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Home&Garden June 23-Aug. 6 Wildflower Tours Learn about amazingly hardy yet delicate alpine wildflowers during free tours of Mount Goliath in the Mount Evans area on selected Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The four-hour hike is a moderately difficult 1.5 miles downhill that passes through an ancient bristlecone pine forest. Shuttles depart at 8:30 a.m. from the U.S. Forest Service Clear Creek Visitor Center in Idaho Springs. Reservations are required. Call 720-865-3539 to confirm dates and reserve a space. July 11-12 This annual insect carnival at the Butterfly Pavilion, 6252 W. 104th Ave. in Westminster, is sure to please kids of all ages with its grand selection of creepy crawlers and breathtaking butterflies. The Pavilion also offers Worms & Dirt on July 25 for kids ages 5 and up, who get to make their own worm-composting bin and learn about the importance of worms in the garden. The Pavilion’s tropical conservatory is filled with 1,200 free-flying butterflies imported from around the globe, with daily butterfly releases at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Call 303-469-5441 or visit the Butterfly Pavilion website. July 17-18 BGBG is an association of building professionals dedicated to promoting healthier, resource-efficient homes and workplaces. The group offers monthly lunch presentations, roundtable discussions, house tours and other resources for professionals, homeowners and students, including the Green Building Conference July 17-18 at various locations around Boulder. Call 303-447-0901 or visit the Boulder Green Building Guild website. July 20, Aug. 20, Sept. 19 Spend a leisurely day strolling these lovely gardens at 1005 York St. in Denver and 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Road in Littleton during free days. Call 720-865-3500 or visit theDenver Botanic Gardens website. Through July 26 Garden- and plant-related children’s stories (think Jack and the Beanstalk) are read 10-11 a.m. every Saturday-Sunday in June and July at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St. Meet in the Victorian Secret Garden to listen to a story or two—and plant a seed to take home. In bad weather, story time takes place in the Helen Fowler Library. Call 720-865-3500 or visit the Denver Botanic Gardens website. August 8 Learn the edible and medicinal properties of local flora on this morning walk with herbalist Brigitte Mars. The 10 a.m.-12 p.m. walk starts in front of Pharmaca, 1647 Pearl St. in Boulder. Call 303-442-4967 or visit Brigitte Mars online. August 10 Held in conjunction with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, this 7 p.m. forum at Chautauqua Community House in Chautauqua Park, 900 Baseline Road, provides a bird’s-eye perspective on migration and migratory pathways in the Rocky Mountains. Call 303-442-3282 or visit Chautauqua's website. August 16 If you love to eat mushrooms, you’ll want to attend the annual Mushroom Fair, where you can learn about which wild species are edible and which to avoid. The Colorado Mycological Society hosts this event at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St., from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. In addition to mushroom identification (bring your wild mushrooms to ID), the fair also includes papermaking with mushrooms, mushroom cultivation and other activities. Call Marc Donsky at 303-556-3201, e-mail marc.donsky @ ucdenver.edu, or visit the Colorado Mycological Society website. August 20 Hohn Greenlee discusses the art and science of meadow-making at 7 p.m. in Mitchell Hall at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St. Greenlee is an author and the owner of Greenlee Nursery, the oldest specialty grass nursery in the West. Featured topics include the benefits of converting traditional lawns to native sods and grasses, and creating green roofs. Call 720-865-3500 or visit the Denver Botanic Gardens website. August 22 You’ll find antiques, arts and crafts, kids’ activities, live entertainment and plenty of peaches during Lafayette’s annual Peach Festival from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on the town’s historic main street. Last year, vendors sold more than 30,000 pounds of Palisade peaches, along with thousands of servings of fresh peach cobbler and peach pie. Visit lafayettecolorado.com or call 303-926-4352. August 28 A live dance band and gourmet al fresco cuisine highlight this black-tie fundraiser amid an outdoor setting of blooming plants at Denver Botanic Gardens. Call Marcia at 720-865-3690, e-mail development@denverbotanicgardens.org or visit the Denver Botanic Gardens website. Through August It’s easy to save water and money with a free irrigation-system inspection from the Center for ReSource Conservation. An inspector checks your sprinkler’s rate and pressure, as well as the turf’s soil and root depth, to determine how to make the system more efficient and set an appropriate watering schedule. Flaws or needed repairs are also noted in a visual inspection. The free inspections are on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 303-999-3820 or visit the Center for ReSource Conservation website. Through August What could be nicer than picnicking under the stars while listening to live music? The Summer Concert Series at Denver Botanic Gardens is always a sellout, so get your tickets early. This year’s lineup includes Joan Baez (July 16); The Wallflowers (July 21); Toots & the Maytals (Aug. 11); Chris Isaak (Aug. 16); The Pretenders and Cat Power (Aug. 22); and Bob Weir & Ratdog (Aug. 31). Most shows start at 7 p.m. at the gardens, 1005 York St. Picnics are permitted, or buy food and drink from on-site vendors. For a complete schedule, call 720-865-3500 or visit the Denver Botanic Gardens website. |
