Opening night for the 2019 Garden Bloggers Fling, at The GrowHaus

Each year the Garden Bloggers Fling begins with an opening night bash. Held on Thursday evening—before the event proper gets underway on Friday morning—it's an opportunity for experienced fingers to see old friends, for new flingers to get their feet wet, and for the organizers to set the tone for the next three days. This year the party was at The GrowHaus...

The colorful murals and painted signs told us this wasn't a stuffy affair.

The sheer quantity of plants had us well, at least me, feeling right at home.

Big leaves, stock tanks, a jungly feel...

Here are a few of my fellow GBF attendees, the second bus hadn't arrived quite yet.

The GrowHaus is a is a nonprofit indoor farm, their vision is to bring about a neighborhood-based food system in their community which is healthy, equitable, and resident-driven. They achieve this vision through three program areas:

FOOD PRODUCTION: The GrowHaus produces fresh produce year-round. Their three growing operations demonstrate a variety of innovative, community-oriented urban farming techniques: Hydroponics Farm, Aquaponics Farm, Growasis Permaculture Farm

FOOD DISTRIBUTION: In addition to farms, a healthy food system needs infrastructure for food processing and distribution. The GrowHaus works with community members to provide fresh and healthy food at a price residents can afford. They have a daily market and food boxes for sale.

FOOD EDUCATION: The GrowHaus offers education for people of all ages and backgrounds around nutrition, gardening, cooking, and other essential skills for building healthy communities. (source)

Unfortunately we couldn't actually walk out into the growing area (regulations on access to edibles) but there were lots of windows for us to check out what they were up to.

We were also able to spy on the mushroom growing operation through a window, but the photo I took was too dark.

The entire operation was very impressive.

I would have loved to know the story behind this great hideaway spot.

Did I mention the atmosphere was kinda jungly?

Here's our leader for the next 3 days, Judy Seaborn of Botanical Interests seed company.

The Denver organizers raffled off lots of fabulous prizes from Fling Sponsors. I initially won a Cobra Head weeder and cultivator, my fourth. Yes I'd won this fabulous tool at three other events. A gardener really only needs one (I'd gifted on my other two) so I sweet talked Denise of A Growing Obsession into trading with me, she'd won a Tula hat. This one, which I was trying to model with a sly look, knowing I'd gotten a sweet deal. I LOVE THIS HAT! Thanks Cobra Head, Tula, and Denise (and additional thanks to Denise for taking, and sending me this photo).

There was just enough time to wander around outside a bit before we piled back on the bus and returned to the hotel. I guess I've never really seen a full grown baptisia, I had no idea they got so large.

And this! This large shrub is definitely in the pea family but I have no idea what it is.

One of my most vivid memories of this Fling is of the dramatic clouds. Denver definitely does sky drama. There were all sorts of interesting fluffy clouds, thunder clouds, lighting (thankfully we avoided a Fling downpour) and even a double rainbow one night.

Weather Diary, June 23: Hi 71, Low 55/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Thicket on Alberta, it's been too long...

Thicket, on Alberta street, is a little over a mile from my house. So why don't I visit more often? That's what I'm asking myself...

I finally broke my long dry spell when I stopped in a couple weeks ago, after finding myself early for a dinner date with my husband. I'm glad I did...

Thicket has always been a super charming location, but they've doubled, if not tripled their plant selection since I last visited. More plants is always a good thing.

Euphorbia Blackbird'

Abutilon pictum 'Thompsonii'

I think these are old Restoration Hardware chairs, from back when Restoration Hardware was still cool, not the McMansion furniture company it is now...

So many plants...

A houseplant greenhouse, let's go inside...

Tillandsias...

Bromeliads...

Love that blue...

Back outside.

Disporum cantoniense 'Moonlight'

Pachysandra axillaris 'Windcliff Fragrant'

There's Adria, owner of Thicket. Which reminds me to share the link to a video from PlantPop which featured her and the shop, you can watch it here.

There are so many wonderful spaces to explore at Thicket.

And spiky plants too...

The shade sails must be as nice on a bright sunny day as they were on this slightly drizzly evening.

Lotus maculatus 'Gold Flash'

I'm excited to make Thicket a regular stop on my nursery rotation, I don't know why it took me so long to get back there but I definitely won't let that happen again!

Weather Diary, June 20: Hi 69, Low 54/ Precip .07"

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

My 2019 Garden Bloggers Fling plant haul...

Plant shopping opportunities were scarce during the 2019 Fling in Colorado, which I've been calling the Denver Fling, but we spent a day in Ft. Collins and a day in Boulder, so we definitely saw more than just Denver.

While I was on a bus visiting gardens Andrew was out and about exploring the city. He sent me photos of a plant filled window at the Queen City General Store...

I tried not to be to jealous, I mean I don't really need more plants, do I?

Thankfully I didn't return home plant-less. Here's the final haul, back home in Portland.

The little sempervivum at the bottom of the plant pyramid (above) came from this clump...

...in the garden of Linda Boley. When I asked her about the odd knuckled leaves on a few of the plants, she said that was her “pine-cone sempervivum” and asked if I wanted one, of course! She then proceeded to pull one out of the ground and hand it to me, as well as doing the same for two friends who walked up and admired it. What a generous lady with a great garden...

See how the tips resemble a pine cone?

The Denver Botanic Gardens gift shop provided shopping opportunities.

Complete with rusty cacti...

...and Little Pickles!

While I loved the name, the plant itself wasn't something I needed to bring home.

I was tempted by the Puya alpestris, but didn't want to torture the poor thing.

There were a few great containers, but the fact we flew to Denver kept me from even looking at the prices.

I did however succumb to the temptation of these cuties.

Aloinopsis spathulata, aka hardy living stone

Full sun, well drained soil, Zone 6

My other two plant purchases weren't actually purchases but rather gifts. Andrew and I returned to the Denver Botanic Gardens on Monday (after the Fling proper had wrapped up) and ran into Panayoti Kelaidis (Senior Curator and Director of Outreach at the garden, as well as all around amazing plantsman). Just a few minutes of talking with him and he was working to connect us with Kelly Grummons (the cactus man) for a garden tour. So after a wandering the DBG for a bit we then set off to meet this kind (and very knowledgeable) man who spent a couple of hours touring two complete strangers around his garden and through his small retail greenhouses. I fell hard for that blue agave...

It's Agave parryi v. neomexicana x utahensis, or deep blue form New Mexican agave (available here). It's hardy to Zone 5, and of course needs excellent drainage. Isn't it a beauty?

That's it on the left. The other plant, Echinocereus triglochidiatus...

...was one I fell in love with in the greenhouse. The larger 4" pots weren't for sale, as he's saving those to gather seeds for propagation.

But I got one of these smaller guys, they're so pristine! The deep red claret cup flowers were a feature of many of the gardens we visited during the Fling, if my plant blooms someday it will definitely take me back.

There were a few other plants I was seriously lusting after at Kelly's place, this petite opuntia (below) topped the list, but he didn't have any available on site. Meet Opuntia polyacantha 'Peter Pan', so called because it never matures and never blooms. Forever staying in this, it's juvenile form. Yes, I've already ordered a pair...

Weather Diary, June 19: Hi 70, Low 54/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.