Garden show boosts horticulture programs
Rocky Mountain News
by Carol O'Meara
August 4, 2007
Hear the patter of small feet in a rooftop garden? See an elderly woman in a wheelchair admiring plants along a garden path?
If you visited the Colorado Garden and Home Show, you helped make this happen. (Next year, the show will be held on Feb. 16-24.) Gate proceeds from the event, which draws about 65,000 annually, are used for scholarships and grants to support projects promoting horticulture.
"Eight dollars from every ticket goes back to the community," says Executive Director Jim Fricke. "We gave 34 projects $375,000 in grants this year, and next year it'll be $500,000."
The money goes statewide, says Fricke, and stays in Colorado. From small amounts for tools to large sums for major installations, all requests are considered by a 12-person board of directors.
Requests for grants have doubled over the past five years, says Fricke, with horticultural therapy projects increasing along with greening programs. The deadline is Aug. 30 for submitting letters of inquiry to 959 S. Kipling Parkway, Suite 100, Lakewood, CO 80226; gardeningcolorado.com.
Here are a few highlights from recent grants:
Craig Hospital Therapy Garden
- Where: 3425 S. Clarkson St., Englewood (craighospital.org)
- Project particulars: This 8,400-square-foot space is designed as a working garden to support physical and occupational therapy.
- Cost: $225,000; Colorado Garden and Home Show granted $17,900.
- Result: The shaded trails and raised containers have won the hearts of the surrounding community. "Anyone who comes near loves this place," says Susie Hall, certified therapeutic recreation therapist.
- Features: Fishing decks, a fragrance garden and planters filled with edible herbs and vegetables are key elements for helping patients learn to use adaptive tools and techniques.
Dee Lidvall Discovery Garden at the Butterfly Pavilion
- Where: 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster (www.butterflies.org)
- The project: This 26,000- square-foot garden took three years to install.
- Cost: $387,000; Colorado Garden and Home Show granted $102,000.
- Result: The harsh edges of urban landscape near the Butterfly Pavilion are softened with native plants and nature paths. The plants are used to teach about life in Colorado's ever-changing climate.
- Features: a place to study habitats and a hands-on educational nature center.
Rooftop Garden at the Gathering Place
- Where: 1535 High St., http://the-gatheringplace.org/home.html
- The project: This 3,800- square-foot rooftop playground replaces space lost when the building was expanded.
- Cost: $203,991; Colorado Garden and Home Show granted $11,943. \
- Result: This rooftop oasis provides outdoor space for quiet reflection, benches, tables and shade areas for adults to rest and a dynamic playground for energetic kids.
- Features: Alphabet pavers and picture paths wind through the children's area, and sheds help provide secure storage for play equipment.
