As the Town of Lyons continues to recover from the 2013 flood, a number
of properties have become available through the Dr. BOP (Deed-Restricted Buy-Out Properties) program. The Rocky
Mountain Botanic Gardens group was asked by the town staff to choose
which parcel would best fit our purpose, and to then give a presentation
to the Town Board of Trustees. We chose the lot in the
confluence that used to be the mobile home park, near the corner of 4th
Ave and Prospect St. We presented our proposal, found everyone in
favor, and are now drawing up our budget and timeline. When the town
approves that, we then ask for approval from FEMA. We
are very excited about this location for the future botanic gardens of
Lyons, the very first in Boulder County. It is 1.26 acres adjacent
to both the South St. Vrain River and the nearly completed Bohn Park,
and is walking distance from downtown Lyons. The nearby neighbors we've spoken with are very
happy with our plans. The members of our
volunteer group are Anthea Rice, Kris Todd, Garima Fairfax, Dianne
Andrews, Carter Christenson, and Deirdre Daly. We also have 25
volunteers who are enthusiastic to help build the display gardens. If
you'd like to be added to our email list of volunteers, please contact
Garima: garima@rmbg.org We
plan to begin on the lower part of the parcel, and to divide this area
into the natural ecosystems of Colorado: foothills, prairie grassland,
montane, riparian (plants that grow along rivers), and plants that grow
in the southwest part of Colorado. We'll have pathways meandering
through the display gardens, and visitors can learn the names of local
plants they see while out hiking, or find new local plants they would
like to have in their gardens. Native plants do well in a garden
situation, and need less water and fertilizer than cultivated plants. The garden will also be a place to view native birds and butterflies from a bench along the path, or to come and do watercolor paintings of native flowers. Our annual plant sale every May supports the creation of this educational garden. See the Our gardens page for an updated drawing of the gardens. |
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