So you’re walking along in a pleasant Denver neighborhood of single family homes, when suddenly you come upon a front yard that looks distinctly different. This is the garden of Jim Borland, a retired radio talk show host, and one of my favorite stops on the Denver Garden Bloggers Fling last June.
The front garden is a densely layered mix of Colorado native plants that receive absolutely no supplemental watering. The upper layer of shrubs and small trees almost completely obscures the house.
But turns out there is a path to the front door. Notice the nice patch of Wild Blue Flax (Linum lewisii) on the lower right.
I am in love with that plant. Wish I could grow it.
The front porch, with some very cool hanging succulents.
Unfortunately I can’t remember the names of most of the plants we saw, but there were some Agaves.
One of the plants that I do remember is Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa). It was kind of hard to get pictures because of the strong sunlight, but you can see it above underplanted with some kind of Amsonia.
Anyway, this is a really neat twiggy shrub of the Mountain West (from Utah and Nevada down to Arizona and New Mexico). It’s kind of like a cross between an apple tree and Prairie Smoke, with five-petaled white flowers that mature into feathery plumes.
Bees like it.
More Agave.
From within the front garden it’s easy to forget that you’re in a city neighborhood.
There are also some Cacti. That might be some kind of Cholla above. Too bad we were too early for the flowers.
Now, the back garden is a bit more conventional, but still very attractive.
There’s a bit of lawn, an herb garden, a vegetable garden, and a substantial compost pile.
There’s also an out-of-the-way corner where Jim Borland starts plants from seed. Here’s an amazing thing about his front garden: the gardener grew all those plants himself from wild-collected seed. The first stage of planting involved starting plants in 1,500 pots nearly 25 years ago.
Not sure if this flower is a native or not. I like it, though.
I get the feeling that Poppies are very happy in Colorado. The red ones are my favorite.
There are also some robust shrub roses in the mix.
This is a corner house, and the other side facing the street has lots of high plains wildflowers growing along the sidewalk. I wonder what this is – could it be something in the Mallow family?
Some Basket Flowers and some kind of Penstemon.
More Basket Flowers and some Indian Paintbrush.
Jim Borland’s garden is an eloquent testament to his passion for plants, native and otherwise. He has built up a remarkable store of knowledge, along with his remarkable garden, and luckily he is happy to share both with others.
gardeninacity 
Wow – that’s a GARDEN. I love the poppies, but then I’ve never seen one I don’t love. 🙂
I hear you. But red is still my poppy. Although if I ever see the blue poppy I may change my mind.
NICE! Makes my fingers itch and this is only February 2. So, when did you visit this garden? In June? Thanks for sharing!
Yes, back in June of 2019.
That is an amazing garden. I love the exuberance and bit of wildness, tempered by the more cultured back garden. And he started it all from seed!
Incredible, isn’t it?
So very beautiful… and exactly the right type of garden to that climate!
There are some really pretty flowers and the blue of the Linum is simply wonderful.
I can agree those hanging succulents look cool but I’m not certain if I like them. 😀
Again, thank you for sharing! This series of posts is very interesting.
Glad you are liking the posts on Dever Gardens. I agree that the succulents look cool where they are but I wouldn’t be tempted to take them home with me.
Love the spirit of this garden and passion of the gardener. Have tried fo years to grow Wild Blue Flax–such a beautifully colored little flower.
I have never tried growing it but the color is charming.
It will take me all day to recover from the thought of 1500 pots. With seeds. I see the amazing results but I still can’t quite grasp the reality.
Beyond my capacity for patience, I’m afraid.
Love those poppies! Our son goes to the University of Denver. When we visit, I am amazed at how flowers that bloom at different times in Kansas City all bloom happily together in Denver.
I was impressed by how there were so many plants that seemed similar to the ones back home but were different species of the same genera, adapted to the drier climate.
I loved this post, Jason – starting that many plants from seed – wow! I’m going back to seed growing this year, but I’m trying the winter-sowing method so that I don’t have to expand my indoor lighting setup. I don’t think I’ll get to 1500 though.
I keep hearing about winter sowing, but I have never tried it.
It’s interesting to see some Texas natives from farther west and south in the garden. I think the Indian paintbrush might be Castilleja lindheimeri rather than our C. indivisa. Lindheimer’s grows out in the hill country, farther west.
You’re right about the mallow; it’s a globe mallow. This looks like our woolly globe mallow, but it might be the scarlet globe mallow, S. coccinea, or Emory’s globe mallow. There are a couple of other native species in Colorado.
Thanks for the ID. I was just saying there were so many plants in Denver similar to the ones at home but different species of the same genera.
Gorgeous garden–I’ll echo Shoreacres here and agree that there are several similar-to-Texas natives in this set of photos.
Same thing with Midwestern plants.
This garden was so different front yard to back yard. Both gardens were amazing to take in. I will admit I was a little overwhelmed with the front yard, there was a lot to take in.
It was very densely planted. Jim said that in this way it was not very naturalistic – plants in the foothills grow with more bare ground around them.
This is a testament to patience and perseverance. What a beautiful garden. It would be so satisfying to start a whole garden by seed. Wow.
If you had the time and patience! I might have the first, but not the second.
That front garden is a fabulous achievement grown all from seed! I do like that style of planting too.
Same here.
I like all those natives and the “order out of chaos” he has created. I try to start natives from seed but some are really finicky about stratification and scarification. He gives me hope. I wonder if Jim is related to the writer Hal Borland?
I don’t know, that’s a good question. I have done some seed starting with annuals, not so much with native perennials.
It’s amazing to think that all those plants came from seeds. He must be a very patient man, and a good planner!
I should say so!
Now, that is a fabulous garden! It is planted with natives for that region. Well done!
Yes, quite an achievement. It was really one of my favorites from the whole trip.
Lovely garden and an inspiration to Australian gardeners, with many similar plants. Only a very dedicated gardener could grow all of those plants from seeds…congratulations to him!
His garden was a labor of love, for sure. Long may it bloom.
Fancy creating all that from seed! Amazing! I loved it all, especially the back garden and the seed starting area.xxx
He’s a truly dedicated gardener.
From seed?!?!! Even more impressive. Must be a songbird’s paradise, too.
Sure you’re right, though a mid-day when we visited we didn’t see a lot of birds.
Hi Jason .. thanks for stopping by ! .. Casa Blanca was my first white lily that I fell in love with, and I still do love it ! I also have a thing for white , especially in shady areas .. there is nothing like that POP !
Wow with this garden .. I love the fact that it is a hidden paradise within the city .. and yes ! patience and perseverance, has to be his “tools” above all else .. it is amazing to think of all that work being followed through with, and paying out in such wonderful plants . Now that is a gardener ! LOL
I’ve also become very fond of “Conca d’Or’, and orienpet lily. And last fall I planted some Martagons. Looking forward to their blooms, if I can keep the rabbits away!
wow! Absolutely Beautiful Please keep on sharing.
Will do!