Denver Botanic Gardens in late August

The daytime highs are in the upper 90s in the Denver area. At night, of course they get a sweet cool down but walking anywhere when it's above 80 degrees is less comfortable for us and then add the 6,000 feet change in altitude and you have the formula for a 1.5 hour tour instead of an all day experience.

Here are a few shots from that beautiful place, the Denver Botanic Gardens.

 The entrance is across from the free-parking garage.

 The 23 acres are dotted with theme gardens to wander.

Many of the plants in flower were the same as we grow in zone 7 Oklahoma but about a third are species that can't take the amount of moisture and humidity we have.


While some flowers were fading from the heat and the late-August season, the beauty of the gardens is remarkable.

We noticed how large the plants were and the number of flowers they had in a summer like this one. Other gardeners we met wondered what they use to fertilize!



Several basil varieties were in bloom in the herb garden along with the oregano and mints.

The sunflowers are gigantic at this time of year and they were interplanted with squash that was going to town, protecting the ground with vines.

The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory is quite a sight even from across the park. It is filled with tropical and subtropical plants.

The internationally renowned Rock Alpine Garden has 2300 plant species plus a glass house.

This was our first visit but we've already started planning our next one in spring when cooler temps allow a longer walk.