Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Denver
- 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
These are the previously published dates. Check the organizer for a new edition.
Check the organizer’s latest schedule ↗Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place at Denver Botanic Gardens
High desert, chaparral/shrub steppe and meadow/prairie give this Denver Botanic Gardens lecture its regional design framework. Lauren Springer and Bryan Fischer will discuss how those plant communities can inform sustainable home landscapes and which native plants gardeners might consider.
Let place shape the garden plan
The three communities are reference points for designing a home landscape, not stops on a scheduled garden tour. The lecture pairs practical design concepts with suggestions for native plants that could suit Rocky Mountain gardens.
The description names the communities and promises plant suggestions, but does not give a plant-by-plant roster. Visitors can expect a discussion of design approaches and possible choices rather than a published species list.
Further reading: Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Bryan Fischer works with plants in the region
Fischer manages horticulture at the High Plains Environmental Center in Loveland, where he tends demonstration gardens, and consults on landscape projects between Loveland and Denver. He also selects and breeds native plants for garden traits while retaining their benefits to wildlife.
His work includes a meadow design recognized internationally in the Australian book Visionary: Gardens and Landscapes for Our Future. That mix of horticultural practice and landscape design brings a practical regional perspective to the evening’s subject.
Further reading: Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Lauren Springer brings design and plant-introduction experience
Springer received the 2025 American Horticultural Society Landscape Design Award and has introduced plants to the trade, including nearly a dozen for Plant Select®. Her projects include Denver Botanic Gardens, Chatfield Farms, Santa Fe Botanical Garden and Gardens on Spring Creek in Fort Collins.
Her books include The Undaunted Garden and Plant-Driven Design. Together, her design work and experience bringing plants into wider use offer another perspective on how regional choices can become part of a home landscape.
Further reading: Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Three parts to the evening
Book sale and early browsing run from 4 to 4:30 p.m.; the lecture and audience Q&A follow from 4:30 to 6:15; and book signing is scheduled for 6:15 to 7 p.m. The Rocky Mountain Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden will be available to purchase at the lecture; no price is listed.
Thursday, November 12, 2026 · York Street
- Book sale and early browsing
- Lecture and audience Q&A with Bryan Fischer and Lauren Springer
- Book signing
Plan the evening
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026
The program runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at Denver Botanic Gardens’ York Street location.
Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Three listed ticket prices
Admission is $32, $25 for members and $15 for students. The event description does not say whether the ticket also includes general Gardens admission, so check the ticket details before purchasing.
Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Listed for adults
Denver Botanic Gardens lists the event audience as adults.
Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Ask about routes and accommodations in advance
The Gardens says most indoor and outdoor facilities, including restrooms and classrooms, are wheelchair accessible, though some areas may require assistance. Paved paths and accessible facilities are available at York Street; accessible parking is first-come, first-served. Manual wheelchairs are available at no charge, also first-come, first-served, with no reservations; motorized wheelchairs and scooters are not offered.
Lectures can be adapted for most accommodations. The Gardens offers free ASL interpretation and CART captioning for registration-based programs with at least two weeks’ notice. The event listing does not name the lecture room or confirm event-specific arrangements, so contact Visitor Services at 720-865-3500 in advance to discuss access needs. Service animals are permitted in event spaces.
Accessibility | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Parking, Transportation & Accessibility - York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Getting to York Street
Address and entrance
The event listing gives the location as Denver Botanic Gardens, York Street, 1007 York Street, Denver, CO 80206. The Gardens identifies the Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center at 1007 York Street and the Freyer–Newman Center at 1085 York Street as entrances to the main gardens. The event page does not specify a lecture room or event-specific entrance; use the 1007 York Street destination and check your ticket information for any arrival instructions.
Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Parking, Transportation & Accessibility - York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Transit, bicycles and parking
The Gardens lists RTD route #24 at York and Josephine streets and route #10 along 12th Avenue. Bike racks are at the York Street main entrance.
Limited free parking is available in the visitor complex between York and Josephine streets during regular operating hours; the complex is for Gardens visitors and does not allow overnight parking. Free EV charging is available to Gardens visitors in two-hour increments in the public garage, on the main level north of the elevator bank.
Posted street parking is available in Cheesman Park or Congress Park; check signs for restrictions. Vans should use the parking complex’s top deck because of height limits, and RVs are not permitted in the complex.
Parking, Transportation & Accessibility - York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Access support
The Gardens advises visitors to contact it in advance for help clarifying accessible routes or arranging accommodations. Accessible parking is first-come, first-served; manual wheelchairs are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis, with no reservations. The Gardens does not offer motorized wheelchairs or scooters.
Free ASL interpretation and CART captioning can be requested for registration-based events with at least two weeks’ notice. Lectures can be adapted for most accommodations; contact Visitor Services at 720-865-3500 to ask about arrangements for this program. Service animals are permitted in buildings, gardens and event spaces.
Before you make a plan
Is this a garden tour or hands-on planting class?
No such activities are listed. The published format is a lecture with audience Q&A, focused on design concepts and native plant choices.
Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Does the ticket include general Gardens admission?
The event description lists program ticket prices but does not state whether general Gardens admission is included. Check the ticket details before purchasing.
Creating Gorgeous Native Plant Gardens with a Sense of Place | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Which RTD routes serve York Street?
The Gardens lists route #24 at York and Josephine streets and route #10 along 12th Avenue.
Parking, Transportation & Accessibility - York Street | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗
Can I request ASL interpretation or CART captioning?
The Gardens offers both at no charge for registration-based programs when requested at least two weeks in advance. Contact the Gardens to confirm arrangements for this lecture.
Location & Google Maps
Denver Botanic Gardens, York Street
1007 York Street, Denver, CO 80206
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.