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As corny as it sounds, the Chatfield Corn Maze is husks-full of fun for families and kids of all ages. Big and little people can get lost in the 12-foot-tall, 8.5-acre maze, but guides are always around to lead out stragglers. There’s also a haunted house, food vendors, a mini-maze for tots and two illuminated bridges to survey the cornfield. Located at 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Road in Littleton, the maze is open Fridays-Sundays. Call 303-973-3705 or visit the Boulder Green Building Guild website. Sept. 19-20 Learn about renewable energy, organic agriculture, local economies and sustainable living at the Sustainable Living Fair on the northwest corner of Vine Street and Lemay Avenue in Fort Collins. This year’s fair features 250 exhibitors, 75 workshops, live music and entertainment, local and organic food, and a beer garden. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Call Kristina at 970-217-8786 or visit the Sustainable Living Fair website for a map and directions. Sept. 19-20, 26-27 The soft economy hasn’t hurt this popular home tour, which features new and remodeled homes from builders throughout the metro area. The Tour of Homes benefits the Flatirons Building Council of the Home Builders Association. Call Roger Reinhardt at 303-551-6729 or visit the Flatirons Tour of Homes website. September 26 This annual outdoor market showcases handcrafted items, antiques, clothing, jewelry, healing arts and more. Rent a booth and display your own unique wares. The market is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in Boulder High School’s west parking lot on Arapahoe Avenue at 14th Street. Call 720-272-7467 or visit Boulder Market's website. Through September Have a burning gardening question? Master gardeners at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St., can answer it from noon-4 p.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at the Helen Fowler Library. Call 720-865-3575 or e-mail gardeninghelp @ botanicgardens.org. Through September Explore plant and animal relationships of prehistoric proportions at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St. The grounds boast life-sized, realistic dinosaurs from the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods of the Mesozoic Era. Plant displays showcase prehistoric plants and their modern relatives. Plant fossils and a dinosaur dig site for kids round out the installation. The Chatfield facility at 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Road in Littleton hosts large-scale prehistoric bugs. The Jurassic exhibit is the work of artist Guy Darrough from Lost World Studios. Call 720-865-3500 or visit the Denver Botanic Gardens website. Through September Plants like music and musicians like plants, and you can see both during this year’s summer concert series at Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St. The gardens once again offer an unrivaled setting for some of the world’s premier musical artists. For a schedule, call 720-865-3500 or visit the Denver Botanic Gardens website. Through October The Boulder Green Building Guild and the Center for ReSource Conservation co-host the BGBG BOSS (Building On-Site Seminar) Series, formerly known as the Zero Energy Home Seminar and Tour Series, and the Boulder County Solar and Green Home Tour. The BOSS series occurs monthly, culminating in the Solar Home Tour Week in October. The series is designed to showcase net- or near-zero energy and other green-building and remodeling practices. Call 303-447-0901 or visit the Boulder Green Building Guild website. Ongoing Harlequin’s Gardens at 4795 N. 26th St. in Boulder offers one-day classes on topics such as Pruning for Strength, Health and Beauty on Aug. 9 and 16. Free tours of the nursery, which has demonstration gardens of native plants, xeriscape plants and own-root roses, are available on select Sundays. Call 303-939-9403 or visit the Harlequin's Gardens website. who to know Networking Night The fun-filled Boulder County Home & Garden Magazine networking event at Joyful Furniture in April gave attendees a chance to connect in a lively atmosphere, eat great cuisine prepared by Nate Stevens of Sabor Catering and sip on cocktails while checking out Joyful’s fanciful wares on Pearl Street. The next networking event for professionals in the home and garden industries is 4-7 p.m. July 15 at Specialty Appliance in Gunbarrel. Call Susan Tucker at 303-443-0600 ext. 109. Fun, Friendly, Fact-Filled Fair Boulder County Home & Garden Magazine’s marketing director, Susan Tucker, appeared on 9News with anchor Cheryl Preheim May 2 to promote the annual Boulder Home & Garden Fair. Turned out bad weather forced the fair to be rescheduled to the following weekend. But it was well worth it, as it couldn’t have been a nicer spring day for the fair at Twenty Ninth Street retail district. Nearly 3,000 people turned out to visit more than 60 home and garden booths, and to be entertained by drummers, belly dancers and prize giveaways. Tucker says next year’s fair promises to be even bigger and better. So vendors, reserve your booth now by calling Tucker at 303-443-0600 ext. 109; homeowners, plan to attend next spring’s fair (date TBA).
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