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This unusual crevice garden is reminiscent
of the Czechoslovakian inspired gardens, where linear rocks
are upended to form a series of vertical crevices, in a departure
from the more traditional rock garden. Asperula pontica
sprawls next to very floriferous forms of Lewisia tweedyi,
taking advance of shaded clefts between the rocks. Tight buns
of Draba polytricha, D. rigida and D. bryoides dot
the garden amid the array of flowers from some twenty different
Campanula species. Fresh from a recent expedition to
the Andes, plants such as Calceolaria arachnoidea with
its white, hairy leaves and purple pocket flowers grow in the
open along with Calceolaria hypericina, Oxalis exigua
and Loasa filicifolia.
Alpines in the rock garden peak in June when
draba and saxifrages are at their best, blooming alongside
mats of Gentaina verna. They are followed by penstemons
in mid summer and then later Campanula species such
as C.trogerae, C.formankeniana and C.veriscolor.
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Arctostaphylos uva ursi
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These conifer borders demonstrate all the high elevation conifers
native to the Southern Rocky Mountains. At the west end of the border
walk Lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta spp latifolia are represented.
Lodgepole forests are often called 'fire forests' due to their amazing
ability to re-forest areas after fire. Because of this, lodgepole
forests tend to be single species stands with even aged trees. These
dark forests have thick carpets of acidic needles and nutrient poor
soils and consequently very little diversity. They occur on north
and east facing slopes at elevations from around 7,500 feet up to
around 11,000 feet.
Lodgepole forests give way to the spruce-fir forests
which extend to treeline. Dominated by Engelmann spruce, Picea
engelmannii, and Sub-alpine fir, Abies lasiocarpa, with
some White fir, Abies concolor, these forests dominate the
treeline zone from around 9,000feet to 11,500feet. They dominate
the 'krummholz' zone that forms the upper limit of tree survival
where the trees are 'flagged' by constant battering winds and stunted
lack of water and the cold harsh climate.
Also included in the borders are Bristlecone pine,
Pinus aristata, and Limber pine, Pinus flexilis. These
trees form isolated stands often on windy exposed ridgetops around
treeline. Their gnarled forms and isolated silhouettes form some
of the most spectacular sites in the Rocky Mountains.
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On the far north end of Betty Ford Alpine Gardens are the Alpine Pools.
Reminiscent of the crystal-clear ponds and lakes found in alpine areas
around the world, the Alpine Pools overflow down and create the forty-foot
Alpine Rock Garden waterfall.
Fed by snowmelt, the natural bodies of water
that inspire the Alpine Pools glisten under dark blue skies and
intense sunlight all summer. In the Rocky Mountains, Beaver often
make their homes in these areas building dams that create series
of small pools and waterfalls. Surrounding these alpine ponds, one
will find a lush landscape including plants such as sedges, Carex
spp., rushes, Juncus spp. and willows, Salix spp.
Plants around the Alpine Pools include Carex microptera, Juncus
tracyii and Salix brachycarpa.
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