The serenity of Denver Botanical Gardens

I can't tell you how peaceful a place it is to work..well..volunteer, at Denver Botanical Gardens.  There is no hurry, hurry..rush, rush undertone. Waterfalls are everywhere, and you can hear that pleasant sound from almost every place in the gardens. 

The water features are amazing.  Photographers are always there with all their equipment set up to capture a photo in just the right light.  I walk behind them, so I won't get in their way, with my little digital and snap a few photos.

These Day Lilies were drop-dead spectacular.  The color was really energizing. 

There was a Zen kind of calmness running with this little creek as it meandered through the gardens...quite refreshing.  So whether I'm playing tug-of-war with bindweed, trimming lavender or roses, or just pulling weeds, taking care of their plants is as rewarding as taking care of my own.

Things are coming up

I've got tons of strawberries ripening everyday, and they are so sweet.

This is horseradish, I've never grown it before, but I use a lot of fresh horseradish, so decided to plant it in the yard this year.  I read that it can be quite invasive, so I buried a 5 gallon black tub and planted the horseradish root inside. We'll see how this experiment goes.

My scallions are out of control.  But they have a beautiful bloom on top, that draws the honey bees to them, so all is good.  I've actually cut the blossoms off and put them in a vase in the house, quite an unusual centerpiece.

Crazy Cucumbers

Earlier this week I read an article about a small heirloom cucumber called the Mexican Sour Gherkin.  It's not much bigger than a jelly bean, and the tiny little fruit look like baby watermelons.  Supposedly they have an ultra crunchy texture, a cucumber like taste with a touch of lemon.  Sounds good to me.

The ornamental vines have tiny leaves and flowers, and are easily trellised.  I ordered them from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company that evening and they arrived today.  Within 30 minutes of receiving them, they were in the ground and watered.  I really have no idea how well they will produce here, but they just look so darn cute, I had to have them.

Naturally, I can't just order one seed packet, so I looked for something else unusual.  I discovered another cucumber called Dragon's Egg.  It looked fun also.   And then there was the Parisienne Carrots, small round carrots that are very popular in France.   I enjoy trying something new in the garden every year.  I'll let you know how these turn out.

Our trip to the Bison Ranch

The American Bison is the largest land animal in North America.  We took a road trip up to Laramie, Wyoming yesterday.  Males can stand six feet tall from hoof to shoulder and weigh from 1000-2000 lbs.  Females are a foot shorter and weigh half that.  The Bison is a grazer and eats mostly grasses and sedges.  It will occasionally eat berries and lichen.

My girlfriend's nephew has a Bison Ranch and we went on our annual jaunt to see the newborns.  There were over 200 new calves with most  of them being only a month old.  Newborn bison are reddish brown and can stand shortly after birth.  At two months the calf will start to develop shoulder humps and horns, and are usually weaned by seven months.

We had fun wandering around the various buildings and pens that make up the ranch.  Enjoyed a great BBQ lunch and brought back some drought tolerant, nitrogen fixing plants for our gardens; Bird foot trefoil, Caragana,2 Groove milk vetch, purple iris, along with some hybrid alfalfa seeds to attract butterflies.

This little guy is thought to be about two days old.   We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to see these impressive animals that live on plains, prairies and river valleys.

Some wildlife in the yard

This is Sammy, our live in-the-back yard Garter snake.  Some mornings I'll find him sunning himself on the deck or curled up on a piece of flagstone out in the sunshine.  By the time I get my camera, he's moved.  We've seen him in our yard for the past 5 years.  I know he also frequents my next door neighbor's yard as well.

Although this photo isn't as sharp as it could be, it gives you an idea of how big Sammy is, about 3'.  With three bird feeders in the yard, a fish pond, many fruits and vegetables, Sammy's presence seems to keep unwanted rodents away.  As long as the squirrels just take the fruit from the tops of the trees, I will share with them.

There is a Mama Dove sitting on her nest in the willow tree out front.

The neighbor's honey bees use our bird bath as their watering hole.

This is the biggest bumble bee I've ever seen.

He is so large, he can't get his whole body into the snapdragon.

It's been fun watching him in the plants for the past few days.

Sweet smell of roses

This afternoon I went to check on a strawberry patch I have back near the potting station, and these three roses were open.  Just stunning. 

And yes, it smells as good as it looks.  I love the Bayer systemic products for my roses.   It's a three in one product-- fertilize, insects and disease.
Happy Summer Solstice.

Garden fresh greens

What have we got here?  Kale, arugula, spinach, freckles romaine, butterhead, micro greens, mizuna and mesclun.   Looks like the beginning of a great salad.

 This is after spinning my salad greens and  letting them dry.

Made a paste of minced fresh garlic, a little salt and some olive oil, that I'll brush on these giant Portabella mushrooms before cooking on the grill.

And then there was a roasting chicken that came off the grill.