Dry, Dry Denver

Dinosaur Ridge, photo by Deb Lebow Aal

The Wild Ones Front Range chapter inspires and empowers people and municipalities to transform private and public landscapes into more native plant habitat to support all people and a healthy planet.

BECOME A MEMBER

Enjoy all of the great benefits of a membership with the Front Range Chapter of Wild Ones!!! 

You may know that Wild Ones Front Range Chapter has three demonstration projects, and one more we are "adopting." We have also partnered with Denver Parks and Recreation on another project. They are all different, but worthy of some attention. So, we will be highlighting two of them here this month, and the other three next month. We hope to have a demo project tour in 2022 so that we can all bask in their beauty in person!

Denver Parks And Recs Central Park Native Plant Gardens

One Volunteer’s Experience

by Mary Hinton

Over the 2021 gardening season, I participated in the partnership between Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) and Wild Ones Front Range (WOFR). Wild Ones, as you know, is a group seeking to preserve biodiversity in native plant communities, and this seemed like a good opportunity to do just that. I volunteered as a WOFR member to help establish and maintain the pollinator gardens in the Central Park neighborhood of Denver, an effort led mainly by Rahman Minhas of DPR. At each session about four to eight volunteers would turn out. 

Meeting people, sharing our experiences, and making friends was what made this so much fun for me. Rahman is an encyclopedia of information about horticulture and carries a vision for the future of sustainable green spaces in Denver. He tirelessly answered our questions and always made us feel like our work was meaningful.

Here's a rundown of what I did:

May 19 – At Greenway Park, East 26^th Ave, we planted pussytoes and prairie cinquefoil from DPR’s greenhouses

May 26 – At Westerly Creek Butterfly Garden, East Montview Blvd, we weeded out prickly lettuce and bindweed

June 2 - At Central Park, MLK Blvd, we planted thistle (the good kind!) and weeded out kochia

June 27 – At Great Lawn Park, Yosemite St, we identified chocolate flower and saw an Achemon hawk moth

July 14 – At Westerly Creek Butterfly Garden, we weeded out copious amounts of bindweed

July 28 – At Westerly Creek Butterfly Garden, I identified the beautiful datura, or devil’s trumpet, and learned that it is poisonous

August 11 – At Westerly Creek Butterfly Garden, due to poor air quality, we all worked for only a short time, but I identified millet and rose mallow

August 25 – At Greenway Park, the conversation turned to the Colorado Native Plant Society (CoNPS). I went home and joined CoNPS

September 22 – At Westerly Creek Butterfly Garden, we collected seed from at least nineteen plant species

October 6 – At Westerly Creek Butterfly Garden, we collected seed from yellow Indian grass, wild Canadian rye, big love aster, and more.

I learned a few important lessons to become a better native plant gardener here on the front range (I recently relocated here). First, to recognize invasive weeds. I focused on three: bindweed, prickly lettuce, and kochia. I felt proud that I was able to keep ups with the challenge of their changes - from seedling to flowering, to die back. I"ll have to relearn them next year, maybe add another to the list, and hopefully retain more.

The second thing I learned is to connect the common name to the scientific. Again, my tactic was to start with just a few. I now know the scientific names for Prairie Blanket Flower, Bee Balm, Columbine, Rocky Mountain bee plant, and Common milkweed. This is essential for following conversations with serious native plant gardeners.

I hope that the leadership at DPR and WOFR will continue this partnership next year.  I learned so much about Colorado native plants, and I look at our parks, pollinator gardens, meadows, and prairies with new appreciation.

The Greenverein Project

by Judy Trompeter

The Greenverein Project at The Denver Turnverein

The "Before"

The Greenverein project at the Denver Turnverein, 1570 Clarkson St., has dramatically changed the area between sidewalk and street, from a barren, asphalt-covered eyesore devoid of any life into a stunning collection of native plants, berms, and trees. Wild Ones Front Range Chapter (WOFR) designed and installed the garden with help from Turnverein and Uptown on the Hill neighorhood organization volunteers. Their work adds beauty to the neighborhood while also providing sustenance to butterflies and bees. And if we ever get another rainstorm in drought-stricken Denver, it will absorb the runoff. The garden has been recognized as a Habitat Hero garden by Audubon of the Rockies.

Greenverein, in the midst of construction

Greenverein has faced some difficulties of late, as three utility companies dug up their lines and/or added boxes to the outlawn. We worked with them to site the boxes and to repair the damage to the street side of the garden.

WOFR hosted Seedling Salvage events at the Greenverein Garden in the spring, which turned weeding unwanted plants into a supply of native plants we shared with the public at the Pollinator Plant Swap. A win on all sides!

