You are invited to Gardening with Native Plants

Come to Colorado at the peak of wildflower bloom for an in-depth study of native plants during this exclusive AHS Garden School. The host for this program is the Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG), an acclaimed public garden renowned for its unique displays of plants native to the Rocky Mountains and other parts of the American West. Scott Calhoun, an award-winning garden writer and garden designer, is the guest horticulturist for the school, which features five other well-known native plant experts.

DBG’s own Panayoti Kelaidis, a noted plant explorer and rock garden expert, will lead off the program by addressing the question, “Why Native Plants?” Next, John Greenlee, a California nurseryman and ornamental grass expert, will discuss how meadows can be created using native and well-adapted plants in “Meadows by Design.” In the late afternoon, Janet Rademacher of Mountain States Wholesale Nursery will share her 20 years of experience teaching landscape architects and designers to appreciate the beauty of desert plants during “Great Plants for Desert Gardens.” After the lecture, you will have a chance to explore the native plant landscapes at Denver Botanic Gardens. Following a reception and dinner, Robert Nold, author of acclaimed books on penstemons and columbines, will recount his personal experiences growing a variety of plants in the challenging climate of the Rocky Mountains in “Gardening with Cold-Hardy Dryland Plants.”

The second day will begin with a field study, during which participants will visit three diverse native plant gardens in the Denver area. These include a xeriscape garden, a French parterre, and a meadow. After returning to the Denver Botanic Gardens for lunch, David Salman of High Country Gardens will share his knowledge of the associations of plants and insects in “Attracting Pollinators with Colorful Native Plants.” Scott Calhoun will bring the Garden School to a close with “Getting Creative with Natives: A Landscape Design Workshop,” which will enable you to create practical designs for your own garden using the native plants and landscaping concepts that you learned about during the Garden School.