The Denver Garden Bloggers Fling (June 2019) wrapped up, after 3-1/2 days of touring Denver-area gardens, at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms. Chatfield Farms, a 700-acre native plant refuge and working farm in Littleton, has a number of interesting gardens, including a prairie garden designed by Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden, a native plant garden, a lavender garden, and a labyrinth.

With shame I confess that I was (how can it be?) too tired to tour at this point. When the buses dropped us off, all I could do was stagger through the gardens toward the promise of food and refreshments in the big red barn. Where was that barn??

Well, OK, I couldn’t help noticing pretty gardens along the way. I have eyes, after all!

Lupine and columbine

And rabbits!

Patrick Dougherty Stickwork One Fell Swoop

And then I stumbled upon the Stickwork One Fell Swoop. These fantastical twiggy creations by the prolific Patrick Dougherty can be found in parks, public gardens, and plazas around the country. I’ve photographed Stickworks in Austin; Reston, Virginia; and Vero Beach, Florida. I couldn’t miss exploring this one.

Woven on-site with locally sourced saplings and branches, Dougherty’s Stickworks are simultaneously play houses, sculptures, and artistic collaborations with local volunteers who help him construct them over a period of a few weeks.

They last only a few years before nature reclaims them.

Each one is unique to its site.

If you ever built forts as a child, you’ll find them irresistible.

A little farther along, I spotted the state flower of Colorado, Rocky Mountain columbine.

So pretty

Dinner and Line Dancing

And then at last, the big red barn! I ducked inside just as fat raindrops started to fall. After a delicious dinner, a presentation about next year’s Fling in Madison, Wisconsin (June 18-21, 2020), and a well-deserved round of applause for the Denver Fling planners, it was time to line dance!

Under a clearing sky, a dozen or so energetic bloggers followed our Emmylou-lookalike dance instructor, Vera Karasik, out to the patio and learned steps like the vine and the Charleston.

I mustered enough energy for one dance and had a fun time. Some of these ladies were game for 3 or 4 long dances on top of 10 hours of garden touring!

I’ll end with this scene from the native plant garden behind the barn, accented by an old brick silo.

And that’s a wrap on my coverage of the Denver Garden Bloggers Fling. I hope you’ve enjoyed the tours! For a look back at the front-yard oasis of Keith Funk, click here. From there you can follow links back to all my Denver Fling posts.

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Digging Deeper

Come learn about gardening and design at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, authors, and gardeners a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. Season 8 kicks off in fall 2024. Stay tuned for more info!

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