One of our lessons learned was that because this is a parking strip/hell strip garden (the land between the street and the sidewalk), it would have been a good idea to check in with potential stakeholders. We were not aware of some of Denver's restrictions around these gardens. We did not know, for example, to check with utilities, beyond dialing 811 (we did that of course, locating all utilities before digging). We would have known in advance that a portion of this strip would be taken by the utilities. In addition, the garden benefitted by working with the "Be A Smart Ash" Program. They worked with us on tree selection.

The garden continues to get rave reviews from passersby. It is a stellar example of what we can do with a hot, dry, urban piece of land. It was turned into a true pollinator oasis! Please come visit.

Response to Last Month's Article on Gambel Oaks

It is important that we learn from other native plant gardeners in this harsh climate. Here's a response to our article on Gambel Oaks from Suzanne Wuerthele:

Thank you for the interesting article on Gambel oak (Who knew about the Colorado Hairstreak?).  

About 35 years ago, we planted two groups of 3 Gambel oaks in our small front yard, and one singleton at the SE corner of our house. They were small enough fit into 5 gallon pots, but all reached about 30 feet rather quickly, with no water once established. I never water them.

Our oaks drop their leaves in winter, although their habit, which is visible then, is attractive. One of our groups, which has remained rather lanky, very nicely camouflages the telephone pole we inherited, and the other, which we’ve pruned to about 15 feet, makes a beautiful thick grove which screens outs a view of neighbors’ cars. The singleton is now encroaching on the neighbor’s yard, so will get a bit of pruning.  

I’ve never noticed any insects associated with our trees, but they make acorns, which attract squirrels and bluejays.  

I like our Gambel oaks, but a caveat for people who want to plant them: to be prepared to prune/dig out suckers if you don’t want them to spread. Not all of them sucker, but when they do, they can be quite aggressive!  My experience suggests that pruning encourages suckering.

2022 Board Of Directors Election Slate

Below is our electoral slate for the 2022 Wild Ones Front Range Chapter Board of Directors. We still have some vacancies in key positions. Please vote for the entire slate - either yes or no, here. Title your email WOFR Board of Directors.

2022 Board of Directors Slate of Officers

Officers:

Acting President: WOFR Executive Committee

 Courtney Cowgill

 Peggy Hanson

 Mary Hinton 

 Diane L Stahl

Vice President: Diane L. Stahl

Diane owns a design-build landscape company that focuses on low water and native species. She is the former founder and owner of Urban Roots, a city garden store and landscape company specializing in small space gardening and commercial amenities, and is now designing and installing commercial and residential properties utilizing native and xeric species. Her love and knowledge of gardening have been apparent since her high school days in Chicago, earning a Master Gardener’s certificate from the Denver Botanic Gardens, horticulture certificate from Front Range/Colorado State University, and many hours of home gardening. She possesses a distinct passion for horticulture and applied gardening that is sustainable and aesthetic. In her previous professional life, Diane has been a successful fundraiser and business development leader for some of Denver’s high profile non-for-profit organizations, including the Denver Botanic Gardens. Diane is a “native transplant” and resides in Washington Park. 

Treasurer: Peggy Hanson

Peggy is a trained accountant who has embraced the need for environmentally sound residential landscaping practices. In 2000, while volunteering for conservation groups in Lake County, Illinois, she became acquainted with the vital place native plants occupy in preserving and restoring open spaces to have rich bio-diversity and consequently, less demand on municipal resources.  Since moving to the Front Range in 2012, she has volunteered at the Denver Botanic Gardens and became a docent there in 2016.  She’s gained a better appreciation of water conservation and the need for water-smart landscaping in our urban/suburban settings.  In 2016, she and her husband began the process of replacing a large portion of their front lawn with native and water-smart/regionally appropriate plants.  They are enjoying the benefits of their labor in the variety of textures, flowers, birds, bees and butterflies, and the lower water bills are awesome too!

Secretary: Courtney Cowgill

Courtney Cowgill has been a gardener her whole life, but lacked the free time to get any formal training until her retirement when she completed the Master Gardener Program in Arapahoe County. Courtney became a CMG to learn how to reclaim the five acres she has lived on and to rebuild the Piney Creek stream bed that runs through the neighborhood. As a Colorado Native Plant Master, Courtney recognized that both she and her neighbors needed to become “stewards” of the land, restoring its habitat value for the many insects, birds and animals that call it home. She is working to rebuild the pastures and creek-bed and reintroduce native plants. Courtney serves asSecretary of WOFR because this gives her a deep immersion into native landscaping resources. Being an active member provides her a network with the best native gardeners in Colorado and outstanding educational programs. 

Membership: Mary Hinton

Mary moved to Denver eight months ago to be near her two young grandchildren. She retired from teaching high school math in Nashville, TN, where she lived for over thirty years. Mary's interest in sustainable landscaping began fairly recently, and she joined Wild Ones Mid-TN Chapter. As soon as she landed in Denver, she looked up the local Wild Ones chapter. She feels privileged to be a part of this group of highly committed and welcoming people.

