From 2013: The 22nd annual Western Colorado Botanical Garden garden tour was this weekend and by my count, the wettest on record. I have volunteered as a master gardener for the last 10+ years for the tour and have seen really hot days, cold days, windy days but never quite so wet. The amazing thing was no one, not the homeowners, the volunteers or the brave souls who came out to see the gardens, complained about the rain. Everyone agreed that no matter what, we need the rain. It didn’t affect the beauty of the gardens either in my opinion.

WCBG Western Heritage Garden

I brought along two neighbors to see the tour. One is a garden junkie like myself, the other moved here recently from Michigan and wanted to see how we garden in the high desert of the Rockies. We started at the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens and jumped right into the Plant Select gardens. What a great program CSU Extension and The Denver Botanic Gardens put together to showcase all kinds of plants that thrive in our challenging climate. The butterflies were flying in the Butterfly House and the outside gardens were awash in seasonal colors and textures.

Loretta in the cactus garden

Gardens at the CSU Extension

The rain started coming into the Valley at this point in the morning but we were determined to see as many beautiful gardens as we could. Upon arriving at the Loshbaugh residence, we were thrilled to see such an exuberant display in this suburban garden. This garden was on the garden tour 10 years ago but it has matured into a rich tapestry of color, texture and interest that made it worth a repeat visit.

The front gardens at the Loshbaugh residence

Wandering through the gardens revealed a perfect pond complete with koi fish swimming in it and statues of herons looking in it.

Loshbaugh pond with herons

The variety of plants and the way they were combined really caught my designer’s eye. I loved the look of the ribbon grass and nasturtiums. The bright colors of the zinnias and dahlias also made me smile.

Ribbon grass and nasturtiums

Zinnias, dahlias and butterfly bush

Next we moved onto a serene, quiet reflective garden. Lenore Donovan has turned her childhood home into a peaceful park in honor of her parents. While caring for her aging parents, she turned to garden therapy to help ease her stress and satisfy her soul. The result is an oasis in the middle of the desert.

Being peaceful and serene doesn’t mean you can’t have a little whimsy in your garden. Lenore installed a beautiful fountain complete with blue water a few years ago. She then added a heron statue with a fish in his mouth!

In addition to being a park, you could also call it a cat sanctuary.  Lenore is known as the Cat Lady because she has a generous heart and takes in cats that need a home. Some live inside, some outside, some temporary and some permanent. I will always be thankful for the time she helped me with a lost cat in my neighborhood. The ecosystem is in perfect balance as well.  Mosquitos that have an eye on her pond are promptly eaten by Mr. Jack the giant catfish in the pond  or the many varieties of birds that live in the surrounding trees. Toads by the gazillion hatch every summer and take care of any other insect that gets too much to handle.

When you think of an urban garden, what comes to mind?  A small patch of grass, a tree or two between the sidewalk and street? The small backyard might have a patio with a few pots and more grass?  A visit to Judy Hilty’s garden will change your mind forever.

Judy’s Hell strip – a piece of shade heaven

With mature trees and seldom seen in this part of the world plants, this front yard and hell strip is colorful, lush and full of interest. Jacobs ladder, hellebores and hostas thrive in the rich soil along side coral bells, begonias and angelonias.

Judy Hilty and her bathtub garden

One of the surprises in her backyard was the claw foot bathtub painted bright red. Filled with tropical plants atop a raised bed, its a sight to see.

Her containers are filled to the brim with flowers of every color, size and shape.

I love the fact that Judy has adapted her garden over the years to accommodate the ever growing shade from her trees and she uses containers and trellises to fill narrow spaces in her gardens. We were also grateful those large shade trees offered some protection from the steady rain as well.

We missed the three gardens in the Redlands because the rain was coming down too hard to enjoy ourselves. I hope I get to see the Golden and Murdock gardens someday because my tour booklet says they were designed and installed by Bill Richardson of Dragonfly Gardens. I’ve known Bill for many years and have worked with him on several of my own garden designs.  He has a good eye for designing with plants and does creative work with rocks, fountains and other hardscapes. I also want to stop by the fire station on Broadway to see more of their gardens designed by Ann Barrett.  Even whizzing by everyday at 45 mph, the front gardens always look good.

Now that the garden tour is over, the garden tour committee will be working hard to line up next June’s gardens. If you are interested in working on the committee or you would like to have your garden showcased on the garden tour, please contact the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens at  (970) 245-9030. You can also visit their website for more information about the tour and events taking place at the lovely gardens throughout the year.  www.wcbotanic.org