonstrate the seven principles of Xeriscape in a wide variety of designs. The garden incorporates many different gardens styles that are arranged by water requirement so visitors can get a good idea of what styles can be achieved and what plants will thrive with different amounts of water. The garden displays more than 500 varieties of trees, shrubs, grasses, perennials, biennials and annuals that grow well in the Colorado Springs area. 

Throughout the garden there are several stations explaining the seven principles of xeriscape. 

1. Plan and Design  2. Soil Amendment  3. Efficient Irrigation 4. Appropriate plant and zone selection 5. Mulch  6. Alternative turf  7. Maintenance.  Xeriscape programs were initiated to save water in areas that are beginning to run out of water resources and need to conserve.

I really don't want to turn this into an encyclopedia post so I will leave a link for more info if you want to be more informed. Personally the main xeriscape principle for me is proper plant and water/light zone selection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeriscaping

These three photos were taken 'outside' the main garden, by the parking lot and water utilities office.

The garden is broken into light/water zones and labeled as such. These plants are in the Moderate Water Zone. Most everything is labeled well and explanatory

The garden is located just above the Garden of the Gods park, what a background for a garden!

 Does that wet you appetite? More on Part II