Board Members at Large:

Deb Lebow Aal:

Deborah was born and raised in New York City. There was not a lot of gardening going on there, so she left as soon as she could, raising her family in the Washington, D.C. area, and moving to Colorado in 1998. Deborah worked for the U'S. environmental Protection Agency for over 30 years, first in D.C., then in Denver. She worked on issues related to water quality ed from teaching high school math in Nashville, TN, where she lived for over thirty years. Mary's interest in sustainable landscaping began fairly recently, and she joined Wild Ones Mid-TN Chapter. As soon as she landed in Denver, she looked up the local Wild , air quality, solid and hazardous waste, and sustainability. Deborah also worked as Program Director for the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation for two years in the 1990's. More recently, she got her certificate in Permaculture, and was a docent at the Denver Botanic Gardens. She has studied and practices permaculture and sustainable gardening, as well as native plant gardening, and has a deep passion for healing the earth, one garden at a time. She is an avid hiker, cyclist, and gardener.

Alex Bruce:

Alex started gardening at a young age with her Mom in Iowa, planting flowers and a huge vegetable garden every year. She has a BS in Materials Engineering from Iowa State University, focusing on plastics and sustainability, and did some graduate work at Purdue University before moving to Colorado in 2018. She and her partner bought their first home in the summer of 2019, and Alex's interest in native plants was sparked as she contemplated plantings in a drought-stricken climate (very different from her beginnings in Iowa!). Every year she has made leaps of knowledge, and started over 2,000 plants for a seedling sale in 2021. She brings her engineering mindset to all activities, and is establishing a small backyard nursery, Dashpot Plants, which will focus on starting native plants from seed.

Danna Liebert:

Danna is certified Colorado Gardener who has been working since the summer of 2019 with the Englewood Parks Department to establish pollinator habitat in Depot Park. With Wild Ones, Danna hopes to develop community-minded strategies to convert Denver-metro area open spaces to native prairie. Danna sees untapped opportunities in the neglected nooks, median strips, and high-maintenance turfs which, if planted appropriately, could reverse environmental damage, support pollinators, strengthen local communities, and bring “nature” into everyday urban life. In 2013, after two decades of working in film production in New York City, Danna and her family transplanted themselves to Englewood, CO. Here, in the process of turning her conventional front lawn into a low-water wildscape, she discovered her passion for naturalistic landscaping. The planning, coordination, and research skills Danna previously used as a documentary producer she now applies to landscaping projects in the service of environmental transformation.

Aaron Michael:

Aaron Michael is the founder and CEO of Earth Love Gardens, creating native plant garden and landscape designs. Aaron loves to create authentic connections within ourselves and each other, all through facilitating a healthy connection with the Earth. Born in Florida and now living in Boulder, Colorado, Aaron appreciates the diversity that the natural world provides us and sees this as an environment to live in harmony with and enjoy. Aaron has a B.S. in Business Marketing from Florida State University and is using his background as a way to make the largest impact in the education and implementation of vital native plant habitats, creating community through garden beds, and other environmentally-forward initiatives. Aaron enjoys hiking, relaxing in nature, and connecting with friends.

Tom Swihart:

Tom spent his professional career in Florida with the state Department of Environmental Protection. He served as Administrator of the Office of Water Policy and as the state Water Conservation Manager. Since moving to Colorado, he has been a Lafayette Open Space volunteer and served as a member of the Town of Erie Tree Board. On the Tree Board, he was the lead individual in persuading the Town Trustees to adopt a resolution formally promoting native landscaping and low-irrigation practices. He and his wife are undertaking a native plant makeover of their yard in Erie. They believe that transforming urban landscapes of grass and non-native ornamental species to native species is one of the best things that Front Range communities can do for natural systems and people.

Ekar Farm,ready to be transformed by our awesome volunteers! If interested in this project, please email Deb

Ekar Farm, A Wild Ones Front Range Native Plant Demonstration Garden

6825 E. Alameda Ave., Denver

We recently added another demo garden (this is our third). Ekar Farms aims to cultivate healthy communities by growing sustainably produced fruits and vegetables. We now have a native plant garden which will be used as an educational opportunity, We spent most of the summer clearing weeds, and the first plants have gone in. Our volunteer opportunities for this garden will pick up again next spring. Thank you to our primary volunteers on this project: Ayn Schmit, Deb Lebow Aal, Brian Page, Liz Evans, Robbie Score, Ron Aal, and Janis Zloto.

Wild Ones Front Range Chapter is run by volunteers. If you are interested in being more active with our chapter, please contact us via email. 

Wild Ones, Front Range Chapter 2021 Board of Directors

If you want to know more about what is going on with Wild Ones Front Range Chapter, and would like to join us for a Board of Directors meeting (online), we meet every third Wednesday of the month at 6pm. Please email us of your interest and we will send you the zoom link to join.Here are our current Board nember bios, Thank you!

Report Editor: Colleen Lyon