Here in Fort Collins, we have a wonderful community botanic garden called The Gardens on Spring Creek. My favorite things about it are the high level of community involvement encouraged, the whimsical artwork featured and the focus on plants that thrive in the area.

Classes are offered in everything from growing vegetables and other area plants , to various types of landscaping, to painting, to cooking. They host children’s camps, birthday parties and charity events. You can rent a plot for the year and do your gardening there. You can volunteer to help maintain all the ornamental gardens and spend time with and learn from other gardeners. And of course, they take monetary contributions if you just want to offer your support without participating further.

Artwork ranges from a giant watering can that actually pumps water to a Dr. Seuss playhouse and children are not just allowed but encouraged to play. There is an entire area devoted to children that includes friendly scarecrows, a Fairy garden and a fish pond. They light the place up for a special holiday event in December, and they feature works by local artists at various times.

There is a three-quarter acre edible garden that shows you the best vegetables for the area, as well as, new and intriguing vegetables in the International section. A teaching kitchen is located adjacent to the edible garden and thousands of pounds of produce is donated to the local food bank.

Another interesting feature is the xeric strip located between the sidewalk and the street. Designed by Lauren Springer-Ogden, the hell strip features a colorful and interesting variety of plants that will grow with limited water.

There is much more to the garden than is typical of many botanic gardens and I continually discover new things about it. Check it out for yourself…