Mist swirls around rare orchids that drip from a large stone mountain, mixing with the music of four waterfalls — a magical part of the Denver Botanic Gardens’ new greenhouse complex designed by staff to evoke the sensory experience of the orchid fields of Central America and southern Mexico.
“It was very staff-driven,” said Gardens chief executive Brian Vogt, explaining the design origin of the dramatic entrance to the soon-to-be-unveiled $15 million complex. “They came up with stone color, types of stone and the way these slabs tumble down in one direction and stratify.”
The new complex will open in stages, starting Sept. 4 with the orchid-filled Marnie’s Pavilion and the Orangery, which is based on traditional European Renaissance garden displays.
“Imagine a blizzard outside, and you walk in here, surrounded by camellias and citrus trees, and read a book,” Vogt said.
The orchid collection connects the 50,000-square-foot complex, paid for by the Better Denver Bond Program, with the historic conservatory.
The west side of the complex will be wrapped with a 5,000-square-foot terrace, landscaped with a bank of cypress trees and tiered gardens, where major events will be held.
“It will have a Mediterranean feel to it, with wheat, sunflowers and grapes growing in that area,” said Vogt. “Just picture Tuscany or something.”
Science is what differentiates a show garden from a botanic garden, so research and conservation are key drivers of the future at the Gardens.
“We just recently put in a conservation-genetics laboratory, and we’re already getting major contracts to do conservation-genetics work,” Vogt said.
The new lab is the first to focus on the DNA of plants found in the Rocky Mountain region.
Already, it has attracted more than $148,000 in new research funding, including three projects for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
The world of plant DNA may seem arcane, but it is extremely relevant, Vogt said.
“Say there’s a plant in the mountains that you think is endangered and then you start seeing similar plants cropping up. You have to make sure it’s the same exact plant because, a lot of times, plants can go extinct from hybridization, so it blends with another local and the original is gone forever,” he said.
The greenhouses are soaring structures covering 16,000 square feet and including 12 climate-controlled zones to house the Gardens’ tropical, aquatic, orchid and bromeliad, cactus and succulent collections.
To celebrate its elegant new addition, the Gardens will offer free admission Sept. 6 at its York Street facility to everyone who lives in Denver County.
“It’s a thank-you,” said marketing manager Robin Doerr, “for voting ‘yes’ on the bond referendum that helped us build our greenhouses.”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083 or coconnor@denverpost.com
By the numbers
The Denver Botanic Gardens’ new $15 million greenhouse complex, paid for by the Better Denver Bond Program, used:
27,000
concrete blocks
190
tons of rebar
4,200
yards of concrete
