A peek at Lauren Springer’s undaunted garden
I got the jump on fall by spending two weeks in Denver in late September/early October. And an excellent decision it was, too, with aspens yellow as butter in the mountains and gardens sparkling with flowering grasses. Case in point: plantswoman Lauren Springer’s personal garden on the outskirts of Fort Collins. A rosy fog of ‘Undaunted’ ruby muhly grass (Muhlenbergia reverchonii Undaunted), one of Lauren’s introductions to the plant trade, laps against a tree-shaded patio — a view as perfect from Lauren’s kitchen window as on the approach from the driveway.
Lauren is one of my garden-writing heroes, whose groundbreaking book The Undaunted Garden inspired my own gardening efforts when I was starting out. I appreciate her making time for me and my husband to visit in the midst of a busy workweek. While Lauren asked me to keep her garden private aside from the use of these two photos, I encourage you to read about and view her garden in the book Visionary. She’s made a beautiful and distinctively northern Colorado garden.
Update: To see more of Lauren and her garden, check out this GardenFit episode on YouTube. Watch all the way to the end for Lauren’s lesson on repotting pot-bound cacti. I definitely learned something new! Thanks to Michael of Plano Prairie Garden for the heads-up about this video.
Up next from my Colorado trip: A tour of the remarkable SummerHome Garden in Denver.
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I too count Lauren as one of my gardening heroes. I have read and increasingly enjoyed two of her books (Undaunted and the one with Rob Proctor) several times. What a treat to get a personal tour. I know she is a very private person but would sure love to see more of her garden. Lucky you!
I do feel lucky to have been able to visit Lauren’s garden and talk with her about it. She’s working on a new book, by the way.
This is among the best displays of Muhlenbergia reverchonii I’ve ever seen. A spectacular sea of pink!
I agree — magical!
There’s nothing prettier than pink muhly grass when it’s in bloom! Thanks for the cross-reference to your Visionary review – I somehow missed that earlier.
Have you read it, Kris? I really enjoyed it.
To see more of Lauren’s garden, it was featured on the PBS program GardenFit last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHaEYpcvnmA
Thanks for the heads up, Michael. I’m off to watch it now.