Sarada KrishnanDenver Botanic Gardens

March 28, 2013

Global Gardens

Vision:Bring global relevance to Denver Botanic Gardens through implementation of diverse and sustainable programs achieving global transformation by connecting people with plants

Program Areas1. Agriculture

Development2. Botany3. Conservation4. Horticulture

Program Goals - Horticulture

Expansion of DBG’s Steppe collection through plant explorationIntroduction of plants

suited to our climateServe as resource for

Botanic Garden development

Offer horticultural training – capacity building

Characteristics of Steppe Climate

Middle of the continent, in the lee of high mountains

Low precipitation – trees cannot grow

Plants adapted to drought conditions – small with extensive root systems

Cold winters with dry winds

Cyclic droughts

7

•DBG has the only South African Garden in a cold temperate climate•Over 1,000 taxa tested and hundreds displayed in our gardens (largest testing of South African plants in temperate climate conditions)•Staff have been to South Africa 15 times in the last 30 years•16 of 113 Plant Select® introductions are South African (14%)

South Africa

Drakensberg Mts.

Karroid Steppe

Fynbos Mts.

> 10,000 species

> 7000 species

CapeFloristicKingdom> 15,000 species

Kazakhstan

Trips to Kazakhstan in 2009 and 2010

Funded by Plant Select® and DBG

2009 exploratory trip to assess floristic relevance

2010 collection driven

KZ is home to the largest contiguous steppe region in the world

Multiple mountain ranges of varying ages and sizes

Isolated from oceanic influences

7th largest land mass country with 1,053,000 sq. mi.

Extends from N41̊ to N55 ̊and E44 ̊to E87̊

Kazakhstan

Home to an estimated 6,000± sp.

Greatly under explored horticulturally

Much of the documentation was lost during 1991 independence

A few Russian floras still exist

650 collections made in 2010

Still germinating seed and planting trials around the state

Kazakhstan

Argentina

Patagonia is one of 4 major steppe regions worldwide.

Andes are the longest mountain range in the world

Patagonian steppe flora and Andean alpines are poorly represented in horticulture

Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world.

Why Argentina?

Research and relationship building began in 2008.

Formal permitting process started in Feb 2010 1992 Convention

on Biological Diversity Benefit sharing

Initial research and relationship building trip in Jan/Feb 2011 Drove 4,600 miles

around Patagonia 50 waypoints taken almost 8,000

photos documenting the landscape, conditions, flora and fauna.

Argentina

Colorado Climate – Gardening Challenges

Semi-aridLow humidityLow precipitation :

10 – 12 inchesFluctuating

temperaturesShort growing

season (mid-May – mid-Sept)

Periodic drought cycle

Plant TrialsSuperior

performanceSuperior

adaptationUniquenessLong seasonNon-invasivenessResistance to

pestsLow water

performanceMass producedPotential for

superior selection

Thank You!Happy Spring!