"Global Gardens" is a presentation by Sarada Krishnan of the Denver Botanic Gardens.

1. Sarada Krishnan
Denver Botanic Gardens
March 28, 2013

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

3. 1. Agriculture
Development
2. Botany
3. Conservation
4. Horticulture

4.  Expansion of DBG’s Steppe
collection through plant
exploration
 Introduction of plants
suited to our climate
 Serve as resource for Botanic
Garden development
 Offer horticultural training –
capacity building

5.  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. South Africa
•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
7
African (14%)

8. Karroid Steppe
> 10,000 species
Drakensberg Mts.
> 7000 species
Fynbos Mts.
Cape
Floristic
Kingdom
> 15,000 species

9.  Trips to
Kazakhstan in
2009 and 2010
 Funded by Plant
Select® and DBG
 2009 exploratory
trip to assess
floristic relevance
 2010 collection
driven

10.  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 N55̊
and E44̊ to E87̊

11.  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

12. Why 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.

13.  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.

14.  Semi-arid
 Low humidity
 Low precipitation :
10 – 12 inches
 Fluctuating
temperatures
 Short growing season
(mid-May – mid-Sept)
 Periodic drought cycle

15.  Superior performance
 Superior adaptation
 Uniqueness
 Long season
 Non-invasiveness
 Resistance to pests
 Low water
performance
 Mass produced
 Potential for superior
selection